“Shitama!” Kunzite cursed. Gaia hung her head over the unconscious Earthia.
“Gomen ni Kunzite-san. I couldn’t keep her awake,” she said. Minako hung back in the shadows and her grip tightened on Kunzite’s transport stone. It had only been a short time, but Minako now saw the entire picture. She saw the effect that direct descendants had on their planet maidens. Minako’s mind pondered any possibility of saving Usagi without her falling to the same painful fate as Earthia.
“Your power is,” Gaia started. Kunzite made fist.
“I know. Damn.” He stood in deep thought. “I could barely hold my own before, but now…” Kunzite said quietly.
“We have to get that orb back. If not-“
“Don’t you think I know that!” He cut her off and Gaia shrunk back. Kunzite sighed and put his hand on her shoulders. “Look, I didn’t mean to yell, it’s just that…”
“There are so many factors now, aren’t there?” she asked. He didn’t need to answer. She knew the answer.
“I can’t loose sight of the objective. Not now, not when I’ve come so far.”
“It seems,” Gaia whispered. “That everyone has their own objective.”
***************
Makoto punched the wall over and over again, taking out all of her frustration and anger on it. Nephrite calmly watched her. She cursed and screamed until her punches became weak and tears finally fell down her cheeks. She then stood in tortured silence, her fists shaking and she tried to regain her control.
“I don’t believe it. No matter how you look at it Minako…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Makoto felt an aching stab in her heart and her gut twisted painfully. She felt like throwing up and yet at the same time she felt like inflicting major bodily harm to the one who caused her despair.
“Makoto…” Nephrite, unsure what to do exactly, slowly approached her.
“Why? I just want to know why she left us here. She knew that we felt the same way. She knew that we all wanted to go after Rinko and Usagi as well. So why did she leave?”
“Do you really want to know?” Nephrite asked. Makoto shook her head, but he decided to keep talking. “Kunzite was never going to help us, you knew that. He’s too much of a loner. Despite his empty promises Minako found some way of going with him, without announcing it to us.”
“Minako… Minako no baka,” she whispered. “Baka…”
***************
“Will this work?” Ami asked Zoicite. He stood in front of a large screen that hung between two pillars. At the base was a column that contained a single crystal orb. The screen was snowy and cracked slightly. The orb rolled in place as Zoicite ran his finger over the surface.
“Technology in the Moon Kingdom is, I mean, was very similar to the technology of the old Earth Empire. If I remember correctly, you could contact any planet using the communication orbs, but… I’m not sure if they are still in working order,” he said.
Ami held her hands together and silently prayed that her plan would work. In her mind she had kicked herself because she had not taken the necessary precautions around their enemy. She hadn’t researched the situation, or tried to understand the motives. The generals were also a bit of a distraction to everyone. Ami knew that she couldn’t blame her failures on Zoicite and the others. She only prayed that it wasn’t too late to fix her past mistakes, to set things right.
“I would have thought that Pluto would have contacted since this effects the entire galaxy,” Rei said, coming through the large doorway.
“I thoughts so to, but Rinko has managed to place several barriers around the Moon. Only Earthia’s powers were strong enough to break through it. Even then she could only do it a few times,” Zoicite said, still fiddling with the orb. “Much of the Moon’s defenses are still operational.”
“Look, I see something,” Ami piped up. A darkened face flashed on the screen. It became disrupted every once in a while.
“S… sailor…senshi… Trouble-princess is-can’t stop-Rinko-I know-” Pluto’s voice faded and crackled. Ami leaned forward with anticipation, urging Pluto to hold on.
“Give-power-come-side-orb-” Her voice faded and then the signal was gone.
“What was she trying to say?” Rei asked, directing the question to no one unparticular.
“Look, the side of the pillar is opening up,” Ami cried. Nonetheless, as the trio cast their eyes down to the pillar that the orb sat on, the sides slid up like an electronic door. There, inside, was a hand sized black and blue orb that seemed to shine.
“She must have sent this.” Zoicite picked it up. “It’s probably a transport orb. We each had one of these, a smaller version, when we worked with Metallia.”
“So with that you can take us to where Rinko and Usagi would be?” Rei hoped.
“I’ll certainly try to.”
*****************
“All hope isn’t lost sir.” Jedite sat down carefully next to Mamoru. His hands were folded in his lap and he stared at nothing. Seeing his old protectors again was overwhelming, but the fact that he had lost Usagi, his Usako, was even more disturbing then anything else in the world. She had been the only thing holding his life together. She had been right next to him, and then she had disappeared.
“I know things may seem glum now, but Zoicite and Ami are working on a way to reach Rinko in time.” Jedite slowed down his speech. He sat in silence with his prince.
“She’s everything to me,” Mamoru whispered. “When I see her, think about her, I get this overwhelming feeling of joy in my heart. Every part of me is alive. I love her too much to lose her again. I think… I think I’d rather die, then to have to go through another set of agonizing pain without her.” There was another long silence.
“My prince, you know…” Jedite didn’t finish as Mamoru cracked a smile.
“Thank you. I know I’ll need all the help I can get.”
***************
“Stop it! Stop it please!” Gaia’s voice screamed and echoed in the corridors. Minako’s elbow made contact with Kunzite’s stomach and he stumbled back, only to lurch forward with a brutal attack that make her loose her footing. He took the chance and grabbed her wrist, twisting it behind her. Minako looked behind her, gritting her teeth. His hold stayed firm, but Minako knew that she couldn’t, no she wouldn’t give up. She absolutely refused to be defeated, because if she were she would be left behind.
The whole fight started when Minako lost track of Kunzite in the lower catacombs. Earthia still lay sleeping in her chambers and Gaia had vanished as well. At first Minako was hit with anger, believing that Kunzite had left her. Then jealousy, thinking that he may have taken Gaia with him instead of her. Both of her speculations were right. Gaia and Kunzite were preparing the leave when she found them. Minako accused him of lying, and Kunzite denied it because of her so-called hostage scenario. They argued back and forth until Kunzite tried to push her back through the way she came, but Minako lashed out, thus starting the mini battle.
Minako kneeled down, using her weight to lift up and toss him over her shoulder. He recovered in record time, grabbing hold of her once again. Minako was slammed back against the solid stone wall and he held her there, a strong hand held tight around her arm and the other forcefully rested at the base of her throat. He was almost tempted to let her go, but with such anger and hatred showing in her eyes he knew that the moment he went lax the fight would start again.
“Let me go,” she hissed.
“It’s too dangerous, I’m not letting you go.”
“When did you start worrying about me Kunzite?” Minako asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Humor me Venus-san,” he whispered, and her breath caught in her throat as his lips lowered to her ear. He felt so much for her. He knew that starting this intimate situation was dangerous to his concentration and compromised his plans. He didn’t want to hurt her, not this way. She could not be allowed to…
“I need to go…” Minako looked away, her nature almost shy. “I need to protect you, I need to save Usagi… If I can do both…” She was starting to stutter and Kunzite was confused. What did he see lurking in her eyes? Guilt? Pain? Longing?
“I’m going to get that orb. You know damn well that the only way to stop Rinko is to kill her. She too strong.”
“No… If Rinko… Then Usagi would…”
“Your emotions are dangerous to your thinking. It’s best if you go back, forget everything.” Minako’s anger erupted.
“Like hell I will! Usagi is my friend and my princess. I won’t stand around and wait for her to die. I won’t sit around while she suffers. I refuse be beaten. I refuse to give up hope and I refuse to throw away the only chance my friends and I have!”
“And what chance is that huh?” He shook her. “The chance to die? You can’t beat Rinko, and neither can I if you’re there.” He cursed as Gaia called to him softly, signaling that they were ready for departure.
“Kunzite-“
“Just a little longer Minako… I don’t want to loose you… not again. If you wait just a little longer… you’ll be safe and I can show how I really feel. How I still feel.” Why did he say that out loud? He wanted to take back the words but it was too late. Some how he had a feeling that she knew. That she knew everything. Had her control snapped like his? Is that why she was prompted to fight him? What was her overall goal?
*******************
Where would she go? Possibly the gate of time. She knew that without the power to transform they could do little damage to Rinko and her overwhelming power. Life was cruel sometimes. She looked around to her friends. They were waiting for an answer, anything that would give them a tip as to where Usagi was. She tried hard, but only black came to her sight. She wasn’t concentrating hard enough and mentally told her body to relax and he mind to focus. Time was running out. She tried to not panic. A vague vision came to her. Casting her ESP talents across the universe was taking a toll on her mind. She had to concentrate. Usagi. She saw Usagi… and Rinko… and Pluto. All but Rinko seemed to be in pain. The orb was bright, and it lit up an area covered by billowing clouds. A single door loomed in the background. It was the gate of time.
“The gate of time,” she said quietly as the others listened intently. They were working as a team to try and solve this problem. This crisis. “She’s there.”
**************
“You don’t know what you’re doing!” Pluto panted. She hadn’t foreseen this event. She had no idea that this was going to endanger the lives of millions. Rinko, yeah she knew about Rinko. She knew about her despair over the loss of her planet after the Earth attacked.
“You of all people should understand Pluto-sama. You of all people should know about loneliness.” Rinko smiled and then smacked Pluto across the face. “Wench,” she hissed. Usagi cried out for Rinko to stop but she ignored her princess, her last source of survival.
“You won’t get away with this. I’ve already contacted the other senshi and there is no doubt that Earthia is on her way as well. You can’t win.” Pluto threatened. Her feet and hands were bound with a glowing string that seemed to cut into her flesh. She was battered and tired from fighting Rinko and she looked almost pathetic issuing threats in her weakened condition.
“Let them come. They wouldn’t lay a finger on me even if they could. They wouldn’t want to hurt their dear Hime.” Rinko glanced over at Usagi who was also bound. Soon this would all be just a lost memory and the former glory of the Silver Millennium will be restored.
No sooner had she issued the challenge then a flash was emitted in the background. She slowly peered over her shoulder. I would seem as though her time to linger was being cut short, in the end it wouldn’t matter at all. She had the power to recreate the universe, the power to destroy all she hated and recreate what she loved. She knew that the senshi of her Hime would come for her. Oh? Kunzite had shown up as well to retrieve the orb along with Gaia. This would, of course, prove to be futile in the end. She knew that she would win. As the senshi approached she laughed because she was going to achieve her dream, because she had the upper hand, and because she saw herself as an immortal being. She would not lose.
Author’s Note:
Oh my goodness! I have been so busy and I wanted to get this chapter out. It’s very sort as you can see. It’s kind of rushed, but I hope that you like the fast pasted, semi-detailed display of events I have here. Chapter 14 will hopefully be the last chapter and then there will be an epilogue because I love writing epilogues. Anyway, stay tuned. Feedback is always welcome. Keep Reading. Keep Writing!
