AN: Ello! I bet you guys didn't think you would be hearing from me! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update, but to be honest I have been going through medical problems the last couple of months. Luckily it was nothing serious and the worst is just about done. I wanted to post an author note randomly to let everyone know this story was still going to continue and inform everyone of what was happening, but personally I hate seeing a story say it's updated only to find an authors note saying that it has been postponed and then they never finish it. What a tease! Anyway, I finally have time to rest and relax so I have finally had the chance to write out this chapter I have had planned out for forever! I have more already planned out, I just need to put them in writing and it looks like I'm going to have a some free time the next couple of months so I should have more updates coming soon :D Hopefully there are still people reading this story. I have so enjoyed sharing this story with everyone so far. Anyways three songs really helped me write this one out. Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis (obviously you can tell by the title), Falling Away From Me by Korn, and Monsters by Timeflies. Yeah, it's a very random pairing of music, but once the chapter is read through it should make sense. Anyways, I will stop babbling like an idiot. I hope you enjoy the new chapter and I'm so happy to be back! :D
Chapter 20: Don't Look Back In Anger
"Where is she!?" Venus burst through the doors of the war room.
"Excuse me?" The Queen didn't even look up from the paper in front of her while her consultants hovering around her snapped their head up at the loud intrusion.
"Where. Is. She!?" The blonde slammed her hands on the desk which only earned her a raised eyebrow from the Queen, still looking at her papers.
"Venus-" The Queen started.
"Don't! Just tell me where she is!" Venus growled.
"You forget your place!" One of the consultants stood up, glaring at the seething commander.
"Would you two be so kind as to leave the room for a couple minutes? It seems Venus and I have some matters to discuss." The Queen kept her eerie calm tone as she neatly stacked the papers before handing them off to one of the two consultants.
"Yes, your majesty. Should we send any guards in?" The female of the two cast a weary glance in the blonde's direction to which Venus scoffed, crossing her arms.
"No, that won't be necessary." The Queen smiled, shooing the pair out before they could protest anymore. Once the door clicked shut and the two were by themselves a thick silence enveloped the room. "You had a question Venus?"
"Don't play games your majesty." Venus spat out the last word with obvious distaste. "You know why I'm here. I kept my part of the deal now where is Mars?"
"She is being contained." The silver haired woman replied calmly.
"You mean you locked her up in a jail cell!" Venus gritted her teeth.
"She attacked not just a guard, but the head of the guards, Markus, unprovoked. He's currently in the medical wing being tended to at all hours. He might not make it." The Queen sighed.
"She . . . she did what . . .?" All the fire left Venus at hearing those words, guilt immediately filling every fiber of her being as she took a seat. Standing suddenly proved very difficult to do on weak knees. "What . . . what are you going to do to her?" Venus couldn't lift her gaze to meet the Queens.
"I have been given no choice. I can't let something like this go unpunished." The Queen placed her elbows on the table, rubbing her temples.
"You're not going to send her to Mars, they'll kill her!" Venus snapped her head up, tears stinging her eyes.
"She may have just killed the head of the guards! The people will demand justice!"
"Fuck the people!" Venus slammed her fist on the table.
"Do not forget your station Venus. Your duty is to protect those people and this kingdom." The Queen growled.
"But it's my fault!" Venus cried, biting her lower lip, causing the silver haired woman to narrow her eyes.
"How so?"
"She . . . she couldn't let go. I tried, but she was persistent so I took . . drastic measures to make sure she received the message that we were through. I thought it would be the only way to keep her away . . . to keep her safe, but . . ." A tear slipped down the blonde's cheek. "But it did the exact opposite! I warned you this would happen!"
"Don't you dare try to blame me for this." The Queen growled. "You two should have never gotten involved in the first place! You knew the rules!"
"Please . . ." Venus' voice softened as approached the Queen and dropped to her knees. "Please don't send her to Mars . . . punish me instead." She grabbed the silver haired woman's hand. "It was my fault. It was all my fault. I . . . I'm the one who started everything, I'm the one who pushed her to this madness, it's my fault. Let me take her punishment instead."
"I'm afraid I can't do that Venus." The Queen looked off to the side, pushing away her own guilt. "The damage has been done and something must be done about it." She stood up and sobs wracked Venus' body as she slid her hand out of the blonde's, turning her back on her. Sometimes the commander reminded her so much of her own daughter that it was hard to make these decisions. She would never tell Venus this, but she had always had a soft spot for the girl. "I haven't decided on what to do yet Venus . . . but I have to do something . . ." She sighed.
Venus' sobbing stopped when she heard the Queen's statement, her head snapping up to look at the back of the silver haired monarch. "Where is she?"
"I can't tell you that Venus. If she saw you she might go into a frenzy again and that's the last thing she needs. I need her to be calm, repent, and show some sign of remorse at the very least and even then I do not know how the people will react."
"I can make her . . ."
"I said no Venus." The Queen snapped, heading towards the door before she caved in. "And my word is final." With that last sentence hanging in the air the Queen slammed the door behind her, heading to her own chambers for a little reprieve from all the chaos.
Meanwhile Rei sat in a dark dirty dungeon, bloody and bruised, her hands bound above her head by chains. Her right eye was so swollen she could barely see out of it, but there wasn't much to see in the dark musty room except for a rat every now and then trying to scavenge for some food. They had tried her but it ended with a kick and the rat sent flying into a far off wall.
She hung her head as thoughts of the blonde and what she had done plagued her mind. All she had was darkness and eerie silence to comfort her, which was no comfort at all since all that left her with was horrible images conjured by her own imagination and memory. She had no idea how long she had been there, days . . . weeks? She wasn't sure. She had no way of counting since she was below ground with no light to tell her what time of day or night it was or if a day had passed. Her tears had run dry by now and she felt as if she had nothing left. She knew what was in store for her. She was simply waiting for her death.
She hung her head, closing her one good eye when she was suddenly disturbed by the sound of the door creaking open far up the stairs to her right. She braced herself for another beating, turning her head when a soft hand rested on her arm instead.
"Rei . . ." Came Ami's soft voice.
Mars looked over to see Ami crouched beside her with Makoto standing behind the blunette, a worried look adorning the normally carefree woman's face.
"What did they do to you?" Makoto growled, stepping in closer when she saw her raven haired friend bloody and bruised.
"What do you think?" Rei scoffed.
"I'll give those guards a talking to and maybe a little more." Makoto glared up at the door where she knew two guards were stationed right outside of.
"I killed their commander Makoto . . ." Rei looked down and away from her friends. "They're angry and I deserve it. . ."
"That is no excuse to treat someone of your station like this." Makoto barked back. "And I know it wasn't you Rei!"
Rei looked back up at Makoto the best she could with an unreadable expression on her face. "It was me Makoto . . . I remember everything very . . . vividly."
"Well yeah, I mean . . ." Makoto sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know it was you Rei, but it wasn't at the same time. I know you would never do something like this on your own accord."
"It doesn't matter." The raven haired girl muttered.
"Are you being fed Rei . . ? You look unwell . . ." Ami frowned. She had been checking on the miko while Makoto and her conversed and did not like what she saw. The girl was obviously worse for wear, beaten pretty badly, and much skinnier and paler then when she last saw her. When Mars didn't reply Ami sighed and pulled some bread she had with her from her pocket. "You need to eat. Makoto go get her some water." Ami looked over at the brunette.
"I'm not hungry." Mars grumbled.
"You have to eat something. You'll starve." Ami frowned, pulling out at gadget, and unlocking one of Rei's hands so she could grab the bread.
"I said I'm not hungry!" Mars suddenly snapped, her eyes briefly turning a bright red as she hit the bread out of her shocked friends hand. "It doesn't matter either way! They're going to order my execution whenever they're done toying with me!"
"You don't know that." Makoto frowned, suddenly reappearing with the water.
"Don't kid yourself." Mars scoffed.
"You need to at least drink this." Makoto kneeled in front of her friend only to have the cup knocked out of her hands as well. "Rei!" The brunette growled.
"Just leave me the fuck alone!"
"Is there a problem down here!?" One of the guards popped up at the top of the stairs. "Why is she unchained!?"
"Because she needs to eat!" Makoto stood up glaring at the man as he approached her friends.
"The savage has been refusing all food and water." The man glared down at the raven haired girl. "Why waste the rations on a traitor like her anyways? Let her rot down here." He growled out the last part of his sentence as he locked her free hand back up a little tighter than before, causing Rei to grimace.
"She is still above your station! Show some respect!" Makoto stood in the man's face.
"She killed my commander! She is a traitor!" He barked back.
"He's not dead yet." Ami responded cooly, giving Rei one more glance before she too stood up. "And I suggest you make sure that no more harm comes to the Queen's prisoner without her permission otherwise I'm afraid there will be horrible repercussions for you and all those who have let her become so mistreated." The man snapped his mouth closed, afraid to continue his rant about his distaste for the Martian. "And as for you Rei . . ." Ami looked down at her friend who refused to look up at the pair. "If you insist on refusing to eat I have other ways of making sure you are nourished. You have left me with no choice."
"What are you going to do? Try to force me to eat? I'll just spit it back out." Mars growled.
Ami did nothing, but glare down at the girl before she grabbed Makoto's hand to head for the exit. "We will return shortly." She said over her shoulder.
Rei rolled her eyes, irritated by her friends persistence. 'Just let me be.' Mars internally sighed, ready to try to drift off to sleep when the door was suddenly opened again. She looked up and saw Ami and Makoto holding a clear plastic bag filled with liquid connected to a long clear tube with a needle at the end.
"What is that?" Rei looked up curiously.
"This is going to keep you nourished Rei." Ami frowned, setting the bag up far enough from the Martian so she couldn't mess with it. She grabbed the needle and Rei's forearm to keep her still.
"Hey, you can't do this!" Rei growled.
"Watch me." Ami glared down at the raven haired girl before sliding the thick needle into a vein in the crook of her arm. Rei tried to wiggle as Ami pushed the needle in to where it needed to be, but Makoto was quick to hold her friend still as Ami wrapped bandages around the needle to keep it in place.
"I swear I will get free and rip that damn thing out of my arm." Rei grumbled.
"Go ahead and try." Ami checked the bag and the line to make sure the liquid was flowing properly before standing up. "I will be back every day to make sure it is in place. If you rip it out there are plenty of other veins for me to insert this needle into. This is a battle you will lose."
"You're wasting your time." Rei looked down, stopping her struggle.
"We care about you Rei and we're not going to give up without a fight." Makoto frowned.
"Well don't say I didn't tell you so when they send me to Mars." The miko scoffed.
"Rei-"
"Time's up." The guard growled out as he opened the door.
"We will see you again soon and you WILL snap out of this. We believe in you." Ami said softly as they both headed to the exit, the door closing softly behind them.
"You are fools." Mars said quietly to herself, hanging her head as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
Ami and Makoto walked in silence back to the medical ward, the sight of their friend in such a state bringing down their mood even more than it had been dropped when they had returned to such a violent scene. They walked into a room and were shocked to see their commander standing over Markus with a sad expression written all over her face.
"Commander?" Makoto stepped towards the blonde. "What are you doing here?"
"It's all my fault . . ." She said softly, looking down at the man that used to be Markus. Now he was unrecognizable.
"None of this is-" Ami started.
"Don't try to say it isn't. I . . . I was seeing Rei . . ."
"We know." Ami sighed, going over to check Markus' vitals.
"You knew?" Minako furrowed her brow in confusion.
"You guys weren't that good at keeping it a secret." Makoto grinned, but her smile dropped at the thought of Rei. "But why do you say this is all your fault?"
"The Queen found out . . ." Minako balled her hands into tight fists.
"Oh." Ami frowned.
"She told me to end things. I tried, but . . . it was so hard. She wouldn't let go and . . . and so I had her walk in on me and Markus to get the point across and she went and did this." Tears started streaming down the blonde's face. "I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have started the whole thing to begin with and now a man is just about dead and Rei might get sent back to her home planet where I'm sure she will receive the death sentence . . ."
"So that's why she snapped." Makoto sighed and sat down, the load proving to be heavy for her to bear as well. "What are we going to do . . .?"
"The Queen said if she shows remorse in front of the court it might help, but she didn't sound very hopeful." Minako chewed on her lower lip.
"I don't know if she will." Ami frowned, finally speaking up. "We just went and saw her."
"And?" Minako looked hopefully at Ami. "How is she? Is she okay?"
"She's . . ." Ami looked down, trying to find the words to break it to Minako gently about Rei, but didn't know how.
"She's in a really bad way right now Minako." Makoto ran a hand through her hair. "She's refusing to eat so Ami had to hook her up to an IV to give her some nourishment. She's angry, depressed, and seems to have already resigned to the fact she will be sent to Mars where she will be executed and . . ."
"And what?" Minako looked between the two girls, her blue eyes already wet with tears.
"The guards roughed her up pretty good." Ami sighed, taking a seat next to Markus.
"They did what!?" Minako growled. "Who!? I will see to it they are properly punished!" The blonde started to head to the door, but Makoto grabbed her arm.
"There's no use in that commander. Ami already gave them a stern talking to and I promise you they aren't going to be touching her again." The brunette tried to reassure her friend.
"They need more than a stern talking to." Minako glared at the door.
"And what good will that do?" Ami looked up at the Venusian. "That will just look worse on her and us. We need to try to coax her into being complacent and try to appease the court and the people."
"The Queen won't let me see her . . . so you guys have to be the ones to change her mind." Venus looked down.
"It might be for the best if you don't see her right now anyway." Ami said softly.
"She barely tolerated us being there." Makoto let go of the blonde.
"If I could just see her . . . if I could just explain . . . then maybe"
"There's nothing you can do anymore Minako." Makoto shook her head while Minako looked out the window, holding back her tears as she stood there helplessly.
"Mother!" Usagi burst through her mom's bedroom doors.
'This is the second time today I've had someone burst in unannounced.' The Queen internally sighed.
"Mother!" Usagi stood in front of her mom's bed, looking beyond pissed. "What is this I hear about Rei-chan being held prisoner!?"
"She just about killed Markus." The Queen sat up in her bed. "And this is not your concern."
"She is one of my soldiers! Of course this concerns me!" Usagi glared at the older woman. "I demand that she be released immediately!"
"That's not going to happen dear." The Queen stood up, walking to her vanity and brushing her hair.
"This is ridiculous mother! If you had just listened to me this would have never happened!"
"This is NOT my fault!" The Queen snapped, putting down her brush. "Rei is responsible for her own actions."
"They were happy! The weren't hurting anyone!" Usagi cried out.
"I will not have this conversation with you again. When you are Queen you will be faced with such decisions and you will come to realize that I was right." The Queen frowned.
"I won't walk the same path that you have. You're wrong about this mother and you will regret this decision." Usagi growled out before leaving her mom's room, slamming the door behind her and heading for the other senshi. She found the three leaving the medical wing, all of them looking completely distraught. "There you are!"
"Your majesty. What are you doing roaming around without an escort." Venus frowned.
"Never mind that." Usagi waved off the notion. "What are we doing about Rei-chan?"
"W-what are we doing? What do you mean?" Makoto looked confused.
"We can't just leave her in that dungeon! My mother is wrong. I tried to talk her out of everything, but she won't listen. We have to bust her out of there." Usagi growled.
"Your majesty I don't think that is a good idea. It will just make the situation worse and put her in even more danger. I mean, I doubt she would go even if we got her out. She's too stubborn." Makoto sighed.
"Well maybe you can talk some sense into her Minako." Usagi looked to the blonde with hopeful eyes.
"I . . . doubt she wants to see me . . ." The commander looked down. "Plus the Queen has forbidden me from going to see her. I'm sure all the guards are aware of that."
"Fuck the guards!" Usagi blurted out and all three girls looked at her shocked; they had never heard the princess swear before. "I will take care of them. You just get in there and talk to her. Tell her the truth, get her to see reason, and get her out safe."
"B-but-" Minako started, but Usagi was having none of it.
"Meet me in my chambers at midnight. All of you." The three of them stood there still in shock that Usagi was planning something so crazy. "And that's an order." Usagi stood up a little straighter, trying to put off an air of authority before she turned sharply on her heels, leaving the stunned senshi behind her.
Later that night Minako laid in her bed after splitting off from everyone, a million thoughts running through her mind. 'What do I even say to begin to make her understand and forgive me . . .? Wait . . . am I really going to go through with Usagi's plan . . . I mean this is crazy . . . She will never be safe . . . there will be a bounty on her head . . . but she will also have a better chance of living then she does now . . . Ugh! What do I do!?' Minako pulled her pillow over her head, but her brooding was interrupted by a light knock.
"It's uh . . . it's time." Makoto opened Minako's door.
"We're not really going through with this are we . . .?" Minako sat up with a sigh. "I mean this is crazy! Right!? We could all be tried for treason!"
"Usagi ordered us . . . I don't know what else to do . . . we have to follow orders right? And Rei is worth it. She's not a bad person and I know she didn't mean to hurt Markus like that, no matter how upset and hurt she was. There's something else going on. I just know it. She's just too stubborn to tell us." Makoto crossed her arms.
"She had been acting kind of odd before everything happened." Minako stood up, pacing her floor. "What could it possibly be?"
"I don't know, I think talking to her will be the best way of finding out. If anyone can make her see reason it will be you Minako." Ami crossed her arms.
"Don't be so sure of that." Minako sighed.
"I know this is insane, but we should really get going. Kami only knows what Usagi will do trying to break her out herself." Makoto rubbed the back of her head.
"You're right. Let's go before the princess gets herself in too deep." Minako growled out, leading the way to Usagi's chambers where the princess was already impatiently waiting.
"You're late!" She cried out when she saw the trio.
"Sorry, we were discussing this . . . plan of yours . . . are you really sure this is a good idea? We could be tried for treason for even attempting something like this." Ami frowned.
"No you won't." Usagi rolled her eyes. "You're following a direct order from me."
"If you say so." Makoto grumbled under her breath as they followed Usagi out of the room, quietly walking through the halls when Usagi suddenly turned on her heel, stopping the trio.
"You guys stay here for five minutes. I'll cough when it's clear and you head in Minako to get her out while you two keep watch. Once you get her out of there Minako . . ." Usagi turns to the blonde, almost looking sad, but happy at the same time. "I want you to get out of here with her."
"W-what?" Minako looked utterly confused as Usagi shoved some keys into her hands.
"These are the keys to my personal shuttle. I want you to take Rei-chan as far away from here as possible the second you get her out."
"B-but-"
Usagi cut Minako off, pulling her into a tight hug. "You both will be missed, but you have no chance of being together here. Everyone deserves to cling to whatever happiness they find."
"Usagi, I mean your majesty I . . .I can't do this." Minako tripped over her words, everything becoming almost too much for her.
"Yes you can and you WILL." Usagi looked at the blonde sternly, holding the commander at arms length. "There's no more time for us to argue Now is the time for action. Just do it." Usagi gave all of the girls a sincere smile before she skipped off to deal with the guards.
"This plan of hers just keeps getting crazier and crazier . . ." Minako said softly.
"Do it." Makoto smiled at the blonde.
"And leave the kingdom unprotected? That's ludicrous." The blonde hissed.
"Do you think we're incapable of taking care of things?" Ami raised an eyebrow.
"N-no, that's not what I meant. I-" Minako was suddenly cut off my a loud cough. She peaked her head around the corner to see Usagi heading the opposite direction with the two guards.
"No more time for thinking commander, it's like Usagi said, it's time for action." Makoto grinned, pulling the blonde around the corner with Ami walking beside them.
"W-what do I even say to her?" Minako's heart was suddenly thumping painfully in her chest, beyond nervous to interact with Rei once again.
"I'm sure you will think of something clever and romantic." The brunette grinned at her commander, grabbing a nearby torch, and handing it to her. "Now get in there." Makoto pushed the blonde into the dungeon, closing the door behind her.
Venus looked around the dark and musty room, the torch only illuminating a bit of the dull and gray stones of the wall as she carefully made her descent down the stairs. 'This horrible place is where they have been keeping Rei . . .?' When she reached the bottom of the steps she was greeted with the gruesome sight of Rei covered in dried blood, her face slightly swollen, and an IV sticking in her arm. The raven haired girl didn't even lift her head, she just kept it hanging there; she looked lifeless.
"R-Rei?" Venus put the torch down, kneeling next to the Martian. "Rei . . ." She observed the cuts, scrapes, bruises, and dirt covering the normally flawless woman. "Please . . . say something . . ." Minako tried to coax the stubborn silent miko into talking who seemed to tense at her plea. "Rei, what . . . what have they done to you?" She just about cried, cupping her ex lover's cheek, gently trying to make her look at her.
"Nothing nearly as bad as what you did." Rei growled, yanking her face out of Minako's grasp. "Why in the hell are you here? I thought you would be sitting by Markus' side."
"Rei I'm so sorry." Tears started to well in the blonde's bright blue eyes. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Rei almost laughed at hearing Minako's statement. "Oh yeah, I'm sure you accidentally just tripped and fell onto Markus' lap and . . . and . . ." The miko couldn't even finish the sentence, the images of the two naked and entangled proving to be too painful.
"That was a mistake Reiko." Minako cried out.
"No it wasn't." Rei scoffed. "The only mistake made was us ever getting together."
"You don't mean that." Minako moved to sit in front of Rei, trying to look into her amethyst eyes, but when Mars looked up her eyes were bright red instead. "Rei, your eyes . . . what is happening to you?" Venus reached out to touch her ex lover once again only for Rei to yank her head away with a scowl.
"Don't touch me!" Minako quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been burned. "I knew I should have never gotten involved with someone like you. I was right about you from the start. I should have known you weren't different, that you're just a typical Venusian . . . you're just a . . . a . . ."
"A what?" Venus balled her hands so tight into a fist she just about drew blood, her whole body shaking as she tried to hold back tears at the Martian's harsh words that stung worse and cut much deeper than any knife. Rei just scoffed and looked off to the side, away from those broken eyes with her scowl still firmly on her face. "A slut? A whore?" Venus choked out as tears finally fell from her eyes. "I didn't want to do any of it Reiko . . . I never wanted to end things, but . . . but the Queen found out. She told me I had to end them otherwise she would send you to Mars to be punished. I couldn't let you die for this . . . for me. Reiko, I-"
"Don't!" Rei snapped her head back to look at the crying blonde, her red eyes burning even brighter. "Don't sit here and fill my head with lies just so you can feel better about what you did."
"I'm not lying Rei." Minako looked at her sadly.
"Bullshit." Rei growled. "And even if you weren't lying it doesn't matter anymore. I have already done things that can not be reversed and you most certainly have too."
"Rei, Usagi wants me to break you out of here and for us to run away as far as her shuttle will take us. We can walk away from all of this. We can start over." Minako placed her hands on Rei's cheeks and for the briefest of moments the Martian's eyes flickered back to their normal amethyst color before they suddenly became that same smoldering red.
"And what makes you think I would go anywhere with you?" Rei glared at the blonde with such disdain that Minako felt the breath knocked out of her.
"Rei-"
"I will never trust you again. I will never look at you the same. Every time I see you I will see his hands on your body. Every time I hear your voice I will hear those cold words you said to me. This was a mistake. You should have never let me get so attached to you. I was taking up too much of your time. You told me we're over. To get over it."
"I didn't mean any-" Minako started to panic, but Rei was having none of it.
"Well guess what Minako. I'm fucking over it. You were right, this was all a big mistake and now I will pay for this foolish mistake with blood." Rei looked away.
"You're not yourself Rei, you don't mean any of this." Minako stood up, trying to block out Rei's words as she unchained her hands. "We're going to get out of here. We are going to be happy and you will NOT die."
"There are things that are far worse than death." Rei looked up at Minako, not budging from her spot.
"Come on Rei, please . . ." Minako tried to drag her up to her feet, but Mars pulled her hands back.
"I said no!" The Martian stubbornly locked her hands back up herself, glaring defiantly at her commander.
"Please, don't do this." Minako dropped to her knees, putting her head in Mars' lap as she sobbed.
"I didn't do this." Rei said coldly, causing Minako to look at her. "You did."
"Rei, please, I lo-"
"Minako!" Makoto's voice suddenly cut off their conversation as she popped her head into the door. "We have to get her out of here now or go! We're running out of time!"
Minako looked to Rei with pleading eyes, tears staining her cheeks. "Please Reiko, come with me."
"I would rather die a thousand deaths than spend another second with you." Mars said through gritted teeth before turning her head away again, trying to keep her hammering heart under control. She wanted to believe the words the blonde was saying, but her Martian pride was far too broken to risk getting hurt so badly again and the drumming in her head was making it hard to make heads or tails of anything at this point. As far as she knew Minako was just an illusion conjured from her own head. Maybe madness had finally overtaken her after spending so much time alone in the dark dungeon.
"I won't stop fighting for you Reiko. I'm so sorry I hurt you so badly, but I will not let you die. I promise you I will make this right some day some how." Minako choked out through tears as she stood up, her fists clenched tightly.
"Minako!" Makoto barked out again, the sound of footsteps growing closer to the door.
"Farewell for now Reiko." Minako leaned down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on Mars' forehead. One more tear rolled down her cheek as she closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of her ex lover's flesh beneath her lips once more before she pulled away, whispering softly into Rei's ear. "Not a second will pass that I don't miss your smile." And with that Minako ran up the stairs, unable to see Mars looking at her retreating form perplexed, a million thoughts racing through her mind.
Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don't you know you might find
A better place to play
You said that you'd never been
But all the things that you've seen
Will slowly fade away
When Venus exited the dungeon she was met with the sight of at least ten guards running towards the three of them fully armed and thoroughly pissed. She looked on with a blank expression, unable to bring herself to feel afraid for her life, all she felt was a horrible numb feeling enveloping her whole body.
So I start a revolution from my bed
'Cause you said the brains I had went to my head.
Step outside, summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out
Ami and Makoto both looked at their commander confused as to why Rei wasn't with her. They started to open their mouth to ask her what they should do, but stopped before the question could leave their lips. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion as the blonde lifted her arms in surrender and slowly dropped to her knees. Her companions frowned as they followed suit, showing they were not armed and not going to put up a fight.
And so Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger I heard you say
Venus looked back at the dungeon door, a stray tear escaping as the guards roughly threw her and her companions to the ground. With her cheek pressed to the cold marble floor they pulled her hands behind her back and threw chains on her wrists, tightening them so much that the metal cut into her skin. 'I'm so sorry Reiko . . .' Was her last thought before she was dragged to her feet and shoved down the hallway with Ami and Makoto.
-End Flashback-
It was dead silent at the Crown, the only thing that could be heard was the annoying sound of Rei slurping down the rest of her chocolate shake while her friends looked on with an odd expression on their face. She looked up with her mouth on her straw to see Ami and Makoto across from her staring at her seemingly horrified. She looked to her right to see Usagi and Minako wearing the same expression.
"What?" Rei furrowed her brow in confusion, pulling away from her straw. "Is there something on my face?" She tried to wipe the imaginary shake off her face to find nothing on her hand.
"N-no." Makoto said looking around at her friends before she settled her gaze back on the miko. "Is um, everything okay Rei?"
"Uhhhh yeah why?" Rei pushed the empty glass away from her to see everyone's shakes untouched and was surprised to see Usagi's untouched as well.
"Well it's just . . ." Makoto rubbed the back of her head.
"I mean if anything, you guys are the ones acting weird." Rei crossed her arms. "Especially you Usagi." She threw an accusing glare at their princess. "You haven't even touched your shake. You're usually on your second one by now."
"Sorry, I was blanking out." The blonde blushed.
"Okay, I just said you should be on your second shake by now and you didn't yell at me for implying you're fat or something. What the hell is going on guys?" Rei looked around at everyone, waiting for some type of answer.
"You just seem weirdly normal after that flashback." Ami frowned, looking at her friend analytically.
"What flashback?" Rei looked even more confused.
"You mean you didn't have a flashback?" Ami looked even more worried now. "How is that possible?"
"Well uh . . . I don't . . . um . . ." Rei stuttered.
"She hasn't had a flashback for a while." Minako suddenly jumped in, worried for her girlfriend.
"Minako!" Rei hissed at the blonde, glaring at her.
"What? How long has this been going on?" Ami leaned forward, concern written all over her face.
"I don't know, um . . ." Rei absentmindedly scratched her cheek with her pointer finger nervously.
"Did it start when that weird thing happened?" Makoto leaned forward as well.
"Weird thing? What weird thing?" Usagi looked at Ami and Makoto confused.
"You guys!" Rei growled, glaring daggers at the two girls across her.
"Yeah REI. What weird thing?" Minako looked at her girlfriend accusingly.
"It's nothing." Rei shrunk in her seat, trying to disappear.
"Well maybe it is something Rei. Maybe there was something we overlooked." Ami sighed.
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Minako growled.
Makoto and Ami looked nervously at each other before looking back to the other three girls. "Well . . ." Makoto cleared her throat. "A little while ago we-" A loud thump was suddenly heard under the table. "OW! THAT HURT REI!" Makoto glared right back at the fiery miko across from her.
"It was nothing and I don't want to talk about it." Rei said through gritted teeth.
"It doesn't sound like nothing and it seems like it is something that needs to be discussed." Minako gave her girlfriend a warning glare.
"I said I don't want to talk about it Minako!" Rei got up from her seat on the edge of the booth. "And if you guys are going to sit here and treat me like some science experiment I'm out."
"Rei!" Minako stood up to go after her retreating her girlfriend.
"Minako, let her go." Usagi grabbed Minako's arms. "It seems like Rei isn't going to tell us anything, but Ami and Makoto definitely know what's going on."
Minako let out a sigh as the bell chimed and Rei walked out the door. She sat back down looking at Ami and Makoto slightly irritated. "So mind telling me what is up?"
"Well we aren't entirely sure ourselves." Ami sighed. "A little while ago we went to the shrine to see how Rei was doing when that whole thing between you two was going on and when we saw her she was . . ."
"She was what?" Minako raised an eyebrow.
"She was in a really bad state. She was sweating, had a huge knife in her hand, and she looked terrified." Makoto sighed, crossing her arms. "She said someone or something was after her at the shrine and she couldn't . . ." Makoto knit her brows, still confused by what happened. "She said she couldn't transform."
Minako and Usagi's eyes grew wide at the revelation. "She what?" Minako leaned forward.
"She couldn't transform and we had no trouble transforming ourselves so there obviously wasn't an energy or something bad stopping a transformation. We looked around and checked for any sign of anything on my pad, but we found absolutely nothing. We thought she was just stressed and she was just having a melt down, because of all the stress she was under, but . . . maybe there was something more to it . . ." Ami frowned.
"You think!?" Minako practically shouted, causing a few other patrons to look over at the group, causing the blonde to blush and lower her voice. "Why wasn't I told any of this?" The blonde hissed.
"Yeah, why wasn't I told either?" Usagi glared at the two. "Don't you think I should know if something odd is happening?"
"Like Ami said we . . . we didn't think anything of it and we didn't tell you Minako, because you two weren't really talking and Usagi . . . we just didn't want to worry you over nothing." Makoto wrung her hands nervously under the table.
"It obviously isn't nothing." Minako seethed. "She hasn't had a flashback in a while and has been acting a little odd just like she did in the crystal millennium. This isn't good."
"What are we going to do?" Usagi leaned back in her seat, absentmindedly stirring her shake with her straw.
"We're just going to have to keep an eye on her and you're going to have to try to pry the truth out of her. It's probably hard for her to talk about. She has too much pride to admit she's scared." Makoto sighed.
"I can't believe them." Rei growled as she stormed up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. "They're probably talking about me right now. Probably saying I've lost my mind, I've gone crazy, that I'm some sort of freak." She slammed the door behind her, plopping down on the couch, putting her head in her hands. 'How can I talk to them about what's going on when I don't even know what's happening . . . what if I am just losing my mind . . . will they still stand by my side if I descend into madness . . . will Minako still stick around?'
A loud pounding on her door suddenly snapped Rei from her thoughts. She looked up as the pounding on her door continued and stood up. 'Probably Minako . . . I'm sure she's pissed I just left like that . . .' The miko internally sighed as she approached the door. She hesitantly opened the door, ready for a tirade only to find no one there. "The fuck?" Rei raised an eyebrow as she stepped outside, looking around. "Minako . . .?" When she received no response she let out an irritated growl. "Ugh, if you're trying to fuck with me Lucy just go away. I don't have time for childish shit." Rei stormed back inside, slamming the door behind her. "And I was worried I'm crazy." Rei mumbled under her breath. "That chick is-" Her tirade was cut off by loud banging on one of her windows in the living room. "The hell!?" Rei ran over to the window, opening the curtains to see no one there.
"W-what the fuck . . .?" She closed the blinds quickly, her blood suddenly running cold. She slowly started to step back when she heard more loud pounding coming from a far off window and her front door. She jumped this time at the sound, stumbling back, and falling over her coffee table, knocking over a the table and a glass vase in the process. "What do you want!?" Rei screamed from her position on the ground propped up on her elbows.
The banging suddenly stopped and she sat there in eerie silence, waiting to hear footsteps, anything really, but there was nothing. She felt the cold grip on her heart tighten as that horrible feeling took over again as if she was being watched. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, frozen, and completely incapable of movement. 'Please no . . . not this again.'
The loud banging started happening again, but this time at her back door, her front door, and it sounded as if from all of her windows. The raven haired girl covered her ears, trying to block everything out, but the banging just got louder and louder. "Stop! Please just stop!" She cried out, but whoever was doing this was not stopping any time soon. The pounding became more frantic, causing her heart to beat faster and faster. She closed her eyes trying to transform, but nothing came. When she opened her eyes she was still in her civilian form. "Fuck!" She cried out as she finally mustered enough strength to get up on shaky legs and run.
She hurdled over the couch and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, tripping over the last step, but catching herself on the railing. Sweat ran down her face as she ran down the hallway. Every time she ran past a door it would sound like someone was pounding the door on the other side of it, making her jump and put her even more on edge. 'What the fuck is going on!? How many people are fucking with me!?'
She took a sharp turn and when she swore she heard footsteps behind her she took a sharp turn and ran into the bathroom, locking it behind her. She watched the door with wide eyes, her chest heaving and sweat running down her face. Everything was suddenly quiet again and she didn't know which was worse; the silence or the constant pounding she had endured.
With a shaky hand she pulled her communication device from her pocket, opening it carefully while watching the door. She pressed the button to get in contact with her friends, hoping someone would pick up after she had left so abruptly. The door handle started to shake violently as if someone was trying to get in and then the loud pounding started happening again.
Rei jumped, dropping her device as she fell onto her butt. She frantically pushed herself back as far as she could go, curling herself into a tight ball, and covering her ears. "Please just go away!" She cried out as the door seemed to vibrate and threaten to break from the harsh treatment, the door handle jiggling violently at the same time.
Walking down the street with Ami, Makoto, and Usagi Minako sighed, getting ready for the tirade she was sure to receive from Rei for trying to get to the bottom of things. They were heading to the shrine and were about four blocks away when all of their devices went off.
"What the?" Minako raised an eyebrow, pulling her device out of her pocket and opening it. The screen was black and fuzzy making it impossible to see, but in the background she heard her girlfriend cry out desperately 'Please just go away!' "Rei?" Minako spoke into it trying to get the miko's attention, but all that came out was the rare sound of Rei crying. "REI!" Usagi and everyone else pulled out their device to have the same black fuzzy screen with the same disturbing sound of the Martian crying. "REI! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Minako cried desperately into the device.
"Let's check the shrine. HURRY!" Makoto yelled out and everyone took off sprinting towards the shrine.
'Please be at the shrine. Please be at the shrine. Please be at the shrine.' Minako chanted desperately in her head as they sprinted down the street, barely avoiding getting hit by cars, pushing past pedestrians that seemed to like being an obstacle.
When they made it to the shrine they sprinted up the steps and quickly transformed. Ami, Makoto, and Usagi had just finished transforming to see Minako running in ahead of them, kicking down the front door when it wouldn't budge.
"Venus! Wait!" Makoto yelled out as the three sprinted after her.
"REI!" Minako looked around the living room to see it a mess, the coffee table was knocked over and there was a broken vase on the floor. "REI WHERE ARE YOU!?" The blonde ran into the kitchen to find it empty. She sprinted up the steps, opening every door only to find the rooms empty. "REI!" She yelled out again, hoping to find any sign of the Martian.
"This room is empty too!" Makoto was starting to sound panicked too as they continued exploring the shrine.
Minako came to the bathroom door and jiggled the handle only to find it locked. "REI!?" She yelled out, but the only response she got was muffled sobs. "I found her!" Minako yelled over her shoulder to the other senshi who quickly ran to her side. "Rei if you're by the door back up! I'm coming in!" Minako gave fair warning before she kicked the door open. She looked around the bathroom but only found her girlfriend curled up in a ball with her hands covering her ears, her face hidden in her legs. "Rei . . ." She said softly as she slowly approached the frightened fire senshi.
The other girls started to come in, but Minako held up her hand halting them. "Check for any sign of a threat Ami and Makoto. Usagi, you stay near by them just in case." The three looked reluctantly to leave but nodded their head in agreement before they searched the house.
"Rei . . ." Minako tried again, dropping to her knees in front of the girl. She reached out to gently touch the miko's arm, but Rei quickly tried to scoot further away from her, looking up with wild eyes.
"P-please just leave me alone! I don't know what you want!" She cried out.
"Hey, it's just me." The blonde tried to give her a reassuring smile. "No one is going to hurt you. You're safe. I promise."
"M-Minako?" Rei choked out, the blondes presence starting to slowly register in her mind.
"Yeah, it's me Reiko. Can I get a little closer?" She kept her distance, not wanting to scare her girlfriend further.
"Minako!" Rei suddenly cried out, jumping into the blonde's arms and burying her face in her shoulder.
"It's okay Reiko. You're safe now." She said softly, kissing the top of Rei's head, running her fingers through her dark locks soothingly as Rei sobbed.
"They're coming for me." Rei gripped the blonde's shirt tightly.
"Who's coming for you?" Minako furrowed her brow in confusion. "Who did this to you?" The blonde pulled Rei in closer as she felt a spark of fury in her chest at her girlfriends deep rooted fear.
"I-I don't know." Rei pulled away, tears streaming down her face. "I swear I don't know."
"It's okay Reiko." Minako pulled Rei in again, resting her cheek on the top of her head. "We'll figure it out. Nothing is going to hurt you." She gritted her teeth, trying to keep it together for the miko who was so thoroughly shaken up.
"Everything is clear." Makoto, Ami, and Usagi suddenly appeared in the doorway. All three of their faces seemed to drop at the sight of the brave Martian they knew so well completely broken down in their commanders arms.
"You didn't find anything?" Minako looked up confused as they solemnly shook their heads no.
"Rei-chan . . . what happened?" Usagi took a hesitant step forward.
Rei pulled away to speak, but Minako was quick to speak first. "I think she's too shaken up to properly recall everything right now. Just give her some time okay?" Minako replied as kindly as she could.
"We understand." Ami nodded her head.
"We're going to be downstairs standing guard if you need us." Makoto nodded towards the stairs to give Ami and Usagi the hint to leave the two alone.
"But-" Usagi started to protest.
"I think they need some time alone Usagi." Ami whispered into Usagi's ear before the two tugged her down the stairs.
"I'm sorry . . ." Rei looked down, tears no longer falling down her face.
"There's nothing to be sorry about." Minako turned her attention back to her girlfriend, trying to give her a reassuring smile as she moved some stray hairs out of Rei's face.
"I-"
"How about you go lay down?" Minako interrupted Rei before she could push herself too much and stood up. "It's been a long day."
"You're leaving?" Rei looked up at her, terror written all over her face.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Minako kneeled down in front of Rei, gently cupping her cheek. "Do you want me to lay with you?" Rei just nodded her head, looking away from the blonde, obviously ashamed and embarrassed by her blatant need for the Venusian. "Okay, then I will lay with you as long as you need me to." Minako hooked her arm under Rei's knees and put her other arm below her back as she lifted her off the ground bridal style, thankful for the extra strength being a senshi provided her.
"I don't need you to carry me." Rei grumbled, a deep blush adorning her face.
"Well maybe it makes me feel better having you close too." Minako said into her ear with a grin as she took her to her room, carefully laying Rei on the bed before she transformed back into her civilian form and laid down on her back. Rei crawled over to the blonde, laid down on her stomach, wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, and rested her head on Minako's chest. The beat of Minako's heart seemed to bring her comfort and make her calm down.
"Aren't you tired of this?" Rei asked softly as Minako absentmindedly ran her fingertips slowly up and down her back.
"Tired of what?" Minako frowned, looking down at the top of Rei's head.
"Looking after me." The miko grumbled.
"I could never grow tired of that." Minako smiled as she continued her ministrations. "I love you."
"But what if this is all for nothing? What if I'm crazy . . .? Then none of this will be worth it." Rei spoke softly, closing her eyes.
"Don't say that." Minako's tone became stern as she suddenly stopped the movement of her hand causing Rei to look up at her curiously. "Don't ever say that." Minako bright blue eyes locked with Rei's, fully capturing the raven haired girls attention. "You're not crazy Reiko."
"You don't-"
"I know you're not crazy." Minako cut off the miko, giving her a look that said her word is final. "And you are most definitely worth it. You're worth killing for. Worth dying for. Worth going to Hell for." A small smile graced both girls features, remembering Mars' words when they had finally admitted their feelings for each other in the silver millennium.
"Oh Kami." Rei sighed and Minako raised an eyebrow, waiting for Rei to make fun of her or something. "I love you so much." Rei leaned up, pressing her lips against the soft clouds Minako called lips, pouring all the love and appreciation she could muster into one kiss. Minako tightened her hold on Rei, her eyes fluttering closed, complete bliss taking over both of their bodies.
When Rei pulled away she rested her head back on Minako's chest, letting out a content sigh as she closed her eyes. Minako started rubbing her back again with a soft smile on her face and closed her eyes, feeling herself relax as well. 'Things will be different this time.'
The watcher looked on at the scene taking place in the fire senshi's bedroom. For the first time in a long time he felt something akin to anger bubbling beneath the surface. He needed her on edge, needed her on the verge of frenzy, but no matter . . . this was but a small hitch in the big scheme of things. The watcher would just have to kick things up a bit. She thought she felt fear before, but she knew nothing of fear yet. This was but a taste of what he could do to her. It wouldn't be long before he had her right where he wanted her. She would come to him willingly and that damned blonde. . . she wouldn't be a problem much longer. Of that he was certain.
AN: Well there it is folks! I apologize for any mistakes in spelling and grammar. I only looked it over twice before posting it. I was too excited to post it to wait any longer. Hopefully you liked it and I'm not too rusty. I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter and story so pretty please review. Your reviews really help keep me motivated when I hit writers block lol Well, I'll see you all next time! :D