BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON
~MIRAI~
PART XVIII: HEROES DIE YOUNG
by: Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha, etcera.
Chie, Hikaru, Yasha and the other original characters that belong to
me.
Note: I'm still listening to Kiroro songs. ^_^ However, I listened to
a song called "Seasons" with Hamasaki Ayumi when I wrote about Kenji.
Just as I associate Kiroro songs with Jun and Amelia, I associate all
the slow Hamasaki Ayumi songs with Kenji and Freya. If you happen to
have that song, listening to it while reading this will probably have
a different effect than not listening to anything or something else.
Anyway, I should get going before I turn this part into a song fic.
^_^
Some Japanese words I use:
hime-sama = princess
* * * *
Ishtar hadn't been that nervous during the teleport. She hadn't been
nervous when she found out that the teleport had actually worked. But
the moment she had seen Sailorjupiter, Sailormars, Luna and Artemis
her heart began to slam forcefully against her ribcage. She could
hardly remain focused enough to listen to what they said. Artemis said
something about meeting the others, that was all that Ishtar
remembered.
"Come with us," Sailormars said and then began to lead the
way through the palace. While the others studied the interior of the
palace curiously while following Sailormars, Ishtar was in deep
thought.
Artemis had said the others. Did that include his daughter,
Diana? And perhaps Ishtar would finally meet her grandmother, after
spending years wondering how she really was.
Sailormoon walked silently. She looked at Sailorjupiter,
Sailormars, Luna and Artemis. She was back. They were going to take
her to see her mother and the other Inner and Outer Senshi, she was
sure of that.
[But all the Outer Senshi won't be there,] Sailormoon thought,
her eyes filled with sadness. [Sailorpluto is guarding the Time Gate
and she probably won't appear unless there is a real crisis. And
Hotaru...]
"We're here," Artemis annouced and stopped. The others stopped
as well and found themselves standing before a large door. There were
two guards on each side of the door and they bowed politely towards
all the Sailor Senshi before opening the door.
Most of the Shin Senshi were nervous in their own way. Ishtar
didn't know what to expect from Diana and her grandmother. Circe was
somewhat afraid of meeting Diana. She feared that Diana had told
Neo-Queen Serenity about her teleporting to Earth without anyone's
permission. Archangel, however, was anxious to see Diana. She wanted
to know more about her mother and she would find some way to squezze
some information from Diana. Nature wouldn't admit it but she wanted
to leave as soon as possible and go to see her family.
Sailorjupiter was the first one to walk into the room. Then
Sailormars followed while Luna and Artemis waited for Sailormoon to go
inside. Sailormoon suddenly remembered what room this was. The throne
room. Her mother was there, waiting for her.
With sweaty palms Sailormoon slowly walked into the room. She
could hear her fellow Senshi following her. There was silence. Once
Sailormoon had entered the room she saw several familiar faces. Faces
that she had thought that she would never see again. Sailormercury,
Sailorvenus, Sailorneptune, Sailoruranus... and Diana. Tears of joy
were formed in Sailormoon's eyes when she saw them smiling at her.
"Welcome home, hime-sama," Diana greeted. One by one all the
Inner and Outer Senshi gave Sailormoon a hug, even Sailorjupiter and
Sailormars who had tried to not be overwhelmed by their joy of having
the princess back. Luna was the last one who gave Sailormoon a hug.
"Small Lady..." she whispered and Sailormoon could hear that
she was crying. "You're back... There's finally hope for this world."
Sailormoon didn't quite understand what she meant but when Luna
released her from the hug they watched Ishtar's reunion with Diana.
"Chie-chan!" Diana exclaimed and gave Ishtar a tight hug.
Ishtar was somewhat surprised, she was still used to think of Diana in
her cat form. However it didn't take long for Ishtar to hug Diana
back. Sailorvenus smiled faintly as she approached Diana and Ishtar.
Diana noticed her and released Ishtar from the hug. Ishtar stared at
her grandmother, unsure of what to say. Sailorvenus smiled again in an
attempt to hold back her tears.
"You look just like your mother," she said. Memories of Sakura
Miyako flooded Sailorvenus' mind as she hugged her granddaughter.
Sailoruranus caught sight on Archangel and Nature. She hesitated at
first, but then approached Nature. Nature hadn't lost her calm and
when Sailoruranus stood before her she bowed politely.
"It's been long, Nature," Sailoruranus said to her former
employee.
"Yes, Uranus-sama," Nature replied politely. Sailoruranus
looked at Archangel who looked so lost in the huge group of Sailor
Senshi. Not that she was the only one, most of the Shin Senshi stood
quiet and looked lost.
"You... are Archangel, I presume," Sailoruranus said, trying
to hide her own nervousness. Archangel nodded shyly and hardly dared
to look at Sailoruranus.
"Y..yes, Uranus-sama," she answered. She hoped that
Sailoruranus would start to talk to Nature again. Sailoruranus was
much taller than Archangel and for some reason that made Archangel a
little afraid of her.
"Is she...?" Sailoruranus asked, turning to Nature. Nature
nodded and looked at Diana. Diana tore herself away from Sailormoon
and Ishtar and approached Uranus, Nature and Archangel.
"She made me promise not to tell," Diana explained. "But Tomo
deserves to know."
Archangel looked at everyone with confusion. What was going on? Did
Sailoruranus know something that she didn't know.
"What's going on?" Archangel asked quietly. Diana turned to
her, but spoke to Sailoruranus.
"Uranus-sama, allow me to introduce the third Archangel,"
Diana presented. "Kamiya Tomoko, born as Arai Shiho. Daughter of Arai
Natsu... also known as Ten'ou Natsu."
The majority of the people in the throne hall gasped in shock. Those
excluded were Diana, Nature, Sailoruranus and Archangel. The latter
was in shock and she stared at the three others quietly. She could
hardly think but the words that Diana had said repeated themselves
inside her mind. Silence had embraced everyone who were to shocked to
say anything. Finally, Lilith dared to say what everyone else were
thinking.
"Archangel..." she began. "That's means that you're..."
"My granddaughter," Sailoruranus finished.
There was silence again. Everyone was waiting for Archangel to say
something. Perhaps she would exclaim something in shock or deny what
she had just heard. But Archangel said nothing. She was just quiet.
Sailormoon also waited for Archangel to say something but when she
looked around she noticed that someone was missing.
"Where's my mother?" she asked Sailormercury and Sailorneptune
who were standing next to her. Both Senshi glanced at each other
before looking at Sailormoon.
"Hime-sama, your mother isn't in her best condition,"
Sailorneptune said. Sailormoon's brow was raised, she looked puzzled.
"Her health has been detriorating these last few months,"
Sailormercury told. "Ever since your father died and you weren't found
Neo-Queen Serenity has become weaker each day. She doesn't have the
strength to leave her chambers which is why she is not here."
Sailormoon gave a quiet sigh and lowered her gaze to her hands. She
had feared that something like this had happened. If only she could
have found a way to return earlier...
"However she has been feeling a little better when she was
told that we sensed you among those who were coming," Sailorneptune
went on. "She has been expecting you."
"I'll go and see her right away," Sailormoon decided and
immediately left the throne hall. Most of the others left pretty soon
as well. Nature and Circe left to see their family. Ishtar and
Sailorvenus left together, not saying where they were going. Luna and
Artemis returned to their work. Diana, Sailorjupiter and Sailormars
left with the rest of the Shin Senshi to show them around the palace.
Sailormercury excused herself before going back to her laboratory.
Sailorneptune whispered something to Sailoruranus and then left. The
ones remaining in the throne hall were Sailoruranus and Archangel.
Archangel still hadn't said anything.
* * * *
Chie loooked at the picture of her mother as she bowed before it. It
was a picture of her mother when she had just become Sakura Miyako.
It was taken only a few weeks after her marriage to Sakura Masao.
Minako was also looking at the picture.
"Your father took that picture," Minako told. "It was on their
honeymoon."
Chie nodded. She looked at the picture of her mother for another few
seconds before turning her attention to the other pictures. Minako had
taken her to a shrine dedicated to Sailor Senshi who had passed away.
Several walls were decorated with pictures of Sailor Senshi. Under
each picture were the names of the Senshi, along with a bit of
background information. The picture of Sakura Miyako was larger than
others and hung along with four other pictures that were of the same
size. Chie read the names of those four Senshi.
Mizuno Masami - Sailormaia
Yagami Fumiyo - Sailorchronos
Aoyama Karin - Sailoroceania
Ishida Yuri - Sailorharmonia
Those names meant nothing to Chie but she knew that these four Senshi
along with her mother meant a lot to many people. Either those were
people one remembered with joy, pride or pain.
"The Victory Team," Chie read aloud from an inscription on the
wall. "They gave their lives. They were seven hopes. Five became
distant stars of the sky. May they rest in peace."
"Whoever wrote that certainly was right," Minako said. "The
Victory Team was our hope, our dream. We trained them for years... and
look what happened. We should have known."
Minako shook her head and lowered her gaze. Chie turned to her
grandmother and thought of ways to comfort her.
"It's not your fault," Chie said.
"Was it?" Minako asked sadly. She looked at the pictures
again. "If I could turn back time I would have never agreed to send
our children to fight the danger. The Victory Team was doomed from the
beginning. Natsu left the team and the others were sent to fight.
Masami, Miyako, Fumiyo and Yuri all died during the battle. Karin
managed to save Sakurai but she died of her injuries."
"Sakurai?" Chie repeated. Minako looked at Chie, puzzled.
"Diana didn't tell you much, did she?" she asked. Chie shook
her head. "Hajime Sakurai was the youngest of the Victory Team. She
was only five when she began her training and eleven when she was sent
to fight. She started her training so early because she showed strong
Senshi powers when she was only four."
"And she survived her comrades?" Chie wondered. "Where is she
now?"
"She's still working for Neo-Queen Serenity," Minako told as
she and Chie began to leave the shrine. "I see her sometimes. But
Chie... seeing one's best friends being slaughtered before one's eyes
when you're eleven... it changes a person for good. Hajime Sakurai is
thirty five years old now. She keeps a calm composture. But her mind
is still filled with hatred and revenge."
* * * *
"She might be asleep," Ami whispered to Usagi as she opened the
door to Neo-Queen Serenity's bedroom. "She'll be very happy to see you
but please remember that she also needs her rest."
Usagi nodded and followed Ami inside the bedroom. A single lamp was
lit at the end of the huge room. It looked exactly like Usagi
remembered it. The floor was very clean, she could practically see her
face being reflected. The curtains had been drawn to prevent the light
from coming in. The furniture were still the same, Usagi wondered if
they even had been used since her father's death.
She turned her gaze to Ami who was quietly walking over to the
large bed at the end of the room. Usagi took a few steps towards the
bed and saw the delicate person lying there.
"Serenity, there's someone here who wants to see you," Ami said.
"Small lady? Please tell me that it's Small lady..."
Usagi bit her lip to stop herself from crying when she heard that
voice. It was her mother's voice. It was weak and Usagi could barely
hear what she said but still...
"Yes, the princess has returned," Ami answered and helped
Serenity to sit up. Usagi caught sight on her mother's face and rushed
over to her side. She instantly forgot what Ami had said about
Serenity's condition as she hugged Serenity tightly.
"Mommy..." she whispered, crying. Serenity hugged her daughter
back, crying as well. Ami stood up and quietly left the room.
[Might as well leave them alone,] she thought and closed the
door after herself. Neither Serenity or Usagi noticed that she left.
"I thought that I'd never see you again, Small lady," Serenity
whispered. She held her daughter tighter, as if assuring herself that
this was real. Usagi looked at her mother and smiled vaguely.
"Mommy... I'm not that small anymore."
Serenity smiled back. She lifted her hand and stroke Usagi's hair,
remembering the times when Usagi was small enough to carry around. She
remembered being Sailormoon and Usagi being Sailorchibimoon. How
distant those times seemed.
"You'll always be my Small lady, no matter how old you are,"
Serenity answered. Before Usagi had gone to Earth, she would have
protested. But now, after all that had happened, she was just happy
to hear someone call her Small lady again.
* * * *
"Come in."
The door to the inside of the shrine slid open. A young woman with
white hair took off her shoes and then stepped inside. Hino Rei sat
in front of the fire looking into it. She didn't have to see who had
entered the room. She knew that it was Nanakase Mai, the telekinetic
Shin Senshi.
Rei had sensed strong powers within Mai. She had sensed strong
powers in every Shin Senshi. It was strange that they had managed to
become that strong without any real knowledge of their powers. The
Senshi on the Moon Kingdom spent months learning about their powers
while training them. On the other hand, as long as the Shin Senshi
used their powers for the right thing there was really nothing to
worry about.
"You have sensed something as well... haven't you?" Mai
suddenly asked and Rei got the feeling that she wasn't talking about
Senshi powers. "Something big is going to happen."
Rei nodded. "The fire tells me that there will be blood and tears,"
she replied calmly. "Blood of one... tears of thousands. The future is
uncertain. What will happen now no one knows... Except for
Sailorpluto."
"Who hasn't made an appearance in over twenty years," Mai
finished. Rei turned to her with a puzzled look on her face. She was
about to ask Mai how she knew that but then decided not to bother. The
young woman seemed to have her own ways of finding out things.
"So the question is... what do *we* do about this?" Mai asked.
Rei took a deep breath and looked into the fire. In the hot, burning
flames she saw what Mai couldn't, an image of a brown haired Sailor
Knight.
"There is nothing that we can do. The future is the future.
Whether it's uncertain or not... there is nothing that we can do about
it."
Though unsatisfied with the answer, Mai just nodded and was silent.
Something was going to happen but there was nothing that she could do
about it.
[If only I knew...] Mai thought, frowning. [I wonder if
onii-san knows... But my powers have always been stronger than his.
If I don't know, and Mars-sama doesn't know... Then there is really
nothing that we can do about this. Damn it!]
* * * *
Later on, Usagi left her mother's room. She sighed as she closed the
door after herself. Ami sat on a chair. She had been waiting for Usagi
to come out.
"Is she asleep?" Ami asked and stood up. Usagi nodded.
"Yes... I told her to get some rest," she answered. "She looked
so tired. How long has she been like this?"
"For months," Ami replied. "Ever since your father died. For a
while she was feeling a little better because she was hoping that you
would still be alive. But when you were declared dead... she lost all
strength."
Usagi sighed again. "If only I could have prevented that crash
somehow," she muttered. "Or if I would have convinced daddy not stay
here on the Moon Kingdom. Then NONE of this would have happened."
She threw her hands up, frustrated. At the moment she caught sight on
a nearby vase. Without Usagi thinking, or even wishing for it, the
vase exploded. Both Ami and Usagi jumped as shards of porcelain flew
across the hallway.
"Oh god, I did it again!" Usagi exclaimed.
Ami did her best to regain her normal breathing, then she slowly
bent down to pick up one of the shards. She studied it for a few
moments. Then she looked at Usagi.
"Hime-sama.... where did you learn to do that?"
Usagi smiled apologetically.
* * * *
Valkyrie hated rain but if there was something she hated more than
rain it was the dark clouds. It seemed that everytime something
terrible happened she would look up at the sky and see dark clouds.
There had been dark clouds the day her sister Signe had died. There
had been dark clouds when she had captured Amano Keiko and Odin had
stopped her. The only time Valkyrie remembered something good
happening when there were dark clouds was the time when she had met
Odin for the first time.
How she wished that he would be with her at the moment. She
never knew what to think of him. One moment he was her friend, then
her advisor, then a fool for his naive belief that one day there would
be a paradise on Earth. But whatever Valkyrie thought of Odin, she
wished that he would be with her. Fighting alongside her.
"Valkyrie-sama, what are we going to do?" Valkyrie heard
little Michie ask. Valkyrie turned to Michie and saw all the young
Zealots standing with Michie.
Valkyrie had been foolish. The Zealots had three hideouts in
Crystal Tokyo and when one of them had been discovered by the most
extreme NSS activists Valkyrie hadn't hesitated to send all the
Zealots, except for the children, to help the ones at the other
hideout. She hadn't expected the NSS activists to come and discover
this hideout as well. She had managed to escape into an abandoned
building with the children but the fact that she had been stupid
enough to stay with the children alone was still there. The NSS was
coming for her and the children. And she couldn't defend the children
on her own.
[How could I have been so stupid?] Valkyrie asked herself for
the tenth time in five minutes. Of course, she could take the children
and escape to the third hideout. But if two hideouts had already been
discovered, there was a possibility that the third one had been
discovered as well. She had two options. To stay and hide in the
building and wait for the NSS to come or to take a chance and escape
to the third hideout.
"Valkyrie-sama, they're coming!" someone suddenly exclaimed.
Valkyrie immediately rushed to the window where a boy named Tetsu was
standing. She could see familiar cars and vans being driven over a
bridge. There were more than ten vehicles, which meant that there
could be over sixty NSS activists. All of them were armed with guns.
All of them were after her and the children.
"We have to escape somewhere," Valkyrie decided and moved
away from the window. All the children followed her.
"Where?" Tetsu asked. In the corner of her eye, Valkyrie
could see some of the youngest children crying quietly. The oldest
children were five children between ten and thirteen years old.
Valkyrie turned to them.
"Eiji, Tsuneko, Goro, Satoru, Isae," she said. "Take the
children and run as far as you can."
"To the other hideout?" Satoru asked. Valkyrie shook her head.
"No, there is no hideout that is safe anymore," she answered.
"Run to public places. Malls, shopping areas, places that are filled
with people. Divide into five groups and split up. Each of you five
will be responsible for one group. Try to blend in with the others."
The children nodded but then Valkyrie looked at Michie who looked
confused. It would be hard for her to blend in with the others. Her
skin was pale green. Valkyrie took one look at Michie. She was six
years old but skinny and very light for a six year old. It wouldn't
much of a problem to carry her.
"Goro, take Michie with you," Valkyrie said. "Carry her. She's
wearing a sweater with a hood so if she pulls the hood over her head
and hides her hand a little, no one will see the color of her skin."
Michie smiled faintly, relieved that Valkyrie hadn't forgotten about
her.
"I'll try to stall them," Valkyrie went on. She quickly
divided the children into five groups. Once everything was done, they
all ran down the stairs as fast as they could. Valkyrie looked around
to see if there was a back door. Luckily there was. But when she
opened it she only found twenty NSS activists standing around the door
with guns pointing at her.
The children froze behind her and Valkyrie stood still. This
was it. If she even moved then the activists would surely shoot her
and the children. There was no way that she would make her spear
appear and use her attack without the activists shooting them.
[So... this is it...] Valkyrie thought. [The end of the
Zealots...]
Could this really be the end of what Dahlia had worked so hard for?
Dahlia had dedicated so many years of her life to form the Zealots.
Valkyrie had spent years being a part of the Zealots and these last
few months, leading the Zealots. And now... to have it all end like
this.
"Thunder Storm!"
A loud, rumbling sound was echoed through the entire neighbourhood.
The NSS activists plugged their ears at the loud sound but the Zealots
didn't. This sound was caused by a Senshi, since the Zealots were
Senshi they weren't affected.
"Let's go!" she ordered the children. Like she had ordered
them to, they ran as fast as they could. Valkyrie held out her hand as
she watched them leaving. They would split up soon and be on their
own.
[Maybe the souls of our lost friends guide them...] Valkyrie
thought as her spear appeared in her hand. The activists were still
trying to close off the sound but one clearly ignored it and pointed
his gun at Valkyrie again.
Before the activist or Valkyrie could react, someone came
running. A sword, though simple and somewhat plain, sliced the gun
into two parts. Valkyrie saw who it was.
[Odin...] she thought, relieved. Odin turned to her and all
they had to do was to exchange a look. While the effect of the Thunder
Storm attack was still working, they ran after the children as fast as
they could. Finally, Odin grabbed Valkyrie's arm and pulled her into
an alley.
"Run, I'll stall them," Odin said. Valkyrie frowned.
"No, I'll fight with you," she objected. Odin sighed.
"There's no time to argue! People depend on you, those
children depend on you. You can't afford to die."
"But..." Valkyrie began. She wasn't able to finish the
sentence. Odin pushed her away.
"Go. Now."
He wasn't going to let her stay, she saw that in his eyes. Odin turned
around and ran towards the direction where they had come from. He ran
to face the enemy. Valkyrie took one step to follow him but then she
stopped. A split second later she turned around and ran after the
children instead.
Her responsibility were the Zealots, the children. She had to
protect them first. Odin... she wanted to fight with him. But she
trusted him. She trusted that he would survive.
While Valkyrie was running after the children, Odin was
running towards the enemy. He realized that they would be in sight
soon. He also realized that they were over twenty armed men and there
were probably more coming. With his shining white sword in his hand,
Odin kept running. Finally, he stopped. The enemy was coming. He saw
them running towards him.
In the corner of his eyes Odin could see faces in the windows
of the buildings around him. Those were faces of normal people. People
who hoped to live their lives quietly and not get involved in any
kinds of fights.
[It is that kind of people that the original Sailor Senshi
sought out to protect,] Odin thought and drew his sword. [It is those
people that Freya really fear... because they won't hesitate to do
anything to keep the peace in their lives.]
Guns were raised and pointed at him. Odin saw one of the activists
saying something to him, ordering him to put down his sword. But he
couldn't do that. There was too much at stake. The lives of the
Zealots... Valkyrie's life.
[I can't forget this...]
Images of his mother flashed before his eyes. His mother smiling,
talking, scolding him for always forgetting to do his homework. Images
of his adoptive parents, uncle Nobuo and aunt Emi. How they had
supported him in every possible way ever since Jean Takanera's death.
[I can't let them down...]
The memories of the Zealots filled him. The children playing in the
hideout, the older Zealots talking of a better future for the
children. The peaceful look on Freya's face when he had once found her
asleep in Dahlia's old office.
[I can't ignore this...]
He saw the Shin Senshi before his eyes. The food fight when Usagi had
blown up an egg carton at him and Jun. Hikaru and Yasha arguing. Tomo
being excited about her date with Miyazawa-sempai. That time when
Misao had applied so much make up on Usagi so that she wouldn't be
recognized when they went out for dinner. All the Shin Senshi saying
goodbye to him before teleporting to the Moon Kingdom. But most of
all, Chie's words.
"Heroes die young, Kenji."
Now, as Odin stared into the face of death, he remembered what Chie
had said. Maybe Chie had been right. But death... was acceptable when
it came to saving the lives of others.
[I can't put my sword down,] Odin thought. [I won't put my
sword down.]
He raised the sword and he heard sounds of the guns being charged. But
he ignored them. Odin looked upwards at the sky. Dark clouds. He knew
that Valkyrie hated dark clouds. She always thought of them as a bad
omen.
[I guess this is pretty bad then...]
"Thunder Storm!"
Along with the loud and unbearable sounds of thunder, the sounds of
triggers being pulled were heard.
* * * *
Chie stumbled and grabbed onto Minako to prevent herself from falling.
Minako maintained her balance and helped her granddaughter to regain
hers. There was nothing to stumble on. The floor in the shrine was
nice and clean.
"What is it?" Minako asked. Chie blinked a few times.
"I... I don't know," she answered. "I just had this strange
feeling..."
Hikaru, Yasha and Akira were taking a look around the city. All three
suddenly stopped and all three felt a strange feeling inside their
hearts.
"What is this...?" Akira asked, puzzled.
"Has something happened?" Hikaru wondered.
Sachiko was at home. After long talks with her two other daughters she
was finally alone with her husband, Reed. Despite all that happened
on Earth with Hecate, Sachiko felt that there was no need to talk
about it right away.
"I've missed you so much," Reed whispered into Sachiko's ear
as he pulled her into an embrace. Sachiko smiled but a sudden cold
feeling reached her and she stiffened. Reed sensed that something was
wrong and released Sachiko from the hug.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I feel... cold..." Sachiko answered. "I don't know what...
but something has happened."
Archangel was in a deep conversation with Sailoruranus when she also
felt the strange feeling in her heart. Jun and Amelia were sitting on
the porch of Reed Maxwell's house when they both got the same feeling.
Mai was still in Hino Rei's shrine. She stood up and bid farewell to
Rei. When she had put her shoes on and slid the door open she felt it.
The cold feeling, leaving emptiness in her heart. It was the same
feeling as the others as felt, but it was different with Mai. While
the others sensed something, she actually knew what it was.
"Kenji-san...." she whispered to herself.
* * * *
Hours passed. When Valkyrie had escaped with the children it had been
noon. Now it was late afternoon. Valkyrie slowly walked down the
side walk. Normally she wouldn't walk the streets in her Senshi form
but she had to be prepared in case there were still enemies left. The
children were safe, at least for now. They were hiding in a store that
was run by secret Zealots supporters. The other Zealots were also
hiding there since all three hideouts had been discovered.
Valkyrie started to walk faster. She looked around for each
step she took. Where was Odin? Was he hiding somewhere? Had he gone
somewhere else? Valkyrie didn't dare to think the thought of anything
bad. If something had happened to Odin...
She suddenly stopped walking. Her eyes widened and she felt
her knees beginning to fail her. Someone was lying on the sidewalk.
She recognized the color of the armor and the dark cape. And there was
something dark next to him... blood?
"Kenji..."
She rushed to his side and drew him into his arms. When she saw that
his eyes were still open, she became happy enough to laugh. But the
happiness she felt soon faded away when she saw his wounds. How many
bullets Odin had in his body she didn't know.
"Kenji..." she whispered. "You fool..."
"...Are the children alright?" Odin asked.
"They're safe," Valkyrie answered, attempting to move Odin.
But she only found him not moving. It wasn't that he was unable to, it
was like he didn't want to.
"No... Freya, it's useless."
"What the hell do you mean?" Valkyrie hissed angrily. "I'm
gonna get you to a hospital, I don't care if I have to drag you all
the way there!"
Odin shook his head. "No."
"What do you mean 'no'?!" Valkyrie almost yelled. "Get up!
Kenji, get up! You can't die on me now!"
Doors to the apartment buildings around them were being opened and
several people stepped out to watch was going on. Valkyrie ignored
them. She had to get Odin to a hospital.
"Don't let your anger take over your life..." Odin said
suddenly. "It will destroy you someday."
Valkyrie was suddenly unable to speak. Though her heart refused to
believe it, her mind was telling her there were was no way of saving
Odin unless there was some way of taking him to a hospital in a few
seconds. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and Odin saw it.
"Stop it..." she managed to whisper. "You're making me cry."
"Then cry if that's what you feel like doing," Odin answered.
"Don't hide everything inside you. Freya... there's no one right here
that you have to show your strong side to."
Valkyrie held Odin closer and leaned her forehead against his. She
knew that he could feel her salty tears dripping down on his cheeks.
She felt Odin's hand take hers.
"What will I do without you?" she asked him, crying at the
same time. The thought of losing him, to be without him, was tearing
her apart.
"Don't... let it take over you..." Odin said. His voice was
quiet and Valkyrie knew that every time he said a word he felt so much
pain. "Let my death... be an end and a new beginning for you... Cry
for me, Freya... cry for yourself."
His hand released hers. Valkyrie raised her head a little to take a
better look at him. She couldn't feel his breathing anymore. His eyes
were closed and would never open again. Crying, she bent down and
kissed him softly on his lips.
"Kenji..."
She cried for him. But her tears weren't just for him. She was crying
because she wished that Kenji had told her those things before. She
was crying before she wished that she could have met him earlier and
because the time they had together wasn't enough.
It didn't take long before someone walked out from the
buildings and over to Valkyrie. She had noticed people watching but
she hadn't cared. A man and his wife, both in their fifties walked
over to her. Valkyrie raised her gaze, acknowledging their presence.
But she didn't let go of Odin.
"We called an ambulance," the man said. "They told us that
they'll be here as fast as they can."
"He's dead..." Valkyrie replied. "What good will an ambulance
do now?"
The man and the woman looked at each other and then at Valkyrie and
Odin.
"We all saw it," the woman told. "Everyone who lives here.
This man... this Senshi, made the thunder roar. That was all he did.
He didn't kill anyone like we thought he would."
Valkyrie stiffened and looked at Odin again. He only used the Thunder
Storm attack? When he was alone and against armed soldiers? What had
been going on inside his head? He knew that he couldn't win without
using an offensive attack.
"That was all he did," the woman went on. "But those men shot
him anyway. What kind of world do we live in? Over twenty men shooting
one for nothing!"
That was the kind of question Valkyrie had asked herself for many
years. Her only answer had been that there was too much hate in
humans. Now, a crowd was gathering around her and Odin. They were all
cursing the NSS activists and they were all swearing to not let
something like this happen again. Valkyrie heard their promises and
though she didn't think that a change could be done right away, she
couldn't help thinking that Odin's death had brought out something
good in humans.
[Kenji... is this the kind of world you dreamed of?]
* * * *
"Kenji-san is dead."
They had all felt the strange, cold feeling just a few hours ago. Yet
they couldn't believe what Mai was saying. Tomo shook her head in
disbelief.
"No..." she whispered. "This can't be true."
"I felt it," Mai replied coldly but her eyes were filled with
sadness as well. "You all felt it. Kenji-san is dead. I've tried but I
can't sense any trace of him anymore. He's gone."
Chie looked at everyone and saw the sad look in their faces. They knew
that Mai was right. Chie shook her head and stepped back. How could
they just stand there and look sad? How could they just accept this?
"You're lying!" she exclaimed. Her legs were unable to support
her and she fell to her knees. "Kenji can't be dead! We saw him just
this morning! He can't be dead!"
"Chie-san... please don't be like this," Hikaru said. He was
about to say something else to make her realize what had happened but
Chie shook her head again.
"No!" she screamed. "Don't say that! How can you stand there
and say that?! All of you, Kenji can't be dead!"
"Chie, calm down, please," Yasha urged and bent down next to
Chie. Chie buried her face into her hands and started to cry. She
cried for a long time not saying anything. Everyone else was looking
at her but thinking of Kenji.
"I shouldn't have let him stayed..." Chie sobbed. "I should
have ordered him to come with us..."
It didn't matter what Chie said or what she regretted. Kenji was gone.
They would never see him smile again. He had been with the Shin Senshi
for almost four years. He had been a part of the family for almost
four years. Chie wasn't the only one who cried.
"Kenji-kun... you should have listened to me..." Chie
whispered to herself. If he had listened to what Chie had said, then
he would have been alive. He would have been there are the Moon
Kingdom with them, safe and alive.
Heroes died young. And in the end... Yamazaki Kenji did as
well.
Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
http://komillia.tripod.com/mirai/index.html
23 March 2002
Next:
Sailormoon Mirai Part XIX: Choices
While the Shin Senshi mourn their lost friend, news about Crystal
Tokyo being evacutated spread through the Moon Kingdom. The Shin
Senshi decide to return to Earth and to defeat the real enemy once and
for all.
~MIRAI~
PART XVIII: HEROES DIE YOUNG
by: Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha, etcera.
Chie, Hikaru, Yasha and the other original characters that belong to
me.
Note: I'm still listening to Kiroro songs. ^_^ However, I listened to
a song called "Seasons" with Hamasaki Ayumi when I wrote about Kenji.
Just as I associate Kiroro songs with Jun and Amelia, I associate all
the slow Hamasaki Ayumi songs with Kenji and Freya. If you happen to
have that song, listening to it while reading this will probably have
a different effect than not listening to anything or something else.
Anyway, I should get going before I turn this part into a song fic.
^_^
Some Japanese words I use:
hime-sama = princess
* * * *
Ishtar hadn't been that nervous during the teleport. She hadn't been
nervous when she found out that the teleport had actually worked. But
the moment she had seen Sailorjupiter, Sailormars, Luna and Artemis
her heart began to slam forcefully against her ribcage. She could
hardly remain focused enough to listen to what they said. Artemis said
something about meeting the others, that was all that Ishtar
remembered.
"Come with us," Sailormars said and then began to lead the
way through the palace. While the others studied the interior of the
palace curiously while following Sailormars, Ishtar was in deep
thought.
Artemis had said the others. Did that include his daughter,
Diana? And perhaps Ishtar would finally meet her grandmother, after
spending years wondering how she really was.
Sailormoon walked silently. She looked at Sailorjupiter,
Sailormars, Luna and Artemis. She was back. They were going to take
her to see her mother and the other Inner and Outer Senshi, she was
sure of that.
[But all the Outer Senshi won't be there,] Sailormoon thought,
her eyes filled with sadness. [Sailorpluto is guarding the Time Gate
and she probably won't appear unless there is a real crisis. And
Hotaru...]
"We're here," Artemis annouced and stopped. The others stopped
as well and found themselves standing before a large door. There were
two guards on each side of the door and they bowed politely towards
all the Sailor Senshi before opening the door.
Most of the Shin Senshi were nervous in their own way. Ishtar
didn't know what to expect from Diana and her grandmother. Circe was
somewhat afraid of meeting Diana. She feared that Diana had told
Neo-Queen Serenity about her teleporting to Earth without anyone's
permission. Archangel, however, was anxious to see Diana. She wanted
to know more about her mother and she would find some way to squezze
some information from Diana. Nature wouldn't admit it but she wanted
to leave as soon as possible and go to see her family.
Sailorjupiter was the first one to walk into the room. Then
Sailormars followed while Luna and Artemis waited for Sailormoon to go
inside. Sailormoon suddenly remembered what room this was. The throne
room. Her mother was there, waiting for her.
With sweaty palms Sailormoon slowly walked into the room. She
could hear her fellow Senshi following her. There was silence. Once
Sailormoon had entered the room she saw several familiar faces. Faces
that she had thought that she would never see again. Sailormercury,
Sailorvenus, Sailorneptune, Sailoruranus... and Diana. Tears of joy
were formed in Sailormoon's eyes when she saw them smiling at her.
"Welcome home, hime-sama," Diana greeted. One by one all the
Inner and Outer Senshi gave Sailormoon a hug, even Sailorjupiter and
Sailormars who had tried to not be overwhelmed by their joy of having
the princess back. Luna was the last one who gave Sailormoon a hug.
"Small Lady..." she whispered and Sailormoon could hear that
she was crying. "You're back... There's finally hope for this world."
Sailormoon didn't quite understand what she meant but when Luna
released her from the hug they watched Ishtar's reunion with Diana.
"Chie-chan!" Diana exclaimed and gave Ishtar a tight hug.
Ishtar was somewhat surprised, she was still used to think of Diana in
her cat form. However it didn't take long for Ishtar to hug Diana
back. Sailorvenus smiled faintly as she approached Diana and Ishtar.
Diana noticed her and released Ishtar from the hug. Ishtar stared at
her grandmother, unsure of what to say. Sailorvenus smiled again in an
attempt to hold back her tears.
"You look just like your mother," she said. Memories of Sakura
Miyako flooded Sailorvenus' mind as she hugged her granddaughter.
Sailoruranus caught sight on Archangel and Nature. She hesitated at
first, but then approached Nature. Nature hadn't lost her calm and
when Sailoruranus stood before her she bowed politely.
"It's been long, Nature," Sailoruranus said to her former
employee.
"Yes, Uranus-sama," Nature replied politely. Sailoruranus
looked at Archangel who looked so lost in the huge group of Sailor
Senshi. Not that she was the only one, most of the Shin Senshi stood
quiet and looked lost.
"You... are Archangel, I presume," Sailoruranus said, trying
to hide her own nervousness. Archangel nodded shyly and hardly dared
to look at Sailoruranus.
"Y..yes, Uranus-sama," she answered. She hoped that
Sailoruranus would start to talk to Nature again. Sailoruranus was
much taller than Archangel and for some reason that made Archangel a
little afraid of her.
"Is she...?" Sailoruranus asked, turning to Nature. Nature
nodded and looked at Diana. Diana tore herself away from Sailormoon
and Ishtar and approached Uranus, Nature and Archangel.
"She made me promise not to tell," Diana explained. "But Tomo
deserves to know."
Archangel looked at everyone with confusion. What was going on? Did
Sailoruranus know something that she didn't know.
"What's going on?" Archangel asked quietly. Diana turned to
her, but spoke to Sailoruranus.
"Uranus-sama, allow me to introduce the third Archangel,"
Diana presented. "Kamiya Tomoko, born as Arai Shiho. Daughter of Arai
Natsu... also known as Ten'ou Natsu."
The majority of the people in the throne hall gasped in shock. Those
excluded were Diana, Nature, Sailoruranus and Archangel. The latter
was in shock and she stared at the three others quietly. She could
hardly think but the words that Diana had said repeated themselves
inside her mind. Silence had embraced everyone who were to shocked to
say anything. Finally, Lilith dared to say what everyone else were
thinking.
"Archangel..." she began. "That's means that you're..."
"My granddaughter," Sailoruranus finished.
There was silence again. Everyone was waiting for Archangel to say
something. Perhaps she would exclaim something in shock or deny what
she had just heard. But Archangel said nothing. She was just quiet.
Sailormoon also waited for Archangel to say something but when she
looked around she noticed that someone was missing.
"Where's my mother?" she asked Sailormercury and Sailorneptune
who were standing next to her. Both Senshi glanced at each other
before looking at Sailormoon.
"Hime-sama, your mother isn't in her best condition,"
Sailorneptune said. Sailormoon's brow was raised, she looked puzzled.
"Her health has been detriorating these last few months,"
Sailormercury told. "Ever since your father died and you weren't found
Neo-Queen Serenity has become weaker each day. She doesn't have the
strength to leave her chambers which is why she is not here."
Sailormoon gave a quiet sigh and lowered her gaze to her hands. She
had feared that something like this had happened. If only she could
have found a way to return earlier...
"However she has been feeling a little better when she was
told that we sensed you among those who were coming," Sailorneptune
went on. "She has been expecting you."
"I'll go and see her right away," Sailormoon decided and
immediately left the throne hall. Most of the others left pretty soon
as well. Nature and Circe left to see their family. Ishtar and
Sailorvenus left together, not saying where they were going. Luna and
Artemis returned to their work. Diana, Sailorjupiter and Sailormars
left with the rest of the Shin Senshi to show them around the palace.
Sailormercury excused herself before going back to her laboratory.
Sailorneptune whispered something to Sailoruranus and then left. The
ones remaining in the throne hall were Sailoruranus and Archangel.
Archangel still hadn't said anything.
* * * *
Chie loooked at the picture of her mother as she bowed before it. It
was a picture of her mother when she had just become Sakura Miyako.
It was taken only a few weeks after her marriage to Sakura Masao.
Minako was also looking at the picture.
"Your father took that picture," Minako told. "It was on their
honeymoon."
Chie nodded. She looked at the picture of her mother for another few
seconds before turning her attention to the other pictures. Minako had
taken her to a shrine dedicated to Sailor Senshi who had passed away.
Several walls were decorated with pictures of Sailor Senshi. Under
each picture were the names of the Senshi, along with a bit of
background information. The picture of Sakura Miyako was larger than
others and hung along with four other pictures that were of the same
size. Chie read the names of those four Senshi.
Mizuno Masami - Sailormaia
Yagami Fumiyo - Sailorchronos
Aoyama Karin - Sailoroceania
Ishida Yuri - Sailorharmonia
Those names meant nothing to Chie but she knew that these four Senshi
along with her mother meant a lot to many people. Either those were
people one remembered with joy, pride or pain.
"The Victory Team," Chie read aloud from an inscription on the
wall. "They gave their lives. They were seven hopes. Five became
distant stars of the sky. May they rest in peace."
"Whoever wrote that certainly was right," Minako said. "The
Victory Team was our hope, our dream. We trained them for years... and
look what happened. We should have known."
Minako shook her head and lowered her gaze. Chie turned to her
grandmother and thought of ways to comfort her.
"It's not your fault," Chie said.
"Was it?" Minako asked sadly. She looked at the pictures
again. "If I could turn back time I would have never agreed to send
our children to fight the danger. The Victory Team was doomed from the
beginning. Natsu left the team and the others were sent to fight.
Masami, Miyako, Fumiyo and Yuri all died during the battle. Karin
managed to save Sakurai but she died of her injuries."
"Sakurai?" Chie repeated. Minako looked at Chie, puzzled.
"Diana didn't tell you much, did she?" she asked. Chie shook
her head. "Hajime Sakurai was the youngest of the Victory Team. She
was only five when she began her training and eleven when she was sent
to fight. She started her training so early because she showed strong
Senshi powers when she was only four."
"And she survived her comrades?" Chie wondered. "Where is she
now?"
"She's still working for Neo-Queen Serenity," Minako told as
she and Chie began to leave the shrine. "I see her sometimes. But
Chie... seeing one's best friends being slaughtered before one's eyes
when you're eleven... it changes a person for good. Hajime Sakurai is
thirty five years old now. She keeps a calm composture. But her mind
is still filled with hatred and revenge."
* * * *
"She might be asleep," Ami whispered to Usagi as she opened the
door to Neo-Queen Serenity's bedroom. "She'll be very happy to see you
but please remember that she also needs her rest."
Usagi nodded and followed Ami inside the bedroom. A single lamp was
lit at the end of the huge room. It looked exactly like Usagi
remembered it. The floor was very clean, she could practically see her
face being reflected. The curtains had been drawn to prevent the light
from coming in. The furniture were still the same, Usagi wondered if
they even had been used since her father's death.
She turned her gaze to Ami who was quietly walking over to the
large bed at the end of the room. Usagi took a few steps towards the
bed and saw the delicate person lying there.
"Serenity, there's someone here who wants to see you," Ami said.
"Small lady? Please tell me that it's Small lady..."
Usagi bit her lip to stop herself from crying when she heard that
voice. It was her mother's voice. It was weak and Usagi could barely
hear what she said but still...
"Yes, the princess has returned," Ami answered and helped
Serenity to sit up. Usagi caught sight on her mother's face and rushed
over to her side. She instantly forgot what Ami had said about
Serenity's condition as she hugged Serenity tightly.
"Mommy..." she whispered, crying. Serenity hugged her daughter
back, crying as well. Ami stood up and quietly left the room.
[Might as well leave them alone,] she thought and closed the
door after herself. Neither Serenity or Usagi noticed that she left.
"I thought that I'd never see you again, Small lady," Serenity
whispered. She held her daughter tighter, as if assuring herself that
this was real. Usagi looked at her mother and smiled vaguely.
"Mommy... I'm not that small anymore."
Serenity smiled back. She lifted her hand and stroke Usagi's hair,
remembering the times when Usagi was small enough to carry around. She
remembered being Sailormoon and Usagi being Sailorchibimoon. How
distant those times seemed.
"You'll always be my Small lady, no matter how old you are,"
Serenity answered. Before Usagi had gone to Earth, she would have
protested. But now, after all that had happened, she was just happy
to hear someone call her Small lady again.
* * * *
"Come in."
The door to the inside of the shrine slid open. A young woman with
white hair took off her shoes and then stepped inside. Hino Rei sat
in front of the fire looking into it. She didn't have to see who had
entered the room. She knew that it was Nanakase Mai, the telekinetic
Shin Senshi.
Rei had sensed strong powers within Mai. She had sensed strong
powers in every Shin Senshi. It was strange that they had managed to
become that strong without any real knowledge of their powers. The
Senshi on the Moon Kingdom spent months learning about their powers
while training them. On the other hand, as long as the Shin Senshi
used their powers for the right thing there was really nothing to
worry about.
"You have sensed something as well... haven't you?" Mai
suddenly asked and Rei got the feeling that she wasn't talking about
Senshi powers. "Something big is going to happen."
Rei nodded. "The fire tells me that there will be blood and tears,"
she replied calmly. "Blood of one... tears of thousands. The future is
uncertain. What will happen now no one knows... Except for
Sailorpluto."
"Who hasn't made an appearance in over twenty years," Mai
finished. Rei turned to her with a puzzled look on her face. She was
about to ask Mai how she knew that but then decided not to bother. The
young woman seemed to have her own ways of finding out things.
"So the question is... what do *we* do about this?" Mai asked.
Rei took a deep breath and looked into the fire. In the hot, burning
flames she saw what Mai couldn't, an image of a brown haired Sailor
Knight.
"There is nothing that we can do. The future is the future.
Whether it's uncertain or not... there is nothing that we can do about
it."
Though unsatisfied with the answer, Mai just nodded and was silent.
Something was going to happen but there was nothing that she could do
about it.
[If only I knew...] Mai thought, frowning. [I wonder if
onii-san knows... But my powers have always been stronger than his.
If I don't know, and Mars-sama doesn't know... Then there is really
nothing that we can do about this. Damn it!]
* * * *
Later on, Usagi left her mother's room. She sighed as she closed the
door after herself. Ami sat on a chair. She had been waiting for Usagi
to come out.
"Is she asleep?" Ami asked and stood up. Usagi nodded.
"Yes... I told her to get some rest," she answered. "She looked
so tired. How long has she been like this?"
"For months," Ami replied. "Ever since your father died. For a
while she was feeling a little better because she was hoping that you
would still be alive. But when you were declared dead... she lost all
strength."
Usagi sighed again. "If only I could have prevented that crash
somehow," she muttered. "Or if I would have convinced daddy not stay
here on the Moon Kingdom. Then NONE of this would have happened."
She threw her hands up, frustrated. At the moment she caught sight on
a nearby vase. Without Usagi thinking, or even wishing for it, the
vase exploded. Both Ami and Usagi jumped as shards of porcelain flew
across the hallway.
"Oh god, I did it again!" Usagi exclaimed.
Ami did her best to regain her normal breathing, then she slowly
bent down to pick up one of the shards. She studied it for a few
moments. Then she looked at Usagi.
"Hime-sama.... where did you learn to do that?"
Usagi smiled apologetically.
* * * *
Valkyrie hated rain but if there was something she hated more than
rain it was the dark clouds. It seemed that everytime something
terrible happened she would look up at the sky and see dark clouds.
There had been dark clouds the day her sister Signe had died. There
had been dark clouds when she had captured Amano Keiko and Odin had
stopped her. The only time Valkyrie remembered something good
happening when there were dark clouds was the time when she had met
Odin for the first time.
How she wished that he would be with her at the moment. She
never knew what to think of him. One moment he was her friend, then
her advisor, then a fool for his naive belief that one day there would
be a paradise on Earth. But whatever Valkyrie thought of Odin, she
wished that he would be with her. Fighting alongside her.
"Valkyrie-sama, what are we going to do?" Valkyrie heard
little Michie ask. Valkyrie turned to Michie and saw all the young
Zealots standing with Michie.
Valkyrie had been foolish. The Zealots had three hideouts in
Crystal Tokyo and when one of them had been discovered by the most
extreme NSS activists Valkyrie hadn't hesitated to send all the
Zealots, except for the children, to help the ones at the other
hideout. She hadn't expected the NSS activists to come and discover
this hideout as well. She had managed to escape into an abandoned
building with the children but the fact that she had been stupid
enough to stay with the children alone was still there. The NSS was
coming for her and the children. And she couldn't defend the children
on her own.
[How could I have been so stupid?] Valkyrie asked herself for
the tenth time in five minutes. Of course, she could take the children
and escape to the third hideout. But if two hideouts had already been
discovered, there was a possibility that the third one had been
discovered as well. She had two options. To stay and hide in the
building and wait for the NSS to come or to take a chance and escape
to the third hideout.
"Valkyrie-sama, they're coming!" someone suddenly exclaimed.
Valkyrie immediately rushed to the window where a boy named Tetsu was
standing. She could see familiar cars and vans being driven over a
bridge. There were more than ten vehicles, which meant that there
could be over sixty NSS activists. All of them were armed with guns.
All of them were after her and the children.
"We have to escape somewhere," Valkyrie decided and moved
away from the window. All the children followed her.
"Where?" Tetsu asked. In the corner of her eye, Valkyrie
could see some of the youngest children crying quietly. The oldest
children were five children between ten and thirteen years old.
Valkyrie turned to them.
"Eiji, Tsuneko, Goro, Satoru, Isae," she said. "Take the
children and run as far as you can."
"To the other hideout?" Satoru asked. Valkyrie shook her head.
"No, there is no hideout that is safe anymore," she answered.
"Run to public places. Malls, shopping areas, places that are filled
with people. Divide into five groups and split up. Each of you five
will be responsible for one group. Try to blend in with the others."
The children nodded but then Valkyrie looked at Michie who looked
confused. It would be hard for her to blend in with the others. Her
skin was pale green. Valkyrie took one look at Michie. She was six
years old but skinny and very light for a six year old. It wouldn't
much of a problem to carry her.
"Goro, take Michie with you," Valkyrie said. "Carry her. She's
wearing a sweater with a hood so if she pulls the hood over her head
and hides her hand a little, no one will see the color of her skin."
Michie smiled faintly, relieved that Valkyrie hadn't forgotten about
her.
"I'll try to stall them," Valkyrie went on. She quickly
divided the children into five groups. Once everything was done, they
all ran down the stairs as fast as they could. Valkyrie looked around
to see if there was a back door. Luckily there was. But when she
opened it she only found twenty NSS activists standing around the door
with guns pointing at her.
The children froze behind her and Valkyrie stood still. This
was it. If she even moved then the activists would surely shoot her
and the children. There was no way that she would make her spear
appear and use her attack without the activists shooting them.
[So... this is it...] Valkyrie thought. [The end of the
Zealots...]
Could this really be the end of what Dahlia had worked so hard for?
Dahlia had dedicated so many years of her life to form the Zealots.
Valkyrie had spent years being a part of the Zealots and these last
few months, leading the Zealots. And now... to have it all end like
this.
"Thunder Storm!"
A loud, rumbling sound was echoed through the entire neighbourhood.
The NSS activists plugged their ears at the loud sound but the Zealots
didn't. This sound was caused by a Senshi, since the Zealots were
Senshi they weren't affected.
"Let's go!" she ordered the children. Like she had ordered
them to, they ran as fast as they could. Valkyrie held out her hand as
she watched them leaving. They would split up soon and be on their
own.
[Maybe the souls of our lost friends guide them...] Valkyrie
thought as her spear appeared in her hand. The activists were still
trying to close off the sound but one clearly ignored it and pointed
his gun at Valkyrie again.
Before the activist or Valkyrie could react, someone came
running. A sword, though simple and somewhat plain, sliced the gun
into two parts. Valkyrie saw who it was.
[Odin...] she thought, relieved. Odin turned to her and all
they had to do was to exchange a look. While the effect of the Thunder
Storm attack was still working, they ran after the children as fast as
they could. Finally, Odin grabbed Valkyrie's arm and pulled her into
an alley.
"Run, I'll stall them," Odin said. Valkyrie frowned.
"No, I'll fight with you," she objected. Odin sighed.
"There's no time to argue! People depend on you, those
children depend on you. You can't afford to die."
"But..." Valkyrie began. She wasn't able to finish the
sentence. Odin pushed her away.
"Go. Now."
He wasn't going to let her stay, she saw that in his eyes. Odin turned
around and ran towards the direction where they had come from. He ran
to face the enemy. Valkyrie took one step to follow him but then she
stopped. A split second later she turned around and ran after the
children instead.
Her responsibility were the Zealots, the children. She had to
protect them first. Odin... she wanted to fight with him. But she
trusted him. She trusted that he would survive.
While Valkyrie was running after the children, Odin was
running towards the enemy. He realized that they would be in sight
soon. He also realized that they were over twenty armed men and there
were probably more coming. With his shining white sword in his hand,
Odin kept running. Finally, he stopped. The enemy was coming. He saw
them running towards him.
In the corner of his eyes Odin could see faces in the windows
of the buildings around him. Those were faces of normal people. People
who hoped to live their lives quietly and not get involved in any
kinds of fights.
[It is that kind of people that the original Sailor Senshi
sought out to protect,] Odin thought and drew his sword. [It is those
people that Freya really fear... because they won't hesitate to do
anything to keep the peace in their lives.]
Guns were raised and pointed at him. Odin saw one of the activists
saying something to him, ordering him to put down his sword. But he
couldn't do that. There was too much at stake. The lives of the
Zealots... Valkyrie's life.
[I can't forget this...]
Images of his mother flashed before his eyes. His mother smiling,
talking, scolding him for always forgetting to do his homework. Images
of his adoptive parents, uncle Nobuo and aunt Emi. How they had
supported him in every possible way ever since Jean Takanera's death.
[I can't let them down...]
The memories of the Zealots filled him. The children playing in the
hideout, the older Zealots talking of a better future for the
children. The peaceful look on Freya's face when he had once found her
asleep in Dahlia's old office.
[I can't ignore this...]
He saw the Shin Senshi before his eyes. The food fight when Usagi had
blown up an egg carton at him and Jun. Hikaru and Yasha arguing. Tomo
being excited about her date with Miyazawa-sempai. That time when
Misao had applied so much make up on Usagi so that she wouldn't be
recognized when they went out for dinner. All the Shin Senshi saying
goodbye to him before teleporting to the Moon Kingdom. But most of
all, Chie's words.
"Heroes die young, Kenji."
Now, as Odin stared into the face of death, he remembered what Chie
had said. Maybe Chie had been right. But death... was acceptable when
it came to saving the lives of others.
[I can't put my sword down,] Odin thought. [I won't put my
sword down.]
He raised the sword and he heard sounds of the guns being charged. But
he ignored them. Odin looked upwards at the sky. Dark clouds. He knew
that Valkyrie hated dark clouds. She always thought of them as a bad
omen.
[I guess this is pretty bad then...]
"Thunder Storm!"
Along with the loud and unbearable sounds of thunder, the sounds of
triggers being pulled were heard.
* * * *
Chie stumbled and grabbed onto Minako to prevent herself from falling.
Minako maintained her balance and helped her granddaughter to regain
hers. There was nothing to stumble on. The floor in the shrine was
nice and clean.
"What is it?" Minako asked. Chie blinked a few times.
"I... I don't know," she answered. "I just had this strange
feeling..."
Hikaru, Yasha and Akira were taking a look around the city. All three
suddenly stopped and all three felt a strange feeling inside their
hearts.
"What is this...?" Akira asked, puzzled.
"Has something happened?" Hikaru wondered.
Sachiko was at home. After long talks with her two other daughters she
was finally alone with her husband, Reed. Despite all that happened
on Earth with Hecate, Sachiko felt that there was no need to talk
about it right away.
"I've missed you so much," Reed whispered into Sachiko's ear
as he pulled her into an embrace. Sachiko smiled but a sudden cold
feeling reached her and she stiffened. Reed sensed that something was
wrong and released Sachiko from the hug.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I feel... cold..." Sachiko answered. "I don't know what...
but something has happened."
Archangel was in a deep conversation with Sailoruranus when she also
felt the strange feeling in her heart. Jun and Amelia were sitting on
the porch of Reed Maxwell's house when they both got the same feeling.
Mai was still in Hino Rei's shrine. She stood up and bid farewell to
Rei. When she had put her shoes on and slid the door open she felt it.
The cold feeling, leaving emptiness in her heart. It was the same
feeling as the others as felt, but it was different with Mai. While
the others sensed something, she actually knew what it was.
"Kenji-san...." she whispered to herself.
* * * *
Hours passed. When Valkyrie had escaped with the children it had been
noon. Now it was late afternoon. Valkyrie slowly walked down the
side walk. Normally she wouldn't walk the streets in her Senshi form
but she had to be prepared in case there were still enemies left. The
children were safe, at least for now. They were hiding in a store that
was run by secret Zealots supporters. The other Zealots were also
hiding there since all three hideouts had been discovered.
Valkyrie started to walk faster. She looked around for each
step she took. Where was Odin? Was he hiding somewhere? Had he gone
somewhere else? Valkyrie didn't dare to think the thought of anything
bad. If something had happened to Odin...
She suddenly stopped walking. Her eyes widened and she felt
her knees beginning to fail her. Someone was lying on the sidewalk.
She recognized the color of the armor and the dark cape. And there was
something dark next to him... blood?
"Kenji..."
She rushed to his side and drew him into his arms. When she saw that
his eyes were still open, she became happy enough to laugh. But the
happiness she felt soon faded away when she saw his wounds. How many
bullets Odin had in his body she didn't know.
"Kenji..." she whispered. "You fool..."
"...Are the children alright?" Odin asked.
"They're safe," Valkyrie answered, attempting to move Odin.
But she only found him not moving. It wasn't that he was unable to, it
was like he didn't want to.
"No... Freya, it's useless."
"What the hell do you mean?" Valkyrie hissed angrily. "I'm
gonna get you to a hospital, I don't care if I have to drag you all
the way there!"
Odin shook his head. "No."
"What do you mean 'no'?!" Valkyrie almost yelled. "Get up!
Kenji, get up! You can't die on me now!"
Doors to the apartment buildings around them were being opened and
several people stepped out to watch was going on. Valkyrie ignored
them. She had to get Odin to a hospital.
"Don't let your anger take over your life..." Odin said
suddenly. "It will destroy you someday."
Valkyrie was suddenly unable to speak. Though her heart refused to
believe it, her mind was telling her there were was no way of saving
Odin unless there was some way of taking him to a hospital in a few
seconds. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and Odin saw it.
"Stop it..." she managed to whisper. "You're making me cry."
"Then cry if that's what you feel like doing," Odin answered.
"Don't hide everything inside you. Freya... there's no one right here
that you have to show your strong side to."
Valkyrie held Odin closer and leaned her forehead against his. She
knew that he could feel her salty tears dripping down on his cheeks.
She felt Odin's hand take hers.
"What will I do without you?" she asked him, crying at the
same time. The thought of losing him, to be without him, was tearing
her apart.
"Don't... let it take over you..." Odin said. His voice was
quiet and Valkyrie knew that every time he said a word he felt so much
pain. "Let my death... be an end and a new beginning for you... Cry
for me, Freya... cry for yourself."
His hand released hers. Valkyrie raised her head a little to take a
better look at him. She couldn't feel his breathing anymore. His eyes
were closed and would never open again. Crying, she bent down and
kissed him softly on his lips.
"Kenji..."
She cried for him. But her tears weren't just for him. She was crying
because she wished that Kenji had told her those things before. She
was crying before she wished that she could have met him earlier and
because the time they had together wasn't enough.
It didn't take long before someone walked out from the
buildings and over to Valkyrie. She had noticed people watching but
she hadn't cared. A man and his wife, both in their fifties walked
over to her. Valkyrie raised her gaze, acknowledging their presence.
But she didn't let go of Odin.
"We called an ambulance," the man said. "They told us that
they'll be here as fast as they can."
"He's dead..." Valkyrie replied. "What good will an ambulance
do now?"
The man and the woman looked at each other and then at Valkyrie and
Odin.
"We all saw it," the woman told. "Everyone who lives here.
This man... this Senshi, made the thunder roar. That was all he did.
He didn't kill anyone like we thought he would."
Valkyrie stiffened and looked at Odin again. He only used the Thunder
Storm attack? When he was alone and against armed soldiers? What had
been going on inside his head? He knew that he couldn't win without
using an offensive attack.
"That was all he did," the woman went on. "But those men shot
him anyway. What kind of world do we live in? Over twenty men shooting
one for nothing!"
That was the kind of question Valkyrie had asked herself for many
years. Her only answer had been that there was too much hate in
humans. Now, a crowd was gathering around her and Odin. They were all
cursing the NSS activists and they were all swearing to not let
something like this happen again. Valkyrie heard their promises and
though she didn't think that a change could be done right away, she
couldn't help thinking that Odin's death had brought out something
good in humans.
[Kenji... is this the kind of world you dreamed of?]
* * * *
"Kenji-san is dead."
They had all felt the strange, cold feeling just a few hours ago. Yet
they couldn't believe what Mai was saying. Tomo shook her head in
disbelief.
"No..." she whispered. "This can't be true."
"I felt it," Mai replied coldly but her eyes were filled with
sadness as well. "You all felt it. Kenji-san is dead. I've tried but I
can't sense any trace of him anymore. He's gone."
Chie looked at everyone and saw the sad look in their faces. They knew
that Mai was right. Chie shook her head and stepped back. How could
they just stand there and look sad? How could they just accept this?
"You're lying!" she exclaimed. Her legs were unable to support
her and she fell to her knees. "Kenji can't be dead! We saw him just
this morning! He can't be dead!"
"Chie-san... please don't be like this," Hikaru said. He was
about to say something else to make her realize what had happened but
Chie shook her head again.
"No!" she screamed. "Don't say that! How can you stand there
and say that?! All of you, Kenji can't be dead!"
"Chie, calm down, please," Yasha urged and bent down next to
Chie. Chie buried her face into her hands and started to cry. She
cried for a long time not saying anything. Everyone else was looking
at her but thinking of Kenji.
"I shouldn't have let him stayed..." Chie sobbed. "I should
have ordered him to come with us..."
It didn't matter what Chie said or what she regretted. Kenji was gone.
They would never see him smile again. He had been with the Shin Senshi
for almost four years. He had been a part of the family for almost
four years. Chie wasn't the only one who cried.
"Kenji-kun... you should have listened to me..." Chie
whispered to herself. If he had listened to what Chie had said, then
he would have been alive. He would have been there are the Moon
Kingdom with them, safe and alive.
Heroes died young. And in the end... Yamazaki Kenji did as
well.
Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
http://komillia.tripod.com/mirai/index.html
23 March 2002
Next:
Sailormoon Mirai Part XIX: Choices
While the Shin Senshi mourn their lost friend, news about Crystal
Tokyo being evacutated spread through the Moon Kingdom. The Shin
Senshi decide to return to Earth and to defeat the real enemy once and
for all.