(Hotaru, Area One)
Hotaru sprinted down the streets with only the sound of her pounding heart for company. She had been running for some time now, but despite her body’s protests for rest she didn’t dare to stop; perhaps it was a clever trick of her imagination, born from centuries of nightmares, but the woman swore that she glimpsed shadows out from the corner of her eyes. Ghostly images hovering near the sharp corner of a nearby alleyway, transparent faces perched on the balconies above. While along the ground, amongst the lights, her past was closing in from behind her. Hotaru’s breathing was heavy and she had already broken out into a sweat. The images were flashing before her eyes in a steady rhythm, re-surfacing suddenly and then were punctuated by pockets of darkness. Each step she took they gained substance, steadily becoming more real than her current reality.
“…Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!…”
Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!
Flash!
The scenery before her flickered between a distorted black and white. She shook her head.
Flash!
The sound of trickling water reached her ears--a spill of crimson blood splattered onto the street.
Flash!
A body.
Flash!
A mountain of corpses!
Hotaru gasped, nearly stumbling, and frantically shook her head in a desperate attempt to clear away the haunting images. As she struggled, the lights seemed to be closing all around her.
Instead of being the hunter hunting the ‘prey’ in the unknown territory, their roles had reversed. The woman shuddered as the sensation of being watched loomed over her like a dense, suffocating cloud. Her throat suddenly felt tight—it hurt to breathe. The temperature was dropping all around her. At times, she could have sworn that there were ghostly fingertips clawing at her back. They tried to rake deep, embedding an icy touch that seemed to seep throughout her skin despite the layers of clothing that she wore.
Run! Her body screamed to her. Run faster!
The day’s earlier bravado was drowned within the sea of lights.
Hotaru lunged hard to the right, sharply rushing past another corner and ran into another street marked by numerous T-intersections.
Ping!
Setsuna’s signature had become stronger. She was closing in on her destination.
Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!
“…Run from everything…?”
A long, silver-haired woman smiled.
……………… “No...We cannot. Or rather, we should not run from that which scares us.”
Hotaru remembered herself as a child, walking down these very streets during another time. It had been lively and very crowded back then.
“That heir?”
“It was a mistake to have that one come first. The one to inherit the throne next…”
“I agree!”
“Shh! She may hear you!”
…The next ruler, the oldest heir in line to the throne was…
She remembered being in the garden, with the one other person she had cherished the most.
“Hotaru-dear, is something the matter?”
“They don’t want me,” the girl sobbed. “What am I… doing wrong?!”
“…”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have had me! What was the point?! If you only had Usagi—if she was the only one to inherit the throne--”
As Hotaru neared the point source, Setsuna’s signature resonated with her own aura with greater intensity. Each strong pulse brought warmth back to her numbing body. Little by little, it helped to ease the internal turbulence in exchange for another anxiety.
Slap!
Setsuna…
(Sometime earlier)
. . .
That morning Usagi and Hotaru were standing beside one another in Setsuna’s room, both relatively in good spirits. Usagi had just returned from speaking with the Martian heir, and Hotaru had slept well for the first night in centuries (even a visit with Setsuna couldn’t seem to dampen her mood). As they were both eagerly waiting to hear the reason why their guardian had summoned them at this hour, the seriousness of the situation was broken when two pairs of feet stomped past the door in the outer corridor and was followed by someone screaming ‘we are going TO TALK!’.
“I see someone is awake.” Hotaru commented casually. She already had a pretty good idea of the identities of the culprits based on a certain conversation earlier.
“Hmm...They are energetic, aren’t they?” Usagi giggled despite herself.
On the other hand, Setsuna was left unimpressed. She massaged her temples and let out a soft sigh; although Luna had informed the young women that their stoic guardian had been resting, in truth Setsuna had barely slept a wink within these past few days. To hear such a racket immediately after a string of all nighters was giving the poor woman a terrible migraine.
Only until the noises died away did the heirs return their full attention to their guardian.
“So, you wished to see us?” Usagi politely addressed their elder.
“Yes. I thank you both for obliging to my request. I understand that you both should be resting, as you will begin the next stage of your training soon... but there is a matter of grave importance that I must discuss with the two of you in private.”
“What do you mean?” Hotaru felt shivers run down her spine when those mysterious eyes found hers. She had almost expected to see hate in them.
“As the two of you are well aware of, the former ruler, your mother... is deceased.” Setsuna saw Hotaru visibly tense. “Therefore, as you two are her only heirs... one of you are to succeed her and become the new ruler.”
The reactions were mixed. Usagi’s jaw dropped and Hotaru fell deadly silent. None of them had been expecting this revelation.
“I will not make this choice for you.” Setsuna continued on. “Often such decisions made by a party who is not directly involved have many a time become the basis of a heated debate and conflict later on. Therefore, Lady Usagi, Lady Hotaru... you will decide amongst yourselves who will become the next Queen.”
“…Why now?” Hotaru whispered with her fists shaking by her sides. She and Usagi had only made up the past night. “Why are you telling us this?”
Setsuna had already made her way towards the door. “I will leave it to the two of you.”
. . .
What is she thinking? The Kingdom has already fallen and its people with it! Even if one of us becomes the new Queen then who will she rule? Our way of life is already dead!
And…
...Why did she make it sound like there was a choice in the matter? Between Usagi and myself, the only one who is entitled to be the next ruler is…
Hotaru clenched her jaw. At that same instant she leapt up a set of cement steps and threw open a door at its end. The signal had led her to this building, to this small, dark room. Inside on a table, positioned in the room’s center, was the glowing, purple sphere that Setsuna had promised.
“I’ve…found it.”
(Usagi, Makoto and Ami)
At approximately the same time throughout the city, all three of the women had also successfully found their spheres.
(Rei, Area Five)
Rei tried to make a sharp, corner turn and grunted when she nearly slipped. The conditions of their training exercise were proving to be more of a nuisance than she had anticipated: The streets were slippery, the atmosphere was frigid—there were eerily lights everywhere and every path appeared nearly identical to her. The streets in her district stretched endlessly in all directions, passing through numerous T-intersections that continued on without a definable ‘end’. When she thought about it, the lay-out was very similar to a palace; it was an intricate labyrinth.
What’s with this place? The air feels so strange here. She could see her breath as the temperature dropped the further she ventured into the city. It’s cold and heavy... and where is this fog coming from?
In the back of her mind this was worse than any battlefield. The strong sensation of being watched was beginning to affect her concentration. If she didn’t locate Setsuna’s sphere soon, she feared that something unpleasant would happen.
This is a graveyard, isn’t it? The thought echoed in her mind.
Mina.
The Venusian had been unusually quiet when they all had met up that night. There was something different about her that left a shadow of doubt in Rei’s mind.
If it weren’t for this lesson, I could have talked to her! But in the back of her mind, a part of her wondered, ‘Would she have listened?’ She didn’t look like she was angry, but... then, why was she so quiet? Is she upset about what happened today?
“Hey, I know it’s a big deal to you, but... I don’t think she’d think any less of you if you told her.”
“You don’t know that.”
Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!
“That’s true.”
Tup! Tup!
She rounded another corner and fled down the streets. The signal was becoming stronger.
“But, the way I see it, she’s probably has her share of suspicions after what happened today. If you don’t try to talk to her, then it could get worse. Besides, it’s always hard to find these kinds of things out by accident...especially, when it concerns a friend.”
Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup!
When Haruka found out, was she upset too? So then... is Mina upset right now because I didn’t tell her or...
She remembered the ending of their scrimmage. She had tried to approach the blonde but the way she looked at her: It was a look of sheer horror.
What if I had killed her? When she had regained consciousness, there had been an unusually strong stench of blood in the area. Perhaps her senses had amplified the smell, but it hadn’t been her own. Minako had been injured.
I hurt her. And now, she’s probably afraid of me.
There was a pain in her chest.
“...I think that’s enough for today. C’mon, we’ll get someone to look at you.”
Was she trying to be nice to me out of pity? If this is really our final task, then...we might be going separate ways soon. What if she doesn’t let me explain myself? If that happens, if I die before I can tell her then--!
Plip…
Rei barged into a ground floor room containing Setsuna’s sphere and shut the door behind her, panting heavily. For a moment, she leaned against the wooden frame and covered her eyes. She couldn’t believe it.
What is…?
With a shaky, disbelieving hand, she tentatively touched her cheek to feel the wetness there.
I’m crying...? The very thought of it brought more tears to her face. She stood there for a minute, allowing the tears to fall. It did feel a bit better, but she had no right to cry.
“Heh. What am I doing? There’s still something that I have to do,” she sniffed and wiped her face. Setsuna’s sphere was hovering on a nearby counter, just within reach.
Rei walked up to the sphere and remembered Setsuna’s instructions. “Wait a second. How do we activate them?” A frown creased her lips. Not sure what else to do, she touched the ball of energy. The reaction was instantaneous; a flash of energy shot up her arm and a large gust of wind and light materialized within the room.
“Geh---!” Rei braced herself as a vacuum-like suction was initiated. Setsuna’s sphere burned white-hot as the spiritual energy outside flew through the walls and into the orb.
Rmm...Rmm...Rmm
(Haruka and Michiru)
Neptune and Uranus uncovered Setsuna’s spheres within their respective areas as well.
(Minako, Area Eight)
To Minako’s annoyance, she found herself continuously being distracted during her search; she couldn’t get Rei’s words out of her mind, the way the Martian had looked at her just before she ran into the city and disappeared from sight.
“Minako. After this is all over, let’s have that talk that you wanted, okay?”
Stupid...! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Don’t you get it at all?! It was tearing her heart up inside. She was furious, but more at herself.
I almost killed you that time! So, why are you still trying to be nice to me? After their session in the training yard, her missing memories on Venus came back crystal clear. For that one instant, the way Rei had looked at her, hurt and injured because of her, it made her heart twist in her chest.
Her conversation with Hotaru came back to her.
“I’m torn between what I want to do, and what I need to do. Does that make any sense?”
I thought I had it all figured out. But now...I see that I was the one who was being the idiot. When I saw her with Usagi, I got jealous. I thought, I was there for her the entire time, so...why didn’t she ever look at me like that? I couldn’t understand why she ever came back for me.
But now...I think I know why. She’s a good person, and I don’t deserve it. She was sick this entire time and I never noticed.
I don’t want to hurt her.
I don’t want to lose her.
Those pitiful self-righteous thoughts... I was just worried about myself this entire time. I hurt her, When she left Neptune without a word, I tricked her. I took advantage of her! Telling her that the kiss was a Venusian tradition; she never had been more ashamed of herself. What happened in the training yard today, she felt that she deserved it. Rei had every right to be angry with her.
So why, are you still trying to be nice to me?! It’s not fair!
... Being so close to hold hands…
...Being so close to touch, to kiss…
…Sometimes... these feelings make me wonder if I’ll go insane…
… Because…
…I want to keep you to myself.
Minako suddenly felt a strong vibe pulse within her body. In the square up ahead she could make out a glowing sphere hovering in front of a fountain. She blinked and came to a skidding stop, just barely avoiding running into it.
“Woah!” Breathing heavily, she brought a hand up to her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding like crazy, and sighed in relief. Whew. That’s was close! I really should’ve been paying more attention.
That was when she noticed something strange about the area.
“Huh? Wow, where am I?” She was in a very different section of the city since she last noticed. The atmosphere is different here. Somehow, it feels more peaceful. In the background, there was a soothing trickling sound given off by the nearby, running fountain.
“I guess...I was so caught up in my thoughts that I went on auto-pilot.”It was somewhat embarrassing considering the reason why, but she had accomplished her task and that was all that mattered didn’t it? Minako approached the sphere. “So… is this what we were supposed to be looking for? Now that I think about it, it does feel like Setsuna.” There was a strange presence surrounding it, one that she could not quite describe if she tried. It felt as if something was calling to her.
Minako slowly reached out for it and pressed her palm against the ball of energy.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen---
The Venusian yelped when a bright light erupted into the area. Minako instinctively pushed her weight onto the back of her heels to resist the vacuum effect, but as quickly she had done so the wind transitioned outwards.
“Ahhh--ah—GaH!!!!!” She screamed when she was knocked to the ground and sent rolling into the side of a nearby building. She wasn’t injured in the impact, but the way she had fallen she was trapped against the bricks. The wind was so powerful.
In shock, Minako struggled to raise a hand to her face to shield her eyes against the light. There were thin streams of light trailing up from the orb, resembling something like snakes as they waved upward and downwards. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. But before Minako could blink, the energies pierced through the light-screen and impaled her body. Her heart skipped a beat, and she screamed.
“AHHHHHHHHHHH---!!!!!”
Scream after scream was forcefully torn from her throat as each new strand pierced her; inside her body, the white threads were intermingling with Minako’s aura and undergoing a transformation to match the new signature. As it progressed, and Minako’s spiritual powers increased, she felt a pressurized sensation build as her current limits began to crumble under the strain. Her vision was going white, and her body was becoming so numb. She couldn’t hear her screams anymore.
It hurts. But, I can’t stop now. Everyone is going through the same thing...! I can’t let them down!
“…Heh.” A small smile found its way to her face.
I wonder...Rei, are you all right?
“YaaaaaAAAAHHHHHH--!!!!!!!!”
(Entrance to the City, Setsuna)
The trio looked up to the sky overhead as each of the spheres was being activated. When a district became active, the lights surrounding that particular area were ripped away from their designated structures and were sucked towards their source points. Eventually, the city was no longer glowing. The structures returned to the state that they were destined to be -- dull and lifeless statues that stood only for the purpose of preserving the recently recovered history.
“So it has begun.” Setsuna remarked to herself softly. There was a sorrowful look in her crimson eyes as she said this; she could hear screams in the distance, but they were not from her charges.
“Then that means...that they will shortly begin the second task, is that right?” Artemis asked.
“Yes. Soon they will discover who their targets are.”
She heard her comrades gasp. Wait a minute--
“Who?!” Artemis and Luna exclaimed.
(Rei, Area Five)
The light within the room died down, and Rei’s limp body collapsed to the floor. She had momentarily blacked out, but now she was never more aware.
I survived? I-I can’t believe it. I thought, for sure that I was going to be crushed to death!
Slowly, to her amazement, the heavy weight over her body began to lift. Within the woman’s body, the enormous mass of crimson threads poked at her muscles and began to caress them back to life; pockets of warmth lit up across her body, loosening up the stiff muscles to leave behind a rejuvenated, tingling sensation. She was especially thankful to have the invisible, heavy weight lifted from her chest-- grateful enough that she gasped and shuddered. The suffocation that had been second on her list of possible ways of being killed was no more. Lastly, her vision returned in clear focus. The moment her amethyst eyes regained light to them, the process was complete.
“Rrg...!” Rei pushed herself up to her feet and paused in surprise. Wait a minute...my body--! “It feels as light as a feather.”
I-I can’t believe this. She stared at her hands, her tears long dried and forgotten. She was shaking. I feel so much stronger now! Stronger than I’ve ever been! Is this really my power?
Their group discussion before they had all entered the city came back to mind.
Setsuna said that a person could become significantly stronger if they became a God. I know that Haruka did when she became a Goddess, but since I haven’t done that, then what does that make me? Am I...even human anymore?
Unknown to her, her other companions were experiencing similar results. Each and every one of them felt a significant increase in their strength and basked in it with awe. What had they become? A human who was trapped between the boundaries of a human and a God, and Gods who were still Gods but something more?
How will this affect my condition? The thought actually scared the Martian, but it was too late to turn back now. I thought about it while Setsuna was explaining everything to us. Ami designed the medication to sap away my aura, but now that I have more of it, wouldn’t that mean it will be less ineffective from now on? She gasped when the realization dawned on her. Is this what Setsuna meant?!
“...As long as I have this medication, they should be safe.”
“I’m afraid...That alone won’t be enough.”
Rei knew that she was shaky slightly. Her battle against Minako in the training yard, and now... Of course, why hadn’t she thought of it before?
“The medication that you use now is only a temporarily relief. It will not be enough to spare you from your fate.”
She must have known about this! But then, why didn’t she tell me? When Rei realized what she had thought, she almost smiled. It was a foolish question. She already knew why the woman hadn’t told her. No. She didn’t tell me, because, even if she had, she knew that I would have done it anyway. To be honest...when I knew that everyone else was going to be doing this exercise, I couldn’t stand the thought of being left behind. I didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t get stronger.
I didn’t want to be a burden.
“All right, enough mushy-stuff Rei. You’re the Commander of Mars for Mars sake!” Still, the thought eased some of the uncertainty inside. “Now let’s see. There’s still the second task to do before we can leave. What did she say again?”
“After you have absorbed the energy from your area, search for my signature within yourselves and ‘paint’ it with a strand of your own aura onto your weapon.”
Oh right. Now I remember... I need to find Setsuna’s signature within me.
With that the Martian closed her eyes and concentrated on finding that single thread of aura within herself. She didn’t have to look far—in her spiritual vision, it was a long, purple string that was poking out of the red masses. Rei made a pinching motion at the top of her left forearm and began to pull back. The thread began to materialize into the air in front of her. Once it had been completely drawn out, she then laid the piece overtop of her sword and infused a portion of her own power into it. The thread flared up pink as the two colours mixed (it had momentarily surprised the woman, but she sensed no danger from it).
All right...now... Doing as she had been instructed, Rei applied pressure at the tip of one end and swiped across the blade. The response was immediate. Across the ‘blood’ looking stain, gold letters began to appear. As they revealed her target, Rei’s eyes widened in complete shock.
“It can’t be.” She whispered.
(Setsuna, city limits)
“That is correct. They will discover that their target is not an inanimate object within the city…” The former advisor slowly answered. “But rather…”
(Minako, Area Eight)
“My target...” Minako trembled. Her target was written on her golden chain. “...Is Rei?”
“Whatever your target may be… you are to search it out and strike it with your weapon. The mark painted onto your weapon will appear on your target once you have struck it. That... is how we will know if you have successfully completed the second task.”
“I have to fight Rei?”
(Setsuna, city limits)
“But why?! Why did you purposely pair them up that way Setsuna?! You’ve not only set them up against their friends, but the people they care about the most!” Artemis protested.
Even Luna had to agree with him. “When you said you had a plan, I hadn’t expected this. It is unusually cruel, even for you.”
“Yes, I know.” Setsuna responded with indifference to their accusations. “However, I still stand by my decision. It may seem cruel now, but it would be far crueller if they should encounter such a situation in battle and not know how to deal with it. There... will always exist the chance that someone precious to you will be used as a shield by the enemy, or turn against you.”
“You’re really putting a lot of trust into them, aren’t you?” Artemis asked uncertainly. “So many things can go wrong with this. What if they accidentally kill each other? They only acquired those powers after all!”
“…”
“Artemis, that’s enough.”
“Luna...”
“What’s done, is done... Besides, you know that Setsuna is right. If they cannot handle it now, then they were simply not fit for war.”
“What?!” At first, he was shocked. But after another moment of considering her words, he relented. “I know. But still...It would have been nice if we didn’t have to fight at all.”
His friends fell into an amicable silence.
Indeed. However, this is the reality of things. This is war, and we all have a duty to uphold.
“Let us hope...that they all return safe and sound.”
(Hotaru)
Hotaru gracefully leapt across a series of rooftops with her head buzzing with thoughts.
“Are you still running?” A familiar voice whispered. “What is there to be afraid of?”
“The throne...?”
“...Apollo?”
“…Yourself…?”
She had expected as much from Setsuna, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of it actually happening.
My target is…
“Usagi?!”
The dark-haired woman nearly stumbled off the rooftop when she spotted her twin on the ground-floor below. Usagi had fallen to her knees, breathing heavily as she shakily steadied herself against the cement floor for support. She looked—frantic—the word came to mind.
What is she looking for?
Usagi was constantly scanning the area around her, as if she were a lost child in search of her mother. In a bitter sense of irony, Hotaru felt like her sister was.
Are you looking for HER, Usagi? Even I… We will never find her. She will never come back to us. The woman who gave birth to us, who brought us into this world...
...Who taught us, and loved us...is gone forever.
Hotaru felt her heart clench in her chest as she continued to watch her sister’s vulnerable expression. Loneliness, she knew it well.
“You still are clinging on.” A voice deep inside echoed. Apollo, she remembered his face well as he scolded her in their past lessons. As deep as her hatred was for him, the heir could not deny the one useful lesson that he taught her.
“Let go, Hotaru! You cannot allow your attachments to weigh you down! When there is no one left, who will you go to? All will eventually die. They will ALL die! Do not allow yourself to be lonely because of them. Never, be lonely. All you need… is yourself!”
When there is no one else to turn to… as painful as it is, you must learn to let go and move on. It is very difficult. When I had lost everything, I chose to be alone, rather than move on...and it resulted in centuries of grief. She thought of the way her sister cried the night that they had confronted one another. After our mother died, you were put to sleep. If you had known that your only family had betrayed you, and wanted you dead...what would you do?
...Usagi... Hotaru’s eyes narrowed. She already knew the answer to that.
Our mother can no longer teach you… And because of that, you are now struggling. When you catch sight of me, you will likely cling to me as well. However, you cannot cling to me forever… and neither I, to you. This precious time granted to us will not last long.
…Therefore…
…Please allow me to teach you this one lesson in HER place.
“Usagi!”
Usagi was thoroughly startled to see her sister land gracefully in front of her.
“H-Hotaru?! Is that really you?” She rushed forward with the intention of embracing her when Hotaru motioned for her to stop. That was when realization dawned in the blonde’s, blue eyes. “It can’t be true. Please tell me it isn’t true! You-- you aren’t really my…”
“I am your target, am I not?” Hotaru calmly asked. It was written all over her sister’s face—she was just so predictable. “Well, at any rate you are mine.” She watched Usagi’s head shoot up in response to her aloof demeanour.
You think that I don’t know what you are trying to do, Setsuna? This plan of yours to toughen us up…
… is risky.
However, I will take this opportunity in stride. I suppose, for that, I owe you my thanks.
Hotaru summoned her silence glaive, and twirled it briefly between her hands before pointing its blade at her sister’s throat. Usagi froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Where had she seen this before?
This position… She did the same thing in my dream!
“H-Hotaru, what are you doing?! Please put that away! We shouldn’t be fighting! It must be a mistake!”
“There is no mistake. Now, prepare yourself Usagi.”
The younger woman slowly rose to her feet at the insistence of Hotaru’s blade. As she stood up, the blade followed with her.
Why? Why is this happening? Hotaru... Her mind couldn’t come to grasp the sight of her beloved sister staring determinedly at her with such threatening eyes—they were icy and distant, yet sharply focused at all once. She was looking at her, acknowledged her, and yet...
“Are you mad at me? If you want to be the next ruler, then you can! I won’t mind!”
The corners of Hotaru’s mouth twitched.
“You were supposed to take the throne anyway! It’s rightfully yours--”
“Stop speaking such nonsense! We are to strike each other, and complete the second task! Or have you already forgotten that?”
“But why do we have to hurt each other?! I don’t understand this at all! If all we have to do is ‘mark’ the other person, then why can’t we do it gently?”
“It won’t work.”
“What?”
“You are… very naïve, Usagi. Setsuna is not that simple. This war... is not simple. Have you ever fought with everything on the line? With the feeling that everything precious to you may be taken away from you within the blink of an eye?” Hotaru’s expression steeled. “The time that we fought after you had awakened, and the match we had earlier today, they are both a dull comparison to what we will face on the battlefield. That... is the very reason why the others cannot take you seriously! Behind your mild-mannered self, you still tremble at the thought of battle. So you can smile and say whatever you’d like, but we all know the truth. You hate fighting! And to be honest, we all do. But what separates you from us is that we do what we need to. There are people... who struggle between what they want and what they have to do! But they don’t stop! They don’t run away! So why are you?!”
Usagi trembled at the cruel, harsh words. She knew that they were true, and they stung.
Hotaru was always the stronger one of the two of us. She always faced reality, even if she knew it would be hard. But me...? I always ran away. I’d cry, and hide behind my smile. But she...because of Hotaru, I’m forced to look back.
“Setsuna will not allow us to get off easy. Or, haven’t you noticed when she told us to not do things half-heartedly?”
Hotaru abruptly swiped her blade across Usagi’s cheek, leaving behind a thin, narrow wound. It was shallow, but still bled a little.
“Do you see now? The mark upon my blade is still there.”
For the first time since their meeting, Usagi briefly noticed the sadness flickering within those dark eyes. However, it was quickly swallowed up and was replaced by a fighting spirit.
“Do not prolong this longer than it has to be. Fight me!” Hotaru demanded. She pulled back her weapon and charged forward, thus forcefully initiating the battle.
“HaaaaaaaAH!”
CRACKLE!
(Rei)
Rei sat upon a rooftop and remained still as she detected the other signatures on the move. There were battles beginning all around her; the sound of gun shots, the clashing of blades and the roar of thunder boomed loudly in the air.
Green lightning tore through a row of buildings in the distance, bringing a single structure to crumble under its newfound power. Bursts of blue light were seen following closely behind it.
There’s Ami and Makoto…
To her right she sensed the wind gathering.
And Haruka is over there. Michiru must be close behind. So…I guess everyone else has already started. Yet here she was, loitering about.
Rei eyed her blade where Minako’s name still brightly shone. She had barely budged from where her sphere had been hidden, with exception of climbing up onto the top of the building where there was a flat rooftop. She then turned her dark eyes up at the purple coloured dome above them, the assurance in Setsuna’s plan, with the same stern expression.
‘There really is no other way to get out, is there?’ She mused loudly. “What do you think…Minako?”
Tup. Tup. Tup. Tup.
She heard the Venusian step up behind her, but the blonde didn’t reply.
Rei pushed herself up to her feet and slowly turned around to meet that intense gaze. When their eyes met, both women felt an electric shock flash through their bodies. Compared to the training yard, it felt different this time. There was no anger between them, but a heavy air of uncertainty.
The sword in Rei’s hands suddenly weighed heavy in her hands, as though it were imitating the very same burden upon her shoulders, heart, and mind.
There were only two other times when I cried before now. But when I thought of you...
“Did you think about what I said?” She saw that Minako’s eyes were filled with emotion, but she couldn’t distinguish what. “When this is all over...I’d still like to have that talk if you don’t mind.”
“Do you really mean that?” The corner of Minako’s lips curved up into a smile. “I seem to recall that a certain someone had run away the last time I tried that.”
“I know. I’m sorry...”
Lubb Dubb.
Huh?! Did she just apologize?! Minako was so shocked by what she heard that she barely noticed the Martian gesturing to her sword.
“But before we get into that...there’s still something that we both need to do. Are you ready?”
Minako hesitated, and narrowed her eyes. “That’s kind of funny, hearing that coming from you. What about this illness I’ve been hearing about?”
Rei returned the gesture. “Well, if you beat me, then I might tell you. But only if you do.” She saw the Venusian twitch.
“Jeez... Confident as always, aren’t you?” Well, I have to admit. She did somehow manage to beat me in that fight on Venus.
“Not really. Beating you won’t be that much of a challenge.” She smirked.
“What?!” Why I outta...! That arrogant jerk! I take it back. She only managed to beat me by a fluke that time! “WELL! If you’re feeling well enough to make smart-ass remarks like that, then you’re fine. So all right! Don’t tell me. But don’t go using this ‘illness’ as an excuse after I beat your sorry butt!”
With the flick of her wrists Minako materialized two golden chains.
“Not a problem.” Rei noticed that the one clutched in her right hand had her name engraved on it. Rei figured as much and, in a way, secretly felt relieved that it turned out this way; guilt would haunt her to no end if she attacked someone whose battle was not with her.
As they both posed themselves for battle, second thoughts whizzed through both their minds.
“…”
This is what I am supposed to do, right? Minako questioned herself. I’m supposed to perform my duty to become stronger, to end the war... But...what Hotaru said was also right. There’s no way that I can please everyone. At least, that’s what I’d like to believe.
But before I can tell her how I feel, I need to be honest with myself.
Rei was surprised when Minako gestured her to wait. What is she doing? She saw the Venusian gather breath.
“My name... is Venus Minako! I am the youngest of my brothers and sisters, and was born with virtually no powers. When I was older, I was sent to Mars in my mother’s place to negotiate with Ares, the God of War, towards our ideology. Instead, I met a woman of Mars who was acting as leader in his stead. I traveled with her, and befriended many others along the way... Until, finally… I returned to Venus. Now I am…”
Rei’s heart skipped a beat. Aphrodite?
“…I am the Goddess of Love, Venus Minako! And I will do everything within my power to help win this war!”
Rei was stunned. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this out-of-the-blue confession.
You mean she came to Mars because of that? But why is she telling me this now? Ah...I see. She could see it in her blue eyes. You’re expecting me to hate you.
It was Minako’s turn to be surprised when Rei smiled.
“My name is Hino Rei, a soldier of Mars. When I was young, I was adopted by Ares and became his heir. Recently during his leave, I came across a woman from Venus. We traveled together, and were soon joined by others that we have met along the way.” She paused. “I am, and always have been... human. My goal is to become stronger, and hunt Ares down and kill him! I will also help to win this war!”
You mean... you were adopted?
The ambience unconsciously shifted to a new kind of intensity. This was going to be a real fight.
They both narrowed their eyes when Rei made the first move.
“Here---!!! I come!”
Rei threw back her sword arm and lunged forward with her blade poised, “HaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAH!”, and Minako countered.
“Hah!”
Slash!
Shink-shink--!
This is who I am!
(Hotaru)
CRACKLE!
Hotaru leapt back and stumbled for balance. If she had moved a second earlier then she could have escaped the white beam of light unscathed. However, she hadn’t and as a result the attack had grazed her shoulder. The dark-haired woman knew that the mark was there, but she didn’t brood over it; the battle was still ongoing. The Silence Glaive in her hand no longer carried Setsuna’s mark, yet there was none illuminating upon her body. From head to toe, the only evidence of battle marring her form was comprised of forming bruises that were occasionally interrupted by a mass of irritating small cuts.
Hotaru sunk into a defensive stance and waited for her opponent’s move with baited breath. The encompassing atmosphere fell unbearably silent in the absence of her attacker.
A noise perked her ears and she instinctively dove to the side and break rolled as another beam came barrelling from behind.
Crackle----Kablam!
Hotaru leapt up from the roll and ducked into a nearby alleyway, crossing through it until she came to a stop at its end. Usagi’s energy signature was closer now. However, as the experienced fighter attempted to trace the remnant energy to where the blonde hid she became distracted.
Hm? What was--?!
Her dark eyes trained onto a glowing sphere of light drifting nearby. She recognized the entity immediately, and her eyes widened a bit; it was the same unnatural sphere that she previously encountered earlier during her search of the city.
What? There’s more?
Uneasiness crept into her heart as others like it exited from the nearby entranceways and moved to cover both sides of the street. Lazily their forms hovered about—some of them remained situated in place as if they were entranced by something, while others randomly circled stationary objects along the ground as if they were acting as lanterns for the dead. Yet the first glowing orb appeared to be rather interested to her. As it drew uncomfortably nearer, Hotaru hastily stepped away from it, her heart was pounding in her chest, until a spine tingling iciness brushed up against her arm.
“Stop this! Please stop!” An unknown man’s face flashed before her vision. There was a quick movement, a glimmer of a blade, and the figure slumped to the ground in a spray of red. “ARRRRRGH!”
“Huh--?!” Hotaru yelped and turned her head in time to see, to her horror, another light.
The first one abruptly charged the startled heir and sent her stumbling back into the open street.
Swoop!
“Ahhh! What the--!”
She was cut off when a stomach churning realization dawned upon her. The sphere had successfully forced her into the center of a circle of hovering spheres. The glowing orbs floated upwards and downwards in unison, syncing themselves for reasons unknown to the woman.
W-What are these things?
The agitated heir swung her blade at the nearest ball of light, only to discover her solution had little effect on the spiritual entity. If anything, the attack seemed to provoke it and the others.
Voices, she heard them now. There were voices rising from the ground as though they had been engraved into the stone where the dead had fallen. The screams came next, followed closely by the sounds of a heavy weight falling onto the ground. Hotaru’s eyes widened and her pupils constricted in shock before she squeezed her eyes closed. She shook her head frantically in vain as the whispers, century’s old, came to lay judgement on their fallen princess.
“Enough… Enough…”
“The one who slaughtered us all…”
“…Cannot hide… hide…”
“Nngh---!”
Slash!
“G-Get away from me!”
“… Remember…”
“Fall.”
They ignored her pleas, and began to spin around her in a circular formation. Faster and faster they went until they became one blur. She tried hitting them with her blade, and found it bouncing back with a crack of light. It wasn’t good enough. Becoming a little frantic, she then unleashed several bolts of power.
Crackle! Crackle!Crackle!
The circle’s formation suddenly became scattered, and the orbs momentarily froze in their movements. But Hotaru’s relief was cut short when a glint of white caught the corner of her eye. She whirled on the spot and was prepared to confront the entity until she saw what it was. Her heart nearly stopped. An illuminated figure of a woman was purposely making its way towards her from the alleyway she had only been forced from.
Mother…? No, it’s--! On the woman’s left shoulder there was a large gash outlined by Setsuna’s signature. The bleeding—it’s already stopped? She must have been hiding, and healed herself while I was distracted! But, she shouldn’t come here! Can’t she sense them?! There are likely others close by!
“Usagi! Don’t come any closer!”
Midway through the alleyway Usagi raised a hand. White particles were beginning to gather around her fingertips to form another beam of light. Even then, as Hotaru could plainly see, her sister was struggling internally for the courage to do what she was about to do. It looked like she was about to cry, but she was still pressing forward.
...Usagi...
Usagi gulped, and Hotaru defensively brought up her blade. However, the simple movement tore her focus away from her backside long enough for one of the dormant spheres to spring back to life and ram itself into the small of Hotaru’s back. The woman gasped as she was hit, and dropped her weapon in surprise. As she fell, she could see Usagi’s attack flicker in warning.
Oh no! I can’t---
CRACKLE!
BLAM!
“GaH!!!” Hotaru screamed as the blast ripped through her side and sent her battered body crashing into a nearby cement wall. The collision was so hard that her back became trapped between the bricks of broken rock and matrix. Her silence glaive still rolled along the ground as her twin ran towards her.
“Hotaru!!!!” Usagi screamed. Before Hotaru knew it, she was being lifted out from of the wall and was placed onto the floor into a more comfortable position.
“Hotaru…? Hotaru?! Are you all right?! Please, say something!” Oh no! What have I done?!
“Don’t… make that face. That was a good hit Usagi. You’ve gotten stronger.”
“B-But I’ve really hurt you! Why didn’t you block it?!” The blonde could barely make out Setsuna’s signature, the proof of her accomplishment, marking the blood-soaked wound.
I thought I would be happy to complete this task, to be able to finally go home and to see the others. I thought I would be happy if you would praise me--! If the others would accept me! But I… this isn’t what I wanted! I don’t want to go home alone!
She applied pressure over the wound and strained to heal what she could with her powers.
“Why didn’t you block it? Why?” She asked again. There was just so much blood.
“…I couldn’t.”
“That’s not true!” She screamed. The floating lights, to Hotaru’s relief, had vanished. “Don’t tell me that you couldn’t block it, because I know you could! You just stood there and let it hit you! What if I had killed you?!”
Hotaru lightly pressed her fingers against those quivering lips to silence her shaken sibling.
“I’ve had worse. I won’t die,” She calmly tried to assure her.
Those things… no, those people, my people… they wanted me to…
“Fall…”
I violated the trust of the ones I should have been protecting. Even after their deaths, they still curse me. They wish for my death.
“… Fall...”
I’ve never forgotten. After all of these years, please, believe me… I… never... once... forgotten my sins.
“… Fall.”
Me, being the next Queen? No, that is impossible. It was never meant to be.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what Setsuna said to us earlier… and I think you should be the next Queen, Usagi.”
Usagi was shocked.
“How can you even talk about something like that at a time like this?! You’re injured! We need to get you out of here right away and get you medical attention!”
“Please listen to me Usagi. I don’t… deserve the throne. Not after what I’ve done…”
“…”
“After I disappeared all of those centuries ago, I thought I had lost everything. I sealed myself away on Saturn all this time. When I finally woke up and met you again, and met everyone… I almost couldn’t believe it. To be still considered an heir of the Moon, to be welcomed back to the very home I’ve destroyed... I began to realize how awkward it was, because… it is no longer my home. I have no right to call it that.”
“What? What are you saying? Of course it’s your home! It always was and will be!”
Hotaru met her gaze. Would you think of me as cruel, to place such a heavy burden onto you?
“Remember what our mother used to teach us? The Moon reflects the true light of the Sun. The Sun’s light was originally pure and good before it became corrupt. However, one must also remember that behind the Moon’s light is its shadow. I am abdicating all rights to the throne. I am no longer an heir of the Moon, but a dark warrior of Saturn. That girl... the second heir of the Moon died in battle with her mother many centuries ago. Do you understand, Usagi? I want you, to become the Queen, and I... let me become your shadow. I-- can serve as your blade! So please… use me however you see fit.”
I promise. I won’t let you do this alone…
“Hotaru…”
“The way I’m looking right now, you’ll have to get used to this.” She attempted to smile, but was cut off when Usagi embraced her tightly.
“You’re so silly,” she sobbed. “I won’t see you as anything but my sister! Never a blade... or a tool to be used… just, my sister!”
Before Hotaru knew it, both of them were crying.
(Rei)
Crackle--
Crackle—
--------Kaboom!
As the dust rose into the air and screened the Martian from Minako’s vision, Rei leapt down from the roof and narrowly dodged the two sets of chains that had shot out of the cover.
“Oof!” Rei landed on the street and dashed to the other side. The distance between her and Minako widened momentarily.
“Running away?” Minako called tauntingly after her. No sooner than the words had left her mouth, the chains whipped after their target.
Without any thought, Rei rolled out of the path of the first and countered the second with a wide swung of her sword. The links noisily ground into the metal blade as they passed, their sheer force threatening to topple the raven-haired woman off balance.
Shink---
Shink--- Ting! Clink!
Rei shoved the pest aside and charged forward with sights set on her true opponent. There was a flick of her wrist as she unleashed a series of aura shots towards where Minako stood. However, the Venusian wasn’t about to hang around and let herself be hit; together they began racing down the street, on opposite sides-- one by ground and the other by rooftop. One was being chased by chains and the other, by crimson discs.
“Take this! Haaaaah!”
Crackle---
Shom! Shom! Shom!
Shom—blam!
Shom---blam!
Shom!
Grr… She’s fast! Rei cursed her ‘less than adequate’ aim. Her adaptation to using her new skills in such a way was slower than she had anticipated.
Shii—iiiiiiink--!!
Ah! A metal chain had caught up from behind.
“Damn it!”
Shom, Shom, Shom—
Blam! Blam! Blam!
The first chain was knocked down from the assault, but despite the Martian’s briefly earned respite her senses were still on high alert. She had seen something similar to this once before.
Wait a minute! Where is the second one?!
Rei whipped her head in Minako’s direction to see the blonde smiling very smugly. Not a good sign she noted.
Rmm…Rmm…Rmm…
Crack!
“!”
The alarming noise instantly drew Rei’s attention to the brick wall directly behind her. Without turning around she knew where the other chain had gone.
The wall!
“Argh!” With some fancy manoeuvring on her part, the Martian soldier flipped her sword handle within her grasp and deflected the links aimed at her side with the back of her blade. She barely made it on time; the digging pressure that pressed against her sword into her side served as a grim reminder of what could have been.
...This isn’t good. I need to close the distance! With a determined glint in her eye, Rei waited until the chain neared its maximum reach. As it did, the Martian carefully slipped her sword along the links, slowly bending the tip of the blade more and more horizontally until…
Ting—clink!
The tip of the blade was caught within one of the passing links! The chain violently jerked and was halted in its motion—it tugged against Minako’s insistent grip on the other end.
A trickle of sweat fell down Rei’s face as she unleashed another powerful series of aura shots into the chain.
“HAH!”
Shom, Shom, Shom, Shom, Shom!
Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!
Minako gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold her weapon steady. Yet with each connecting blast the vibrations painfully shook her entire body. She winced back against the pain, finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate as a few of her opponent’s aura shots strayed from their intended target and hit base of the other chain as well.
The firing ceased with one final explosion.
Shom—BLAM!
“Got you.”
The Venusian met Rei’s satisfied expression and found herself, this time, frowning. As far as she could tell Rei hadn’t accomplished anything.
Rei shifted her weight forward and pulled her blade and the chain towards the blonde. To Minako’s surprise she was being pulled forward along with her.
What?! Her instincts were telling her to let go as she was forcefully dragged nearer and nearer to the roof’s edge. Okay, no problem! I’ll just let go and I’ll----
Tug----
I…
“I can’t let go?!”
She desperately tried moving the fingers that encircled her weapons, but they wouldn’t budge. Her hands remained clamped tightly upon the links. Now she realized Rei’s plan, but it was too late.
You don’t mean to tell me that she purposely hit the chain? Damn...! All of the vibrations made my hands go numb! I—I really can’t let go!
“Ready?!”
Oh no, she’s going to---!
“Here... we... GO!” Rei dropped her shoulder and heaved hard.
“Ah—AHHHHHH!!!!” Minako screamed as she lost her balance and was sent falling off of the building headfirst. Her concentration shattered mid air, and her chains along with it. Everything mounted to her disadvantage, leaving her helplessly vulnerable all due to one error in her calculations; under-estimating her opponent.
I’m going to----!! As she braced herself for the painful collision, an enormous aura disc hit the wall beneath her, creating a blast of air that helped to cushion her fall.
SHOM—BLAM!
Shssssssssss…
What would have been a potentially dangerous injury became nothing more than a scrape on the knee.
Why? Why did she...? Minako staggered to her feet in a daze, bewildered over Rei’s act of mercy. They were opponents in this battle and you do not help an opponent, even if she was your friend and was falling off of a building. Yet the blonde supposed she could simply ask her adversary. After all, she was charging towards her with a sword.
With a flick of the wrist, Minako managed to re-materialize one short, chain-like sword to defend herself before the blow connected.
Shink!!!
Ting!!
They both clashed and came into a deadlock.
“What was that for Rei?” Minako grunted against the downward force upon her weapon. “Why…did you save me?!”
Rei’s body tensed and she pushed harder into her sword, forcing the Venusian to bend her knees more to compensate.
“Please. Who said I saved you? You were just clumsy and just tripped. You don’t need protection from anyone... remember?”
Minako’s heart skipped a beat and her face flushed.
The vow that I made to myself…
“Yah!” Minako tipped Rei’s sword upwards and kicked the woman back. Using this opportunity the Venusian entirely re-formed a chain and sent it hurling at her opponent. Rei hadn’t the time to evade it and took the strike head on.
Shink!
“AhHH---!”
Wham!
Her body was flipped by the force of the connecting blow, only to land with a painful thud as she re-established contact with the ground. Rei struggled to regain her senses, however Minako wasn’t through with her opponent yet; Setsuna’s mark still gleamed brightly upon her weapon. With that, before her opponent could recover, the blonde willed the snake-like aura to grip onto the Martian’s ankle and whipped her into the nearest wall.
Wham!
“AHHHGH!” The woman screamed with each blow.
Wham!
Wham!
Wham!
How ironic how familiar this looks... Minako sadly mused. Inwardly she cringed as Rei’s cries grew louder and louder. I’m sorry Rei. Please! Just hang in there a little longer!
Wham---CRACK!
What was that?! A falling pebble caught her eye. She gasped. Oh no!
Rei had collided with a certain spot on the base of a building so often, and with such intensity, that some loose rocks on the rooftop from their earlier exchange of blows became unhinged.
“Rei! Look out!” The chain released its hold on the dazed Martian and coiled around her limp body protectively, effectively shielding her from a crushing fate.
Crash!
Thud…
Thud. Thud…
Thud…
The smaller boulders rolled onto the ground with a soft thud.
That was… too close! Minako wiped away the sweat on her forehead. She had never felt her heart race so fast during this entire battle.
“So…What do you call that?”
The familiar words caught the Venusian off guard. “I wasn’t saving anyone!” She protested.
“Really? Why do you say that?” The Martian pushed herself up to her feet and began to slowly walk towards the blonde. She never once batted an eye towards the chain lying momentarily dormant behind her. Or perhaps it was because she couldn’t; her right eye was closed shut due to the blood spilling down from a head wound--a result of being bashed against so many times just moments before.
“…Because…you don’t need saving.”
They say that a liar needs a lot of practice to tell a lie naturally, to make it sound sincere… that a half-hearted lie said perfectly can still fall through the cracks otherwise. But lying to oneself is different from lying to another. Without any thought, the words leaving Minako’s lips couldn’t have been truer.
“Because you’re strong.”
Rei inwardly chuckled at the sentimental feeling from those words. She couldn’t believe it. “So, what? I already knew that. If you think by flattering me, I’ll go easier on you then you’re wrong.”
Minako shook her head. “Really...I think you’ve been hanging around Haruka too much. I think it’s pretty clear who’s stronger.” Her voice trailed off when Rei suddenly went pale as a sheet. She was clenching at her chest, but why? “Rei...?”
“Stay back!”
A concerned look entered Minako’s eyes. Could it be... that it’s gotten worse?! “Rei, what’s wrong?! Is your condition acting up again?”
The Martian slowly shook her head and chuckled to herself. What a time for it to act up again...but then again, it’s always the worst when I fight. She wheezed and moved for the gun hidden in her pouch, but then an idea came to mind.
“Mina.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Don’t you think this fight has been going on for too long?”
“What do you mean?”
Rei gestured to her sword and her chain. “Take a look. Setsuna’s mark is still there, and we can’t leave until it disappears.”
“So?”
“This next one...put everything you’ve got into it, all right?”
Minako was about to asking what she meant by that until she noticed something peculiar. There was a crimson aura surrounding Rei, but it was steadily growing stronger.
This feeling...Her eyes suddenly widened. It’s just like in the training yard today!
She screamed and stumbled back when the power suddenly burst into gold flames. Soon the entire area was shaking under the influence of its power.
RMM...RMM...RMM...
Minako was astounded. For a few seconds, she had difficulty putting her thoughts into words.
“Rei...?” The woman’s eyes were something else entirely; they were like a ferocious animal’s. Did she even recognize her anymore? “Is...Is this what she meant by her condition?” Minako couldn’t stop shaking. Could she really go head to head with something like this?
No! C’mon Mina! Get a grip on yourself! No matter what...she’s still Rei! The Venusian rematerialized one of her chains and signalled to the other as the Martian began to step towards her, sword raised. An orange light began to emit itself from her body as they drew closer. Soon, their individual energies were clashing in the air for dominance before the battle had truly begun.
Come on!!!
Rei lunged forward with a great burst of speed and threw her entire weight into the attack. In the same instant, Minako threw her chains forward and the area was engulfed by light.
KA—BLAAA-------AMM!!
RMM...RMm...RmM...Rmm...rmm...ssshh...
It took some time for the dust to finally settle. When it finally did, both combatants could be seen on their knees and gasping for breath. A large gash raked across Minako’s abdomen where Rei’s blade had struck. It wasn’t very deep, but it had left a mark and bled a bit. Rei on the other hand carried the wound left behind by the Venusian’s chain; her sword arm shoulder had been torn open, and she bled heavily compared to Minako. To their sides, the blade and the chain were now absent of their marks. Those same marks now lay over both women’s injuries instead as Setsuna had promised they would.
They had completed the second task.
It’s finally over? Rei gingerly touched her injured shoulder and shivered. She hadn’t remembered what happened during the time she had tapped into that power, but it looked like Minako was okay, so she was relieved.
It was awhile before any of them spoke again.
“So, Rei...? What was that all about?” Minako wheezed from where she sat. She had crawled over to a nearby wall of rubble and slumped against it for support.
“About what...?”
“That...umm...golden light thing,” she waved. “You suddenly just got a lot stronger. Is this the secret ‘condition’ that you were hiding from me? Cause it sure seems like it could come in handy. Why didn’t you tell me about it before?”
“...Because...” Rei winced as she extracted the gun from her pouch and held it out for Minako to see.
“What’s that?”
“My medication,” She grunted when she administered the medicine. The noise it gave off triggered the memory of Venus in Minako’s mind.
She couldn’t believe it. “Wait a second! You used that on me, on Venus!”
Her shouting had startled the Martian. “Wait. You mean, you actually remember that? But I don’t remember ever telling you... How much do you remember exactly?”
“Enough to know that I almost killed you...” she admitted shamefully.
“Minako...”
“It all came back to me while we were having our practice match this morning. And then, I nearly hurt you again,” If Usagi hadn’t jumped in when she did, then... “I’m really, really sorry that you had to go through all of that. I promise! It won’t happen again.”
So please don’t hate me.
Rei recalled the look of horror that she had seen during their sparring match. Could it be--?
“So you mean, when you looked at me during today’s practice match...you were upset because you thought you were going to hurt me?”
“...Well, yeah. Why else?”
Oh... “Well, to be honest, I thought it was because you were afraid of me.”
“What? Why would I be afraid of you?”
Rei took a deep breath. “Okay, listen Minako...what I’m about to tell you, I want you to promise that you won’t tell anyone else. Can you do that?” She was still uneasy after Usagi had blurted her secret, but Minako wasn’t Usagi.
“Umm...yeah, if you don’t want me to, then it’s not a problem”
“No, seriously. You can’t tell any of the others about this, no matter what.”
“Oh. Okay, then sure. I won’t tell anyone, promise!” she nodded. Inside, she was feeling a little excited. What was she about to find out that no one else knew?
“All right... Well, you know this ‘condition’ of mine? You asked me if I was sick earlier. Do you remember that?”
“...Yeah.”
“Well...I’m not really sure if you can call it an illness.”
“What do you mean?”
“The power that I just used...is a technique that Ares, himself, created. It gives its user an enormous boost in power, but there’s a price...”
Minako felt shivers run down her spine, and she was sure it wasn’t from the wall. She was getting a bad feeling from this.
“What kind of price?” She finally asked.
Rei just smiled. “Well, it depends. The technique is more of an energy converter than anything, but... I guess you can say that there are two basic ingredients that it uses. One of them involves a blood sacrifice.” She saw the predictable, stunned expression on the Venusian’s face. “The more blood there is, the stronger the user can become. But there is another way to activate the technique...It’s just, the price then comes from the user’s life-force, that’s all.”
Lubb Dubb
Minako’s eyes widened at the implication. She couldn’t see Rei killing countless of people to satisfy this monstrous craving, so...
No...
“Then don’t use it! If it means that people will have to die, or it’s hurting you, then don’t use it anymore!”
“I can’t do that.” She darkly muttered.
This response had completely taken Minako aback. But the upset look on her friend’s face prevented her from shouting again.
“...Why not?”
“I guess the best way to put it...is that it’s like a drug. After you’ve use it once, you’re stuck with it for life. I didn’t know this when Ares first taught it to me...” she revealed in a bitter voice. “But, with this,” she held up Ami’s gun, “I can at least fight back. It’s what I’ve been using ever since we left Neptune. It’s also why... I was kinda avoiding you lately. I was worried that I might hurt you, like during our practice match... It’ll just act up sometimes, and I--”
She was surprised when Minako suddenly got up and stumbled over to her.
“Wha--? Mina--” she was caught off guard when the blonde slumped against her and wrapped her arms around her in the tightest hug her weak arms could muster.
“Silly Rei...You don’t have to apologize.” This entire time, you were worried about me too... “You just startled me back then... that’s all. But, everything is okay now, right?” She drew back and looked Rei in the eye. “I’m fine, and so are you.”
“But--” She was shushed when Minako placed a finger on her lips and silenced her. For a second, Rei thought about the Venusian tradition despite the circumstances.
“Please Rei...” Minako rolled her eyes wearily. “You couldn’t kill me even if you tried. But, I’m really glad that you told me about this. No matter what happens, we’ll work through it somehow, all right?”
For a moment, even Rei didn’t know what to say. The relief that she felt was nearly overwhelming.
“...Yeah.” As she smiled, a blush ran across her cheeks.
“So, I guess we should go, right? The others are probably waiting. I don’t hear anymore explosions,” Minako joked.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Rei stood up and held out her hand to Minako. “So let’s go?”
A blush of her own crept across Minako’s face as she took her hand. This was exactly how it all started, hadn’t it?
As the pair was making their way across the ruins, Minako couldn’t help but think to herself,
...After hearing what Rei told me...I didn’t have the heart to ask about Usagi.
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