Power Transcendent
Sailormoon Fanfiction by Jessica
------------------
Chapter 7
Sailor Venus raced over the streets of Tokyo, jumping from rooftop to
rooftop with a speed and agility that was more than human. So early in
the evening, when the sky was still violet and the starts were just
beginning to come to life, the streets were far too full to run on as a
Sailor Senshi. The roofs were really the only way to go.
Sirens and screams were the first sign that Venus was getting close to
the scene of the attack. She took up a perch on a building a few stories
higher than the boutique to look at the situation. The police had put a
barrier all around the building, and there were numerous ambulances and
fire trucks close by. The paramedics had their hands full with the
injured from the store. Thus far, the cops were just manning the barrier
and keeping the crowd away. A bright flash from inside coupled with an
explosion that shook the ground explained why.
Venus rolled her eyes and made a disdainful face. Oh sure, to Protect
and Serve...until things got hard. Then it was time to hang back and let
the superheroes do everything. Not that the cops ever showed any
appreciation or made life easier for 'vigilantes,' but they let the
heroes do everything anyway.
Since going through the front door didn't seem like an option, she
followed the path taken by Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Mercury moments
before and landed on the building's roof, crouched by the large hole in
the center of it. She glanced up and saw a few dots moving towards her
across the rooftops on the other side, so Venus decided to wait before
heading inside.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars arrived together, Sailor Jupiter just a few
steps behind from another direction. "Sailor Venus!" Sailor Moon called
out as she landed. "What's going on?" Another flash came from inside,
and the building shook. Sailor Moon shook her head. "I'm glad Chibi-
Usa's with my family right now." She said, looking worried.
"I just got here myself." Venus said. "I saw you all, so I thought we
should all go in together." She stood up. "Now, let's go!" Without a
second thought, she jumped into the dark hole, sure the others would
follow.
When they landed, their eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, allowing
them to see the battle raging within. The fight against the Ryoujin was
more or less a standoff now, Mercury, Neptune and Tuxedo Kamen evading
the attacks of the three daeva, but too hard-pressed to launch any
attacks of their own.
The most intense fighting was taking place near where Sailor Saturn
stood trapped. Sailor Uranus was attacking Muon as if she'd gone mad,
fists, sword, feet and power lashing out again and again. Muon evaded
and defended with a bizarre lack of interest, as if his own survival
really meant nothing to him. His right hand held his sword, and his left
glowed with a deep blue aura which he used to defend himself. From the
knicks in Uranus' fuku, it was obvious that he had managed a few attacks
of his own.
"Sailor Moon, you help Uranus!" Venus said, pointing. "Mars, Jupiter and
I will help the others."
Muon had glanced up for just a moment as the other Senshi had jumped in.
"Ryoujin! Hold them back!" Immediately the three daeva leapt over the
heads of the senshi and landed directly between them and the site where
Muon and Uranus battled. The two groups stared at each other for a
moment, the only sound coming from where Uranus still fought.
Two thick ropes of twisted chains erupted from Sheiki's shoulders and
slammed into the rubble that Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars had stood just
a moment before. All the Senshi who had just arrived jumped back to join
the warriors already gathered. "Sailor Senshi!" Sheiki shouted, her
chains slowly weaving around her like vipers ready to strike. "This
place is your tomb!"
Uranus pressed forward in her attack, pressing her glowing blade down
against Muon's in a test of strength. Muon was pushed back slightly, a
sheen of sweat on his face his only sign of exertion. "What's the matter
Muon?" Uranus asked tauntingly. "Too scared to fight us all?"
Muon lifted an eyebrow. "You are proving more of a nuisance than I
expected. I simply cannot allow my test subject to slip my grasp." He
held his free hand up to Uranus' face and the blue aura expanded,
blasting Uranus head over heels and sending her skidding backwards. She
pulled herself quickly to her feet and leveled her sword at her
opponenet.
"You can't have her!" She yelled, a trickle of blood sliding down her
cheek. She ran forward, pulling her sword back to slash at him from the
side. Muon fell back into a defensive position and waited. But when
Uranus was just out of striking range, she stopped and held her hand
above her head. Muon's eyes widened slightly. "WORLD SHAKING!"
The ball of energy streaked at Muon along the ground, too fast to avoid.
He slammed his blue-sheathed hand against the ground and the light
expanded just as the attack struck. The shield protected him from the
full brunt of the attack, but the explosion sent him flying, throwing
him against a support pillar. Uranus ran at him as he rose to his feet,
and the duel resumed.
Venus flipped away as a volley of curved spikes embedded themselves in
the ground just behind her. Semeku and Sheiki were on the attack, their
weapons flying constantly into the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, not
letting up even for a moment. Tuxedo Kamen spun around as he sidestepped
an attack from Sheiki. "Where's the other one?" As if to answer that
question, the Sailor Senshi were suddenly enveloped in darkness.
As they looked around, trying to find their enemy, chains suddenly
appeared in the darkness, catching Sailor Moon around the neck and limbs
and lifting her into the air. "Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted,
trying to pull the chains away.
"I'll get it!" Mars shouted. "FIRE..." She stopped, looking at her
fingers. "My power!"
"Of course." A whispering, sibilant voice said softly, seeming to come
from all around them. "Nothing can work in my darkness. Give up your
lives now...it is hopeless." Zetsubou appeared a short distance away,
her arms extended at her sides and her strange black covering appearing
to pour from her palms.
"There!" Jupiter shouted, rushing forward. She cocked back her arm and
threw a punishing blow at the daeva, but she just melted away into the
darkness. Hissing laughter filled the air, and Sailor Moon began to
choke as the chains tightened.
"No!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted, pulling frantically on the chains. The other
Senshi tried to help him, but the shining links were too strong. The
chains suddenly popped small, sharp spurs all over their links, and
Sailor Moon gave a strangled cry of pain. The warriors continued to try
to free their princess, ignoring the metal cutting into their hands.
"It is futile." Zutsubou's voice sounded again. "You will die here. This
darkness is the only truth. Embrace it, and fall into oblivion."
"No!" Neptune shouted, turning away from Sailor Moon and facing into the
darkness. "This darkness is a lie!" She held out her hand, and revealed
her Talisman Mirror. "And I know how to show you the truth. SUBMARINE
REFLECTION!"
"Useless...what?" The mirror brightened to life. The darkness literally
began to burn away, revealing the store interior once more in great
tears and rents. The mirror's light chased the strands of Zetsubou's
blackness until it reached her body, where it continued to burn through,
leaving her uncovered. As the last of the darkness vanished, Zetsubou
let out a high, keening shriek. The light of Neptune's attack infused
the daeva, making her shine from within as her body was burned away.
Finally, her blank mask clattered to the ground, the rest of her having
dissolved utterly.
"She couldn't survive without her darkness." Neptune said softly. "Her
entire existence was just an illusion."
"You'll pay for that." Sheiki shouted. The chains around Sailor Moon
tightened and she cried out weakly, her body almost limp.
"I don't think so!" Mars said. "FIRE SOUL!" This time the fire sped out,
colliding with the chains and melting them through. Sailor Moon fell to
the floor, gasping, and Tuxedo Kamen knelt to help her. Three conical
spines thudded into his back, and he arched his back and cried out in
agony. The spines vanished in an evil smelling mist, revealing they
hadn't pierced through his cape, but Tuxedo Kamen fell on his back,
gritting his teeth in pain.
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon rasped, pulling herself upright. Blood ran
from her neck and her waist where the chains had cut into her. Sailor
Mercury was looking at Semeku through her computer visor.
"The spikes aren't real!" She exclaimed. "They can't really injure you,
they just make you feel pain."
"Great Mercury." Tuxedo Kamen managed to struggle out. "But it still
really, really hurts." He tried to rise, but a fresh wave of agony
wracked his body, throwing him to the ground again. Sailor Moon cradled
his head protectively.
Semeku began laughing. "And believe it or not, you *can* die from pain,
little girl." The daeva threw her arms back and arched her back. "Let me
show you!" A shower of spikes and blades flew out of her armor,
glittering in the faint light.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!" The green orbs of energy flew out, colliding
with the projectiles and destroying them in the air.
"Great shot Jupiter!" Venus exclaimed. She gasped as chains suddenly
appeared around her, binding her arms to her sides and lifting her into
the air. The chains hurled her against the ground, forcing the air out
of her.
"Venus!" Mercury yelled, running forward. Neptune and Mars followed
suit. Three streams of chains, each as thick as an arm, exploded from
Sheiki's body, slamming the three Senshi in the stomach and sending them
sprawling. Venus rose into the air and slammed into the ground again and
again. Everything began to go all swimmy and faint. The sounds of the
fight seemed to fade away, and she barely felt the impacts anymore.
Mercury yanked herself into a sitting position, holding her head. She
looked around. Neptune and Mars had been hit harder than she, and lay
prone on the ground. Jupiter was keeping Semeku busy, volleys of spines
being answered by bolts of lightning. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen still
knelt on the floor, both too injured to be of help.
Painfully, Mercury pulled herself to her feet. "Venus!" She shouted.
"Please hang on, I'll help you!" Sheiki turned to look at her, but too
late. "MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!" The streams of water sped out, twisting
around the daeva, freezing her in a solid block of ice. The chains that
held Venus fell limp, and she rolled to the ground, groaning weakly.
Mercury ran to her side, holding her hand tightly. "Venus!" She almost
sobbed. "Please, wake up!" Venus cracked her eyes open and managed a
weak smile. "Mercury..." She whispered. Mercury smiled back, tears in
her eyes.
A barbed chain wrapped itself around Mercury's neck and lifted her into
the air. Sheiki was still frozen, but the chains that had bound Venus
were writhing around. Great cracks began to appear in the ice surface.
Mercury could feel blood running down her chest and back from her neck.
She struggled, but the chain just seemed to tighten.
Venus's eyes widened as her consciousness returned and she began to
realize what was happening. Mercury looked down at her, and she could
see the pain and panic in her friend's eyes. Venus clenched her fists
and rose to her feet, ignoring the pain in her sides and head. "No!" She
shouted. More cracks appeared in the ice.
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
The golden energy hit the frozen daeva and detonated. The ice shattered,
but so did Sheiki. Her frozen chains split and scattered, revealing
patches of skin underneath. The jagged edges of the links seemed,
disgustingly, to be bleeding, oozing a thick, rust-red liquid. Sheiki
screamed and fell to the ground, writhing along with her remaining
chains. After a moment, she fell limp.
Mercury had been dropped heavily to the ground when Venus had attacked,
and now ran to where Venus slumped against a display counter. She held
the golden-haired Senshi tightly, and Venus leaned against her, smiling.
Behind them, forgotten and ignored, Sheiki stirred and dragged herself
slowly and silently into the shadows, leaving a red trail behind her.
Meanwhile, Jupiter had been throwing herself into the fight with Semeku.
She couldn't afford to be incapacitated as Tuxedo Kamen had been, so she
didn't try to launch any attacks, letting her fists and feet do the
work. There was a large dent in the daeva's mask from Jupiter's
continued pummeling.
As the strongest of the Sailor Senshi landed in front of her, Semeku
abandoned her larger weapons, throwing her fists forward and letting the
small needles fly from her gauntlets. The tiny darts embedded themselves
in Jupiter's stomach before dissolving away, and Jupiter fell to her
knees, letting out a small cry of pain.
Semeku laughed loudly in sadistic pleasure. "Now, warrior." She said
almost lovingly. "Let me give you the gift of agony before I let you
die." She leveled her fist down at Jupiter's back.
"Not so fast." Sailor Jupiter said harshly. Her hand came up and caught
the edge of Semeku's armor. "You shouldn't wear metal if you're going to
fight me." A small antenna extended from her tiara and lightning
crackled around her. Semeku gasped and tried to free herself, but
Jupiter's grip was too strong.
"SUPREME THUNDER!"
A massive crack of thunder wracked the store as lightning climbed up and
down Semeku's helpless form, paralyzing her completely. When the attack
finally faded, Semeku fell to the ground, burned. Her body swiftly began
to crumble to dust, leaving behind only the mask. Jupiter stood, amazed
at how quickly the pain had vanished on Semeku's death.
Looking down, she saw Tuxedo Kamen rising as well, helping Sailor Moon
to her feet. Mars and Neptune had woken up and were standing as well,
and Mercury was helping a very shaky Venus walk forward, Venus' arm
slung over the Senshi of Water's shoulders.
On the other side of the store, the duel between Muon and Sailor Uranus
had pressed on without halt. Both were exhausted and breathing heavily.
Muon's robes were torn and stained in several places, as was Uranus'
fuku. Uranus wore an expression of bleak determination, and Muon
maintained his blank facade. Behind them, Sailor Saturn had long since
lapsed into unconsciousness, merely twitching slightly as the blue
electricity crackled around her.
There was a small break in the fighting as both looked at each other,
panting. Uranus brushed sweat from her eyes. "You can't have her." She
repeated softly.
"But I will take her." Muon replied.
"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" Muon narrowly evaded the attack, swinging his
sword in a deadly arc to prepare an attack of his own.
"Stop!" Neptune's voice shouted from above. Uranus and Muon both looked
up. The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were standing atop the rubble in
the center of the room, battle-worn but ready.
"Looks like you're outnumbered, Muon." Uranus smirked.
"Yes..." Muon gestured, and the field surrounding Sailor Saturn doubled
in intensity. Saturn woke screaming. "Nevertheless, I will not leave
this place without her."
"You're bluffing!" Uranus said, narrowing her eyes. "You won't kill
her."
"You're right." He said tonelessly. "But she doesn't need to have a mind
for me to study her. Leave us, or I will erase her very essence." The
defenders of Earth looked at each other, unsure of what action to take
now.
"I think not." A new voice said, soft and cold. Muon turned to look back
at where Sailor Saturn stood imprisoned. Sailor Pluto stepped from the
shadows, her black fuku giving her a particularly ominous air. "I'm
putting a stop to this." She touched her Garnet Rod to one of the jewels
holding Saturn and closed her eyes. "Dead...scream."
Red light burst from the rod's tip and turned the blue jewel crimson.
Red light flew from it to the other two, and the three gems blazed like
garnets for a moment before bursting into pieces. The field vanished,
and Saturn fell forward into Pluto's arms. "Setsuna-mama..." She
whispered weakly.
Muon looked around. "So, this is the power of the Sailor Senshi." He
said clinically. "I have miscalculated." He began to fade away. "We
shall meet again."
Uranus leveled her Talisman Sword at the fading Muon. "I'll finish you
then." But Muon was gone.
Sailor Pluto held Saturn gently, looking over the battle-weary group.
"We should go." She said softly. "And if looks like a few of you could
use medical attention."
Mercury looked worriedly at the half-comatose Venus slumped against her.
"Don't go to sleep Venus." She urged softly.
"I won't..." Venus murmured absently. "But please stay with me..."
"I will, I promise."
------------------
The next hour or so was a blur to Minako. Somehow, all the Sailor Senshi
managed to smuggle themselves out of the store and transform without
being spotted by the police. She had a vague memory of being bundled
into Haruka's yellow convertible and driving off. Despite the cold, they
drove with the top down, probably to help Minako stay awake. She was
cradled in Ami's arms the entire drive, and that warmth stood out in
Minako's mind more than any other sensation.
Then there was a hospital, staggering across a room and onto a gurney.
She was wheeled somewhere, and someone shone light into her eyes. There
were stabs of pain as her sides were poked and prodded, and a slight
feeling of relief as she was bandaged.
She finally reached full consciousness lying in a hospital bed. As her
eyes slowly focused, she saw four people in the room with her. Ami,
Mamoru, Haruka and Michiru were all standing there. Ami had a gauze
bandage wrapped around her neck, and Haruka had several bruises on her
face, but other than that they seemed unharmed.
Minako tried to struggle into a sitting position, but a flash of pain
made her settle back down. "T'happn?" She asked, her words slurred.
"What?" Ami said, looking very worried.
Minako closed her eyes and took a breath. "What happened?" She said with
exaggerated clarity. Her head was still swimming, but she was trying to
become lucid. Ami smiled in relief.
"You have a concussion and a couple of your ribs are cracked." She said
softly.
"Where's everbudy'lse?" Minako asked. She grimaced at the sound of her
voice.
"Rei and Makoto both headed home." Haruka said. "Setsuna took Hotaru
home to rest and Usagi's bringing Chibi-Usa to see her." She smiled.
"You did really well Minako-chan. And the doctor said you can leave
whenever you're ready."
Minako stirred and winced again. "Oh no..." She groaned softly. "I can't
go home like this...Mother would never leave me alone."
Michiru smiled. "Actually, we were just thinking that perhaps you should
stay at our home for the next couple of days. The doctor said that you
need to be woken up a few times a night to prevent complications, and
having more people around will make that easier."
"I guess that sounds like a good idea." Minako agreed, feeling her head
clear a bit more.
Mamoru smiled. "Well, I need to be going myself, I'm afraid." He nodded
at Venus. "I'm with Haruka, you did excellently. Get well soon!" He
headed towards the door, but paused. "Oh, Ami-chan, I guess we'll have
to put dinner off until next week. Okay?"
"Okay Mamoru-kun." Ami smiled gently. "I'll be looking forward to it!"
Neither noticed the death glare Minako threw at Mamoru's departing back
at that, but Haruka and Michiru did. They looked at each other, Michiru
wearing an inquisitive smile. Haruka nodded and smiled back.
"So Ami-chan." Michiru said. "What are you going to tell your mother
about that bandage around your neck?"
"The truth." Ami smiled. "I'll tell her I was at the boutique with my
friends and I got injured in all the confusion."
Minako actually chuckled weakly. "Creative use of the truth?" Ami
giggled and nodded.
"Why don't you head home?" Haruka suggested gently. "We can get Minako
home safely, and you should get some rest."
Ami looked rather torn at that. "But...I wanted to..." Minako reached
out and squeezed Ami's hand gently.
"Don't worry." She said weakly. "I'll be okay, and you look wiped out.
Come visit me tomorrow, okay?"
Ami smiled and squeezed Minako's hand back with a nod. "I will, I
promise." They stood there, looking at each other, until Haruka gave a
little cough. They separated with a blush and Ami backed up towards the
door.
"I'll see you tomorrow Mina-chan!" She bumped into the doorframe and
blushed more deeply. "Um...good-bye!" Michiru turned away slightly, her
hand held over her mouth and her shoulders shaking.
Getting out of the hospital was a painful experience. Minako leaned
heavily against Haruka for the duration, trying to look like she was
okay to move around when she so desperately wanted to lie down on the
floor. The ground seemed to be flowing in the opposite direction every
time she took a step, but she somehow managed to avoid throwing up until
they were in the parking lot. Fortunately Haruka kept bottled water in
her car.
Haruka and Michiru bundled her in the back seat carefully. As they were
driving off, Haruka looked back over her shoulder. "You know, Ami was
with you this whole time." She said with a smile. "She's a pretty
special girl, hm?"
Minako had already begun to doze off, and simply offered a sleepy smile
and a vague nod. Michiru and Haruka looked at each other. The doctor had
told them that sleeping was okay, so long as they didn't let her sleep
for too long at a stretch. Haruka held her hand out and Michiru took it,
squeezing it lightly.
Michiru had called ahead to let Setsuna know that they were having a
guest, so the spare room was ready when they arrived. Usagi and Chibi-
Usa were still there as well, Chibi-Usa in Hotaru's room seeing her, and
Usagi talking with Setsuna at the kitchen table. Usagi cupped a hand
over her mouth as she caught sight of Minako, walking very gingerly with
Haruka's support.
"Minako-chan!" She gasped, her voice still hoarse from her near-
strangulation. She rushed forward to hug her friend, then stopped
herself and shook her hands back and forth, unable to think of what to
do with them. "Are you alright?"
Minako nodded. "Yes...m'fin..." She made a face and forced herself to
speak clearly. "I'm fine, Usagi-chan."
"She's doing pretty well." Haruka elaborated. "She has a couple of
cracked ribs and a concussion, but she should be just fine."
A thought forced it's way through the fog and Minako looked up. "My
Mom..." Setsuna smiled and took a little sip of the tea she was holding.
"I called her already." She said. "I told her I was the mother of a
friend of yours and you'd be staying here for a few days." She sighed,
looking as if she'd become resigned to an unpleasantness. "She seemed
very accepting, especially considering we've never spoken before."
Minako felt fundamentally unable to deal with any mother issues at the
moment, so she just frowned and shook her head. Even that small movement
sent a stab of pain shooting through her head and made her knees buckle.
She stumbled forward, but Haruka caught her.
"Whoa there Minako-chan...let's get you into bed, okay?" Minako smiled
in assent.
"I'll get Chibi-Usa and we'll get out of here." Usagi said. She smiled
at Minako. "Minako-chan...I saw what happened. You and Ami were both
incredible." Minako managed a small blush and a smile, and Haruka helped
her out of the room.
Michiru was waiting for them in the guest room. She had two bundles of
clothes, one light green and one golden yellow. She smiled. "Minako-
chan, I wasn't sure if you preferred nightgowns or pajamas, so I brought
one of each."
Minako took a deep breath and tried to focus. It seemed terribly unfair
to make her think enough to make a decision. "Pajamas." She finally
said. Michiru smiled and nodded.
"Alright...just one more thing and we'll let you get to bed. Who would
you like to help you into this?"
Even in her extremely impaired state, the idea of undressing in front of
Haruka *or* Michiru made her feel incredibly self-conscious. A deep
blush climbed up her face and Michiru chuckled a bit and nodded in
understanding. "I'll go get Setsuna?" Without waiting for an answer, she
left.
She returned with the Guardian of Time a moment later. Setsuna smiled
lightly and took up a position of support on Minako's side opposite
Haruka. "All right." The dark-haired woman said. "Both of you go and
I'll take over here."
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Haruka asked.
Setsuna just smiled. "As much as I'm sure you'd like to see our young
guest take her clothes off, I think she'd like her privacy." Haruka
blushed a little and Michiru laughed softly. Setsuna turned to the
Senshi of the Sea with that upturned eyebrow. "Don't laugh, Michiru.
You're as back as she is, you just don't advertise." Michiru blushed as
well, but kept smiling.
Minako's face had turned a peculiar shade of crimson at this point, and
Michiru's smile suddenly turned sympathetic. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry
Minako-chan, I didn't realize we were embarrassing you so badly." She
took Haruka's arm and began pulling her out of the room. "We're going to
check in on Hotaru, but we'll be coming in from time to time tonight.
Try to forgive us." Michiru closed the door behind her.
Setsuna helped Minako sit upright on the bed, and began helping her
undress. Actually, she was doing most of the work. "I arrived too late
to see you and Ami in action." She murmured softly. "But from what Usagi
told me, it must have been something." A small smile passed over her
face as she removed Minako's shirt and saw the bandages. "With injuries
like these, getting up and launching an attack like that is nothing
short of amazing...it takes some powerful emotions to inspire that kind
of determination."
Minako blushed again, but said nothing. Setsuna just nodded. "Don't try
to talk." She said reassuringly. "I've had a few concussions in my life,
and I know how miserable it is."
A low, musical sound started, seeming to come through the wall. Minako
looked up, and Setsuna smiled warmly. "Haruka." At Minako's surprised
look, Setsuna actually chuckled a little. "Oh yes...whenever Hotaru
needs a lullaby, Haruka's always ready." She sighed a bit. "She's a
little old for lullabies, really, but she's had a very stressful
experience. In some ways, she's still even younger than she looks. In
others, she's older than, well, everyone except me."
There was quiet then, as Setsuna helped Minako struggle into her
borrowed pajamas. The soft singing continued from the room next door.
Haruka had an excellent voice, far better than Minako would have
guessed. Setsuna removed the red bow from Minako's hair and helped her
lay down beneath the covers. Setsuna lightly ran her hand over Minako's
forehead. It was soft and cool and smelled faintly of spice, and Minako
smiled at the touch.
"Poor Minako-chan." Setsuna murmured sadly. "Has anyone ever sung you a
lullaby?" The question cut through the fog in Minako's mind and went
straight to her heart. A small tear trickled from the corner of her eye
and slid down the side of her face. Setsuna shook her head as she saw
that, and began to sing. It was a small, soothing melody in a language
Minako had never heard. She smiled softly and closed her eyes. Between
the song and her injury, the pain she felt seemed to be left far behind
as she floated on a bed of clouds.
When the song was over, Setsuna smiled and placed her hand on Minako's
forehead again. Minako smiled, but didn't stir. "I hope none of these
events interfere with the future I see for you, Minako-chan." Setsuna
said gently. "You've been ignored by the people who should have loved
you best. Makoto's parents loved her as long as she had them, Rei at
least has her grandfather..." She sighed and shook her head. "But you
were always just an afterthought, and you deserve so much better." She
bent over and kissed Minako's cheek softly. "I hope the two of you find
each other as you should." She whispered. "And we'll help you however we
can." She let herself out then, turning out the lights and closing the
door gently behind her.
Minako had been awake through that, but in her condition she couldn't
really understand what was being said. And as she began to truly go to
sleep, the memory of Setsuna's words drifted away completely behind a
very sweet dream of a girl with blue hair and warm arms.
------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, this is without a doubt the longest and most
intricate fight scene I've ever written. I hope it turned out well!
It's probably worth mentioning at this point that if there's any canon
information about Minako's family, I don't know it, other than the fact
she has problems with her mother. To the best of my knowledge, no other
information exists. So if such information is out there, and I've messed
it up, I'm sorry! ^_^ Thanks for reading!
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