Power Transcendent
Sailormoon fanfiction by Jessica
-------------------
Chapter 31
Sailor Uranus woke up with a start in an unfamiliar bed. She sat up,
trying to get a feel for the darkened room. The last thing she
remembered was the thick, hot stench and utter darkness after being
swallowed by the daeva. She looked down at herself. She'd been cleaned
up and...she lifted her gloved wrist to her nose and sniffed, making a
face. A little too floral for her tastes...
A girlish giggle made her head snap up. The lights in the room slowly
came on, and she could get a feel for her surroundings. The bed she was
on was huge and soft, and topped with a canopy of gauzy pink curtains.
Behind them, she could see a room that was sparsely appointed in pink
and white. But before she had a chance to take in the decor, her eyes
were drawn to the doorway, and the small figure that stood there. A
yawning pit of despair opened in the blonde Senshi's stomach.
"Hi there sleepyhead." Tachyon said with another giggle, clapping her
hands together happily. "I was starting to worry that the Gu'tvak had
hurt you, but I guess you're okay. Did you have a good sleep?"
Uranus whipped her head around. There was a window on the other side of
the room. Without a second thought she sprang out of the bed, launching
herself towards it. But about halfway through her leap she felt her
movements slow, and then halt. Tachyon walked towards her suspended body
and moved her as if she were weightless, pushing her back onto the bed
before returning Uranus' flow of time back to normal.
"Naughty naughty!" The small girl chided Uranus, wagging a finger at
her. Uranus just glared up at her. "Oh, is my new toy all cranky?"
"I'm not your toy." Uranus snapped, and Tachyon just shook her head,
still smiling.
"Oh yes you are! After all the trouble I went to getting you, you're all
mine now." She tapped her finger against her cheek. "I really wanted
Sailor Venus...she's the prettiest, you know. But like I told you
before, I like playing with blonde girls. So I told the Gu'tvak that if
it could get one of the three of you to do it and get back as soon as
possible."
The child's voice dropped to a conspiring whisper. "I'm not really
supposed to have it, you know. They're supposed to be too dangerous to
deal with...on their own world they're considered terrible criminals and
killed on sight. As time goes on, their sense of self degrades more and
more until there's nothing left but a monster." Tachyon giggled
gleefully. "Won't that be *fun*?" She gushed.
Uranus placed her arms behind her head, lounging across the bed
casually.
"Listen kid, I don't really have time to listen to this. So just do what
you have to do and get it over with. I'm not going to play with you."
"Oh yes, you will." Tachyon's tone was still light and piping, but it
carried an undertone of pure venom now. Uranus felt her body held in
stasis once again, and then Tachyon was sitting on her stomach, twirling
her small blade between her fingers. The glitter as it caught the room's
light seemed wrong to Uranus somehow, making her nauseous as she watched
it.
"You're going to play with me, Sailor Uranus." Tachyon said, looking
down at her with a feral grin. "You'll do it because you still think
your friends can save you. But they can't. So we're going to play, and
the games will just get better and better until you're all used up..."
Setting her knife aside, Tachyon placed her hands on Uranus' shoulders
and leaned forward until their faces were almost touching. "And then,
maybe, just maybe, I'll give what's left of you back to the Sailor
Senshi." She whispered, her voice trembling with glee. "And I'll do it
again and again, to all of the others, until only Sailor Pluto is left.
I can't wait to see her face when she sees what I've done to you."
Uranus longed to be able to avoid Tachyon's violet eyes. They were like
glass, harsh and bright. And behind them...behind them was a roiling
mass of hatred and insanity that Uranus had never seen before. Despite
her anger, she found herself afraid. And when the little girl slipped
away from her, allowing her to move again, it took all of Uranus'
willpower to hold back a sigh of relief.
Tachyon was looking at her expectantly, but Uranus was determined to
give the little monster as little satisfaction as she could. So she took
a moment to suppress her fear and then sat up, looking her dead in the
eyes once again. "Sailor Venus was right." She said calmly. "You're too
afraid to fight Pluto. You can do whatever you want to the rest of
us...it won't change the fact that sooner or later she's going to take
you down."
The innocent smile vanished from Tachyon's face and was replaced by
feral grimace of rage and bloodlust. Her knuckles whitened as she
gripped the handle of her dagger and as she took a couple of steps
forward, Uranus worried that she had pushed things too far. Then the
mask appeared again, and Tachyon giggled merrily, slashing her blade
through the air. "Silly Sailor Uranus." She chirped. Her eyes darkened
as she looked back at the tall Senshi, licking her lips. "Now let's
play."
-------------------
Meanwhile, behind a series of leafless hedges within the mansion's
gates, the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen silently observed the large
structure. The only two not in attendance were Saturn and Chibi-Moon.
Surprisingly, Hotaru had volunteered to stay behind herself. "The most
important thing is saving Haruka-papa." She had said firmly. "If go,
Muon might try to get me again, and that will make everything that much
worse. I won't put Haruka-papa in any more danger."
This was a dual blessing, as nobody had felt comfortable about taking
their Senshi-in-training into Tachyon's lair. With Hotaru staying
behind, however, it had been relatively easy to convince Chibi-Usa to
stay behind as well. The two of them had been left at Usagi's house,
ostensibly for another sleepover.
"There are lights on inside." Sailor Moon pointed out in a whisper. "But
I don't see any cars or anything."
"And I definitely sense something wrong here." Pluto said. "It's faint,
but it's there."
"Then this *is* the place." Rei said in satisfaction, still wearing her
priestess' garb. "I knew it."
"This smells like another trap." Jupiter murmured, peering up at the
mansion. "Getting this close shouldn't have been this easy." She glanced
over at where Sailor Mercury crouched, her fingers working furiously as
her computer's visor displayed a quick succession of data. Venus and
Neptune both crouched behind her, watching silently.
Neptune had said almost nothing since they had headed out, but her fear
and strain was clear to see if you caught her eyes. Jupiter suspected
that she had remained quiet to prevent her emotions from getting the
best of her and driving herself and the others into a bad situation.
Only able to imagine how the Senshi of the Sea must be feeling, Jupiter
respected her for that.
Jupiter smiled a bit. She found herself warming to Neptune once again.
Honestly, she had never completely forgiven her after Rei had been
wounded. But after their short conversation at the shrine's door, and
Rei's overall demeanor after they had had their private talk...Jupiter
didn't know precisely what they had talked about, but she had a fairly
good guess. The fact that, despite everything else, Neptune had taken
the time to address Rei's feelings for her, and apparently let her down
so gently, had gone a *long* way towards redeeming herself in Jupiter's
protective eyes.
With a small nod to herself, Mercury closed her computer with a snap,
and her visor vanished. "If I didn't know to look for it, I wouldn't
have found it." She said softly, looking back at the others. "But
there's a ring around the mansion, about fifty feet in radius. It's a
very slight temporal disturbance."
"What does it do?" Neptune asked, and Mercury was forced to give a small
shrug.
"It's too faint...I have no way of knowing."
"I'll go find out." Sailor Moon said, standing.
"Sailor Moon, you can't..." Tuxedo Kamen protested, placing a hand on
her shoulder. The pigtailed girl placed her hand over her love's and
smiled back at him.
"Somebody has to." She said. "We have to save Haruka. And the Ginzuishou
protected me before...maybe it will again!"
"I'll go too." Venus said, standing next to her princess. "I think I'll
be alright as well. And I owe Uranus...if she hadn't pushed me away, I'd
be the one captured instead of her."
"Maybe I should go." Mercury ventured, looking worriedly at Venus. "I'll
be able to analyze whatever happens..."
"No." Venus said gently, placing her hand on Mercury's cheek. "Sailor
Moon and I have the best chance of coming back...we're the only once who
should risk it. If anything happens, we'll need all your help." She
smiled. "Okay?" Mercury gave a small, worried smile in return and nodded
reluctantly.
"Both of you be careful." Neptune told them, watching them with sad
eyes. "Just see what happens and come right back...I don't want to lose
anyone else."
"You haven't lost anyone." Sailor Moon told her with a sympathetic yet
confident smile. "We'll get Haruka back...I promise." Sailor Moon and
Venus looked at each other and nodded. The whole group crept towards the
point that Ami said was the edge of the disturbance. For safety's sake,
each of the blonde Senshi took hold of the other's wrist and held it in
a firm grip. Taking a deep breath, they stepped across the invisible
border together.
For a moment, there seemed to be no reaction, and the two Senshi smiled
at each other in relief. Then a tsunami of chaos washed over them,
sending them to their knees. There was no sound, no visible effect, but
each of them could feel the wildly storming energy swirling around them,
draining their own power with frightening speed.
There was a sudden yank on both their collars, and they were roughly
heaved back to the other side of the disturbance. Looking up, they saw
their respective loves looking down at them with frightened expressions.
"Okay, I guess we weren't protected." Venus said with a tired smirk.
"It looked like you were about to transform back to normal." Mercury
said, her brow still furrowed. "What happened?" Sailor Moon and Sailor
Venus quickly related what they had felt once they had crossed over.
Once they had finished, Pluto stood at the very edge of the ring,
watching the lit mansion with distant eyes.
"I think I might understand." She said, turning back to the others. "We
know what kind of effect Tachyon has when she's around. So if she's
actually been living here, the effect is probably infinitely worse. That
was probably what you two felt."
"So how is she shielding that kind of a disturbance?" Neptune asked.
"There's a mirror in place." Pluto said. The rest of the group looked
confused, but Mercury's eyes lit up.
"Of course! An energy field that copies all of the energy waves coming
out and reflects them back, canceling them out and hiding them from the
outside. With how random and chaotic Tachyon's energy disturbance is,
that would be the only way."
Pluto nodded. "And there's a very slight delay between the time the
energy approached the mirror shield, and the time the shield reflects
it. That's what causes the disturbance."
"Um...of course." Venus agreed, a somewhat blank expression on her face.
"So...what do we do? We can't fight in that mess, trust me."
Neptune tapped her finger against her lip. "She must have daeva servants
with her, don't you think?" Without waiting for an answer, she
continued. "So there's probably something in place that makes the
mansion itself livable, at least. So if we can get in there, we might be
okay."
Tuxedo Kamen nodded. "That makes sense...but how do we get through?"
"I can take care of that." Pluto said softly. She went back to the
border and planted her Garnet Rod firmly in the snowy lawn. "I think I
can use my power to suppress the disturbance. But Tachyon will be able
to detect that, without a doubt. She'll be waiting for you."
"Will you be able to follow?" Rei asked. Pluto nodded.
"But not right away. I can protect myself from the effects, but it will
take a little while to set up. I'll come as soon as I can, but you will
all have to face her on your own first." She smiled, and it seemed to be
directed at Venus. "I've seen that you're capable of that. Just keep her
off-balance. If you can do that, she won't be able to focus her powers
on you."
"Alright." Neptune nodded and walked over to stand next to Pluto. "I'm
ready."
"Be careful." Pluto admonished her, so quietly that only she could hear.
"Don't take unnecessary risks."
"I won't...but I'm not leaving that place without Haruka." Neptune
replied just as quietly. "So...if..."
"Don't...I'll take care of her, no matter what." Pluto said sharply.
"But listen to Sailor Moon...you two are *both* coming out of there."
Michiru just nodded. The rest of the Sailor Senshi had lined up at the
border by now, and looked ready for a sprint. "I'm starting now." Pluto
said, raising her voice so they could all hear. She lifted her talisman
up, and the Garnet Orb flashed brilliantly in the night. She drove it
into the earth once again, and a garnet haze seemed to fill the air
momentarily and then faded away. "Now, go!" Pluto said sharply, and they
were off.
-------------------
Inside the mansion, Tachyon's head snapped up, her eyes unfocused.
"They're here..." She hissed in a voice full of poison.
"I told you they'd come." Uranus said, a smirk in her voice. Tachyon
glared back at her, then turned her head towards the door. "Gu'tvak!"
The formless black creature flowed out from the bottom of the door and
shaped itself against it, it's horrific 'face' appearing in the middle
of it.
"What is your command, Lady Tachyon?" It gurgled.
"The Sailor Senshi are here." Tachyon smiled. "If they get to the
stairs, I want you to play with them. But leave a few alive, if you can.
I'll need a new toy before long." Without another word, the Gu'tvak was
gone again, and Tachyon turned back, looking across the table at her
plaything. "Now...where were we?"
-------------------
Running across the lawn, Venus immediately noticed that the effects of
Tachyon's presence had indeed been suppressed. The angry howling had
faded to an irritating whine in the ears, and there was none of the
energy drain that they had felt before. As they ran, Jupiter and Venus
lifted their arms towards the rapidly approaching double doors that were
the entrance to the mansion.
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"
"CRESCENT BEAM!"
The attacks met in the air and combined, blasting the heavy oak doors to
splinters and allowing the Senshi to get inside without slowing down.
They ran through the gaping doorway into the brightly lit entrance hall.
A knot of five Daeva were waiting for them. They all looked more or less
human...blue skin, horns and other relatively minor differences marked
them as otherwise. None looked particularly pleased to be fighting the
Sailor Senshi, but it was easy to imagine that they were more frightened
of Tachyon.
"They don't look so tough." Jupiter grinned. "Let's go! JUPITER OAK
EVOLUTION!" Two of the daeva were hit by the attack and went flying back
into the wide carpeted staircase. The remaining three leapt into the
attack. It was clear that the Sailor Senshi had the advantage. One of
the three was immediately taken out by an attack from Sailor Moon, and
another landed between Mercury and Neptune, only to explode into frozen
pieces a moment later when they both turned their attacks upon it.
By this time the two that had been blasted by Jupiter were pulling
themselves to their feet, and they snatched fruitlessly at Tuxedo Kamen
as he leapt to the top of the stairs, flinging down a lethal hail of
roses as he went. When he landed at the top of the stairs he continued
his assault, wounding and distracting all the daeva alone. He failed to
notice the black pool slipping around his feet.
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" The attack smashed one of the two back
against the stairs and it fell into itself and vanished a moment later.
Jupiter lifted the one she had been sparring with bodily and hurled it
into the other daeva at the stairs. "Now, Sailor Moon!" She shouted.
"MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" With a wail, the remaining two daeva were
defeated. "Alright!" Sailor Moon said, catching her breath momentarily.
"Now let's get upstairs..." Warned by a sixth sense, she hopped back
just a rose landed in the floor where she had stood. Black ooze dripped
from the petals.
Everyone looked up the stairs. Tuxedo Kamen stood there, and his form
was like a silhouette, utterly black and featureless. But where his face
should have been, the wide, staring eyes and brutally flat teeth of the
Gu'tvak appeared. "Farewell, Sailor Senshi." It said, and its voice was
Tuxedo Kamen's, overlaid with the wet, echoing gurgle of the Gu'tvak.
"No..." Sailor Moon gasped, her eyes widening in horror as she took an
involuntary step backwards. Then her eyes hardened and her fingers
tightened around her scepter. "Let him go!" She shouted, dashing up the
stairs. She was forced to fall to the floor, however, as the Gu'tvak
flung another volley of roses at her. The black shape dashed into the
upstairs hallway and was lost from sight, and all the Senshi followed.
Turning a corner, everyone stopped. Tuxedo Kamen lay on the floor, free
from the Gu'tvak and seemingly unconscious. But as they watched, he
pulled himself to his knees, holding his forehead. His head snapped up.
"Look out!" He shouted, but too late. In a black sheet, the Gu'tvak
dropped over Sailor Mercury's head and enveloped her just as it had
Tuxedo Kamen.
"You're all too strong to take like this for long." It gurgled at them
in Mercury's voice. "I'll have to be quick. SHABON SPRAY!" The chill
mist filled the hallway, taking everyone's sight. Suddenly, Jupiter
cried out, and as the mist began to lift, it was clear that she had
become its next victim.
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" The sphere of electricity flew out towards
Sailor Venus, but she was ready.
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" The gleaming chain knocked the Gu'tvak's stolen
attack away, and Venus cast around desperately for Mercury. She breathed
a sigh of relief as she caught sight of her pulling herself to her feet.
Meanwhile, the Gu'tvak had begun to shake violently as Jupiter began to
fight it off. Without warning it suddenly sloughed off the Senshi of
Thunder, leaving her weaving and staggering to stand, and made a beeline
to Sailor Moon.
"No!" Everyone shouted, but the thing was too quick, enveloping the
leader of the Senshi before she could react.
"Now the most powerful Sailor Senshi is mine." Gu'tvak said, it's wet,
snapping laugh filling the hallway. "MOON SPIRAL...what!" As it was
getting ready to attack, a bright pink glow started to shine in the
center of Sailor Moon's chest. A moment later, it burst out in a beam of
radiant energy, and the Gu'tvak screamed in pain. It began to slide off,
but seemed to be having trouble escaping.
"No you don't!" Jupiter snapped, stumbling forward as Sailor Moon's head
and shoulders became visible. She wrapped her hands around Sailor Moon's
waist and the antenna extended from her tiara.
"Hey, Jupiter, wait a sec..." Sailor Moon shouted in protest, but to no
avail.
"SUPREME THUNDER!" A pillar of lightning erupted in the hallway and when
it cleared, the Gu'tvak was laying at Sailor Moon's feet in a pulsating
mass. Sailor Moon herself dropped to her knees, singed and smoking with
a dazed expression on her face. "Oh...sorry." Jupiter said, blushing as
she rubbed the back of her head.
The Gu'tvak suddenly flattened its shape and tried to escape. But Sailor
Mercury was ready. "MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!" The freezing attack scooped
the black pool from the floor and flung it against a wall in a frozen
mass. "Now Sailor Moon!" Mercury shouted.
"MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" The wave of pink energy hit the Gu'tvak as
it was freeing itself from the ice. Its dying shriek forced everyone to
their knees in pain, but when the light from the attack faded, the black
abomination was gone.
Everyone stood, catching their breath. "Okay Neptune." Tuxedo Kamen
said. "Now we just need to...Neptune?" He looked around, and everyone
else did the same. "Where did she go?"
"Rei's gone too!" Jupiter exclaimed. At that moment, a massive explosion
rocked the mansion.
-------------------
When the Gu'tvak had used Sailor Mercury to fill the hallway with icy
mist, Rei had backed herself against the wall, her eyes scanning the
gray void. For just a moment, she thought she saw a shape in the mist
and was about to cry out. But then the wall behind her seemed to vanish
and before she could do anything she was yanked backwards, everything
going black.
Then Rei was in a large sitting room, stumbling across the floor with
her head spinning and her stomach churning from disorientation. "It *is*
you!" She heard Tachyon's voice exclaim, and she jerked her head up, her
eyes narrowing. The little girl was sitting a short distance away,
almost lost in a large, plush armchair whose arms bore numerous rips and
tears. Her chin was resting in her hands and her small legs were kicking
back and forth as she smiled at the miko.
"I couldn't believe it!" She continued. "I mean, I didn't think *anyone*
would come looking for me after they managed to get away once! But when
I saw you, I just knew I had to get you too."
"Me too?" Rei murmured, her eyes scanning around the room. She sucked in
a deep breath as she caught sight of the couch. Sailor Neptune lay
there, rigid. Her eyes were open and there was a clear mix of fear and
anger in her frozen expression. Tachyon giggled, drawing Rei's eyes back
to her captor.
"It's always better to play with a set." The child said gleefully.
Slowly, so as not to draw attention, Rei slipped her hands into the
sleeves of her kimono. "Making someone watch while I play with the one
they love..." Tachyon giggled, sliding her knife into view and running
her fingertips over the edge. "Their eyes...there's nothing like it in
the world." Tachyon almost moaned this last statement, shivering in
anticipation.
She bounced out of her chair, her eyes sparkling as she approached Rei.
The dark-haired girl tensed. She had one chance...that was it. "But
you...you're just a bonus." Tachyon whispered. "It was far too quick
before, and I never had a chance to finish. But...we have all the time
in the world, now..."
Only a few steps separated them, but Rei was afraid it was too much. The
little psycho had to get closer... "Please no..." She whispered, looking
as terrified as she could. Tachyon grinned wickedly and took another
step forward. Rei began to shake where she stood, and it was only half-
feigned.
"So...without your Senshi powers, this is all you are." Tachyon said in
a soft voice. "It's going to be so much fun..." She took another step
forward, and Rei made her move. Her hand whipped out of her sleeve, an
ofuda held between her fingers. The tiny slip of paper flew through the
air and hit Tachyon's forehead before the child could react.
"AKURYO TAISAN!" Rei shouted, and Tachyon screamed in pain, her body
going rigid. Rei almost felt like she was floating as she snatched the
knife out of the girl's fingers and spun around. She knew she had mere
seconds to act as she sprinted towards the double doors and with all her
might slammed the slim blade into the gap between them. It went in about
half its length, and Rei threw herself against its hilt with all her
weight and strength. It resisted her for a moment, but then the blade
snapped. There was an incredible sound and a blinding white light, and
Rei felt herself hurled backwards for a moment before she lost
consciousness.
Neptune felt her body come free of Tachyon's control at the moment the
knife shattered, and she had just enough time to curl herself into a
ball before the explosion hit her, picking up the couch and flinging it
into the far wall with a force that knocked the air from her lungs.
After taking a moment to recover, Neptune pushed the couch off of her,
looking around. The room was destroyed...the external wall and ceiling
were both gone, leaving it exposed to the winter air and night sky. The
doors leading into the room were nowhere to be seen, and the doorway was
a jagged hole.
Panic rising in her throat, the aqua-haired warrior looked around wildly
for Rei. The fiery miko was slumped not far away next to a pile of
splintered wood, and Neptune felt hot tears on her cheek as she ran to
check her. There was a long slice across her forearm, though it wasn't
deep, and her shoulder wound seemed to have reopened, but it wasn't
bleeding much. Though she didn't wake, she was breathing and her pulse
seemed strong, and Neptune heaved a massive sigh of relief. "Thank you
Rei-chan." She murmured, stroking her cheek.
"How dare you...how *dare* you." The voice was barely recognizable, and
Neptune turned around, holding herself protectively in front of the
unconscious Rei. Tachyon was hovering in the air, surrounded by a nimbus
of swirling gray light. Her violet outfit was ripped and tattered, and
her eyes were glowing fiery purple. Her face was so twisted with anger
and insanity that it didn't even look vaguely human.
"No more games." She spat, and her voice was a dry, harsh croak that
seemed centuries old. "I'll see you all dead and your world blown into
nothingness. I will open the first Eye of Shunyata. And when I have my
prize I'll tear you all into quivering fragments and feed them to you. I
will...I will...I...I..." She threw her head back and shrieked.
Remembering what happened the last time Tachyon lost control, Neptune
spun around and began to lift Rei to get them both to safety. But even
as she was turning, the shriek cut off and there was a strange ringing
in the air.
Neptune turned back. Five figures, cloaked and hooded in black had
appeared in the air around Tachyon and a rainbow-hued field surrounded
her, seeming to hold her frozen. And, just as suddenly as they had
appeared they vanished, taking the child with them. Still rather dazed
from her experience, Neptune remained kneeling, Rei held limply in her
arms until the rest of the Sailor Senshi burst in.
The two of them were immediately swarmed over. Jupiter, Mercury and
Tuxedo Kamen gently took Rei and began to look her over for damage and
try to wake her up. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus helped the Senshi of
the Sea to stand. "What happened?" Venus asked. Neptune just shook her
head. There was too much, and she was still too rattled.
But then a thought hit Neptune like a thunderbolt, almost knocking her
down. "Haruka..." She whispered. "Haruka!" Tearing her arms free from
the two blonde Senshi, she bolted out of the ruined room and down the
hallway, shouting her love's name again and again.
"Here!" It was Pluto's voice, and it sounded a little strange. Neptune
hurried down a flight of stairs, hearing the others following her. Just
down the hall, a door hung limply on one of it's hinges, and Sailor
Pluto stood before it. She turned to Neptune, her mouth twitching.
"She's here...she's fine...but..." Neptune rushed into the room, barely
listening. She stopped dead in her tracks, and she heard the others do
the same as they came up behind her.
There was Sailor Uranus, as nobody had ever seen her. She was wearing a
pink and white party dress that belonged on a child at least a decade
younger, all frills and ruffles, though the fit seemed perfect. Her
cheeks were beet red and she glared at everyone as if daring them to say
anything.
Michiru stopped for a mere instant, however, before flinging herself
into her loves arms. "Haruka..." She breathed, pressing her lips to the
other girl's a passionate kiss. She felt her love's strong arms tighten
around her as she returned the kiss. "I was so worried..." She murmured.
"Hey, I'm okay." Uranus said softly. "It's probably a good thing you
showed up when you did, though. I think she was getting bored with the
tea party."
"Oh, so that's why you're..."
"Yes." Uranus said, cutting her off with an embarrassed look. Neptune
smiled.
"Don't be so embarrassed. You look adorable." She looked back at the
others. "How is Rei?"
"She seems fine." Tuxedo Kamen said. "Mercury is still looking after
her."
"We should go see her." Neptune said, slipping her hand into Uranus'.
"She's the real hero here...and when she comes to, she should be better
than ever...the knife is gone." A ragged cheer arose from the tired
group, and they started back to the devastated room.
"When you take that off, be careful." Neptune whispered to Uranus as
they led the way up the stairs. "I might be able to use it later."
Uranus' eyes twitched, and she looked suspiciously at her lover. "Don't
even think about it." She warned. Neptune just smiled serenely,
tightening her hand slightly. Mercury suddenly appeared at the head of
the steps.
"We should go right away." She said, gesturing for the group to turn
around. Sailor Mars came into view, laughing, and everyone cheered.
"Go, go!" She shouted. "We don't have a lot of time!" The smell of smoke
filled the stairwell, and an orange glow appeared overhead.
"What did you do?" Sailor Moon called out.
"Well, I had to make sure everything still worked, didn't I?" Mars
shouted, still laughing.
"You pyro!" Sailor Moon called back, but she was laughing too. They all
fled the building, which was coming aflame quite nicely. Once they were
safely away, Sailor Mars was tackled by all of the Inner Senshi in a
massive hug. The rest of the group watched, smiles on all their faces.
Mars looked over at them, beaming, and then started to stare.
"Uranus? Why are you wearing that?" Everyone began laughing, and with a
sullen blush, Uranus couldn't help but join in.
-------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was a fun chapter to write, but it needed more than
a few rewordings...some of the dialogue still seems a little awkward to
me. ^_^ But I hope you all enjoy it!
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