THE FOUR LOVERS: AIR ON A COSMIC STRING
Ninx
XV. The End...of the Beginning
Sometimes it hurts
So much
To lose the one you love
Sometimes it hurts
So much
To lose the one you love
--"Sometimes It Hurts"
In the arms of the Angel
Far away from here
>From this dark, cold hotel room,
And the endlessness that you feel
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the Angel;
May you find some comfort here
--"Angel"
Closing Time
Every new beginning comes from
Some other beginning's end
--"Closing Time"
"SERENA!" the still merged form of Darien cried out,
leaping for her. his mind raged as he flew across the
room. He managed to scoop her up just as she hit the floor,
completely limp; the pair skidded a ways, he holding on to
her for dear life. Finally, they stopped, and he was able
to look at her. Her body had gone cold, almost instantly,
and her breathing had slowed dramatically. All within the
moments he held her. His heart clutched in his chest, and
he whispered, "Serena."
"She can't hear you, now."
He looked up, and saw Hielo, wan looking and using Katarina
to steady him. He flinched under her sad, sad smile; he'd
been at the healing, yet...
"How are the others?" he asked quickly as he felt for, and
found, Serena's pulse. It was faint yet steady.
"They're recovering," he replied, breaking away from Kat to
kneel (rather unsteadily) by them. He touched her forehead
softly, fingertips pushing back a small piece of her hair
with a tenderness to inspire jealously.
"How..."
"I can sense it," he replied. "They will awaken soon."
"And Serena? What..."
"No. She will not awaken."
Shock and pain flashed through his system, and he looked
down at her. Her eyes fluttered slightly, yet there was no
change from the expression on her face. His eyes began to
water, and he desperately pulled her closer. "No, no,
Serena," he whispered. "No...you can't...she's dead?"
Hielo rose, and turned to Kat. They conferred quietly for
a moment, and she ended it with a hug. He then walked
towards the spot where Priam had died.
"He mourns our sister," she explained as she slid into a
sitting position across from him. "We were close before we
were turned, and she will be missed despite the pain she
brought us." Her eyes had reverted to a lighter shade of
green, not the terrifying dark of before; yet he shuddered
when they touched him. It was undeniable; she had left him
deeply marked.
"I am sorry. I wish I could've...yet sorry's and regrets
are not what I need to explain to you," she said gently,
averting her eyes from his. "It's about your Princess."
"Oh God," he whispered, finally sliding completely to the
floor, holding Serena like a limp rag across his lap. She
did not move in response to his movements; she was
completely gone.
"Calm down, Tuxedo Mask," she said. "Please, you must.
This room is full of pain already."
"My name is Darien," he said quietly. "And I'll...try..."
"Thank you, Darien," she replied, voice soft and timid as
it touched his name. She touched Serena's forehead and let
her eyes close for a second; letting out a hiss of pain, she
withdrew her hand and opened her eyes.
"What?"
"She is deep." Abruptly, she near smiled. "I am not
trying to keep you in the dark...however, this will be hard
to explain."
"Many things are," he replied. "You...you wouldn't believe
what I have had explained to me."
"I believe, and shall try." She took a nervous breath,
eyes falling to her.
"We are not from this place," she said, "as you could tell
from our needs and powers. We are outcasts of a sort, due
to our former needs, and when the three of us came to know
each other we bonded, exchanging portions of each power we
possessed. Therefore, Selene," the name was pain for her to
say, "had a bit of Hielo's telepathy. The former
Master...Priam," that was also painful, "must have used the
last of his life to enhance her powers to the point of no
return. And she aimed it all at her."
"But she didn't hit her, completely."
"No, she didn't. Sailor Moon moved, and besides, Selene
was dying when she came to Priam, and taking the power
eradicated the rest of her form. She died trying to kill
your Princess."
"But how?" He looked down at Serena, checking her
breathing and pulse once more. The same.
"Psi-shock."
He looked up, eyes blearily puzzled. "What is that?"
"It's like a telepathic lightning bolt," she explained,
voice gentle yet hesitant. After all, she was empathic, and
she didn't quite grasp all of what telepathy could do. "It
scrambles the neural functions and causes the mind to shut
down completely, if tuned right. Normal people, if hit by a
mild psi-shock, will often go comatose and die on the spot.
Powerful minds, like all of our here--yes, I know of your
abilities--are different, though. They tend to shutdown,
yes, but never to the point of death."
"Until they are healed," Hielo said softly, rejoining them.
He looked to her and whispered, "All had been put to rest."
"Long live the energy," she responded automatically.
"What do you mean, healed?"
"In order to relieve the stage she is now in, the remaining
psi energy must be removed, and the pathways rebuilt. That
is how all psi-shock cases are healed. Normally, it is a
difficult process, but in this case, I believe it shall be
more so."
"Why?"
"Too much energy," Katarina replied. "And too powerful a
mind."
"Are you telling me that..."
Hielo nodded. "Being attached to the Mas..." he stopped,
and shook his head. "Being attached to the former Master
augmented our powers through the link we had to him, and now
that is gone, and we are less than we were. It's only
temporary, but no one can say how temporary. It could take
months, or years." His dark eyes were sad.
"So, you cannot heal her?"
They nodded.
He looked down at her again, and his tears began to flow
truly now. It hurt; it hurt a lot to cry, especially since
it was again over Serena. Always over Serena! Now again,
she lay in his arms...gone. Not dead, just...gone.
His heart broke; his soul sank; his body began to shake.
He had come so far to lose her again, and the irony was
bloody in his mouth. He stooped farther over his Princess,
and cried.
The two former Trio, now reduced to a Duo, watched with
compassion and apprehension as sobs racked his body, pressed
against hers. His emotions--sorrow, raging anger, bitter
pain--glided over their minds; they were perhaps the only
ones who could truly empathize.
"Prince, please, there will be a healer."
"Pluto?" he asked, looking back. She stood behind him,
aura actively purple, green hair wisping over a faint smile.
"You're..."
"Alive, yes. The Princess healed us...all, and we are just
the first to awaken."
"We?"
"I, too, have been revived," came a brisk male voice, an
unfamiliar face next to Setsuna's. His aura glowed as well,
a bronze color with odd silver flecks within it. He noticed
a touch of gold in Setsuna's as well.
"We're going back to the Gate, dear Prince, but know this--
there will be a healer," Pluto quietly confided.
He looked back at his love, and the anguish within him
swelled, hardening. "When?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Hm?"
"When, Pluto, when?"
She and Wesley exchanged looks, and she knelt beside him.
"You know I cannot say."
"You need not say directly, Lady, just soon or not soon.
Quickly, or after some time. I am not looking for
precision!" His words were sharp and fierce, hoarsely spoken
with his feeling for her draining out his eyes.
Pluto and Wesley exchanged glances, and he shrugged.
Though they had vows against specifics..."I will see," Pluto
replied, taking up her reformed staff and peering into the
Orb. She stiffened slightly, and a concentrated look came
over her face.
Finally, she looked at him, quite sadly. "Not for awhile,
though it isn't clear. All I can see is that it will not be
soon."
"Not soon," he mused, looking down at her. He brushed her
face again, wiping away his tears. "Apart again." Anger
and sorrow flashed over his face, and he took a deep breath.
"Stay, for a moment," he whispered. "Just one..." He
lifted his eyes to Hielo and Katarina, eyes quiet and face
stolid except for the tracks of his tears.
"You said it take quite a bit of energy to heal a psi-
shock."
"Yes. There's a lot of damage to undo, and the mind needs
a jolt to recognize that it's healed," Katarina replied.
"But how much does it take to shock one person?"
Hielo's eyes darkened slightly, in contemplation, and he
replied after a moment, "Not a lot, actually. Even the most
rudimentary of telepaths can shock a person; it's one of the
first weapons we learn to use."
"Darien...why ask?" Pluto whispered softly, fearing the
answer.
He looked down, and there was a tense pause. Finally, he
said quietly, "I want to join her."
"No..!" Pluto stifled her cry, and the Duo flashed towards
him. He held up a hand to stop them all, though, and looked
up, eyes speaking of things not to be trifled with.
"I spent five years without her. I don't want to ever do
that again," he began, voice low and emphatic. "Pluto says
the healer won't come for a long time, and what do I do
between, knowing that MY Serena is lying in some hospital
bed, comatose..." he broke off, emotions being squeezed back
down with a swallow.
"No! My Prince, you cannot..." Pluto started, but Wesley
touched her arm. She looked at him frantically.
"I can," he replied. "And I will."
"But..."
He laid her on the floor, and she tensing for one brief
moment before touching the ground and going limp. He took
her hand in his own, glove to glove...and an aura appeared
around the both of them.
Katarina gasped, and Wesley looked hopeful, but all that
happened was that the two of them became normal again.
Darien slumped over her, his body and soul exhausted and
hurt.
"Please," he whispered, "spare me the pain."
Katarina looked to Pluto, Wesley to Hielo. Quietly, the
last of the Dark Trio stood, his hands beginning to radiate
black.
"I will do it," he said.
"I can't watch," Pluto murmured, turning away.
"Lady?"
She looked back, and Darien offered her a soft smile.
"Take
care of them all," he whispered.
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He looked at Hielo, whose eyes had closed. "Do it," he
whispered.
The Senshi and Generals nearly awoke together, their eyes
flickering open just a few seconds apart. It took a bit for
them to gauge their surroundings; it didn't take much longer
than that to find each other.
The room was soon filled with the sounds of a joyful,
tearing reunion. Raye and Jared almost knocked each other
over, laughing and crying and kissing all at the same time.
Nathan and Lita were only slightly better; she did knock him
over completely, kissing him into they both blushed. Mina
found Kevin as he sat up, and she held him as he cried
against her. Zach held Amy as they both cried, until they
both quieted and just enjoyed the warmth.
Pluto and Hielo waited. Katarina and Wesley had their own
mission to accomplish, and would return soon. For now, they
stood, watching, guarding.
Waiting.
Finally someone--no matter who--noticed the two, and called
out to her. The eight converged on her loosely, exchanging
greetings cheerily. Raye and Amy were a little apprehensive
about the silent Hielo, yet he made not a move, and the
distance between him and Setsuna was one of trust. Pluto
answered tersely to all of their questions, and again,
someone caught on to her mood.
"Setsuna, where's Serena?" Lita finally asked.
"And Darien?" Kevin queried.
As one, they stepped aside.
Serena and Darien lay there, hands joined, looking
completely relaxed. Their chests rose and fell in separate
rhythms, but beside that, they were still.
The faces of the eight paled abruptly, and as Raye and Jade
and Zach and Mina rushed forward, Nathan turned to Pluto.
"Are they...dead?" he whispered hoarsely.
"No...please...she didn't die healing us," Lita said.
"They aren't dead," Hielo replied quietly.
"They are merely...in coma," Pluto added.
"What?" Raye asked. "Coma...no..."
"How did this happen?" Kevin demanded.
"Selene," Hielo said.
"And Darien...chose to be with his Princess," Pluto
finished.
They stared, shocked, at the two of them; suddenly, Amy
shrieked.
"We're...we're not Senshi!" she yelled. "Oh my God...!"
"It's all right, Amy," Zachary replied. He quickly shifted
to Zoicite, and back again. "We all still have our powers."
It was at that moment that Wesley and Katarina re-entered
the room.
"We have to go, now!" he yelled.
"Quickly, grab them," Pluto ordered, and Jade and Hielo
quickly hoisted the two up. She aimed her staff at the
wall, whispered a word, and rays of garnet shot through it,
tearing a hole into it. "Follow!" she yelled, and quickly
all of them ran to it. Well, as quickly as they could,
considering the coming-back-to-life-grogginess that most of
them had.
From the hall behind them, the sound of explosions burst
through. Everyone but the four who knew of the plans paled,
and put on the speed. Soon, they reached the opening...and
stopped, looking down at the docks, floating peacefully a
good twenty feet below.
"How the hell did we get to a second story?" Wesley
muttered.
"It doesn't matter," Hielo replied. "Kat, help me." His
fingers turned black as hers turned white.
Instinctively, everyone flinched away from them, but
nothing happened. Or, at least, nothing happened to them.
Swiftly, a grayish platform formed in front of them, just as
the floor began to shatter behind them. All leapt onto it,
and it wavered beneath their weight; the Duo staggered, but
managed to kept it upright and float it away from the
rapidly crumbling building. Soon, they had touched the
ground about a block away, turning back just in time to see
the warehouse buckle in on itself; within a moment, a tongue
of flame had shot up from the center, and the flames swiftly
began to consume it.
Now Kevin turned to Pluto, and watched as she detransformed
wearily. "What did you say about our lieges?"
She sighed softly, and looked at Wesley, Hielo and Kat.
Then, quietly, she said, "Listen, it'll be suspicious if
the.." she mentally counted, "twelve of us are standing here
watching a fire, especially with those two in their
condition." She didn't need to indicate; they knew who she
meant. "Why don't we go back to the apartment, and get some
rest...and then everything shall be explained.
There was a quick conference--barely a minute--before Kevin
nodded his agreement. Slowly, the twelve began to walk back
to Setsuna's home, dreaming of blankets and couches and
actual rest. As they walked, Katarina kept close to Hielo,
making sure she touched him a little, and getting smiles in
reward. Jade and Raye exchanged a tender glance. Lita and
Nathan walked in a hug. Wesley took Setsuna's hand ever so
gently, and she gave him a soft look. Amy and Zachary
walked close, watching each other, tiny blushes on their
face. Mina and Kevin had their arms linked, hands
intertwined.
Behind them, the sun rose.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/shrine) (
geocities.com/tokyo)