I posted early (same day) since I just could not sleep last night. I'm stuck in this dilemma where I write until I'm tired, but, when I go to bed, all I can think about are new things to add. Hmmm
Anyways, here's the next part.
Just an little A/N that this story is going to be a long one.
So, for all those viewers that love epics, buckle down :)
(I don't own SM, nor will I make any profit from this story.)
The flames from the senshi and the youma burned on. Mars had given up trying to hit it with her different attacks. The time and energy it took to charge up was giving the creature too many advantages. In order to be able to at least stop its destruction of the city, Mars had summoned her power and was doing her best to keep up her wall of fire, but she was so tired.
Sweat trickled down her neck. Her arms felt like weights, and her legs were shaking from the spent energy. 'Where the hell is everyone?' She thought angrily. Her plan of fighting fire with fire was not working as brilliantly as she had thought, but that didn't mean everyone had to ditch her to prove a point. She had already done more battling that day than in the past few months combined. It just happened to be her luck that she was stuck walking home when the monster struck.
'How does that even make sense?' Mars questioned quickly. 'Youma's are designed for maximum destruction and retrieval of energy. It makes no sense for it to be attacking in the middle of the night. There's barely anyone to attack. Could it be a rogue youma?' Mars tried understanding the reason, but the youma took a step forward causing Mars to put more force behind her fire wall.
'I can't do this much longer. I have to let go, or I'm going to pass out.'
As Mars searched for a solution, some more sweat trickled down and landed in her eyes. Momentarily blinded by the stinging liquid, Mars felt her stance falter just briefly. That moment was enough.
The youma heaved a large breath and blew it directly at Mars. Mars gasped and dove out of the way. There was no way she could have held that blast back with her shield. She was too tired. The strength of the heat alone had her feeling faint. As the fire slightly dissipated, Mars tried to scramble to her feet. It took her a few seconds to gain the strength just to stand. The youma, with its crocodile like jaws saw its prey still standing and snarled. A clash of those powerful jaws signaled the rampage. Mars stood there in shock as she waited for the youma to blast her.
As the few, last seconds ticked by, Mars felt no pain. Instead, she felt a cool breeze hit her and heard the snarl of the youma. Opening her eyes, Mars saw nothing. The fiery city was blocked out by a thick fog that had rolled in. Looking for the youma, she heard crashes coming from further away. Recognizing the fog for what it was, Mars staggered. 'Finally' she sighed as she felt her knees buckle to the ground.
Sailor Moon leapt from her current position to the one Mercury had assigned to her. 'I can't believe it's working.' She thought frantically. A part of herself was excited at the aspect of actually being right in a plan idea, but another, much larger, part was scared out of her fuku. This demon had single-handedly emptied the city. Something no youma had done before. 'Maybe all my hours of games will be paying off on this assignment.' She sighed hopefully and met Jupiter on the balcony of an apartment building.
"I didn't see Mars down there when I started luring it. I hope she is alright." Moon worried.
Jupiter gripped the railing, "She'll be fine. It's Rei. She's always strong, but we have to get this youma out of the way to ensure no one else will get hurt." Sailor Moon nodded at Jupiter's sentence. "Venus should be roping off all of the other exits now. When that is does, it'll be corralled into the lake. Hopefully Mercury will be right in saying water confuses it. It'll be up to you, once the youma is in the water, to destroy it."
Sailor Moon nodded her confirmation. Fear had momentarily frozen her vocal chords. Jupiter didn't need an answer as she was still surveying the scene. "Once I find Mars and get her to safe spot, I'll meet you. Remember; wait for the fog to lift before you attack. That's the signal. Got it?"
"Yeah, good luck Jupiter." Sailor Moon quietly wished as her teammate leapt down into the thick fog and disappeared.
The immediate silence that fell upon Sailor Moon's ears scared her. Of course there was the odd crash from below, and the distant whir of sirens, but the fact that all of her fellow scouts were down there, in an unseeable area, isolated her. She couldn't see what was going on, just like she couldn't be there to make sure nothing happened. It was Venus's idea that she wait up high by the lake, so that the second the monster was weakened and the fog lifted, she could destroy it. It made sense in her mind, but she still didn't have to like it.
As she waited for the signal, Sailor Moon looked up. Since she was so high up, she only had to deal with a few wisps of Mercury's fog, but that was not enough to cover the full moon from her view. She had found herself staring at the orb far more than normal recently. Especially on nights when the moon was full, she had sat down and just lost herself in the calm it emitted. It had taken her awhile to get used to the fact that that was her real home. She had been both born and killed on that planet, yet she knew so little. Of her death, she knew all the facts, but she knew nothing of her life there. Did she have any pets? What colour was her bedroom? Who did she play with while growing up? Those small things were the ones that were bugging her. The other fact that her four best friends all used to reside on other planets was another hurdle she had yet to fully overcome.
What was life like back then? Was she as klutzy as she is now? Did she get to see the girls often? Considering they were from other planets, it was amazing that all 5 of them even met each other, yet she had no memory of their lives together. Maybe she was alone a lot. Stuck with tutors and dignitaries… except for when she was with Mamoru.
Usagi sighed. Was she even sure that she did spend time with Mamoru? He lived on Earth which had made him an enemy to the Alliance. How could she have been able to love someone from an enemy planet? When did she find the time to love him?
'Maybe I was a rebel.' Usagi suddenly thought. A grin escaped from her worried face for just a fleet second. 'Yeah. I was a rebel princess who just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Who were they to tell me I couldn't date whomever I wanted to date? It's their fault. Something was bound to happen when I practically live alone with no friends to occupy all my lone days.' Her smile slipped as she grimaced at that last thought. 'Who could blame a girl for falling in love with a forbidden man when she barely had anyone else to talk to?'
Sailor Moon's intimate stare with the orb was cut short as a larger roar than normal rose out of the fog. She jerked her gaze down to the thick, grey fog praying for a sign from anyone. The sounds of the youma proved that it had to be right beside the lake. Maybe it could sense the water and was freaking out. Another growl erupted, and it was followed shortly by Jupiter's lightning descending into the mist. 'That's it. I'm going, sign or no sign.' She decided.
As Sailor Moon grabbed the rail in an effort to heave herself over it, a sudden, gut-wrenching ache filled her body. The ache seemed to time perfectly with a scream that pierced the night. 'That wasn't the youma.' She thought wildly while grabbing the sides of her head in an effort to concentrate. The pain, which felt like a thousand knives attacking her stomach, mind, and chest, blinded her. Her heart began pounding as if she was running a marathon, and her vision blurred from the thundering headache.
'The…senshi' she made out as her racing heart began to beat louder than her thoughts. Her weak legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. 'Help… please… please'.
Another gut-wrenching ache filled her body, but the only sound she could hear this time was the scream emitting from her own throat. As she tasted the coppery tinge of blood in her mouth, Sailor Moon swayed. Not being able to take any more, she crumpled to the floor of the balcony.
Tuxedo Kamen stood outside on the balcony of his apartment surveying the scene. What had started as a routine youma had quickly turned into a full scale pandemic. Feeling the sense of Sailor Moon in battle, Tuxedo Kamen had tried to reach her only to be distracted.
So many families were trying to escape the rush that they were trampling each other. He had even seen people begin to run over an elderly man. Realizing he had to help the citizens out, he rushed to their aide. When, at last, the final people scrambled for their cars and high-tailed it away from the explosions, Tuxedo Kamen was at a loss. Fog had settled in so thickly that he could barely make out the buildings.
The distant crashes gave him a general course heading, and he made way on foot towards the scene.
As he tried to gather his surroundings a few minutes later, a woman's scream from his right caused him to freeze. It had sounded so full of hurt and pain that it almost felt like he was the one being inflicted. He began to run towards the scream only to feel the pull that was unmistakably Sailor Moon.
Knowing she would know what was happening, he reluctantly slightly changed direction towards the outskirts of the park. The more closer he came to the old, elderly, apartment complex, the stronger his pull was reacting. She was somewhere in there.
Another scream emitted from the fight nearby, but it chorused with the slightly lower tones of another. Tuxedo Kamen stopped before entering the highrise. The sounds of those screams scared him. Why was Sailor Moon not over there helping whoever was screaming? How could she not feel their pain?
As the screams began to die, Tuxedo Kamen heard the fourth scream high above him. Sailor Moon.
He began jumping from balcony to balcony. His speed was ever increasing. Never before had she screamed like that. It sounded just as horrible as the other ones. 'Please, anyone, do not let her die.' He said the silent prayer as he continued jumping.
Sailor Mars had finally gotten the strength to stand back up. After passing out for who knows how long, she had looked for the others, but the fog still hovered over everything. It was so quiet, too quiet. Not daring to call out in case the youma was not destroyed, Mars decided she had to go find them out.
She had no real idea where she was going. The only clue she had was to follow the evil vibes she was getting that were pulling her towards the small park just past the downtown core. As she dragged herself up and started moving, Mars pulled out her communicator.
Pressing Sailor Moon's channel, she was reached with static. Another press showed Venus's was the same. Jupiter and Mercury were absent too, so she figured they were too busy to answer her page.
Listening intently for any signs of the others, Mars continued to limp down the ransacked street towards the small lake.
When the tug from his soul stopped pulling, Tuxedo Kamen stopped jumping. On the ledge he had landed on laid Sailor Moon unconscious.
"Sailor Moon!" He shouted as he ran to her, "Sailor Moon, wake up!"
The lack of response worried him. Taking his glove off, he put his hand underneath her nose. 'Please breathe.'
The slight wisp of breath that tickled his finger felt like the world's greatest miracle. "Thank God" he sighed while gathering her into his arms.
"Usagi, are you there?" He asked while softly shaking her, "C'mon. Answer me, please. Usako!"
Tuxedo Kamen clutched her tighter as he rocked her slightly in his hands. Praying that some miracle would allow for him to pass her his energy, he closed his eyes and soothed the fallen moon warrior.
The small park was known in the city for being the perfect Sunday retreat. Not being too far away, and not being packed with stores or carts, everyone loved the tranquility and quietness of the Juuban park.
As Sailor Mars wandered through the gates or her childhood play ground, she did not feel any of those feelings. The quietness was now eerie, and the tranquility was replaced by nervousness. 'Where is everyone?'
Checking her communicator again, Mars sighed at her predicament. She was wandering through a park towards a youma that had somehow disappeared in an abandoned city, and her friends were nowhere to be found. "This one is officially the worst."She mumbled.
A slight bend in the path had Mars finding herself on the shores of the lake. Faintly hearing the laps of the water, she began walking to the water's edge. As she neared, something blocked her path, and she fell.
She gasped at the pain from her bruises being hit, but she still managed to turn and see what she tripped over. Waving her hands to move the mist, Mars gasped as she saw the outline of a body. Pushing through the pain, she rose to her knees praying whoever it was wasn't dead.
As she tugged the body over, a sense of dread began to fill her gut. When momentum came through, and the body rolled over, Mars understood her gut better. She was staring at the body of Sailor Mercury.
Mars cried out as she gathered the water senshi into her arms. "Ami!" She shouted, shaking her wildly. "Ami, wake up damnit." Her throat was already weakened from her fight, yet she continued shouting to Ami. "Don't you dare do this. You're a sailor senshi. You're not meant to lose. Ami!"
Nothing was getting through to Ami, and Mars began to be hysterical. Shaking the petite girl wildly, Mars didn't even feel the tears stream down her face. "AMI" she shouted, "WAKE UP, NOW. THIS IS NOTHING. WAKE UP!". Her last sentence tore off as she began to heave. Her thoughts whirled together to create a massive blur. No longer did she care about being quiet. No longer did she care for the youma. She needed to help Ami.
"HELP ME PLEASE! I NEED HELP! SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP ME" She screamed until she collapsed on Mercury.
Mars's tears continued to fall, some splashing onto Mercury's face. Mars stared down upon realizing she was crying all over her. Mortified, Mars ripped her soiled and torn glove off then began to wipe the dirty tears from Mercury's face. When the traces of her tears were gone, Mars stared at the woman's face. She smooth the ruffled hair to the side in order to get a full view of the girl that was now gone. As she was pushing back the rebel bangs refusing to stay to the side, Mars saw something she had not noticed before.
"What?" She uttered as realization set in. "How is that even po-"
"Ahhh, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."
Mars threw her head up and looked to the source of the voice. "Who's there?"
The man clucked his tongue, "Tsk Tsk Mars. You're not exactly in a position to make demands now are you?"
Mars turned her head as the voice now sounded from a direction. 'What is going on?' she wondered. "What did you do to Ami?"
The man slightly chuckled, "I did nothing to Ami. She's perfectly fine."
Mars felt the fire begin to rise back up in her body. 'How dare he.' She pushed herself to her knees, "I will end you, you arrogant asshole. Bring your face down here, so I can burn it to ash."
Another chuckle sounded from the mist. "Honestly, you can't even stand. I don't think you should even be on the side of good considering you're not worried about getting your friend to a hospital. She could die you know."
Mars looked around frantically. 'What?' She thought. 'Ami wasn't dead?'
Glancing down to the woman, Mars took a shaking hand and put it to Ami's neck. The faintest pulse echoed off. "She – She's alive!" Mars gasped, "Ami, can you hear me?"
The sound of footsteps approached from in front of Mars. As she glanced up, she saw the dark silhouette of the man. Wishing she had the power to fight, Mars clenched her fist in frustration. "Stay back!" She shouted.
The figure stopped, "That is very unlikely to stop me, Rei." The silence made the man smile. "Ahh, so you're shocked I didn't know your name? Well I'm not. It's quite easy to find out if you pay attention. Even my underlings found out. Shame on you. You call yourself a superhero. You couldn't even save your friends from one pathet-"
A small ball of fire burst towards the man. He stepped aside as it missed its target. "Well that was rude; trying to hit me like that."
Mars felt anger vibrate through her whole being. "Come closer, and I promise I won't miss." She said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, you'll miss. It'll be too hard to attack if you're in the same state as little Ms Ami."
"Don't you dare say her name" Mars threw out, "You make one move, and I will end you."
The man shoved his hand in his pocket, and pulled something out. He tossed the object from hand to hand. "I'll do as I wish when I wish. You're in no position to threaten me. I dealt with 3 of you already, and you're about to join them." The man's voice grew a little quieter as he stepped towards Mars. Mars gripped Ami tightly.
"I have a little message I want you to give someone very important."
Mars shuddered as he finally came out of the mist and into her view. The short, blonde hair was racked with streaks of black. A weathered face gave way to two brown eyes so dark that they looked black. Mars stared into those eyes, but she felt no soul. There was no escape from this.
The man bent down until he was just slight above Mars. His breath moved her bangs, and she found herself stuck in his trance. The man gripped her shoulders and leaned in until his mouth was at her ear. The words the man said were short and quick. As Mars tried to understand who he was, the man took the object he was tossing earlier and held it in front of Mars. The object, a small, black crystal orb, began to glow intensely. As the glow strengthened, Mars felt a pain in her heart like no other. Her heart literally felt like it was ripping out of her chest. She let go of Mercury and clutched her chest tightly almost as if to keep her heart from leaving.
The man smiled as the black orb shone brightly, and he watched the horror on the woman's face in front of him as if it was a play. His laughter mixed with the screams that charged into the fog.
Tuxedo Kamen pushed the woman back onto the ground. "Stop it! You're in no shape to be moving." He shouted as she continued to struggle out of his grasp. "Sailor Moon, you're going to kill yourself."
Sailor Moon acted as if nothing was heard. She shook his hands off of her shoulders before quickly stumbling to her feet, and peering down to where the source of the final scream had come from. "Mars" she whispered.
As she gripped the railing and put her foot onto the ledge, Tuxedo Kamen grabbed her skirt and pulled her backwards. Sailor Moon crashed into him, and they both fell to the balcony floor.
"Damnit Usagi. Stop it. I won't allow you to endanger yourself further. You were almost dead." He shouted furiously to the blonde. What was happening? One second she was barely alive yet unconscious, and the next she was awake and streaking out of his hold. Something in that last scream had awoken her.
Sailor Moon stopped struggling and went still. Tuxedo Kamen took it as a sign of obedience and grabbed her hands. "Usagi, please. Just come with me. I need to get you safe somewhere before I go find the others" He said softly while trying to make eye contact.
Sailor Moon's eyes seemed almost glazed over as she stared straight ahead into the night sky. When Tuxedo Kamen started to move into the vacant apartment, he softly ushered her through the door. Sailor Moon seized the moment.
With a lightning quick reflex, she pushed Tuxedo Kamen into the glass doors and flew through the apartment and into the hallway.
He rose as quickly as he could; the glass cut his hands from trying to get up. 'What the hell is wrong with her' he questioned as he raced after her.
As he reached the bottom floor of the stairwell, he looked to the front doors and noticed the fog still swirling from her hurried exit. Relying on that fog, Tuxedo Kamen pushed forward and trailed after Sailor Moon.
The gates of Juuban Park groaned from almost falling off of their hinges. Silently, Tuxedo Kamen entered the park. There was a weight in here that did not settle well with him. The moisture from the lake had risen, and it immediately felt like everything was soaked. Trudging on, he followed the light swirls of mist indicating Sailor Moon's path. When the swirls suddenly stopped, he looked down.
Sailor Moon lay crouched on the ground rocking back and forth.
Tuxedo Kamen knelt down and put his arms around her shoulders, "Usagi? Are you okay?" Nothing answered him. He tried again, "Why did you come here, Usako?"
The only form of communication he received was the almost unnoticed nod of her head down towards her lap. As he leant over, he made out the shape of a woman's head.
"Mars!" He gasped.
Sailor Moon made no notion at the mentioning of the name, but just continued rocking and sobbing. Tuxedo Kamen looked around frantically at the fallen senshi. 'Was she dead?' He thought gravely. Hoping against hope, he shuffled down until he found an arm. Lifter her arm up in order to feel her wrist, Tuxedo Mask felt her pulse briefly. As he sighed in relief, he also felt something else.
Her fist was clenched oddly. As he tried to open her hand, he noticed she was clutching a paper. Using both hands now, he pried her hand open, and grabbed the parchment. It was an ofuda. Curious as to why she was clutching it, Tuxedo Kamen put the paper in his pocket.
The impact of their situation began to form on him, and Tuxedo Kamen frantically looked for any form of help. All he saw was fog. He crawled around hoping for some form of an answer as to what happened. When his hand hit flesh, he stopped. Another body.
Tracing the figure's outline, Tuxedo Kamen knelt at the head and blew some fog out of the way. Into his vision came Sailor Mercury.
"Usagi! Mercury is over here!" No answer.
Tuxedo Kamen felt for a pulse. He could make out the barest beat. She was alive.
"Usagi, Mercury is alive. She needs help." He said as he put her arm down softly. Still no sound.
"Usagi?" He questioned quietly. Why couldn't he hear her crying anymore?
As he crawled back to her, he touched her back lightly. She had stopped rocking. "Usako?"
Glancing at her face, Usagi set completely still with the utmost look of shock on her face. Her eyes almost seemed dead; there was no light at all in them.
Going to grab her hands, Tuxedo Kamen noticed they were lightly place on Mars's forehead. Lifting them up, he felt the fire senshi's forehead but came up empty. Wanting to take a closer look, he leaned down and gently blew some of the mist away.
As the mist floated away, the image of Mars's face came into the dull light. Tuxedo Kamen leaned down further then pulled back as he gasped in shock.
Where Usagi's hands had stilled; where his eyes had just landed, was the empty hollow where the Scout crystal of Mars used to appear on Mars's tiara.