Absence - By Kirika
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Chapter 14 - Death Is No Bar To Your Call
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Rei supported her head in one hand as she looked out the train window, watching the scenery fly by. She let out a deep sigh. Rei was on her way back to Tokyo, back to her old life� back to her. But there was never any choice in the matter; Setsuna said Usagi needed her and that was enough to make Rei come.
After Khairephon was defeated, Tsubasa, Rei and Setsuna had gone to Sanjuro's apartment to get Rei's things, the light of the rising sun over them. Rei had been anxious to leave immediately, despite her injuries and her obvious exhaustion. However, Setsuna said there was plenty time and insisted that Rei come and stay with her in her hotel room to rest. Rei had reluctantly agreed. She had been utterly drained from her long night of fighting. Tsubasa left Sanjuro's with his clothes to go back to his own apartment, and Setsuna told him what train station Rei and her would be leaving from and what time the train departed. Rei wondered why Setsuna bothered� Usagi was in danger and Rei would go to her, but it changed nothing� Rei would eventually have to return to Yokohama, alone. Rei Hino and Sailor Mars were still dead. But Setsuna just gave her a look and said it was better if she said goodbye. Setsuna then took Rei to her hotel room; Rei guessed you had to be able to foresee the future to actually get a room in the city. She helped Rei treat her wounds, never asking about the multitude of other bandages that covered her body, and told her to sleep. Rei had wanted to ask questions; what danger was Usagi in? What was going on back in Tokyo? But Setsuna would say nothing and just pointed to the bed.
Rei had slept long and it was late into the afternoon by the time she awoke. Setsuna and Rei had then left for the train station to head back to Tokyo. Tsubasa had been waiting for them and had a flat box under his arm. He had presented it to Rei and told her since she didn't seem to have one; he had gone out and bought one for her. Rei had accepted the present and simply said goodbye. Tsubasa told her he would check up on Sanjuro and to say hi to Usagi for him, which caused Rei to give him a cold expression and board the train. Rei never told him her real name.
Rei let out another sigh, her breath clouding the window. She was scared to return to Tokyo, to her friends and family. Rei had every intention to remain hidden if she could, helping from the shadows and never revealing her true identity to any of the Sailor Senshi. But she was afraid if she saw Usagi that all will to leave again would abandon her. It had taken everything Rei had to leave the first time, to do it a second� Rei didn't know if she had that level of determination. Rei squirmed in her seat. The call inside her that she had first felt during the fight with Khairephon was still there. It had never left her ever since it appeared. Rei turned her head towards Setsuna who sat in the seat next to her.
"Will you tell me why I'm heading back to Tokyo now?" she asked, slightly frustrated.
"�You know why. You are needed," Setsuna replied, never taking her eyes off the book she was reading.
Rei ground her teeth. "I -know- I'm needed but I want details� what danger is Usagi in, what enemies? What is happening in Tokyo?"
Setsuna took her time marking her spot in her book and closing it, irritating Rei to no end. She turned her eyes to Rei.
"You already know what enemies� the creature you fought last night in the factory is one of four. The other three are in Tokyo but only one has made herself known at this time," Setsuna said.
Rei turned her head away from Setsuna, looking at the back of the seat in front of her.
Three others� three things like Khairephon. Creatures of that kind of power running around out in Tokyo�
Rei narrowed her eyes and clenched one hand into a fist. No wonder Setsuna had came for her. The Sailor Senshi would need all the help they could get tackling those� demons.
"But that is not the reason I contacted you," continued Setsuna.
Rei turned back to Setsuna, frowning in confusion. What could be more important than destroying Khairephon's three evil cohorts?
"I told you once before that there are many possible futures, many threads in time�" Setsuna paused for a moment, looking away from Rei. After a second the guardian of time returned her gaze back to the girl. "�All the futures I have seen so far end up at the same point�"
Setsuna let out a small sigh, staring into Rei's eyes. It made the fire senshi uncomfortable; it was like she was looking into her very soul.
"�There will be a moment, a defining moment in the near future, I don't know exactly when it will occur but it will soon�"
Rei swallowed hard. "It's to do with Usagi, isn't it�?" Rei whispered.
Setsuna nodded. "Yes, it has to do with the princess� her life�" she trailed off.
Rei looked away and gripped the armrests of her seat tightly. "And you don't know when?"
Setsuna shook her head slightly. "Not precisely, only that it will happen in the near future� I'm having trouble seeing past the moment also. But I do know that in some of the futures I have seen you are there-"
"-And that's why you came to Yokohama for me," Rei finished for her. She was quiet for a moment. "� I'm glad you did," she said softly.
Rei returned her gaze to Setsuna, looking into her eyes. She could tell there was more but didn't ask her. All Rei needed to know was that Usagi was in life threatening danger and she would protect her from it. When death came for her princess Rei would meet its blow with her own.
Rei leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pant legs.
"Have you told the others about this?" she asked.
Rei heard Setsuna resettle herself in her seat. "No� I didn't want to interfere with the timeline� the only reason I contacted you was because you asked it of me back at your funeral,"
Rei smiled without humour, eyes still closed. "Isn't this a necessary time to 'interfere' with the timeline?" she asked acidly.
Setsuna didn't answer.
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While the train journey from Yokohama to Tokyo only took half an hour, it was dark by the time Rei and Setsuna arrived. They had to take a second train to get to Minato-ku and once they arrived Setsuna asked Rei if she would like to stay with her tonight. But Rei declined, she didn't want her presence in Tokyo known to anybody else and if Rei stayed with Setsuna; Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru would surely see her.
As Rei said goodbye to Setsuna, the guardian of time stared into her eyes, giving her a soul-searching look like back on the train. Rei stared back, somehow unable to turn away.
"Good luck," Setsuna finally said quietly, then turned and walked off into the night.
Rei watched her go. Setsuna was always sort of strange and mysterious. Rei shrugged her shoulders slightly and forgot about her. She had to find a place to stay for the night. Rei decided that the cheap roach motel she had stayed at when waiting for her funeral would do.
After Rei had checked into the motel, she went to her room to pass the time. It was still early evening and Rei doubted that the Sailor Senshi would be active right now. Rei dropped her bag and Tsubasa's box on the floor and flopped on the bed, hands behind her head. Rei stared at the ceiling, one finger tapping her hand behind her head. Now that Rei was in Tokyo, she felt very restless for some reason. She tried to ignore the nagging thought that told her to go see Usagi. Rei knew she had to see her eventually, but she was afraid that one look at her beautiful princess would cause her to crack and never leave her side again.
Rei looked around the room, trying to find something to occupy her. Her eyes rested on Tsubasa's box on the floor.
Maybe looking at what Tsubasa gave me will occupy my mind for a while� its probably something lame or useless like flowers or something Rei thought ungratefully.
She sat up and picked up the box from the floor, pulling off the top. Inside was a long black coat similar to the one she wore when she transformed back in Yokohama.
Idiot. Why would I need this? �Might come in handy as a disguise though
Rei laid the coat on the bed and chucked the empty box on the floor. She sat on the edge of the bed and idly kicked her legs. Rei was still restless. That pulling sensation inside her was still there and it was hard to ignore, despite how small it was. Rei cursed and got to her feet, picking up her new coat and putting it on.
Maybe I can walk by her house, just to check on her of course
Rei flicked up her collar and exited her room.
******
As Rei walked to Usagi's house, she contemplated visiting her own grave. She had never seen the actual gravestone after all. Rei wondered what they wrote on it. With Rei lost in thought when she came to Usagi's street, instead of going down it she continued straight on ahead. Rei stopped when she realised what she had done. She had followed the call inside her. Rei frowned, irritated. The pulling was starting to annoy her. She let out a sigh and decided to give into instinct, letting whatever the feeling inside her was lead the way.
Rei continued walking, letting the call choose her path. She realised that she was being led to the park. Rei wondered what it was she was feeling. It was barely there, the sensation, but she could still tell where it was pulling her too. As she approached the park, Rei heard shouts.
Little late to be playing games thought Rei initially, but when strange insect-like sounds were added to the shouts, Rei quickly ran into the park
Rei moved from tree to tree, her black coat aiding in her stealthy approach to the source of the noises. She was sure it was a battle between the Sailor Senshi and some youma but she had to be totally sure. When Rei finally reached the origin of the shouts, she leaned out from behind a tree and took a peek. There were four senshi fighting two youma. Rei saw that Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Uranus were there. And Sailor Moon. Rei gasped and gazed longingly at her princess, feeling like she was a person dying of thirst with a crystal clear oasis in front of them. Rei took in the divine vision that was Sailor Moon, her heart that she had thought dead stirring again after what seemed like an eternity. She already felt her resolve to keep hidden from her princess weakening. Rei swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and forced back the tears that were starting to come to her eyes. No. She wouldn't let this happen again. Rei had sworn after breaking down back in Yokohama that she would shed no more tears for her hopeless love.
Rei frowned a little as she looked at her princess. There was a slight tightness around her eyes; eyes that seemed dull, and her hair had lost some of its usual sheen. Rei looked at the other senshi and wondered where the rest of them were. And where he was as well.
Tuxedo Kamen should be here protecting her! Rei balled her fists in anger.
Rei moved completely behind the tree and climbed nimbly up into its branches, giving her a good viewpoint of the battle.
Someone has to protect her� and that's why I'm here Rei thought determinedly.
Rei quietly transformed, using the tree branches as cover. "Mars crystal power, make up," she whispered.
Transformation complete, Sailor Mars felt the familiar feeling of a long coat on her but there were something different. She felt the weight of her hat that had appeared sometimes before, her hail piled underneath it. The crimson veil still covered her face as always. Mars looked down at herself and her eyes widened. She was wearing her Sailor Senshi fuku under her coat. Sailor Mars blinked down at it, wondering why it had come back. All of her thoughts of Usagi had probably effected the transformation, effected by Mars' will to protect her princess as one of her bodyguard.
Sailor Mars strained her eyes through the tree leaves, looking at the fight. The two youma the Sailors were fighting both looked vaguely humanoid and female. One was like a giant half-woman half-scorpion thing. The lower part of its body was that of a scorpion, six legs and a large tail with a wicked stinger. The top part of its body was that of a woman, except its hands were replaced with large pincers that snapped menacingly. The other youma was similar to the previous one, except this one was half-spider and half-woman. It walked on eight hairy legs and possessed two web shooters sprouting out of its human-looking forearms.
"WORLD SHAKING!"
Sailor Mars watched as an orange energy ball smashed into the scorpion youma and threw it onto its back. The spider youma shot out strands of web at Sailor Uranus and Sailor Mercury from its arms, causing both to dodge out of the way. One silk thread wrapped around Mercury's ankles, causing the youma to chitter like an insect. Mars suspected that it was its laughter. It fired another web strand at the blue haired girl's prone body, tying her arms up. Sailor Jupiter glanced at Mercury and glared at the youma with hatred.
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"
Sailor Jupiter hurled a ball of electricity at the spider youma. The youma spun a large web shield in a split second, absorbing the electricity. Jupiter let out a growl of frustration. The scorpion youma climbed back to its feet and snapped its pincers at Sailor Moon, trying to grab her. The blonde odango atama turned and ran away, then leapt to her left as the scorpion's tail pierced the ground, clumps of dirt flying upwards. Sailor Mars breathed a sigh of relief.
"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"
Sailor Uranus fired out a blinding white light from her sword, which crashed into the spider youma's web shield and turned it to dust. Sailor Mercury wiggled as she tried to get out of the sticky threads that surrounded her. The spider youma shot a ball of web at Uranus, splattering into her and encasing her in the white substance. The force of the hit pushed her to the ground. The shorthaired blonde cursed and flexed her arms, trying to snap the strands with sheer strength. The scorpion youma scuttled over to Sailor Mercury, seeing easy prey.
"Leave her alone, you ugly bug!" yelled Sailor Jupiter, running in front of the prone Mercury, intercepting the youma.
"No, look out!!" screamed Mercury desperately at Jupiter.
Jupiter cried out as she was caught of guard by the spider youma, taking a web blast to the face. She pulled at the webbing, but only succeeded in getting her hands stuck too. Jupiter stumbled backwards and tripped over Sailor Mercury, fervently pulling at the web, trying to get it off before she asphyxiated. The scorpion youma chittered like the spider youma and raised its tail to strike a deadly blow, a clear poison drop appearing at the end of its stinger. Sailor Mars watched as a look of utter horror came over Sailor Moon's face.
"Nooo! Jupiter! Mercury!" screamed Sailor Moon, who seemed close to hysterics, "MOON TIARA ACTION!"
Sailor Moon's tiara flew at the youma, slicing through its tail and cutting the tip off, the stinger falling to the grass covered ground in a green spray. Green blood splattered out like a fountain from the amputated tip. The scorpion youma roared in agony and turned towards Sailor Moon, skittering along the ground on six legs directly at her. Sailor Mars tensed as the spider youma shot strands of silk around Sailor Moon's legs, toppling her onto the grass. Mars heard a shout of triumph as Sailor Uranus tore apart the web ball that enclosed her.
"Sailor Moon!" Uranus yelled as she saw the scorpion youma bearing down on Mars' princess.
"WORLD SHA-umph!"
The spider youma shot a sticky silk covering over Sailor Uranus' mouth, silencing her attack. The scorpion youma picked up the helpless Sailor Moon by one arm in a pincer, then raised and opened up its other pincer, ready to impale the blonde girl.
Sailor Mars cursed loudly and knew she had to act. She couldn't just stand idly by seeing her princess in danger like this. Mars' powers would identify her, but she never hesitated for a second.
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
An arrow of fire sailed out from the tree branches, setting some alight. All heads turned towards the arrow as it came soaring down at the scorpion youma. The arrow ripped into the youma's shoulder and exploded, tearing the limb off and cauterising the wound instantly. Sailor Moon dropped to the ground, the youma's pincer still attached to her arm. The scorpion youma howled in torment. All the senshi looked up into the tree the bolt of flame had came from, Jupiter included, having succeeded in pulling the silk threads from her face.
Sailor Mars leapt out of the tree and into the air with her arms stretched out behind her, head tilted back and eyes closed. Her long coat slipped off her shoulders showing her Sailor Senshi fuku. Her hat fell backwards causing her long hair to spill luxuriously down her back. The veil flew off her face and into the air. Sailor Mars landed in a crouch, her coat, hat and veil fluttering to the ground around her. Sailor Mars stood up and opened her eyes, revealing herself in all her glory.
There was collective gasp all as the other senshi realised who was standing before them. Mars said nothing and turned to face the spider youma. It made a clicking noise and shot two web balls at her.
"FIRE SOUL BIRD!"
The phoenix shrieked at the spider youma, burning the web balls to ash and continuing on to bash into it, setting the youma's furry lower spider body aflame. The other Sailor Senshi bar one recovered and took the initiative.
"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"
A white beam tore through the blazing spider youma, disintegrating its human-like upper body. Sailor Mercury finally wriggled out of the webbing and stood up.
"SHINING AQUA ILLUSION!"
A geyser shot out for Mercury's hands and collided with the scorpion youma, freezing it where it stood screaming in pain from Sailor Mars' attack.
"SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!"
A dragon made out entirely of electricity came roaring at the frozen youma and ate it, charging the youma's body with electrical energy heightened by the frozen water surrounding it. The ice shattered and the youma collapsed to the ground, its internal organs cooked, but its outsides oddly chilled. The youma bodies began to melt away into the grass.
With the youma dealt with, all the Sailor's turned wide disbelieving eyes at Sailor Mars. But Mars was only interested in one Sailor. Sailor Moon still sat where she had landed, the decaying webbing and arm of the two youma still attached to her. She looked up at Sailor Mars, not blinking. Sailor Mars stared at her princess. She had thought of what she would say if it came to this but now all words fled her. Mars simply stared, her mouth slightly open. Sailor Moon got slowly to her feet, the youma's arm falling to the ground and the web threads around her legs being pulled apart easily. She walked over to Sailor Mars with unsure steps, hands raised slightly in front of her. Mars looked at Sailor Moon a little warily, not sure what her princess would do. Would she slap her? Yell at her for hiding? But then the raven-haired girl saw tears in her odango atama's eyes, shining in the moonlight. Sailor Moon fell to her knees in front of the fire senshi and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, the side of her face pressed against Mars' stomach. And she cried. The tears kept pouring out of Sailor Moon, all the stress of loss and battle coming out all at once. Sailor Mars tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Her own tears started to come, squeezing out from behind her eyelids and leaving cold wet trails down her face. She lifted her hands up on top of her gorgeous princesses' head and ran her fingers through her silky blonde hair. All of Mars' will to leave again caved in. Sailor Mars felt alive once more. It was like her once cold and hardened heart had started beating again, the eternal fire of love that always burned for her princess becoming an inferno. How completely stupid she had been to leave the darling angel before her.
Never� never again�
Sailor Mars would never ever abandon her princesses' side again. How much damage had she done to this beautiful creature? It was all her fault. Mars had never felt such guilt and relief in all her life.
Reunited at last�
Sailor Mars heard Sailor Moon mumbling her name over and over again through her sobs. Rei. That was her name and Sailor Mars was who she was. She would always be Rei Hino and Sailor Mars, defending her princess to the very last.
Sailor Mars opened her wet eyes and looked at the full moon.
Rei Hino was reborn here today� reborn to protect her princess... her only love...
Part fifteen |
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