Chapter 18

Rei was grimly silent as they moved, her face drawn and dark. Shin was trying to puzzle out how she'd been able to go from seemingly sound asleep to awake and defensive so quickly, but he was thankful for it.

And given the display he'd just seen Usagi make with the Silver Crystal, he was understanding exactly how much might be at stake. He turned and cast a discreet look over his shoulder at the girl with the pigtails. Though she'd come off initially as a flake with no ability, she'd quickly proven herself to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest in the group. She might not be great for hand-to-hand combat, but her abilities packed quite a punch of their own.

Her open, innocent face wore a troubled expression, and Shin had a feeling she was planning future attacks. With or without the rest of them. He grinned a bit as he caught sight of Shuu's watchful eye over the girl. If Usagi thought she was planning to cut another battle short with her crystal, Shuu was going to have a great deal to say about it.

"What are you smiling at?" Rei's grumpy query didn't stray past the two of them, but the volume of her voice did nothing to disguise its bite. Shin cleared his throat, realizing it probably did seem rude to be grinning when they were fleeing the forces of evil, but he hadn't been able to help himself.

"Sorry. I was worried about Tsukino using her crystal again but I've just realized that Shuu is already on it." He leaned in as he spoke, keeping his voice low enough for her ears only. To his surprise, a small smile flitted across the priestess' lips.

"Good. She pulls that crystal out again I'm gonna choke her with it," she muttered. Shin snorted, more than a little curious about the odd relationship between Rei and Usagi. The priestess was fiercely protective…when Usagi's back was turned. It was both odd and amusing to watch.

"She did just save us with that crystal," he offered diplomatically. Rei scowled at him as they moved, and then looked away, averting her eyes.

"She did. But just because the crystal is an easy solution doesn't mean it's the right one," she grumbled, tone sullen. Shin furrowed his brow.

"I understand that it's important to keep her safe, but I don't understand what you mean by that," he replied, hoping she'd elaborate. Rei swung her gaze back to him, her eyes intense as she studied him for a moment, weighing what she wanted to say. He felt the somber mood settle around his shoulders and wondered what was so grave about the situation.

"Normally, the Silver Crystal is its own source of power. Using it and controlling it requires Usagi's own energy to work. That seems simple, but it's not. Usagi's emotions are tied up in the crystal's power. Her energy fuels the crystal just as she uses the crystal's power. Any time she uses it, under normal circumstances, it puts a terrible strain on her. And right now…" the priestess trailed off and cast a worried glance back at the pig-tailed woman.

"She can't transform. She can't access her own full abilities. We've never been in a situation when she needs to use the crystal so much while she's still in her civilian form. Do you understand what all of this could mean?" Rei was pinning him with an intense stare as they moved, but Shin had already put together what Mars wanted him to figure out.

"She's robbing her own energy every time she uses it. She's operating on borrowed energy, essentially," he replied.

Rei gave him a curt nod. "It doesn't seem like an issue right now, because Usagi is powerful, and so is the crystal. But the longer this goes on…" she trailed off, focusing on the hall in front of them, shrouding herself with a moody silence.

Shin realized then that Shuu must have seen something from Usagi before their groups had met up. The warrior of Kongo was a lot of things, but keenly observant often wasn't one of them. Whatever had happened to Shuu and Usagi before they'd made it to the shrine must have been serious.

Was there any bottom to the risks and the dangers surrounding them all? When would the wind finally blow their way?

Reuniting was supposed to give them hope and strength. Instead, it seemed to only cast light on how bad things had become. He cast a look back at Touma, who ran silently, a look of dark determination on his face. On his back, despite the jostling, the Senshi of Jupiter was mostly asleep. Tenku's subarmor was nearly as battered as he was, and the livid ring of bruises around his neck stood out like a red flag against his naturally pale skin.

Still, this didn't seem to be slowing their blue-haired genius down.

In the archer's eyes, Shin could read the depths of rage that burned, and felt his hope swell a bit. If anyone was going to figure out how to get them out of here, it was going to be Touma. And an enraged Touma? Shin kind of felt bad for anyone who found themselves at the center of Tenku's anger. Kind of. But not really. Whoever they were, they more than deserved what was coming to them.

He turned his focus back to the forefront. Rei seemed to be leading them back into the depth of Izanami's palace, and Shin assumed she was making a bid for safety. They needed time to recover. And they needed to do it in a place where risk of attack was minimal. Of course, the closer they were to Izanami the worse the poison was going to be. But the deeper they went into Izanami's territory, the less chance they had of someone striking at them under the watchful eye of the goddess. There were no wins. Only calculated risks.

Shin felt immensely grateful for the woman beside him and her sharp instincts. Rei was confident and decisive, and that was helping them more than she might know. She began to slow her pace then, panting, before bringing them to a halt.

"I need to get a sense of where we are," she wheezed. Shin frowned at her. She was pale, and sweating. They stood for a moment at a cross-section of hallways, everything around them silent as a tomb. Suffocatingly silent.

"We're safe here but this is too far in. Too much poison," Rei huffed out a breath and closed her eyes, trying to center her focus on…something. Shin wasn't sure what she was looking for or what it was that she followed when she was leading the way. He just knew that whatever it was, Rei's intuition hadn't let him down yet.

The other Troopers waited patiently beside the Senshi, who seemed to think nothing of simply following Rei's instincts. Minako was still keeping a watchful eye around them, Seiji at her elbow as the two of them looked ready to launch into battle at a moment's notice.

Rei turned and led them down a different corridor at a more sedate pace, feeling her way through the maze-like, dimly lit corridors. She came to an abrupt halt at a T-section of the hall, where a small, wraith-like zombie was standing and patiently pointing them to the left. Rei nodded her thanks at it, turning to the group.

"This is one of Izanami's…children?" she ventured awkwardly. Shin had no idea what they were called either. It was probably insulting to call them real zombies. It was also a little strange to be unafraid of the actual zombies and afraid of the non-zombies.

Everything was getting confusing.

The Troopers cast the creature wary looks as they walked by. Usagi was clinging to Shuu's arm, visibly trembling, as the Warrior of Kongo tucked her against his side farthest from the thing and glowered as they passed. Even Minako, who moments ago had been the hardened, experienced warrior, gave it a wide berth, laying a hand on Seiji's arm for reassurance.

Instead of stiffening up or looking hassled, Seiji seemed to lean into the touch, offering silent support to Venus, placing a hand over her own where it rested on his arm. Hmm. That was interesting. Ami was staring at it in open curiosity, and it was Ryo who looked to be a bit unsettled as they passed. He herded Ami away from it, putting himself between her and the creature, his unease there for all to see on his face.

Minako shattered the silence that blanketed them afterward, as they moved carefully down the hall with some news that didn't exactly make Shin feel much better.

"Guys….our bodies are here. From the Moon Kingdom. Do you think they like….work in the Underworld with Izanami? Like, are we down here doing her bidding?"

Rei stopped their march so abruptly Ami slammed into her from behind. The two women merely made brief, apologetic eye contact and dusted themselves off. The Senshi were all giving Minako odd looks. And the Troopers, like Shin, were all blank-faced with confusion.

"Umm. What?" Ami asked, her polite tone lined with an edge that suggested Minako clearly and carefully repeat herself, as Mercury was in No Mood For Shenanigans. Rei had folded her arms and gave the appearance of irritated impatience. Being with her in the Underworld however, Shin had learned to read the marks of uncertainty in her posture. And Usagi…looked a little green.

"What do you mean bodies?!" the blonde muttered through chattering teeth. "You'd better be joking."

Completely unbothered by their reactions, Minako bit her lip and then pressed forward with her unsettling bit of news. "Our bodies. Like, remember when we died in the Silver Millenium? Those bodies." Minako was clinging to Seiji's arm now, casting nervous looks around them. "And who knows if those are the only bodies? I mean, there's Point D after that, and then –"

"You don't need to paint us a picture, Minako, we get it," Rei snapped, her eyes flashing with something unreadable. "Ok, so there are bodies. What about it?" she added, her expression daring Venus to continue. Minako met her glare for glare.

"I'm just saying. What if we ran into ourselves? Maybe we wanna be prepared for that," she pressed. Rei scoffed, uncrossing her arms and clenching her fists.

"That's ridiculous. Why would our bodies be running around in the Underworld? What were they doing when you saw them?" she shot back. The rest of the Troopers were watching the two women as if they were at a tennis match, back and forth. Ami and Usagi looked disturbed and Makoto was…well she was sleeping, which was another worry.

Minako had crossed her arms now, one hip jutted out. "Nothing right now. But that doesn't mean anything!" She turned her face then, and heaved a sigh. "Look. It was just me. From the Silver Millennium. I didn't…I didn't really look for anyone else. But I don't think it's a coincidence that I'd be here lying in an open grave considering everything else going on," she said in a calmer, quieter voice. Shin didn't miss the hand Seiji had on her shoulder.

They all lapsed into a momentary stunned silence. Usagi went grey. Shin watched all the color simply leave her face as her legs folded out from under her. Shuu made a noise of surprise and caught her, pulling her back up.

"Hey, whatever it is, s'ok. We're all right here, together," he patted her arm, trying to reassure her. Instead, her big blue eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Senshi…zombies?"

"Bet they still fall down if you hit them hard enough, like everything else," Kongo bluffed. Usagi whirled on him.

"You can't hit them! They're Senshi!" she yelled. Shuu put his hands up, palm out, his eyes wide as he tried to make a gesture of surrender.

Rei rolled her eyes and knocked Usagi in the back of the head, the strike lacking any real heat. "If they're zombies, they're zombies Odango brains. Doesn't matter what they look like or where they came from. If they come after us, we'll handle them exactly the way we handle anything else coming at us with evil intent." Minako and Ami nodded.

"And anyway, I can't imagine that anything animating them would have anything in common with us. Especially if they're trying to hurt us. They're monsters just like any other monsters, Usagi-chan. Please don't worry too much about it," Ami added softly, putting a hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Nope. I'm still not getting it. Maybe if somebody explains this to me really slowly, I'll understand what you're talking about. You're all…zombies?" Ryo's voice interrupted the moment, and all eyes turned to him. He shrugged, looking irritated and impatient. "What? No one else here wants to know how there are Senshi zombies running around when we've all been hanging out with Senshi this whole time? Because I'm not getting it. What'd they do, clone you guys?"

Ami smiled at him and cleared her throat. "No no. No clones. The Senshi…err…have died a few times. Specifically in this case, Minako is referring to the battle at the end of the Silver Millennium, which was some time ago – a past life for us," she explained.

Ryo stared at her. Then leveled the same blank look on the rest of the Senshi.

"You mean that guy was serious? You've…actually died?" he stammered. Ami put her hands up.

"We're not zombies, if that's what you're worried about. I can't say why our dead bodies from our past life or lives might be here, but it is something worthy of extensive consideration," she rushed to reassure him. Ryo shook his head.

"No. I don't care about the zombie thing. I'm still stuck on part one. You died? More than once?!" he cast her an incredulous look now. "And this guy…what? He thinks it's ok for you to die again?!" Shin winced as the volume in his leader's voice began to climb. Ami huffed a breath.

"Really. I don't understand what's so difficult. Surely you're familiar with reincarnation?" Her polite teacher expression was starting to dissolve into exasperation, and now Shin was struggling with the knowledge. Less that it had happened. And more that…the Senshi were all acting as if this were completely normal.

Shin cast a look at Minako again. She seemed fairly calm for a woman who'd walked into her own dead body. Beside her, Seiji looked like his usual placid self, but Shin could see something stirring underneath the serenity of his bearing. Lucky Seiji. He'd clearly had time to process more than the rest of them.

"It's not important right now. Can we move back to the whole 'what does the enemy have planned' part of the conversation?" Touma said in a level voice, attempting to bring them all back into focus. Ami cast him a grateful look even as Ryo gave him a taste of the evil eye.

Minako shrugged up one shoulder casually. "Look, it's really creepy to think about fighting my own zombie, but Rei's right. It doesn't matter where they came from or what they look like. For all I know, my actual past self is still on the moon, or doesn't even exist anymore, and that body was a fake. I wasn't about to crawl in there with her and do an analysis," she said tartly. "Either way, the plan is the same. I'm more worried that we could be facing fully powered Senshi as enemies."

She cast a troubled gaze at Ami and Rei. Usagi remained sullen and silent, but her upset was obvious. Shin really hoped, for her sake, that they didn't encounter any Senshi zombies.

Rei nodded. "I agree. That could be a huge problem. We're not exactly at our best right now, and I don't imagine things are getting any easier on any of us from here. But whether we end up meeting our own zombies or not, there isn't much we can do about it. I suggest that we keep on looking for a way to get out of here – which is probably going to take us right through whoever brought us here and blocked our powers in the first place," she said evenly. Minako, Ami, and Usagi all nodded in agreement.

"Well first, I think we need a change in strategy," Touma said levelly. When they all turned to look at him, he gazed back with an even stare. "I don't care if your powers are the only thing that makes the monsters stay dead. They're a limited resource, and we should be treating them that way," he continued, tone somber.

"Definitely," Ryo agreed, his arms crossed as he glowered at the Senshi. "I get it, believe me. But you can't keep going the way we've been going," he gestured at Makoto as if to make his point.

"Ok then. How is that going to work? Like we've all pointed out – our powers make the monsters stay dead. How are we going to do this without them? No offense, but you guys can't get at your armors right now," Minako pointed out, her expression closed off.

Shuu looked insulted. "Still got fists and feet," he snarled. The other Troopers nodded. "They can do plenty of damage." Shin couldn't help but grin at Shuu's reply. He'd missed being near his best friend sorely during their time in this Hellscape. Shuu made him feel like they could do anything.

"Shuu's right. We're more than capable. We also have our subarmors. They're not as solid as our actual armor, but they still give us an added layer of protection. I don't need Korin to do damage." Seiji spoke from his position next to Minako, his arms crossed and his visible eye closed momentarily. The Senshi of Venus cast him a warm look, and now Shin was really curious. He filed it away for later and took a turn to make his own point, nodding in agreement with Seiji.

"Yes. I don't think slacks and a sweater are going to be very protective," he added, taking in the Senshis' now ragged attire. "Our subarmor gives us decent protection. Let us take the brunt of attack for now. We can still engage in hand-to-hand combat."

"Exactly. We know your powers are capable of eliminating enemies but they're still a limited resource. It's important that we use them strategically. The Troopers can move in first – reducing the risk that you'll use your powers more than necessary." Touma leveled the Senshi with that same somber expression, and Shin was willing to bet Makoto was on his mind. He wondered if Tenku had taken her collapse personally, since he'd been paired with her. He hoped Touma realized that they'd been learning as they went – it wasn't anything on Tenku that his partner had worked herself into exhaustion.

"All right. For the record, I don't like it, but I agree that makes sense," Minako agreed hesitantly. "She tilted her chin sharply then. "But the minute it's not working…" she trailed off meaningfully. Seiji put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's important that we work together, Minako. Trust that we can take a hit," he reassured her. She nodded again, biting her lip, before fixing him with a small smile.

"Yeah. I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it," she replied.

"It does make sense. We've been trying to spare the Troopers, but I think throwing our powers out any time we're attacked hasn't worked very well for us," Ami spoke quietly from beside Ryo, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"Let us have your back," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, returning his smile.

"Yes, I think we should utilize our strengths here," she replied.

Beside him, Rei had lapsed into silence, but she pulled herself to attention now. "I agree. We need everything we have if we're going to make it out of here, and the Senshi are already worn down. We need to save what we have left to help Usagi. We're fairly sure that whatever is after us is after the Silver Crystal. And I'm not kidding when I say I'll do anything to keep Usagi safe," she said, nodding firmly.

Usagi's eyes filled with tears and she clasped her hands in front of her, lower lip wobbling. "Rei-chan…" she breathed. Rei huffed, turning her head sharply.

"Don't get mushy Odango! Maybe if you didn't spend so much time tripping over your own two feet we wouldn't worry so much!" she snarled. Shin sighed, still not clear on their relationship, but Minako and Ami giggled a little as Usagi glommed onto the priestess, undeterred, snuggling the girl's arm while she held her in a vice-like grip, babbling the whole time about how much she loved Rei.

The sound of someone clearing their throat from up ahead immediately snapped them back into action, Usagi leaping off of Rei and standing at attention, her face serious. Shin angled himself in front of the Senshi, Shuu pulling up beside him. He heard more than saw the other Troopers shuffle into defensive positions.

"Who's there?" Rei snapped from just behind him, Ofuda straight and stiff between her fingers.

Her query was greeted by silence. Shin could feel something watching them from just beyond the shadows at the other end of the hall, his hair standing on end. Shuu stepped forward, fists clenched, patience expired.

"Hey! Get out here and show yourself or I'm coming in after you!" he yelled down the hall.

There was a shuffling step, and after a moment, another zombie slowly dragged itself into the torchlight. It stood there, staring at them. From the corner of his eye, Shin watched as Usagi's fingers gripped Shuu's arm tightly, a high, thin, but whisper-quiet sound of fright escaping her throat. He wished he could hug her or something. Was she always this scared? If being around Rei had his protective instinct flaring, being around Usagi had it going off like alarm bells.

No wonder the Senshi were so protective. He couldn't imagine what Shuu might be feeling, having her cling to him. Rei, on the other hand, was practically climbing him so she could get around him and get a better look. Shin tried not to roll his eyes. Hadn't they just had this conversation?

"We are the envoy of Izanami. We come to offer advice from the lips of the Mother Of All. You must leave this place. It is too dangerous. Bring the battle out of the castle. We can lead you." The zombie's voice did that thing they all seemed to do – come and go like wind through dead leaves, making him shiver. It was dry and hissing and just….made his hair stand on end.

But the message was important.

Izanami was, hopefully, trying to help them out. He looked over his shoulder at Rei, who met his gaze and nodded resolutely. He looked back to the other Troopers and Senshi, who did the same. He turned back to the creature and nodded at it.

It didn't seem to need any further encouragement. It turned sharply and shuffled into the darkness, and Shin scrambled to catch up. He felt a smaller, delicate hand grip his own, and wrapped his fingers around Rei's firmly.

He wasn't going to let anything else happen to her. Or the Senshi. Not if he could help it.