"Michiru!" Haruka cried, rushing to the woman's side in alarm. Blood pulsed from the wound in her throat, pouring down her simple garb in an awful stream. Dazedly Michiru brought her hand to her bloody throat then frowned, eyes narrowing slightly. Before Haruka could reach her side she shimmered, her body becoming strangely ghost like... then without a sound she collapsed, her body flowing into a simple puddle of water. "What in the..." Sailor V managed, her bloody arm cradled to her side, the blonde haired actress leaning against the frowning Rei. "Wait," Setsuna reached out to stop Haruka from rushing forward, the tall black haired sorceress gazing calmly. There was a moment of silence then the water erupted again, reforming into the shape of a woman... a uninjured Michiru, her nude form pale in the darkness of the cavern. "Well that was inconvenient," she said mildly, her eyes meeting the worried ones of Haruka. "How?" Usagi squeaked out, her blonde hair falling in twin streams from the buns on the top of her head. "The human body is mostly water," Michiru answered as Haruka reached her side, the taller girl looking at her with gentle concern, "and that is the element I control." Ami's arm hung limply at her side, her broke wrist useless. "I suppose you couldn't...?" she trailed off suggestively, the blue haired woman's eyes narrowed in pain, but Michiru just shook her head. Taking a breath, "Then I'll need some help making a splint." Without a word Makoto was at her side, then Rei offered two of her arrows. Using just the shafts she carefully aligned the bones, whimpering in pain, then Makoto tightly bound her broken wrist. Ami's face went white a moment as Makoto grabbed her, "Are you going to be all right?" "Probably," Ami answered, voice stressed, "it just hurts a great deal." She made herself breathe, "We have to tend to the injured." It didn't take long for the results of the battle to be tallied up, the wounded cared for as best as they could manage in the dark kingdom of the Oni. Sailor V's arm was broken, as was Ami's wrist. Luna was unconscious, her body so badly battered that she hovered near death, and despite Michiru's bravado she was terribly weak. Rei watched Setsuna gently tending to Luna, a faint violet glow coming from her hands as she cared for the wounded catgirl, then the black haired woman turned and quietly asked Usagi, "So what do we do now?" "We have to press on," Usagi said softly, the blonde's hand tightening on the hilt of the bloodied sword that she carried. "Not with them, though," Rei dropped her voice. "No," Usagi agreed. Quietly she moved to where Artemis stood, the white haired young man gazing worriedly as Luna was cared for. "Yes," Artemis anticipated the question, the young man never taking his eyes from the wounded Luna, "I'll help guard them while you continue on." "Ami can also use her freeze gun one handed," Usagi quietly offered, "you'll have some help." She looked over at Michiru, "I'll be counting on you, too." "I am not staying behind," Michiru protested. "Oh yes you are," Usagi said firmly. Before Michiru could protest the order again Haruka put her hand on her arm, squeezing it gently as she said, "If we have to protect you as well as ourselves, we'll be at a disadvantage." Haruka hesitated a moment, the younger woman looking uncomfortable, "And I don't know what I would do if you were hurt again." That clearly surprised Michiru, and she looked up searchingly into those stormy eyes. "All right," she finally conceded, "but make sure to return to me." "I promise," Haruka vowed softly, "I think we have things to talk about." "We'll be all right," Ami said as they got Luna resting up against a wall, the rest of them roughly arrayed in a circle for mutual protection, "do what you have to." "We will," Usagi vowed softly. Setsuna looked around the great hall, noting that most of the lesser Oni had fled, frightened of their Queen or maybe Usagi. "The throne room is not far," she said calmly, "I suspect Serenity will choose to make her final stand there." "That girl who fought beside the Oni..." Rei said suspiciously as she fixed Setsuna with a look, "you knew her." "Yes," Setsuna said, "I'll tell you as we walk." Setsuna set out, Usagi right beside her. Haruka was on one side, Rei on the other, Makoto just behind. Makoto hesitated, looking back a moment to meet Ami's eyes. Ami smiled at Makoto gently, nodding slightly, and with a smile Makoto turned to follow the others. "Youma, the lesser servants on the Oni, made a pact with Hotaru's father, seeking to use science to open the Oni's prison," Setsuna explained as they walked down the dark halls, "in exchange for restoring Hotaru's health. He opened a portal before the stormlord, Michiru and I could stop him, and Hotaru was sent through, lost in the Oni's realm." "And you couldn't save her?" Rei protested. "The open portal was the greater risk," Setsuna explained, "the Oni were already beginning to awake again when we sealed it." "You sacrificed Hotaru, sealing her away because you had to stop the Oni whatever the cost," Usagi said softly, her blue eyes scanning the hall as they walked. "Yes," Setsuna nodded. "Under the right circumstances," Usagi admitted, "I might have done the same." "I can't quite see you doing that," Makoto commented, her hands clenching and opening. She had wrapped them again in bandages, to shield her hands from the tough skins of the Oni as well as to stop any possible bleeding. "What is Hotaru?" Rei asked softly, thinking of the unearthly strength she had used. "I can't be certain," Setsuna cautioned them before adding, "but Hotaru may be both more and less than human. She seems to be part Oni now, and I could sense that the weapon she carries contains magics of the darkest sort." They started to go around a corner then Usagi forced the back, peering nervously. "Guards," Usagi noted, "big, but they don't feel as powerful as the other Oni we faced." "Fine," Setsuna raised her knife, the rune's glowing faintly, "we'll..." "No," Makoto raised a hand to stop her, "let me." She cracked her knuckles ad smiled grimly, "I have some anger to work out." She looked at Usagi and Setsuna, "Besides, we want to save your abilities when we face the queen." "You shouldn't take both on your own," Rei cautioned. "Trust me," Makoto answered "I can do it." Before anyone could argue Makoto had raced around the corner, the amazonian brown haired girl running right at the two one. "Stop." the first ordered, raising a hand reflexedly. Makoto ignored him, dodging the first's attempt to stop her as she grabbed the second guard by his helmeted head. Before he could even react she headed her shoulders and slammed his head into the stone wall, the metal itself deforming from the impact. "You're one of the senshi," the other guard drew his sword. Smoothly Makoto lashed out with one foot, kicking out to send the short sword flying away even as she pushed for a final time, a wet crunch coming from the guard's head. Letting the one body fall Makoto charged the other, a rapid flurry of powerful blows to the chest, stomach and head sending him crashing to the dusty stone floor. "All clear," Makoto said mildly, "shall we go?" "Remind me not to annoy her," Haruka said to no one in particular.
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