part 12
by Sonya-chan
sonias@globetrotter.net
sutaahela@geocities.com
***Note*** This part was written with lots of listening to the X-Japan song "X". To get the right feel for the reading, listening to the song is recommended. ^_^
The Senshi gasped at the demons getting out of the portal at top speed. Most of them rushed past them to terrorize the population. There were too many of them, to prevent them to do that. Rei's grandfather and Yuuchiro were trying to put up wards to keep them contained into temple grounds. Unfortunately, they were soon swarmed and had no choice but to defend themselves.
"Burning MANDALA!!!" yelled Sailor Mars dispatching hundreds of flaming spheres on the demons attacking her grandfather and Yuuchiro. She hit a lot of them but they were legions and was soon starting to deal with demons of her own.
"YATEN!!" yelled Fighter as she ran to Kurama who was holding both Healer and Hiei in his arms.
"Oh Stars, Yaten..." she cried. She knew too well what it meant to have your starseed taken. She expected Healer to start vanishing as soon as she got there. But she was surprised and relieved to see Healer still breathing, although she thought it didn't make any sense. The starseed was the core of her being. How could the starseed be out of her body and she be still alive?
Fighter was trying to figure it out, shaking Healer to wake her up. Maybe she would have some answers. Kurama put a hand on Fighter's shoulder.
"Don't shake her too much..." he said softly. "I even wonder if she'll be able to wake up now..."
Fighter saw that he was fighting tears and that he blinked them away not wanting to show how much he was concerned for Healer but Fighter saw it. She also saw the love that was in his eyes and felt in her heart when she saw Kurama looking down on Healer. He loved her... she knew it then, he really loved her. Oh Yaten... she thought, you finally found someone... I envy you, my little sister.
Then her eyes grew wide. She felt it inside Healer. There was still a small fragment of her Starseed inside her. That was the thing that was keeping her alive, barely but alive.
She had to tell the others. Yaten could still be saved. They just had to find a way to put her Starseed where it belonged. Maybe Sailor Moon could purify it. It would close the portal.
"Listen... hummm..." Fighter started trying to remember how Yaten had called him.
"Kurama... my name is Kurama..." he said sensing her plight.
"Kurama, I have an idea to save Healer... Yaten, but I need to tell the others of my plan... Could you please take care of her?" she said.
He nodded. She hadn't even needed to ask but Kurama smiled. Fighter trusting her to Yaten made him feel accepted by her. Fighter put her hand on his shoulder.
"We'll save her... " she said to him. She began to know why Taiki had trusted him. He cared for Yaten a lot. I wish, she thought, that the situation would be less dangerous and I just hope I can get to know him better. Kurama nodded, as he held Yaten in his arms there was a greenish shield around them. She knew Yaten was safe in his arms. She left them and tried to reach Sailor Moon who was battling her share of demons with Prince Endymion.
Kurama felt a warmness in his heart. That feeling was the very thing that had erected this shield. It's a power I never had before, he thought. I feel something is growing inside of me. Kurama felt Hiei wake up, and moved to a standing position.
"How is she?" Hiei asked. He took out his katana, scanning the battle ahead.
"She's still alive... barely." Kurama replied, choking on his tears. He felt so helpless to help her. He gasped when he felt Healer's gloved hand on his face. He opened his eyes to see that she was looking up at him, her green eyes waning from her ordeal.
"Don't cry Kurama..." she whispered barely audible. "Kurama... Hiei..." she continued. "Onegai... you must protect Sailor Moon... forget about me..."
Hiei kneeled next to her. "We can't do that... what if the demons attack you?"
"They won't... you know they won't... if I get hurt they hurt their master..." she replied.
Kurama nodded. Of course, he hadn't thought of that... She was the safest person here. The demons wouldn't dare hit her.
"I had surmised as much..." said a voice behind them. It was Sailor Star Maker. She was getting up and was helping Sailor Mercury to her feet. Sailor Uranus was shaking her head.
"That's quite a punch you pack Healer..." she said.
Mercury nodded. "But I have to agree with Healer... we must protect Sailor Moon... and Prince Endymion." Both Maker and Uranus nodded their consent.
"Wait... Why?..." asked Kurama. "Why is she so important?" Maker, Mercury and Uranus looked at each other, unknowing if they could trust them with the secret. Healer spoke up, her hand still on Kurama's cheek.
"Because..." she started. "She is the real target... the real prize that Pazoles is after... I'm just the decoy..." Kurama and Hiei understood. Neo-Queen Serenity must be Sailor Moon.
"You are right... Yaten... but I can't just leave you here..." replied Kurama.
"Please... help her... She is the future of this planet... you must... You know I'm right..." she whispered.
"I can't... I won't leave you..." he cried. Mercury and Uranus were touched, the depths of their love touched them.
"Onegai... Kurama... You must... if she dies... there won't be a safe place here... please help her, protect her..." she cried herself as he put his head against her shoulder. "Please, she's the most important person on this planet... you can't let Pazoles win..."
Kurama lifted his head and looked at her, tears streaking from both their eyes. He swallowed hard trying to get rid of the lump he had in his throat.
"I'll will help her, Yaten... but I wish I could protect you too... I love you..." He kissed her, his tears flowing out unbidden as he felt her respond with the same passion. They broke the kiss.
"I know..." she replied. "I feel the same way... now... go... please save her..."
Kurama nodded and placed her gently on the ground. He reluctantly got up. "I'll be back for you." he said, she smiled weakly and nodded. Uranus and Hiei led him over to the battle. Healer's eyes fluttered shut as they rushed the battle.
"FUUKA EMBUZIN!" yelled Kurama in a vengeance. As soon as he had said this a shower of razor sharp blades of grass and rose petals whirlwind around him. With a mental command he send them to the demons attacking Fighter and Sailor Moon.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" screamed Fighter. "YOU HAVE TO PROTECT HEALER!!!" Kurama cringed. It hurt to be reminded.
"SEIYA!!" said Maker. "No demon will attack her. If they kill her, they kill the boss and their plans will go tumbling down..."
Fighter understood. She also saw it tore Kurama inside. She put her hand on his shoulder, saying without words that she was sorry for yelling at him. Mercury gasped.
"URANUS!!!" They spun around to see Sailor Uranus running back to Healer, in her hand her Space Sword appeared. She stopped when she reached Healer, she rose her Sword.
"YAMETE!!! URANUS!!! YAMETE!!!" Fighter screamed. Kurama and Hiei watched to scene paralyzed. Everything seemed to play in slow motion.
Healer looked up to Uranus. There was such a calmness in Healer's face. Uranus hesitated.
"Please..." whispered Healer. "You know there isn't any other way... do it!"
"Yaten... Healer... Forgive me..." Uranus lifted her Sword higher and with an anguish cry she let the blade fall.
"URANUS!! NOOOOO!!!!" cried Fighter.
But as her sword swung down Uranus was hit by a burst of energy that sent her and her sword flying into one of the granite statues. She hit it so strongly she crushed it. She fell in a bloody heap, not getting up.
Fighter, Maker Mercury, Hiei and Kurama turned around. Pazoles was stepping out of the portal. He was the one that had blasted...
"URANUS!!!" screamed Neptune. She turned around, ignoring the demons to rush at her lover's side. The demons were on her like hungry dogs on a meaty bone, tearing at her back. She fell. Soon there was a group of demons on her tearing at her flesh.
Maker and Mercury grabbed each other's hand. They began to yell
"STAR..."
"SUPER NOVA..." said Maker.
"AQUATIC..." added Mercury.
"BLAST!!!" they both finished.
>From each of their hands two balls of energy were formed. They threw it at the demons that attacked Neptune. When the two balls collided, the blast was so intense the demons on Neptune were vaporized. The blow of the explosion swiped the flying demons away. Almost everyone stopped fighting.
"Wow!" said Ranma as Fighter looked incredulous at Mercury and Maker.
"That's some attack..." she managed to said.
"Congratulations..." said Pazoles. "You've just became dangerous..." he said a few arcane words and underneath Sailor Mercury and Maker the ground started to shake. Ebony tentacles sprang from the Earth and before either of them could react, it separated them and englobed then in a cocoon made of tentacles. Those tentacles turned gray. Maker and Mercury were trapped in stone.
"MAKER!! MERCURY!!" yelled Fighter she tried to blast the hard shell.
Ranma unleashed the White Tornado Dragon Attack. He had no choice. He saw in horror Ryoga being overwhelmed by demons. Ryoga was strong, but the sheer number and viciousness of his attackers were enough to take him. Shampoo fought valiantly but she, too, showed signs of exhaustion. The demons were relentless and they grew in number. The only way to stop them was to strike at their source, the head demon. But since one of the Sailor Senshi was linked to it, the others were afraid to strike and kill one of their own. Sailor Moon and the guy in armor that fought with her were holding their own but there were already four senshi that were unable to continue the battle.
As he struck at the demons, Ranma also saw that Sailor Venus was helping Sailor Mars who was bleeding from a side wound. Sailor Jupiter was helping that Kuwabara guy. He had been really chewed badly from the demons. He was victorious over them, but he was wounded and bled from various places on his body.
Nope. The only way to finish this was to destroy the head demon. Ranma rushed him and attacked him with the White Tornado Dragon Attack. Ranma gasped. That Demon just looked at him and laughed, too late to prevent anything. Ranma understood. The demon has absorbed the ki of his attack and threw it back at him. Ranma screamed as he was propelled by his own reverse attack. He collapsed on the ground.
Prince Endymion fought next to his beloved Sailor Moon. Things were dire. Their numbers were diminishing for their enemies grew in ardor and number. It's hopeless, he thought. No, I mustn't think that... it's what it wants.
"My Prince... look out!" said Jadeite as he pushed Endymion aside and took the attack that was intended for his Prince. Endymion tried to strike at the demons. One of them got lucky and managed to smash his sword. One of the pieces was thrown all the way near Healer.
Seeing the demon rush him, Endymion materialized four roses and threw them at his opponent. Some fell, but more were still advancing on him. He conjured some more roses but as he was about to throw them, a wall of razor sharp blades of grass rose from the ground transpiercing the demons that flew to him. He was so shocked at the viciousness of the attack, he dropped one of his roses. Next to Endymion, Kurama appeared.
"Are you okay?" the red haired boy asked.
"Hai..." replied Endymion. "What happened?"
"This..." Kurama said as he concentrated. He took the rose Endymion had dropped. What happened next took Endymion's breath away. The rose grew in Kurama's hand. It produced many more blooms and thorns. It elongated until it finally took the appearance of a sword.
"It's my power..." said Kurama. "I have power over the plants to make whatever I need from them."
He gave the sword to Endymion. As soon as he touched it he knew that this sword was as long lasting as his roses. "To replace your broken sword... now go protect Sailor Moon..." Kurama said.
"Hai... Arigato Kurama-san..." Endymion said gratefully and he leap over the sharp grass to get at his beloved.
Meanwhile, Sailor Moon was almost overwhelmed herself. She got distracted as Venus and Mars were stuck down. She tried to attack, but then a dragon made of black flames stood itself between her and the demons. She gasped and saw the boy with black and white hair strain. The dragon must be his doing, she thought. The dragon lashed out and destroyed the demons that attacked Sailor Moon. As quickly as it appeared, the dragon disappeared, leaving a sight of carnage behind. Sailor Moon saw Hiei fall down on the ground exhausted. She ran to him. He smiled. He had succeeded. She was safe. He just hoped she would still be until the battle was over.
Healer opened her eyes. She felt no more pain. Does that mean I'm...
"Dead?... no not yet... " said a familiar voice. Healer turned her head.
"Sailor Pluto..." Healer said. She saw next to Pluto, Sailor Saturn.
Healer looked around. They were no longer on the battle ground. They seemed to be in some sort of no place... It was hard to describe, almost a place that existed out of time.
"Where are we? Did we win?" asked Healer.
"The battle still rages on..." said Saturn.
"We are in Limbo, Sailor Star Healer... although you are not completely here..." Pluto said, and she pointed something to Healer. She looked down and saw an ethereal umbilical cord. She was there but not physically.
"How?" said Healer. Botan appeared on her oar.
"You are between worlds Sailor Star Healer. Your empathic powers have lead you here..."
"Because we must explain to you your most important mission..." said a voice behind Healer. She turned around and was faced with a young girl with pink hair. She wore a Sailor Senshi costume and on her forehead she had the symbol of the moon. Her face was familiar, too, Healer thought she resembled.
"Sailor Moon..." Healer whispered.
"Not yet..." the girl beamed proudly. "But one day... I will be..."
Saturn approached her. "She is Usagi and Mamoru's daughter. I was visiting her in the 30th century when the temporal rift occurred. I am trapped in the 30th Century. That is why I could not join you in battle..."
Botan spoke up. "Sailor Star Healer, Princess Yaten, you are the only one who can stop Pazoles..."
I can't, she thought. The only way I can do that is if I...
"Yes..." said Pluto. "You know exactly what you must do..."
"But why?" Healer sunk to the ground crying. "Haven't I suffered enough?" She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Trust fate... Sailor Star Healer... Trust Sailor Moon... " she smiled.
Healer would have rebuked the girl but something about her told her she was saying the truth. She represented the future, a future of peace that will never come to pass unless, Pazoles was taken care of. Looking at her, Healer found the resolve to do what had to be done.
She stood up, she saw the senshi and Botan smile at her, giving her even more strength.
"I understand..." she simply said and vanished.
Fighter was trying to open the casket of stone, when suddenly it burst open. Maker got out, gasping for air, panting. She had obviously taken the remains of her power to burst out of her tomb.
"A... Ami-chan..." she gasped, looking at Fighter. Fighter flew into a rage. She concentrated all of her energy in a single blast
"STAR SERIOUS LAZER!!!" She fell to her knees. She had given all she could in that blast and she only managed to crack the blasted thing. Maker tried to get up and concentrate to blast at Mercury's cocoon, but she had no more power left.
"AMI-CHAAAANN!! NOOO!!!" she yelled. Just then she saw a blast of pure energy hit the stone coffin. Yuusuke had used his last Rei-gun to free Mercury, who gasped for air as the stone crumbled around her. Maker scrambled to her feet and crawled to Mercury. She collapsed when she realized she was alive.
"Meddlers..." said Pazoles next to him. Razor sharp ebony tentacles sprouted and targeted Yuusuke. As he turned around, Yuusuke was pushed by Kurama who got hit by the tentacles in his place.
"Even better..." chuckled Pazoles as he enjoyed the pain he was putting Kurama through. He ordered the tentacles to lift him off the ground and to stab him in no vital places. Kurama screamed. "Yes... Kurama... I want you to suffer, you traitor... You have defended the humans for too long... Your death will be a long and tortuous one, and even when you beg me to kill you... I won't..." Pazoles started to laugh as his tentacles hurt Kurama.
There was a blur and Kurama was free. He saw Prince Endymion cut through the tentacles with the rose sword Kurama had just given him. Endymion landed near him, checking if Kurama was okay.
Pazoles wasn't pleased at all. He was about to launch another attack when...
"PAZOLES!!!" A voice rang clearly. It was Healer. They all turned around and they saw her standing up, Endymion's severed sword in her hand.
"You thought my friends wouldn't have the guts to kill me. You just forgot about me!" She leapt into the air. Pazoles' eyes grew wide. She had understood the only way to stop him. The destruction of the possessed Starseed, killing herself outright wouldn't have destroyed him but the destruction of the Starseed would destroy both her and him, permanently.
"NO!" Pazoles said, sending his armies of demons against her but it was too little, too late. Kurama screamed her name as she started to swing the sword downward.
"KURAMAA! I LOVE YOU!" She screamed just before the sword hit the crystal. As it hit, the sword shattered the starseed into millions of shards and they cascaded to the ground like snow on Christmas Day.
There was a blinding, purifying light that shone from the heart of the destroyed Starseed. Pazoles and his demon writhed in agony at the purity of the light. Pazoles cracked like the crystal and was pulverized. The demons followed their master in death as their bodies burned in the pristine light.
The clouds and the dark lightning disappeared. All those who had fallen in battle regained consciousness, still alive. They heard a mournful cry...
"YAAAAAAAAAATTEEEEEEEENNN.....!!!!" Kurama scrambled to his feet. He couldn't get to her fast enough. His legs didn't want to respond as he ran and fell, fighting to stay up. He saw her body float slowly to the ground.
"No.... Yaten...." said Fighter with tears in her eyes. Maker had a mask of pain and hopelessness on her face as she saw Kurama reach Yaten's all too immobile form. She felt Mercury cry, her head buried on her shoulder. They saw Pluto and Saturn get out of the temple just as Kurama reached Healer who floated like a feather to the ground.
She was at his height when he reached her. He placed his arms to receive her. As soon as she touched him, her costume shred into ribbons and they shifted on her. When they settled, Kurama held Princess Yaten in his arms. She wore a pale green dress and a small tiara studded with stars.
He fell to his knees, searching desperately for signs that she was still alive. The Senshi approached. Even Uranus and Neptune were relatively all right. Uranus looked at Yaten with a new found respect... She just wished she didn't have to die to make her see how brave she was. Sailor Moon, Endymion and the rest of the Senshi prayed, prayed that Yaten was all right. But Maker and Fighter knew better. They felt it, her starseed extinguish and with it, her life.
The hopes of Sailor Moon and the others were shattered when they heard Kurama cry out her name in anguish as he collapsed over her...
End of part 12
To be continued...
Yes I know, it's sad what happened but I ask you to stay tuned next week
for part 13... All I can say is the story isn't finished... and be sure to
bring plenty of Kleenex... I know I'll need them.
