Asakaze let her glass touch Rikuriko's as they sat on the roof of Rikuriko's domain, the Marine Cathedral. Cupid 779 Omicron had finally finished her stint as a trainee under Cupid 557, a fine teacher, and 79 Alpha had finally given her a domain, a realm, an area of influence. The Marine Cathedral, Forge of the Cupids, was only a small part and never had human hearts to sway, but she also got part of Tokyo and a lot of the area to the south of the sprawling metropolis. It was worth a celebration. "I'm so glad we could help Ura-kun with Haruka and Michiru," Asakaze smiled, remembering the emergency call not much more than an hour earlier. "At least they finally . . . confirmed their love." Rikuriko smiled. "It was beautiful, when they kissed and knew they were soulmates and belonged together. I do remember that Haruka was a very considerate lover. I hope Michiru's first time is wonderful." Asakaze grinned as she sipped the ambrosia all Cupids adored. "It must be hard, seeing your old girlfriend in another's arms and bed." "No, because Haru-chan was never destined for me. I was so lonely so she shared my bed to make me feel better. She shared Michiru's bed because she loves her, really loves her, and is afraid that today is the day they will die. Poor Haru-chan." Asakaze placed her glass on the air beside her arm, a strange expression on her face. "You're so cute when you're concerned, Ri-chan." The younger Cupid blushed, her cheeks darkening to a shade akin to her fiery hair. "Asakaze-san!" "Call me Asa-chan, like Ura-kun does. You are one of my friends." "I thought Urakaze-san was more than a friend to you," Rikuriko whispered. Cupid 374 laughed, and the redhead beside her relaxed. "Silly! Ura-kun was my apprentice so long ago, and that's why we're such close friends. But I don't date men." "Really? Why didn't you say so before?" "You never really asked, and I didn't think it was really important. Until I heard about you and Haruka, I never even thought . . ." Rikuriko watched Asakaze as she trailed off, purple eyes full of emotions even she, as a Cupid, had no idea how to voice. "And I thought Cupids were supposed to be the masters of love," the redhead teased, her voice shaking. "That doesn't mean we understand it when we fall for someone," the blonde purred. Rikuriko placed her cup on the air cushion beside Asakaze's as she cupped the blonde's cheek in her hand. "Sweetheart, I don't think anybody, not even Cupids, could ever unravel all the mysteries of the heart and soul. But even I, young as I am, know that the reason I never found my soulmate on Earth was because one very beautiful blonde with sparkling amethyst eyes had proven herself worthy to guide other hearts in the desperate search for eternity and true love. I just had to wait a little longer before finding my own. I must say, I'm impressed." Asakaze blushed as Rikuriko leaned closer, their lips just inches apart. "I'm going to kiss you now," the redhead warned. Their lips touched. "Asa-chan! Rikuriko-san!" The women jerked apart, looking up guiltily as a familiar Omicron Cupid soared into view, eyes frantic. "Those senshi are coming here, to the Forge! We have to stop them!" "Who? Haruka and Michiru?" "Yes! With Usagi and her senshi close behind!" "Usagi!" Asakaze was instantly alert. A threat to her charge was a threat to her. She closed her eyes and listened, her powers reaching back toward shore, toward Tokyo and the lover and future daughter of her Moon Princess. 'Usako is in danger,' she whispered into Mamoru's mind. 'She needs your help.' She felt a flicker of a response, and she opened her eyes. In the distance, coming from the apartment where they had left the senshi lovers an hour earlier, a tiny black mote appeared, obviously a helicopter when it came closer. "They're in that?" "Yes," Urakaze growled, not angry at his friends or his charges. "Eugial told them that she knew who the talismans hid inside! I forgot in that rush to make them admit their feelings! But how did she know about this place? It has dozens of traps to discourage all visitors, and some of them are deadly." "She must have come here because of the Messiah of Light," Rikuriko suggested. "Her story is told by the windows of the Cathedral. But no one knows who she is, and I can't imagine that Eugial knows what the talismans are really for." "We have to watch them. Come on!" Urakaze vanished, trusting in his friends to follow him. Asakaze turned to Rikuriko and crossed her arms over her chest. "You call that a kiss?" She vanished, a laughing redhead just behind her. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Uranus and Neptune stood outside the Marine Cathedral, both knowing that they would find the talismans that day, and they both feared that they would die. Obeying an impulse she had never felt before, Neptune reached her hand out and brushed Uranus's. "Whatever happens today, we'll have to ignore each other's danger and you have to go on alone." "Why are you saying something like that now?" "You're right." Neptune let her hand drop as the two entered the cathedral. Urakaze sighed. "Stupid senshi. You both know you're going to die and you can't BOTHER to say GOODBYE?!!!" Asakaze laughed. "They really are a frustrating pair. Have you figured out how that person got in?" Rikuriko shook her head, glancing at the screen in front of her. "There are no records . . . she must have just . . . teleported in. You don't think she has access to the Cupid Powers, do you?" "No, of course not. Just dark powers. Let's follow the dense senshi, shall we?" Urakaze vanished, and Rikuriko glanced at Asakaze. "Don't they look happy?" The blonde snorted. "How can you tell?" "Haruka looks happy. Let's go see what mess these guys make of my temple." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Haruka replayed the scene and Eugial's words in her mind over and over as she raced to the organ she could hear through the whole building. Neptune couldn't have a talisman! If she did, then she would die . . . "I won't be alone again," Haruka hissed. "I'm tired of being alone. I don't care about the stupid mission anymore; I want Michiru back." A certain Cupid watched her as she sped past, shaking his head. "Do you realize how much trouble you would have saved me if you had realized that a long time ago?" Uranus skidded to a stop in a huge chamber, the organ music surrounding her. Her eyes widened as she spotted her partner and lover tied to a block at the other end of a long bridge. "Neptune!!!" She dashed across the bridge, falling to the ground as dozens of tiny arrows flew out of the wall and entered her body. Weakened, she could only watch and listen helplessly as Eugial walked across the bridge, gun in hand, rambling about divine punishment. She froze as Eugial's next words washed over her. "Don't worry; I haven't taken the talisman out of Neptune yet. I have to get the other one first—the one in you." Uranus laughed, feeling deep inside that Eugial was not lying. "I can't have a talisman. They are sealed inside pure hearts!" "Your heart is pure, you who fight to save the world without worrying about dirtying your own hands. It doesn't matter; with those injuries you will probably die, talisman or not." Uranus steeled herself for her death, reaching deep inside her and wondering if she was ready. She tried to let go of all her ties to life, and she realized for the first time that she only had one. Michiru. Michiru was the only reason she was still alive and the only thing that held her to the mundane world. She remembered feeling Michiru beneath her in her bed, and she smiled despite herself. 'Aishiteru,' she whispered, knowing that there was a link between her and her partner. 'Aishiteru, Michiru. I wish I wasn't so stubborn. I wish I had told you long ago. I knew that we were destined the instant I saw you, and I wish I hadn't been too stubborn to see you. Aishiteru, and gomen'nasai.' Neptune raised her head as a wave of love surrounded her, comforting her, and she saw Eugial leaning over her lover. One thought filled her mind—save her!—and she somehow found the strength to break free. Haruka! She stumbled forward, screaming as dozens of tiny arrows assaulted her, but the thought of her lover dying pulled her to her feet. "Haruka, I won't let you die." I love you too much. "Wait! Neptune! Don't move!" Eugial watched, shocked, as Neptune was hit again and again with the tiny arrows, her forward progress unhindered by the assault. "Haruka," she whispered, stepping forward. A tiny puff of smoke emerged from one of the arrow-holes, but there was nothing left. She had exhausted the supply of arrows. Eugial stared, shocked, as the senshi of the seas stepped forward again, and she raised her gun, hoping to drive her away. She pulled the trigger, and the petite woman's scream of agony filled the cathedral. "No!!!" Urakaze screamed, falling to the ground, his arrows scattered. He felt pain fill his body, and he looked up, panting. "You can't die!" He struggled to move forwards, but a hand on each of his shoulders stopped him. Asakaze pulled her former apprentice to his feet. "Ura-kun, you can't. I know this is hard, and I know it hurts, but you cannot interfere. The Cupids are only allowed to change the course of love, not the course of fate. You must let Haruka and Michiru live and die as Destiny sees fit." From his other side, Rikuriko stifled a sob, staring at Eugial as she pointed the gun at Haruka's chest. Michiru's Heart Crystal turned into a talisman, and Uranus closed her eyes, knowing that she was done for. Images of her afternoon with Michiru filled her mind, and she smiled at the thought of dying with the woman she loved. They hadn't been able to be together in life, but death was a new place, a new world, and perhaps they could be together. "Machinasai!" All eyes in both planes turned toward the door as Usagi, her broach taken by the senshi of the winds, rushed Eugial, running into her and knocking her off the bridge. The red-haired woman screamed as she vanished into the pits, leaving Usagi kneeling beside Michiru's body, begging the talisman to turn back into a Heart Crytal. "It's so unfair of you, Michiru," Haruka whispered. "You went into your own world again." But this time I can follow. Urakaze turned away, eyes squeezed shut, as Usagi and Haruka struggled for control of the gun. Uranus won, and an explosion filled the cathedral. Urakaze screamed, losing consciousness as the other Senshi finally arrived, far too late to help. Asakaze bit her lip as she lifted Cupid 557 into her arms and vanished into a room of the cathedral the mortals knew nothing about, laying the winged man on a ledge overlooking the most spectacular of the butterfly windows. Rikuriko leaned against the wall, wings half-open. "Are you okay, Kuri?" "Asa, this shouldn't have happened. How did they know about this cathedral?! What happened to those stupid veils and spells to keep the mortals away?" Asakaze reached up and pulled the redhead into her arms, knowing which of the two Cupids needed her more. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know they weren't yours, but it happened in your domain. If it helps, I know how you feel." "You do?" "Yeah. A while ago, Mamoru was taken over by evil and Usagi healed him just in time for him to die at Beryl's hand. It felt like my heart was being ripped out. Minutes later, Usagi died fighting Beryl, and I though I would lose it." "What happened?" Asakaze smiled. "We brought her back, the entire Omicron Group. Oh, it took a lot of power, but the love between those two is so real and so old that the Alphas couldn't deny us. We wiped their memories and gave them the chance to live normal lives without the whole Senshi destiny thing. It didn't stick, but we tried." Rikuriko looked down as footsteps entered the room, eyes widening at the sight of Eugial, two talismans in her hand. "I thought she couldn't . . ." They watched in silence as Sailor Moon tried desperately to defeat Eugial. Asakaze gasped at the appearance of a tall woman with green hair and red eyes. "I thought she was still guarding the Time Gate." "Sailor Pluto? Wait, what's that in her hand?" *~*~*~*~*~*~* Urakaze opened his eyes and looked up, shocked at the sight of Sailor Pluto in the room. She told Eugial that the talismans were not meant for evil people, and she called the Deep Aqua Mirror and Space Sword to her with a thought. Uranus and Neptune appeared before their talismans, their planetary symbols on their foreheads, and Urakaze smiled as their pure heart crystals emerged. Uranus and Neptune exchanged a look laden with all of the feelings they had been unable to convey before as they reached out and took their talismans. Urakaze grinned as he stood up and stepped forward. "At least this part of their quest is over," he whispered. "I guess with the real talismans there was no need to sacrifice anybody." "Not even an overly-sensitive Cupid." "Hey! I remember you screaming in pain when Mamoru and Usagi died." Asakaze blushed, and Rikuriko pointed down as the Holy Grail appeared. All three held their breath as Eugial and Sailor Moon leapt for the magical grail. Sailor Moon reached it first, and a blinding light filled the room, erasing the fire and enveloping Usagi, turning her into Super Sailor Moon. The Cupids cheered as Eugial was thrown out of the building and the Senshi were left alone once again. "Good going," Urakaze whispered, and none of them were sure who he was talking to.
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