Hicoyu and Cye glared at each other deep inside of his mind. Cye was still alive, barely, but he could feel himself growing weaker. He could see what Hicoyu looked like now; an ugly creature with scrunched-up body and single strands of purple hair that hung from what looked like his scalp.
Chuckling wearily, Cye said, "Now, you can either get out, or die here with me. Your choice." He winced in pain and glanced down. A blood stain was on the front of his shirt, growing larger and larger. In the same spot, Hicoyu was also bleeding.
Hicoyu stared down at his injury in shock and rage. Finally, he nodded, knowing that Cye had beaten him. "Very well. I shall leave, for now." His eyes narrowed craftily as he spoke. "But you shall not enjoy this victory!" He lifted his hand and pointed at a spot behind Cye. The English boy whirled around to see a black, swirling portal open up. He cried out as he was sucked into the darkness. Hicoyu sneered in satisfaction and departed...
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars had tried their best to pull Sailor Mercury away from Cye's body, but their despondent blue-haired friend wouldn't stir. Finally, Kento, in his sub-armor like the other Ronins, picked her up his arms and carried her away. Once he had moved her, Sage went to work on Cye. He grasped the English boy's hand and closed his eyes, his entire body flaring up in a radiant green glow. Alosha took Cye's other hand and she lit up in a soft golden light. Jupiter and Rowen watched them anxiously as they attempted to heal him.
Kento set Mercury down and leaned her against a tree trunk. Venus came over and gently shook Mercury's shoulders. "Mercury?" No response. "Hey, come on, talk to me." Mercury stared blankly at Venus without really seeing her. She sat with her shoulders slumped and her head slightly lowered. She looked half-dead; she barely even breathed. If it wasn't for the infrequent blinks she saw, Venus wouldn't have known if Mercury was alive or not. "What's wrong with her?" she asked, a little frightened by Mercury's behavior.
"She's in shock," Kento said, wearily rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Venus asked worriedly, waving a hand in front of Mercury's face.
Kento stood and turned away, walking a few feet away. "I don't know. I think this incident hit her pretty hard."
"It hit all of us," Venus said quietly. She gave up trying to establish contact with Mercury and stepped back, observing her for any changes. "I guess only time will tell."
"Yeah..." Kento became silent, staring at ground. Then his expression turned furious and he suddenly punched viciously at it, burying his hand into the earth as he fell to his knees. "IDIOT!!!!" he shouted angrily, hitting the ground again and again. "You had to go and be so damn brave, didn't you Cye?! And now look what's happened!"
"Kento!" Ryo said sharply. He started to come over, but Venus held up her hand, motioning to him to stay back. She quietly watched Kento as he pounded his fist at the ground. He raised his arm for another blow, but instead he let it drop to his side. Leaning back onto his knees, his shoulders began to shake as he hung his head. Venus swallowed hard; several teardrops fell from Kento's face and soaked into the dirt.
"Why?" Kento whispered. "Why did you always have to care about everyone but yourself?" He could take a lot of things, but not this. Cye was the best friend he had ever had, and Kento just couldn't imagine being without him. Then he felt someone touch his shoulder and glanced back to see Venus. She stood behind him, and tears brimmed in her eyes as she shared his pain.
"I'm sorry," Venus said softly. "I know that he was a dear friend to you."
Kento looked at her for a moment, then slowly got to his feet. He briefly hugged her before pulling back, and a faint smile showed. "Thanks."
Meanwhile, Alosha released Cye's hand, breathing hard. She apologized weakly as Rowen held her up in a sitting position. "I'm afraid that I'm still not strong enough to help that much."
"Don't worry," Sage replied distractedly. "I'll finish this." He focused all his energy into healing Cye. The green light around him began growing brighter. Sage realized that despite his efforts, he couldn't find Cye's spirit. He should have been able to sense it by now. But it still hadn't come back.
He winced as pain started to accompany the weakness overcoming him. He might kill himself if he wasn't careful, but he had to do everything he could to bring Cye around. Cye really had no idea how important he was to all of them. He was the voice of reason in the insanity of battle, the calming factor that had so often saved the team from being swept away by blind fury. His gentleness and kind nature had brought out the best in Sage, in all the Ronins. They couldn't lose him now. Cye, he called mentally, searching the English boy's mind. Where are you? Come on, bud, don't leave us now...
"Fool!"
Hicoyu cringed as Trem loomed over him, his eyes blazing. His master knew that he had failed, and now his punishment would be severe. He had never expected that boy to take his own life to save his friends. Either way, Trem did not look upon carelessness lightly. "I'm sorry, master," Hicoyu said hastily. "I did not foresee this."
Trem scoffed, turning away with a sneer. "I'm sure." He thought for a moment, then spoke very calmly to his minion. "Go and kill them. If you fail this time, then do not bother coming back."
Hicoyu nodded gratefully. "Yes, master." He quickly made the fastest exit he could without looking idiotic...
Jupiter watched worriedly as Sage tried to help his friend. He'd been at it for such a long time. Wasn't he taking his own energy to do this? She didn't know how far he would go to help Cye. He might hurt himself. Sage finally let out a small sigh and nearly collapsed backwards onto the ground with a thud. "Sage!" Jupiter was there in an instant, supporting his weight. "Sage?" she asked in alarm
Sage weakly smiled at her, sitting up with some difficulty. "I'm okay."
Ryo stepped up and knelt down next to Cye. Carefully, he lifted the bloodstained shirt and peered tentatively at the English boy's chest. Then he dropped the clothe, sighing in relief.
"How is he?" Kento asked, coming over with Venus.
"Well, the wound is gone. I think Mercury was able to stop some of the blood flow." Ryo then frowned in puzzlement and concern. "But he isn't waking up."
"Why?" Kento protested. "He should be okay now!"
"Because," Sage answered tiredly, "he's trapped."
"What?" Tuxedo Mask said, confused.
"I searched his mind while I was healing him. Physically, Cye is just fine. But his personality has been shoved back into the depths of his consciousness. And he's stuck there. He also lost a lot of blood, so he's not strong enough to get back on his own." Sage lowered his head and spoke in a defeated tone. "If we can't find a way to bring him back, we could still lose him."
"But how can we do that?" Sailor Moon asked.
Sailor Mars crinkled her brow as she thought. "Somehow, someone has to go in his mind and get him."
"That just leaves us right where we started," Ryo stated, disheartened.
Meanwhile, the wheels in Rowen's head were now turning at an incredible rate. An idea had dawned upon him, and he excitedly opened the link between him and Alosha. We could do that, couldn't we?
Do what? Alosha looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Send someone in after Cye! You were able to come into my mind when I was dreaming. Couldn't we do the same thing now?
Alosha's eyes lit up as she heard this. That might work! She would have jumped up in her eagerness, had she be able to. But healing Cye had taken a lot out of her. So she opted for simply speaking out in an urgent voice. "I can send someone into Cye's mind to help him get out."
"You can?!" Kento's hope suddenly skyrocketed.
Jupiter looked a bit doubtful. "Aren't you too weak for that right now?"
"I'll manage. But there are dangers to doing this," Alosha warned. "If I were to do this, and the person wasn't able to escape, then their body would die after a short time without that individual to occupy it."
Ryo stood up unhesitatingly. "I'm willing to take that chance. Send me in!" Whiteblaze growled unhappily; he didn't like that one bit.
"No way, Ryo!" Kento declared. "I'm going in after him. If you got stuck, where would we be?"
"It's no different from you, Kento!" Ryo disagreed.
Sage interrupted their argument before it got any worse. "Or any of us. I don't know if we can afford to lose any other members of our team."
"He's right," Rowen said. "We have to make sure we send someone who can do this." He glanced over at Sage, who was having trouble holding his head up. "No offense Sage, but I don't think you should go." Sage chuckled wearily, and nodded in agreement.
"Then I'll go." Everyone turned in surprise at the voice. Mercury was standing up, her legs trembling. She looked absolutely haggard, but her eyes shone with determination.
Ryo was surprised for a moment, then he shook his head. "No. I can't have you take that risk."
"I wasn't asking for your permission," she said curtly, startling Ryo and her friends. She walked over to Cye and knelt down. Her hand shook as she stretched out and gently pushed away a strand of auburn hair that had fallen on Cye's face. Her eyes shimmered slightly, but she bit her lip to hold it in. "I'm going to get him and that's it."
"Mercury..." Sailor Moon began to protest, but Mercury cut her off.
"Don't start, Serena," she said sharply. "You of all people should understand why I'm doing this. If there's even a slim chance that I can bring Cye back, I'll take it." She looked at Sailor Moon with an expression that was pleading with her to understand why she was doing this. "Wouldn't you do the same for Darien?"
Sailor Moon was taken back by that. She glanced back at Tuxedo Mask, who smiled faintly. But she was still uncertain. "But..."
"Let her go," Kento said. "I think she can do it." Mercury turned to face him in surprise as he came and put his hands on her shoulders. "Get Cye back, okay?"
She stared at him a second before nodded confidently. "Sure."
Alosha instructed Mercury to lie down next to Cye and take his hand. Then Alosha put one hand on her forehead, and the other on Cye's. "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Once you are inside his mind, you must find him as quickly as possible and find a way out. It will probably be a place that he cannot enter easily." Alosha then began to concentrate, and Mercury immediately felt an intense wave of drowsiness wash over her. Then blackness enveloped her and she felt as though she was falling. All the noises around her faded away, and all she could hear was her heart beating slowly. Mercury was incredibly relaxed, but her mind was totally alert. Cye, I will get you back. Or, she thought with grim determination, I won't leave at all...
Amy abruptly blinked and sat up, dizziness hitting her. Her head was whirling, but it ceased after a minute. Glancing at herself, she was startled to find that she was not in her sailor fuku anymore. But she brushed it off quickly; she had more important things to worry about. She got to her feet and took in her surroundings. Amy was on a beach a few feet away from the surf. Waves crashed against the sand, spraying a sea mist into the air. A warm breeze blew from the ocean, tousling her hair a little. Now what, she wondered to herself. How can I find Cye here?
"Hey, lady, are you okay?" a voice asked. Amy looked down in surprise to see a young boy staring up at her. He was only half her height, and seemed to be about eight years old. Grinning, he tilted his head to one side as he asked, "Are you sick or something?"
"Uh, no, I'm fine." Amy was puzzled as to whom this child was, but she didn't dwell on it. She knelt down to his eye level and peered at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Me? Nothing really," the boy replied, an English accent hanging onto his words. He pointed down the beach a couple of yards. "I was watching the waves when I saw you laying over here. I thought you were hurt, so I came to help."
Amy smiled at the boy's concern. "Well, I'm just fine, but thank you for being worried."
The little boy blushed fiercely, and rubbed the back of his head. "You're welcome," he said shyly.
What a sweet boy, Amy thought. He reminded her of someone, but she couldn't place it at the moment. Perhaps this boy knew where Cye was. "Uh, say," she asked quickly, "have you seen a person about my age around here? He has blue-green eyes and reddish-brown hair."
The boy blinked a moment before answering. "Nah, I haven't seen anyone like that ." His eyes widened as he comprehended something. "Hey! My eyes and hair are those colors." He gestured excitedly to his head and face. "See?"
Amy looked and was startled to find that, indeed, his unkempt hair and bright eyes were like Cye's. Well, this was Cye's mind. Maybe this kid was the memory of a sibling or something. "What's your name? And is there anyone else around here?" she asked curiously.
"My name?" The boy became troubled by her questions. "I...I can't remember." He lowered his head as he added in a soft voice, "And there's no one here but me."
Amy was shocked to hear this. "You're all alone?"
He nodded slightly, and Amy contemplated his situation. Why would a child be by himself in this place? She noticed that his bottom lip was trembling and was instantly sorry for upsetting him. She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Well, you're not alone anymore. My name is Amy."
The boy lifted his eyes and joy lit up his face. "Nice to meet you!" he said happily. After thinking for a second, he took her wrist and began tugging her arm. "Come with me! I wanna show you something neat!"
Amy was undecided for a moment. Alosha had told her she needed to find Cye and get him out of here as soon as possible. But one look into the boy's adorable, eager face, and she knew there was no way she could say no. What the heck, she didn't know what else she could do until she actually found Cye. And Amy had no idea where to even start looking. "All right," she agreed, allowing him to pull her along.
The boy lead her to a rocky cliff and released her hand. He started climbing the relatively high peak, not having any trouble at all. Amy watched worriedly until he made it up, and then he called down to her. "Come on! It's really not that hard to climb."
"Uh, okay!" Amy searched and finally found a foot hold she could use. She slowly made her way up the ridge, fearing that the rock would crumble under her weight. After a few minutes, she was on the top, out of breath. "What's up here that you wanted to show me?" she asked in puzzlement. The boy simply smiled broadly and pointed. Amy followed his finger and gasped in awe. From here, they had a fabulous view of the ocean. The sun shone brightly in the sky, making the water sparkle as the tide caused it to swell and foam. The scenery took Amy's breath away; she'd never seen such a beautiful thing before. "How wonderful!"
"That's nothing," he declared. "Look out there!"
As Amy watched, something broke the surface of the sea, leaping high into the air. "A dolphin," she said in delight. Several more of the creatures jumped out of the water as they traveled across the ocean. A whole pod of them played happily in the surf. "They're so fast!"
"Some of them are racing," the boy said, observing the animals contentedly. "The younger ones are trying to see which of them is the quickest."
Amy turned to him with a perplexed expression. "How do you know?"
"I can hear them," he replied easily. "I talk to them all the time."
"What?" she exclaimed. "Are you telling me that you communicate with sea-life?"
"Yeah." He blushed sheepishly as though he wasn't used to people asking about this. "I've been able to do it for a long time."
"Amazing!" Amy was very impressed and astounded. As she turned her head to follow the dolphins' movements, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked behind her and noticed a cave in the rocky wall. "Hey, what's that?" Amy started to head over to the opening when a hand caught her arm. She glanced down in surprise as the young boy clutched her wrist.
"Don't go in there!" he pleaded, his expression full of fear.
"Why in the world not?" Amy didn't understand why he had suddenly become so afraid.
The boy peered at the dark interior of the cave nervously as he said, "Because there's a scary man inside! I went in there to explore and he tried to get me!"
"Do you know who it was?" Amy asked questioningly.
He shook his head in a vigorous manner. "I couldn't see him; it was too dark." The boy frowned as he thought. "But he had some kind of weird armor on."
"What?" Amy gasped in shock. She absorbed this information quickly. A person with armor? There was a good chance that it could be Cye! But Cye was a gentle, kind person. He wouldn't deliberately scare a child like that. Never mind that, she thought. If it's Cye, then I have to find him. "Stay here," she told the boy. "I'm going in."
"But it's dangerous!" the boy protested. "Please don't go!"
Amy patiently tried to remove the boy's hand from her arm, though she was now in a terrible hurry. "I'll be all right. I'm just need to see if my friend is in there."
The boy let go of her hand and stared at her sadly. "You're gonna leave, aren't you?"
A lump developed in Amy's throat; he seemed so lonely right then that she hated to leave like this, but she knew she had no choice. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "but I really can't stay here."
His eyes were becoming misty, but he forced a smile. "It's okay. I guess you've got things to do." He suddenly hugged her, wrapping his short arms around her waist. After a brief moment, he pulled back and sniffed, rubbing at his eyes. "I'll miss you, Amy."
Amy was torn as he said her name; she very much wanted to say she'd stay after all and keep him company. But Cye...she couldn't turn back now; he was too important to her. "Thank you," she said gratefully. Then she turned and went into the cave without a second look back.
The boy watched her silently as she disappeared into the inky blackness. Then he whispered quietly, "Be careful."
Amy shivered slightly as she made her way through the darkness. The temperature dropped drastically as she headed farther into the depths of the cave. Her eyes adjusted slowly until she could finally walk with tripping on the uneven ground. The sound of water dripping echoed along with her footsteps, making her feel very apprehensive. Where could Cye be?
She finally came to an open area and came to a stop, searching around. There was much more light here and she could clearly see another dark tunnel in front of her. She then heard a scraping noise come from the blackness. Someone was coming toward her. Amy squinted, but she couldn't make the person out. "Cye?" she called. "Is that you?"
Amy saw a flash of light and her eyes widened as a sword shot out of the darkness, making a beeline for her head. She threw herself out of the way just in time. The blade imbedded itself into the ground and strange, discolored vapors smoked from it.
"You shouldn't have come here, girl!" Amy looked up to see a man standing before her. He did indeed have armor on, but it was an ugly brown and green. A face plate on the helmet covered his face, but she could see his beady, black eyes glaring at her. Five other katanas were attached to his back. This was definitely not Cye. "You will not escape alive," he said with an evil laugh. "My venom had already scarred your flesh."
"Venom?" Amy winced and glanced at her hand to see a small slash. The pain coming from it was intense, and it spread up her arm at an alarming rate.
The man motioned with his fingers and the sword in the ground quivered. It flew out if the earth and back to his hand. He pulled out one other and pointed it at her. "Now you shall die!"
"No..." Amy fell to her knees, trembling as her body went numb. It was difficult and painful to move. Breathing was becoming an agonizing process. What's happening, she wondered, dazed. She concentrated through her disorientation, and her transformation pen appeared in her hand. Her arm shook as she raised it.
"Mercury...Star..." Then red hot pain stabbed through her and the pen fell from her grasp. Her eyes clouded over and everything became blurred. No, I can't afford to die yet! Not until I find Cye.
"Amy!" A voice broke through her hazy thoughts and she felt someone trying to get her up. Her vision cleared enough for her to see the worried face of the little boy from the beach. He was doing his best to help Amy to her feet, but he wasn't strong enough. "What's wrong with you?" he asked frantically.
Amy lifted her head painfully to look at him. "I think...I've been...poisoned."
"Poisoned?!" The boy was horrified. Then he saw the armored man standing in front of them and his eyes narrowed. He stood and put himself between Amy and the evil person. "Leave her alone!"
"I warned you once, boy, to stay away," the man said angrily.
"I won't let you hurt Amy," the boy declared bravely. His fear was unreadable as he glared defiantly at the man, but he was terribly frightened. To him, this person was the most terrifying thing he had ever had to face. However, his need to protect Amy overshadowed this fear. "She's very important to me."
"You're already too late," the man laughed haughtily. "She's dying as we speak."
"What?!" The boy turned to see Amy laying on her side. She didn't have the strength to sit up anymore. "Amy, no!" He knelt next to her, shaking her shoulders. "Get up!"
"I can't..." she said, her brain fogging over. She shuddered as agony racked her body, paralyzing all her nerves and senses. "Cye," she whispered as she passed out, "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
"Cye...?" The boy froze when he heard that name. He knew it, somehow. His head began to hurt, and he put a hand to his forehead as unknown memories flooded into his mind. Five young men with powerful armor, fighting an evil emperor. Death, destruction, suffering. People being killed. No, the boy thought desperately, I don't want to remember this! Then he saw something else.
A young man with auburn hair and sea-green eyes, wielding a mighty trident against demon soldiers. He wore light-blue armor that emitted massive power. Many battles flashed by in a single second. Then several scenes of that boy and his four friends flashed by, happy memories of good times. Then it changed, and that same boy in blue armor was fighting a wicked ice demon to protect a girl, who turned out to be Amy. The scene shifted again and the boy appeared to be struggling with some inner evil. He grabbed the trident and declared, "If you won't leave, then I'll make you get out!" With that, he stabbed himself.
The little boy gasped and everything became crystal clear to him at that moment. It was so simple. He stood and faced the man, understanding what he had to do. "Now I see. I know why I was afraid of you before. You represent the terrible parts of my life. But I can't run from my life anymore, even if misfortunes occur." He glanced back at the unconscious Amy and said, "I have to protect my friends, and Amy." He closed his eyes, and something blazed forth on his forehead. His small body lit up in a brilliant blue light. It flooded the cave and the sinister man disappeared with a screech. Then it faded away, the interior of the cave becoming silent.
His eyes opened and he smiled slightly; he remembered everything now. He glanced down at himself and wasn't particularly surprised to see that he wasn't a child anymore. He was a young man now, and he had important matters to take care of. Turning, he went and knelt next to Amy. Gently, he quickly lifted her up in his arms. She cried out weakly in pain when he touched her; everything seemed to hurt her. "Hang on, Amy," he said softly as he carried her. "You'll be okay, I promise." He walked toward the dark passage that the evil person had been blocking, and disappeared into the blackness...
In case you were wondering, yes, the man in the cave was Sekmet. I have a good reason for it, trust me. So anyway, see ya later!
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