Chapter 14: Down the Sea of Blood and Tears

Haruka heard, rather than felt, her jaw breaking. Little Rei packed quite a punch. She quickly retaliated by dislocating the senshi's arm. Rei yelped in pain and clutched her limp arm.

"You bitch," she hissed. Haruka smirked back at her second favorite weakling. With a quick kick to the head, Rei collapsed in blinding pain. Haruka looked around at the dead plain that had become a battlefield. Kakyuu was using Fighter as a shield, the poor loyal alien believing her princess still cared for her, against her lovely Michiru. Mercury was fending off Nehellenia and Healer, to no avail. Inwardly, Haruka was glad Nehellenia decided to join her and Kakyuu, it made the battle even. Haruka's eyes fell on her Koneko. The blue-haired alien was taking down the odangos and braiding her former princess' hair. How was that fighting? Haruka was about to stop the braiding, until a bolt of lightning stopped her. She turned to see a smirking Healer.

"Well, well. If it isn't the crybaby alien. Tell me, how's Venus doing?" Haruka reveled in Healer's hiss of anger. It felt good to know that she made someone feel just as miserable as she is. Healer didn't say a thing in response. She just glared.

Haruka chuckled. "Glaring isn't gonna do anyt-" A jolt of pain raced through her body. Then another and another, until it became all consuming. Haruka didn't need to open her eyes to see that Healer was smirking.

Siren sung softly as she plaited Usagi's hair.

"I'm gonna look so pretty, Siren! Thank you!" Usagi gushed.

Siren smiled. "Usa-chan, we're sisters. And that's what sisters do."

"They braid each other's hair?"

Siren nodded. Usagi beamed. "Wow, I've never had a sister before."

Siren smiled at the blonde. The plan was working...

Kakyuu watched as green currents of electricity shot through Haruka's body. She eyed Michiru from behind the protective body of Fighter. Fighter. She still had the immature notion that Kakyuu was on her side. That they would go home once this was all over. No, no they won't. Kakyuu would follow Haruka to the ends of the universe, without Fighter.

"Fighter," She whispered against Fighter's neck. She inwardly smirked at the tremor that ran through the other's body. "Stop Healer. I'll handle Neptune."

"What?" Fighter looked from a smirking Healer to a grim Michiru. "But Healer's our comrade and Haruka is the enemy."

What childish notions. Kakyuu planted a soft kiss behind Fighter's ear. "Please?" She asked, using the sweet voice that always made Fighter crumble. "Please? For me?"

Fighter swallowed and nodded. "Can you handle her?"

Kakyuu looked at Michiru. The aquanette was panting slightly, hair disarray and eyes narrowed. "She's no problem. Go, get Healer." Fighter nodded and ran off, leaving Kakyuu and Michiru facing each other.

"How do you like my leftovers?" Michiru taunted, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Michiru started circling Kakyuu. "Does she whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Does she kiss you softly? Does she sing to you? Does she love you, Kakyuu?"

At that Kakyuu froze. Does she love you?

Does she love you?

Does she love you?

No, no she didn't. She didn't love Kakyuu, and the fireball princess knew it. She looked around the battlefield. Fighter and Healer were at a stalemate, Haruka was fighting Siren while Usagi cowered in the corner, Nehellenia was slowly being beaten by Mercury. It was a losing battle, one she would win.

Kakyuu blew a kiss to Fighter. The lipstick pulled from her lips and fingers and created a spade. A outline appeared behind Fighter's ear.

"No," Michiru breathed.

Kakyuu smirked when the spade hit the outline. Figther softly swatted at her ear.

"Yes," Kakyuu hummed.

"You're useless." Nehellenia said. "I bet that if someone ever wrote your biography, they'd forget about you."

Ami bit her lip and shook her head. She was not useless. They needed her as much as she needed them. And yet, she found herself believing it.

"Sissy I'm scared, I'm scared!" Usagi wailed as she narrowly dodged a gust of wind. Siren threw wave after wave of ice daggers at the wind senshi. Haruka smirked as she dodged them easily.

"You two are pathetic. I can defeat you with a hand tied behind my-" Blood welled up and dripped down Haruka's neck.

"Who is pathetic now?" Siren gloated. Haruka calmly wiped the blood away. She summoned her sword and then it glowed. Winds whipped around the three senshi, collecting at her sword. Siren's eyes widened.

"She's attacking! Find cover!" Siren said before Haruka swung the sword at the ground. It grumbled, as if it was waking from a deep sleep. Then it split, taking Usagi down into the abyss. She screamed as she fell, the sky becoming farther and farther until it became a tiny sliver of red. Then blue threads wrapped around her flailing arms and pulled her up. Usagi looked down. No end in sight. Usagi let out a shuddering laugh. She was safe.

Fighter swooned. The earth turned blurry. She weakly blocked another punch from Healer. When did she get so weak? Or maybe Healer got stronger. Fighter didn't like the look in Healer's eyes. It was wild and unpredictable, full of grief and anger, pain and hatred, hope and love. Another wave of dizziness hit Fighter. Healer kicked Fighter in the gut, making the taller senshi double over. She was not this weak. What's happening? Fighter barely registered falling to the ground. It was moving too much anyway.

"Leader, leader. Wakey wakey." Healer's voice came from a far away place. Fighter tried to reply, but everything was just so blurry. Was she crying? She never cried.

"Siren! Siren! Leader won't move!" Healer was talking again. There were more sounds, more far away words. Healer's form was blurring into the background. Fighter saw green glowing things. The light was soothing and made her feel warm.

"It's not working! It's not doing anything!"

Healer's voice was farther away then it had been before. Maybe she was talking to Maker, they always talked in whispers when Fighter was around. The world got darker. Fighter was getting sleepy. Her eyelids were heavy. She would just sleep this once. Her eyes shut. Kakyuu-hime could fix everything. Even this.