Life's Lessons
By Kristin Renee Taylor
Chapter 13
Rei walked through the maze of canvas that occupied nearly all of the crater's available space. Tomrrow, or later today, rather, they would begin expanding into the side tunnels and, hopefully, making a decent base out of the long-extinct volcano. She risked a glance at Ami, and laughed at the shock still present on her friend's face. "Still stunned, huh?"
Ami looked at Rei. "'Stunned' is a definite understatement. Exactly where was I while all of this secret agent business was going on?"
Rei grinned. "Where else? You were in Germany, finishing your residency."
Ami shook her head, and laughed. "Really? Well, the next time you two wander off on your own, I believe I'll tag along." She smiled mischievously at Rei. "What else did she do that I'm not aware of?"
"Well-"
<Remember>
Rei stopped immediately. "That was Mars's voice! Where-"
Rei ran through the battlefield, dodging some adversaries, killing those that refused to leave her path, the sense of heavy foreboding driving her on ever faster. Hyu was in danger.
A massive youma loomed in front of her, blocking her path. Shaped like a huge bear, the demon roared and charged her. Rei slid to a stop, sheathing her sword. 'I have no time for this.' She clapped both hands together. "Fire Bomb!" The youma's fur ignited, and it crashed to the ground, its momentum forcing its bulk to slide along the blood-soaked grass towards her.
Rei swore and somersaulted over the burning hulk, landing lightly on her feet. Sparing the dying youma the barest of glances, she sprinted off.
"Hino-sama!" A horse came up from behind her, and its rider slowed its pace to match hers.
Rei kept running. "I thought I told you to stay at the village."
The rider, a girl barely fourteen years of age, looked down at Rei. "I couldn't just stay there. I wanted to help."
They crested a hill, and Rei stopped, glaring up at the girl. "And how the hells were you going to do that, Yuki? You don't know how to fight!"
"It just so happens that I'm the best archer in the village." She patted her bow.
Rei snorted. "None of which counts for shit because you're a girl."
"So are you!"
Rei scanned the area around them. "I had no choice. I'm the only person that can pass on my family's school of martial arts. Once Hyu and I marry, though, I'm going to settle down and become a good wife, like I've always wanted to be."
"You're taking an awfully long time to marry him, aren't you, Hino- sama?" Rei colored, but said nothing. Yuki drawled, "After all, the legend of Suzuka Hyu-sama, the lightening Blade, and his companion Hino Rei-sama, the Red Ninja, has only been circulating for the past ten years. How old are you anyway, Hino-sama?"
"Twenty-eight. But that's not important!" Seeing no sign of Hyu, Rei rounded on the girl. "The point is that- Down!"
Rei grabbed the girl's shirt, hauling her off the horse as another youma, this one like a giant flying raven, sank talons into the terrified horse's back. Screeching, it flapped its great wings and flew off, the horse kicking and screaming in its grip.
Rei sighed and looked down at Yuki. "Still want to help?"
"lightening Blade!" The blast struck Rei in the back, knocking her forwards. She tumbled down the hill, sliding to a stop at the base. Climbing slowly to her feet, she looked up at the hilltop. "Hyu!"
Her love stood where she had, his trademark katana Kiken held in his hand. In his other he held Yuki by her throat. The hapless girl struggled in his grip, but Rei knew firsthand how strong he was. Unless she did something he would easily snap Yuki's neck.
"Hyu! Let her go!" Why was he doing this?
Slowly, Hyu turned to look at her, his normally deep brown eyes alight with green fire.
Possession.
Rei started to draw her sword, then stopped. She couldn't attack Hyu. But, then, how was she going to stop him? She was no priestess, she couldn't exorcise him. 'Think, baka!'
Hyu tossed Yuki aside, the girl landing in a limp heap on the grass. Gripping his sword in both hands, he pointed it skyward in a gesture she had seen him perform many times, although she had never been the target. Arcs of lightening flashed from the sky to the blade and back again.
'Oh, Hyu, forgive me.' Rei brought her hands in front of her. The ground beneath her rumbled. Her hair rose up around her, buoyed up on currents of blistering hot wind.
"Heaven's Thunder!"
"Hell's Inferno!"
Rei's legs gave out and she fell face first to the ground, gasping in air that she expected to be burning. Behind her, she heard Ami cry out sharply.
Rei closed her eyes, forced herself to take deep breaths. Her entire body shook, muscles trembling in the aftermath of an attack that had never truly happened... had it? Ignoring her desire to simply lay there, she slowly forced herself onto her hands and knees. "Ami-chan?"
"Un?" Ami's voice sounded weaker than Rei felt.
Rei tried to swallow and failed. Her mouth felt like a desert. "You okay?"
"I'm not sure."
Rei sat up, feeling only slightly dizzy. Whatever had happened must be passing. She looked over at Ami, and saw that her friend sat against the tunnel wall. "It happened to you to, ne?"
Ami nodded, winced, and put a hand to her temple. "What was it?"
Rei joined her by the wall. "I don't know. But that voice... Mars is here. I don't know why I didn't sense her before, but she is definitely here." Rei gritted her teeth and stood. "We need to tell MInako-chan and Mako-chan. Do you think they're still a-" She broke off as she sensed a close range teleport. She smirked, "Speak of the devil..." and turned around.
Makoto snorted. "Don't compare me to yourself, Rei-chan."
Rei ignored the jibe. "Mako-chan, something really strange is going on."
"So it happened to you, too, huh?" When both Ami and Rei nodded, Makoto sighed. "Well, that blows my theory to shreds."
Ami stood, using the wall as a brace. "What do you mean?"
Makoto looked from Ami to Rei and back to Ami. "At first, I thought I was the only one having nightmares, so I was gonna check with some other people. But everybody's asleep and nothing I do wakes them up. I was beginning to think I was the only one awake."
Ami gasped. Rei felt a thin ribbon of dread beginning to unspool in her stomach. "What about Minako-chan, Mako-chan?"
Makoto's face gave away her answer before she even spoke. "When I said 'everybody', I meant 'everybody'... Minako-chan included."
* * * * * * * * * *
Yoko kept her head bowed low, surreptitiously watching the discussion taking place before her. Her hands were tucked into the sleeves of her robe, which was a far darker blue than the one she had been wearing before entering the chamber. The fabric was better, too, softer, more fine, and of a slightly different cut. Venus insisted that all of Her followers were dressed in a manner befitting their status as servants of the Senshi of love and beauty.
Yoko sneered. 'Beauty, yes. Love? Definitely not.'
The room she stood in was octagonal, each crystalline wall tinged in the dominant color of a particular Senshi. The floor, like the low ceiling, was tiled in white marble, hundreds upon hundreds of eight- sided tiles, each as being as Yoko's hand. Strangely, there was not a door in sight, although Yoko distinctly remembered walking through a door to reach here. She had stared through the walls, but all she had seen was a strange thick fog, more like liquid smoke, really. If she squinted, she could even make out shapes moving through it. Wherever this room was, she didn't think it was in Crystal Tokyo.
Another thing the room lacked was furnishings, a fact that her legs sorely lamented. At one point, not daring to sit on the floor, she had attempted to lean against the wall behind her, and the resulting wave of pain and nausea had almost knocked her out. Only one of the other two people in the room had noticed as she had sidled away from the golden wall, and the look Venus had given her had chilled Yoko to the very core of her being.
With a knowing smile, Venus had turned back to Her discussion with Jupiter. Both Senshi stood in the center of the room, and although Yoko saw Their lips moving, she heard not a word of Their discussion. It was evident, however, that Yoko was the focus of the topic at hand.
Yoko closed her eyes, letting her mind "feel" the magic emanating from the walls. This room contained magic. Powerful magic. Magic that had, among other things, completely healed Yoko's injuries. 'I must find out how the Senshi access this room. I could a lot of things here.'
"Yoko."
She jumped, startled out of her thoughts by Jupiter's voice. In her haste, she almost brushed her against the obsidian wall behind her. She jerked forward a half-pace, and looked up to find Venus smiling ferally. Yoko tore her gaze away and said shakily, "Y-yes, Lady Jupiter?"
Jupiter nailed Yoko to the floor with hard, green eyes. "Tell Me everything that occurred when Mercury was killed. Omit no detail."
Yoko begin immediately, as ordered. Faced with a direct command, she should have found lying to be impossible, but, she thought as she spoke, certainly Jupiter didn't need to know *every* little detail, did She? There had to be some things that were even beneath a Senshi's notice, weren't there? Like how Mercury had blamed Yoko for Terri's strange behavior. And Yoko's conversation with Terri just prior to Mercury's death. And let's not forget Yoko's visit to Venus, either, shall we?
When she got to the destruction of the Odyssey, Jupiter waved her silent. "That is enough, Yoko." Yoko bowed, but Jupiter wasn't done yet. "Venus tells Me that you are somewhat of an expert where Mercury's research is concerned. I want you to continue it."
Yoko's heart stopped beating for a minute. "Lady Jupiter?"
Jupiter looked vaguely amused. "Are you incapable of this task, Yoko?"
"N-no, Lady Jupiter! Not at all. I was just... surprised that You would consider me for such a daunting task. I mean, I'm *hardly* the type of person anyone would use for something like this." Even as she gushed outwardly, Yoko frowned internally and studied Jupiter. What was the Senshi's aim?
Jupiter smiled fractionally. "You have a quick mind, Yoko, and a remarkable intelligence not possessed by any of your peers. Venus suggested that your abilities would be better applied in this manner, and I agreed with Her."
Yoko darted a look at Venus, but She was picking lint off of Her skirt.
Jupiter continued. "Because much of the information you will be dealing with is classified, I will temporarily be granting you level Eight Security clearance. As you are well aware, the only people that would make you answerable to would be Venus and Myself." No mention of Mars, Yoko realized with a private snicker. Jupiter's eyes narrowed. "I trust that you will not abuse the new-found power this access also gives you."
Most definitely not a question. "Of course not, Lady Jupiter."
Jupiter's stern expression faded somewhat. "Then I expect a report on your progress in three days. You are dismissed."
Yoko bowed, straightened, and realized that she stood alone in her bedroom. She looked around slowly. 'I have *got* to find out how They do that.'
* * * * * * * * * *
Jupiter gestured, and one wall of the room faded, becoming a bird's eye view of Crystal Tokyo. "Well?" Venus asked.
Jupiter glared at the buildings. "For the most part, Yoko told the truth. But she left out many details."
Venus chuckled. "What did I tell You? She *is* capable of negating Our power."
"She did not 'negate,' Venus," Jupiter said coolly. "She aligned herself with My magic, which made her effectively blind to Me. How, I am not sure. I am not even certain she is aware of what she has done."
Venus walked into Jupiter's field of vision and didn't quite smirk. "So?"
Jupiter scowled. "It is true that she needed closer supervision. It was also a... good... idea to give her high-security access, since it would therefore be easier to monitor her every move."
Venus was grinning broadly now. "Great. Now say it."
Jupiter glared at Her. "Venus..."
"I am waiting." Jupiter's fingers twitched, itching to wipe that arrogant smirk off of Venus's face.
Jupiter growled through gritted teeth. "You were right." She glowered darkly and added, "I suppose Your head does have a use other than to give most of the population wet dreams."
Venus's laughter was incredibly annoying. Jupiter scowled at the view of Crystal Tokyo. "Have I ever fully expressed My dislike of You, Venus?"
* * * * * * * * * *
Kiyomi felt the sun soaking into her skin and sighed happily. Living underground had done serious damage to her tan, but she fully intended to make reparations. She stretched languorously. Thirty minutes for her front, then another thirty for her back, and possibly a small break while she took a quick swim, then back to the beach for more tanning. What a life these people had!
Then Terri ruined the mood by asking, "What are we going to do now, guys?"
Kiyomi cracked open one eye and glanced to her right, where Terri lay. "Let's stay here."
On Kiyomi's left, Shouji shook his head. "We can't stay here. We've got to report back to base, before they decide we're dead."
"That is, if they don't think that already," Terri said sourly.
Kiyomi laughed. "Don't be so glum, Terri! After all, wouldn't it be funny if they all thought we were dead and we showed up? They would be *so* shocked." She giggled.
Terri looked at her, frowning, and returned her attention to the sky. "Actually, I'd hope they wouldn't be surprised at all."
Kiyomi stuck her tongue out at her.
Shouji folded his arms behind his head. "Whether or not they think we're dead is moot. We can't surprise them if we can't get home."
Terri nodded. "Any ideas on how we do that?"
Kiyomi sat up and grinned at them. "We walk?"
Terri shot her a look, then looked past her at Shouji. "Any serious ideas?" Kiyomi snorted and lay back down.
Shouji scratched his goatee. "Actually, her idea isn't too far- fetched. They found us on the ice. Maybe they can take us back to the ice and we can walk from there."
"And how are they supposed to get us there?"
"By boat, silly," Kiyomi said.
Terri sat up. "Kiyomi, you're a genius!"
"I am?" She spluttered as Terri stood, spraying her with sand. "H-Hey! Terri! Where are you going?"
Terri smiled at them over her shoulder. "To borrow a boat!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Minako's eyes darted back and forth, sometimes moving smoothly, at other times twitching fitfully. Her breathing and pulse rate were both steady and even. All signs of a normal sleeper, yet she responded to neither sound nor light. And she had been in her REM stage far too long.
Ami sighed and shook her head. "If she wasn't in REM sleep, I'd almost think she was in a coma, but she's not, and neither is anyone else I've checked. They're just... asleep. And they'll probably stay that way until we get rid of whatever caused them to do this in the first place." She turned to look at Makoto and Rei. "Which means finding Mars."
"Wherever she is," Makoto muttered. She stopped her pacing long enough to look at Rei. "Can't you sense her or something?"
Rei sat on a nearby cot. She glared up at Makoto. "Don't you think I would have tried that already?"
"Apparently not, if I asked!"
Ami stood. "Calm down, guys. We won't get anything done if we're arguing."
Rei didn't quite scowl down at her hands. "Well, I couldn't sense her," She said sourly.
Makoto said angrily, "Dammit! What are we supposed to do? Minako- chan's out; Rei-chan can't find Mars, and I can't think of anything." She looked at Ami. "So what do we do, Ami-chan?"
Ami rubbed the back of her neck, thinking. "Well, I guess that, now-"
"Now, you will deal with Me, Descendants."
* * * * * * * * * *
Terri stopped at the corner of a building, and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She was surprised to feel so tired after her walk up from the beach. 'I guess I haven't fully recovered my strength yet.' She looked around. 'I wonder where Hotaru is. And Michiru-san. And... and... Setsuna.' She frowned slightly. Even the name of the tall, dark woman made Terri want to shudder. What was it about her, anyway?
"You look a little lost, Terri-san."
Terri straightened with a jerk, and for the first time noticed Michiru standing nearby. With her was a tall man, easily as tall as Makoto if not taller, with short, ash-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He smiled at Terri, winked, and Terri surprised herself by blushing furiously. She looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "I... um... I... well... I..."
Footsteps. A finger touched her chin, lifted Terri's face until they were eye to eye. "You know," Michiru's companion said, "You are very cute when you blush." *Very* dark blue eyes. Practically bottomless.
"Stop teasing the poor girl, Haruka," Michiru spoke up, but there was laughter in her voice. "She's embarrassed enough as it is."
Haruka lowered his hand, and rolled his eyes in mock-irritation. He smiled at Terri. "Don't mind Michiru, she gets a little jealous sometimes." When Terri didn't answer, his expression became one of mild concern. "You really weren't embarrassed, were you?"
"No..." Terri sighed. She was aware that she was smiling goofily, but she couldn't seem to stop.
Haruka looked at Michiru. "See, Michiru, she wasn't embarrassed at all."
Michiru glanced briefly at Terri. "I don't think she's capable of being embarrassed right now." Her voice became coy. "Should I leave the two of you alone?"
Terri eeped, and drew another smile from Haruka. "Only if she wants us to be alone." He leaned in closer. "Well, do you?"
Terri opened her mouth to answer, and time came to a sudden halt.
Light flared around Haruka, a bright yellow that rivaled the sun in its intensity. Behind him, although it should have been swallowed by the light Haruka gave off, an aura of blue-green surrounded Michiru.
Slowly, slowly, Terri's eyes moved off of Haruka and latched onto Michiru. Something far back in Terri's mind seemed to click as something abruptly snapped into place, but before she could figure out what had happened her gaze was moving away, and back to Haruka. Again came the sensation of something abruptly snapping into place and then-
Terri flushed and looked down again. "Er... I... uh..."
Haruka smiled and moved away, and Terri had to catch herself before she fell over. When she felt it was safe to look up again, she saw that Haruka and Michiru were walking away.
Suddenly, Terri's entire reason for finding them came crashing back. "Um..."
Michiru paused long enough to give Terri a pleasant smile. "Of course we'll loan you a boat, Terri-san. Hotaru will help you with everything you need."
Terri watched them go, blinking in surprise. Finally, she said, "What the *hell* just happened?!"
Anyway, onward to Chapter 14!
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