Down below, the Senshi continued to watch their footing while fighting. The commotion had attracted Alexis and Seira's attention, too, and they felt frustrated they could not help. Even if they could fight, they needed to be stronger and more united. Irritated, as is common when things get out of hand, the other girls transformed and...
"Furious Random Crescent Beam Shots Barrage!" Neo-Super Sailor Venus was successful in getting the sirens to back off!
Racing out of the mist, down the mountain, the Senshi decided they needed to assess the new situation: Who were those men, and why did they target Sara and Holly? Diving under the turtles in the water allowed the girls to de-transform, change into mermaids, and take a breather.
"That could have gone better." Orca sighed in exhaustion and exasperation.
"YOU THINK?!" Christen yelled.
"Christen, you were all for this rescue mission." Jewel could understand why the Princess of Mars was sour after just one setback, as that is how she is, but then why was she going all-out previously?
"I didn't know they had reinforcements before!" Rei's daughter shouts.
"Now, we know, and the more we know, the better," Lina spoke up in her steady tone.
"Even so, we don't KNOW how many reinforcements they have!" Mars Guardian complained.
"Do you ever do anything but b**** and moan?" Karen swore, fed up with the dark-eyed girl's remarks.
"Christen is a bold and blunt realist," Crystal explained.
Coco said, "I'm bold and blunt, too, but I'm polite about it."
"We need to know what they are planning to do. Sara and Holly aren't the kind to easily give into demands to make their situation safer." Chibiusa peeked above the water to see if the coast was clear.
Thankfully, it is, and Mars black-haired child crawled on shore to warm up. "Those sirens give up quickly. Cowards."
"Half of their brains might reflect birds of prey as they attack as such. They won't attack us recklessly if we present a bigger threat." As she does, Ami's daughter makes assumptions based on what they have experienced.
Afraid of what she might do if the sirens got too close, Emily gripped her Silence Glaive! Sensing her unease, Trisha gently touched the dark-skinned girl's shoulder. Nervous but grateful, Saturn's offspring smiled back.
"I wish they could bring the fight to us. They started it by threatening Mom!" Princess of the Crystal Sea pounded the water, splashing her friends.
"Orca, calm down!" Their Moon Princess squealed.
"Sorry..." This blonde, green streak-haired Princess apologized when she saw Christen furiously glaring at her for drenching her when she just ignited her fire again!
Even if the gothic lass wanted to blow off some steam, she knew it was too risky here. Suddenly, she recognized something: Small shots of water shooting out from the cliff. "Is that...Alexis's water?!" Excited, she pointed.
Everyone looked up. It had to be Alexis; no one else could do it like that! Assuming Seira is with her, all the girls shoot up small bits of their power to show they saw her signal!
"We can't leave now." Ariel declared.
"Well...we could, but that wouldn't help anyone." Christen quipped.
"How can we get up there without the sirens noticing us?" Their pink Princess wondered aloud.
"Our powers have been able to combat them." Mars kid argued.
"Only back them off." Pluto's daughter corrected, her dark red eyes scanning the beach for an alternate route up the cliffs as she heaved herself onto land to change back.
All the other girls followed suit. Around the mountains, the group walked, looking for a path, foothills, or cave tunnels. Sadly, there was no other accessible way up the cliffs without equipment. So, the girls decided to retreat and return later with equipment! While they are gone, Sara and Holly are brought to the cave where Alexis and Seira are being kept, and the two unconscious ladies are treated to the same warmth and nourishment the other two girls had access to.
Though overjoyed to see the person they are closest to, the short girls hesitated about getting too close to the male sirens. Alexis and Seira gasped when they saw one of the men kiss Sara on the hand as he laid her down to rest! Neptune's daughter and Princess of the Indian Ocean waited until the creatures left to rouse their best friends gently.
"Sara...?" Her amber eyes were full of worry, and Seira gently shook her teammate's shoulder.
"Sis, are you OK?" Alexis asked as she could see her sister had her eyes slightly open.
"Alexis...Alexis? ALEXIS!" Getting her bearings, Holly sat bolt upright, throwing her arms around her little sister.
"I'm glad you're alright too." Neptune's defender soothed her sibling and turned to see if the young auburn-haired girl had been able to awaken her look-alike.
"Sara's too tired..." Seira smiled sorrowfully.
Feeling sad for her, Haruka's offspring extended her arm to allow the distressed girl into a group hug. Eventually, Sara came to, and while she and Holly enjoyed vegetarian dishes more, all they had now was fish. Sara had an easier time stomaching it than Holly did, and as a result, the tow-headed girl did not eat much.
"If we could, we'd get you some vegetables, Holly." Seira worried the warrior had not eaten enough.
"What do you mean "If we could?"" Sara questioned.
"Getting down from here without wings is impossible, and even if we did, the sirens would attack us. We can't defend ourselves since the sirens took our transforming items." Alexis explained.
Panicked, Princess of the Gulf and Haruka's kids' hands flew to their necks, but their pendants were gone!
"They are probably in one of the siren's nests." Seira knew she was right; that is where her pearl and Alexis's pendant were.
Strangely, the more mature orange mermaid could feel her hand tingling, but she did not understand why, and neither Alexis nor Seira said anything about it. Also, it went off by degrees as she ate and drank, so she did not bring it up. If she had to guess why, she thought it might have been when she was tossed on the rough mountaintop earlier.
"Sara, what's wrong? You have that 100-yard stare on your face." Seira knew the glazed-over look in Sara's amber eyes meant she was thinking deeply.
"My hand might have gotten banged up when tossed on the mountaintop because it tingles a bit." Sara decided it best to be honest, especially with someone as smart as Seira.
"That's because one of the male sirens kissed it," Alexis revealed.
"KISS?!" Sara freaked out.
Holly and Alexis looked shocked and confused at her reaction, but Seria knew why.
"I get these are disgusting half-bird creatures, but what's wrong with getting kissed by a decent-looking one?" Holly asked.
"It's just surprising..." Sara pulled one of the blankets around herself, partly because she was cold and partly to cover herself from shame, as she is a very proud individual.
"To a mermaid, a kiss is a very serious thing. It's almost like an agreement to an arranged marriage." Seira elaborated on why Sara was acting the way she was.
"Wow... Does a kiss mean the same thing to a siren? Holly pondered.
"If anybody could figure out what a kiss means to a siren, it would be Christen." Alexis continued in her thoughts. "Why is Christen never around when you need her?!"
"IF she is in a slightly better mood than normal." Holly turned to the mermaids to explain her raven-haired teammate's recent change in how helpful she decided to be. "Christen has been changing her understanding of what it means to be a Senshi lately, which can complicate her concerns about certain situations. So, sometimes, she'll tire herself out mentally and choose not to be of assistance for however long she feels like. We don't want to stress out Crystal and Jewel, who volunteered to compensate, but we need them."
"What caused Christen to start considering that?" Sara knew the dark brown-eyed girl cared not for love and justice, so what traits was she focusing on?
"When she realized what Mars is known for, she started using passion, chastising, and punishment in her fighting, and she acquired a new attack she calls Hell's Firestorm War. It's less brutal than it sounds," Holly assured the stunned mermaids.
"We believe these attacks are supposed to be reserved for our Eternal forms, but they activate when we lose self-control. Crystal and Christen have not been able to use these abilities again," Alexis divulged.
Although extremely dangerous, Alexis wished she had discovered her new power. Holly put an encouraging hand on her brave sister's shoulder, sensing her discontent.
"Ali, in time, we'll be the best we can be," Holly assured her sister, using her rare nickname.
"I know. I'm working on being more patient, I really am, but it's so hard!" Exasperated, Alexis hit the ground with her hands. "I'll try my best to be the greatest version of myself!"
These other girls cheered for Michiru's daughter.
"Pipe down!" One of the male sirens flew into the cave with more food.
Barrels of drinking water, logs for the fire, and extra blankets had already been provided before Sara and Holly's capture.
"You don't speak to us like that!" Sara snapped.
"I chose you to be my bride, but you must be taught how things work here." This male siren gave Sara the same glare she was giving him.
"I'm never marrying you!" Sara yelled.
"Once my sisters take over the seas and oceans, you'll have no choice if you want your people to survive."
Sara froze as memories of her destroyed kingdom and, possibly dead, orange mermaids flashed through her mind. In a split second, it took Sara to remember this; the male siren had kissed her again, this time on the cheek.
"Hey, we don't even know your name!" Holly shouted indignantly.
"Adam." This male answered, dropped the food, and left.
In shock and heartache, Sara broke down in tears!