A/N: I don't even know how I get this thing typed up so fast. I think I can attribute it to the barrage of reviews I have been getting for this fic. So, here is that extra fells-y chapter I promised Neanda. Please, have a few tissues on hand and buckle up.
WARNING: Contains blood, violence, gore, and foul language. You may choose to sob halfway through this chapter, which is completely understandable.
With love,
Korrupted.
Special thanks to: My readers. You are what keeps me writing and going with my fics. I am really nothing without all y'all.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!
Makoto wasn't sleeping well at all, the nine year old tossing and turning heavily in her bed, kicking off the covers violently. The young warrior groaned as her dreams continued to worsen, the sudden sounds of screeching filling her mind, causing her to sit up as cold sweat soaked her entire form. However, the sounds of screaming didn't cease, only lessened, emeralds eyes wide as she recognized the solemn voices of the trees to be the source, the many potted plants in her room begging her to hurry and get up to warn the others. The child was confused for only a few more moments as her heart raced painfully in her chest, instantly shoving herself up and into her trousers and tunic before throwing open the door to the eleven year old Moon Princess' room, dashing in barefoot to shake her. "Serenity, Serenity! Wake up!" She pleaded, the groggy blonde grumbling and turning over lazily.
As much as Makoto loathed the idea of harming the sweet child, her safety overall took precedence and the Jovian used a tiny jolt of lightning to snap at her arm, the girl yelping loudly as she woke up. "Makoto?! What in the name of the Moon are you doing?!" She hissed irritably, though rather disturbed at the look of urgency on the brunette's features; Makoto had never done anything like this before, let alone just come barging into her room unannounced. Something had to be wrong.
"Serenity, we need to move now! There are some commoners coming, and they don't mean to shower you with affection." The guardian hissed, feeling the girl stiffen on the bed.
While there was nothing of ill on the Moon, there were a bunch of radicals that sided with the Dark Kingdom that resided far past Pluto, and it seemed that they had hoped to strike now. The young princess was honestly too scared to move, never having dealt with anything like this before, and so Makoto lifted her up and carried her on her back with ease, rushing over to the doors of her fellow warriors to kick them rather harshly. "Wake up! There's an attack! WAKE THE FUCK UP, YOU LIGHTNING DAMNED BITCHES!" The Jovian youth bellowed, the sounds of fighting now being carried to her ears by the trees; the commoners were getting closer.
Minako's door was the first to open, the blonde clad in her orange dress and trademark red bow, Michiru, Setsuna, and Haruka all joining her nearly at once. "I've got the princess, but we need to get to the safe room." She informed them hurriedly, watching as the eldest blonde whipped her head around to face one of the long corridors.
Just then, Selene, Talia, and Princess Sailor Venus Helena came dashing out, only the strawberry blonde already transformed. "Go! Hurry up and take the princess!" The elder guardian of love demanded, Selene brandishing crystal throwing knives in her hands as angry yells approached them.
"Pluto power, make-up!"
"Neptune power, make-up!"
"Uranus power, make-up!"
The three older children stood in their uniforms, Makoto a bit irritated that she was still a few years off from gaining her transformation wand, Minako simply grabbing a golden whip from her room before warily leading the others towards the room that would protect them from the invaders. As Makoto continued to carry the blonde on her back, Uranus pushed her way next to them just in time to block a sword with her own saber, pushing the offending man back. "Neptune's Wrath!" Neptune shouted, a watery trident shooting forth from her mirror to impale the man and kill him.
Pluto blocked a spear wielder with her staff, Makoto reduced to backing herself into a corner to use her body as a shield for Serenity. A few men approached her swiftly, the reddish brown haired warrior thinking that this was the end for her, and rather disappointed at that prospect. "Lightning Lance!" She heard a familiar voice snarl, the men dropping like bricks to the crystal floor as Sailor Jupiter strode in, her short brown hair framing a face contorted in fury, Selene at her side as the other elder Senshi flanked the Queen. "Go! We'll hold them off. Selene, you go with them."
The white-blonde haired seamstress shook her head defiantly, clinging to Lacira's arm. "No, I won't leave you! Please, Ren, don't order me to leave her!" Her teary blue eyes fell upon Queen Serenity, the woman almost taking pity on her baby sister.
"I'm sorry, Selene. I order you to escort my daughter to the safe room. Go, and Moonlight guide you!" The queen decreed.
Tears fell from the knife holding woman's eyes, the lightning warrior pulling her close and kissing her passionately on her lips. When they parted, Lacira and Selene locked eyes, the shorter woman begging in a watery voice, "Promise me you'll meet us there with the Queen. Promise me, Cira!"
Instead of replying to the demand, she kissed her again, breaking it to whisper into her ear, "I love you, Selene." Before shoving her towards the group of children. "Now go! We must keep the princess safe!"
Olive green eyes watched as her distraught lover led the younger warriors away, Sailor Jupiter biting back tears that she refused to cry. She couldn't promise to return to her, just in case she fell protecting the Moon Queen. She prayed that Selene would be safe, however. She and the younger warriors. "Jupiter, lend me your strength..." She muttered as another group of zealots raced for them, gripping her spear tightly. "Protect the Queen! For the Moon Kingdom!"
They were almost there, so why had everything gone to hell? It was something Minako couldn't understand. She was disarming people left and right, but her arms were growing weary from the effort. Selene lifted one of the discarded spears and spun it around with great ease, squaring off in her gown that seemed to float on it's own against armored foes, the opponents dashing forwards only to fall from swift thrusts of the tip into their throats. The Outers were doing all they could to clear a path to the final hall that would be their last stretch, but no matter how many they killed, they could make no headway. A blur of white slashed violently at the zealots, blood spraying from vicious wounds as Lysander joined the fray, Makoto taking advantage of the opening to lead her group to the safe room, the enchantments enveloping them as they entered.
Serenity looked pale, terrified, the guardians worn out and covered in blood. Selene staggered in, her right arm bleeding from a deep slash to her forearm as Lysander brought up the rear. Michiru and the other two shed their transformations, looking around to see much of the palace's occupants with them, most clutching weapons just in case. Serenity had never known that so many could fight, and she certainly didn't like all of the blood she saw everywhere.
"Damn it!" Jupiter snarled, slicing through another wave of Dark Kingdom supporters, her spearhead covered in blood and gore. The Queen was fighting as well, her scepter destroying multitudes of the enemy with it's blinding light.
Already, Princess Sailor Saturn Katria had fallen to their foes, using Death Wave to vanquish an overwhelming number of their force in exchange for her life. There was a movement that the warrior of courage noticed, shoving down her queen as horrible agony erupted from her stomach. A sword lay deep within her, blood gurgling from the wound as she gathered her power, slowly feeling crimson fluid paint her fuku the bright red of death. "Jupiter..." She choked out, barely aware of Helena calling her name. Selene, she had to say good-bye to Selene. "REVENGE!"
Lightning poured out of her body through the ghastly wound, the other Senshi throwing themselves to the floor to escape the wave of electric death that the brunette had summoned. The zealots shook violently, a few had their bodies rupture like over-ripened fruits, organs exploding and various innards splattering upon crystal in a macabre array of glittering fatality. The woman swayed where she stood, using her staff to keep her upright before she sank to one knee, weakly panting. She had to see Selene one last time, there was no other thought in her mind. The sounds of fighting slowed to a halt as her life drained from her body in an ever widening pool of vermilion, Uranus rushing over to her to try and grasp the sword and remove it.
"D-don't." Jupiter told her, olive hues weakly meeting worried indigo. "I'll bl-bleed out faster... if you do. Please, Talia... Help me g-get to Selene." She pleaded, blood trickling down her chin as she coughed.
Uranus looked around to see the skirmish had indeed ended, biting back tears as she nodded to one of her closest friends. Lacira had been one of the first to take her under her wing, the younger warrior looking at the dark blue bands that encircled her biceps in place of the golden cuffs in her Senshi form; she almost found it a blessing that she would never need to feel the pain that Selene and Lacira would face as lovers. Carefully, slowly, she dropped her transformation and helped prop the Jovian up, walking with her at what felt like a snails pace to the safe room. Talia couldn't stop the few tears that trailed down her cheeks, halting when the pain would grow to be too much for the warrior of protection, continuing once ordered to again. "T...Talia... Swear to me you will... will help train Makoto..." The blonde heard the soldier of Jupiter demand.
"I swear it, but you must conserve your strength, Cira. Please, please try not to talk." She begged, closing in on the warded room.
The grip that Lacira had on her spear had weakened, the weapon clattering to the crystal floor as the duo crossed the enchanted threshold, the transformation breaking to leave the brunette in her blood soaked gown of silk and gossamer. Her sun-kissed skin was the ashen color of one steadily approaching death's door, her olive green eyes a bit out of focus as two voices made themselves clearest amid the sudden chorus of gasps and shocked cries.
"CIRA!"
"Auntie Cira! NO!"
The elder brunette lifted her head to see Makoto and Selene rushing towards her, glad that they were both safe, a weary smile on her paling lips. The seamstress took charge of her lover from the crying Talia who rushed over to embrace her own niece tightly, Haruka staring at the woman with the sword still skewering her in horrified shock; while they were well aware that they were not immortal, they had never been faced with the sight of one of the Order being slain. Tears ran silently from midnight blue orbs, the girl clinging tightly to the other warrior of Uranus.
"Cira, CIRA! Oh, Moonlight, UNAZUKI! Unazuki, please!" Selene cried out desperately, her blue eyes spilling over with tears, her hands frantically trying to hold in the still escaping tide of crimson. "Lacira, you... You can't go! You can't die on me, dammit!"
Makoto was clinging onto Lacira's hand like a life-line, sobbing unintelligibly as she took in the mortal wound on the taller woman. She had looked up to the other Jovian, learned so much from her. How could she die now that her training was only just getting serious? The rest of the elder Senshi walked in, Queen Serenity breaking through the ranks to dash to her youngest sibling, looking down at the dying warrior. "Lacira, you stupid, stupid, STUPID woman! Why didn't you block it?! You... You don't have to die for me..." The white haired woman sobbed. "You... Katria... You didn't... you didn't..."
The powerful brunette cupped Queen Serenity's cheek with a bloody hand, smiling vaguely at her. "You... are our... dear Queen... And I... just... saw movement... Didn't... didn't know until... it was too late..." She forced out in a weakening voice, removing her hand. Her gaze shifted to the sobbing girl next to her, offering up a kind smile. "Love you... Mako. K-keep our p-prin-ncess safe..."
The smaller Jovian nodded as the sobs grew in intensity, Lacira finally looking at the woman she had fought against death itself just to see one last time. Even covered in blood, her face splotched with redness and tears, she was still the very image of beauty that the hot-tempered Jovian had fallen in love with centuries ago. "I... I still remember... Our first kiss..." Tears were running down her own cheeks heavily to cut through drying bits of blood. This just wasn't fair.
Selene nodded and brought her face closer to Lacira's, her slender frame wracked with sobs. "I l-love you, Cria..." She kissed her pale lips over and over, each time whispering her assurances that the dying woman was loved, their tears mingling as the dropped from the face of the seamstress and onto the warrior's.
Lacira kissed her back, each time feeling a little bit weaker in her lover's grasp, her olive green hues growing dim. Her free hand weakly cupped Selene's cheek, the woman holding it in place as she felt it growing colder, the strength in it waning. Just as she pulled back to repeat her whisper once more, her lover interrupted her with, "I lo...ve... you... My b...beautiful...Prin...cess... Sel...ene..."
Her lips were curved into a tender smile, her eyes almost completely empty as to woman she loved simply stared at her in heartache, the labored last breath finally leaving her. Lacira's features eased, but the ghost of that tender love in her last few minutes remained, her eyes half open, staring ahead unseeing. Blue eyes widened in heartbroken horror, her expression showing her pain. "Cira? Cira? Cira! Cira, please! Please, don't go! PLEASE CIRA, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" She screamed and sobbed to the still form in her arms, her face buried in the crook of her neck. "Please... Please, come back... Please come back..."
Makoto still held onto the cold hand of her aunt, the limp item in her trembling grasp proving just how mortal they all were. The familiar warm weight of her cuffs seemed to be almost unbearably heavy right now as she watched Selene sob and wail; a part of her was glad she would never face this kind of pain, but another part wished that she could find someone who loved her half as much as the seamstress had loved her aunt. All at once, everything became far too much for the nine year old to handle, her emerald eyes darting around wildly before she turned on her heel and fled the room.
Haruka struggled again her aunt, the fourteen year old girl breaking free of her grasp as she, Michiru, and Setsuna bolted after the Jovian child. Every so often, the blonde would force them to halt, listening intently for the winds before leading them onward, finding themselves outside of the palace and finally to the rose garden. Slowly, cautiously, the trio of teens moved through the expanse of flowers, trees, and grass, finally spotting the girl laying upon a rock, sobbing inconsolably. As one, they approached the young warrior, all kneeling around her as Haruka rest her hand lightly on her auburn crown, Makoto looking up to see their sad expressions. She sat up and all but threw herself at the elder warriors, clinging to them and sobbing at the loss of her aunt, tears also running down their cheeks.
Not a word was spoken among them in those dark hours of the early morning, and after several minutes, the weeping child had fallen asleep with her head resting on Setsuna's chest. The Outer branch of the Senshi made the silent decision to remain in that garden, all three huddled together around the young warrior, sleeping under the stars and planets.
The funeral had been a morbidly terrible affair for Makoto, both Katria and Lacira having monuments erected in their honor, their bodies returned to their planets of birth for proper burials. Selene, herself, the Queen, and the princess all wore black bands on their left arms, though for the ceremony, everyone in attendance had worn the color white in respect for their passing. Makoto hadn't been paying much attention to anything being said, her eyes swollen and red from all of the constant crying she had been doing these past two weeks. Even Serenity wasn't exuding the happy air that always seemed to cling to the girl. The Queen had hailed the young thunder warrior a hero for waking the other younger Senshi, but Makoto didn't feel like she had done anything heroic. Sure, she had kicked their doors and swore at them to wake up, carried Serenity to safety, maybe. But a hero? She didn't feel like a hero.
A strong arm draped itself around her shoulders as she walked the halls, Makoto looking up to see Haruka to her left, the sensation of a gentle hand lacing their fingers together on her right proving to be Michiru. Footsteps in heels behind her had to be Setsuna, a tiny smile finding it's way onto the lips of the auburn warrior. She was so very grateful for her friends, and she had no idea what she would do if they were ever to fall in battle.
A/N: And there you have it! So, don't forget to review, cheer, sob, rage, flip tables, punch your computer screen, or whatever it is you do after reading this. Next chapter is already underway, and it features another time jump.