Konnichiwa, minna-chan! Here's the long awaited (cough cough...yeah right!) chapter eight of TCD. I've revised this chapter countless times, and the plot keeps changing. But I think I've finally gotten everything straightened out just the way I want it. ^^ I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, k? sailor_moon89@hotmail.com Rating: PG-13...there's a little violence in this chapter...sorry bout that ^^;;; @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge." ~ Proverbs 1:7 @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- The Coldest December By Aimee Chapter 8, Part A @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "A tale of wonder told, Written with lines of gold, The secret of life unfolds, On the canvas of my heart." ~Whiteheart I rushed through towering trees and dense bushes toward the outcries that resounded through the woods. I left Mamoru behind as I hurried to deliver my friend from harm, but he was far from forgotten. He had watched as I silently turned and ran away from him. The look on his face...how could I describe it? It was one of guilt and near shame. His eyes were shaky and light...like the eyes of a little boy who'd gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. And I ran away from him...like a coward afraid of the truth...afraid to find out how he knew I was Sailor Moon. There was a delicate balance between us. Once enemies, now a couple growing closer with every minute, we were still on fragile ground. The relationship had not had time to mature, and we had yet to develop true and lasting love for one another. That kind of love and trust took years to evolve, and I quickly grew worried. I felt as though anything could disrupt our new relationship. And God knows I didn't want to lose him... A weak cry echoed off to my right, and I dismissed all other thoughts from my mind but the owner of that scream...Naru. I would deal with Mamoru later. There was a sudden boom in the distance, and I recognized with relief that it was the sound of Jupiter's supreme thunder attack. Reinforcements had arrived. My communicator sounded, and I snatched it up, breathless from running. "Sailor Moon...youma attack...at the park..." Mars' voice was labored, seemingly from running, as well. "I know. I'm almost there." "Hurry...Jupiter and Venus need you. Mercury and I are still about five minutes away." "Right." Coming out of the thicket, I spotted the battle scene. Jupiter carried an unconscious Naru to the sidelines as Venus prepared an attack against a beautiful creature. It was tall and slim with smooth white skin that seemed to glimmer and shine, even in the fading light of dusk. Wavy black hair flowed down to the ground like water. Its lips were full and the color of blood. In its right hand, it held a mirror which was small but beautifully ornamented. "Sailor Moon, you made it! Oh, thank goodness!" said a familiar voice. I recognized the small forms of Luna and Artemis hiding in a bush nearby. "What are you two doing here?" I gasped. "You could get hurt!" "I've been waiting for you," Luna responded. "Listen to me...this youma is different. It's a--" "I don't have time to talk! You and Artemis get to safety!" I called over my shoulder, running towards the battle. She shouted something, but I couldn't make out the words. I shrugged it off, deeming it unimportant. Venus was attacking the youma head-on. "Crescent Beam!" The youma didn't move to dodge the assault, and I my brow furrowed as I gaped in confusion. Man, these youma were getting stupider and stupider...it didn't even look concerned! At the last moment, before the beam hit, the youma held up its mirror. My eyes widened as it reflected the attack and sent it hurdling back toward the blond senshi. "Venus! Look out!" Thankfully, she was prepared, as though she knew what was about to happen, and her crescent beam flew to her left harmlessly. Venus gritted her teeth, angered by the fruitlessness of her attack. The youma rose her mirror and pointed it at Jupiter, who had safely moved Naru and was preparing to power up. The glass of the youma's mirror began to glow an eerie shade of blue. "Supreme Thun..." The mirror flashed brightly in Jupiter's direction. The tall senshi screamed, covering her eyes as she dropped to her knees. "Jupiter!!!" Venus and I cried together, rushing towards her. "I can't...I can't see..." Jupiter gasped, waving her hands in front of her face frantically. "I can't see!!!" "Nani?!" "What happened?" cried Mars as she ran up to us. Mercury was not far behind her, and she immediately began running a scan on Jupiter. "That thing..." I managed to say in a shaky tone, pointing a finger at the youma. "It...it flashed its mirror at her..." "The blindness is not permanent..." Mercury said, typing away. "It should wear off." "But we just lost a senshi for this battle, and we may need her..." Venus growled. "The youma can deflect any attack you send its way with that mirror and shoot it right back at you. Be careful, senshi." "Oh man..." Mars breathed, wide eyed. "What are we going to do?" I whimpered. "Let's think of a diversion," Mercury suggested, calling upon her superior strategical abilities. "I'll go on the other side of it and attack. Its attention will be drawn to me. Sailor Moon...you hit it with your tiara from behind. Aim for the mirror. Destroying it will render the youma helpless. Mars, Venus, you back her up." "Right!" We moved into position. Mercury pointed and shouted at the youma, drawing its attention away from the rest of us. The youma's mirror began to glow, and my hands shook as I removed my tiara. "Shabon Spray!" The youma raised the mirror toward Mercury, ready to reflect her attack. I saw my chance. "Moon Tiara Action!" As the tiara flew from my hands, the youma spun around, and its glittering black eyes glared at me venomously. Mercury's attack hit it from behind, but it still stood firmly. The mirror raised and flashed in my direction. I screamed in agony as my eyes began to burn with a fury. Everything in my visual scope faded to blinding white. "No! Sailor Moon! Duck!" "Nani? I can't...I can't see anything..." I was grabbed and forced to the ground as something red hot tore through the side of my arm. I screamed like I've never screamed before. Even as I cried and screamed at the pain, I recognized the feeling of Tuxedo Kamen's arms around me. "What hit me?!" I cried, writhing in pain, searching around with unseeing eyes. "Your tiara," he muttered breathlessly. "The youma sent it back at you." I gasped incredulously. My God...had he not pushed me out of the way, I could have easily been killed... I heard the sound of ripping fabric. "Hold still," he ordered. I cried out in pain once more as something tight was tied around my arm, just above the wound. My arm was slick and wet with my own blood. "What are you doing to her?!" Luna cried, somewhere nearby. "I'm stopping the bleeding. Move away." "Now you listen here..." "MOVE AWAY!!!" I could almost see Luna's wide eyes, shocked with the force of Tuxedo Kaman's words. More voices sounded around me, and I began to whimper. "I can't see...oh, God...it hurts..." Mercury screamed somewhere in the distance. "Mercury?!" I cried, grabbing what I thought to be Tuxedo Kamen's cape. "What's happening?!" "Is she all right?" Mars asked, moving to my side. I felt her hand on my forehead, pushing some hair away from my blind eyes. "The cut on her arm isn't not too deep. The bleeding should stop soon. We've got to get her up...she's the only one who can fight this thing," Tuxedo Kamen answered, his tone much different from the one he used with Luna. "But she's blinded...how can she fight with her tiara?" "Hai...and she might get hit with it again if it's deflected..." Luna spoke up with an insistent, aggravated voice. "I tried to tell Sailor Moon earlier, but she wouldn't listen. She can't use the tiara against this youma. It's a human." I gaped. "Nani?! A human? But..." "I'll explain later, Sailor Moon. You'll have to use this." Something long and heavy was placed in my palm. "What is it?" I managed. I was dizzy and disoriented, but my sight was slowly returning. I could see shadows, but little else. Venus cried out an attack in the distance. "The Crescent Moon Wand," Luna answered. "Its meant for the leader, and I've become convinced that's you, Sailor Moon." "Me? Leader?" I breathed, teetering to one side in my dizziness. Tuxedo Kamen's arms balanced me and lifted me to my feet. "There's no time for this," he said hastily. "I'll distract the youma and do whatever it takes to keeps its attention away from her. Mars, when I give the signal, tell Sailor Moon to attack. Understood?" "Hai...good luck." I felt his hands leave me, and Mars quickly took over the job of keeping me on my feet. "Listen to me, Sailor Moon," Luna spoke firmly. "Are you paying attention?" "I'm trying..." I managed through my gritted teeth. "It just hurts...so bad...I can barely focus..." "Just repeat after me...all right?" "All right..." "There's the signal from Tuxedo Kamen!" Mars called, pointing my body a certain way, and helping me to raise my arm. "Just point straight ahead, Sailor Moon. I'll help you." "Say 'Moon Healing Activation'" Luna ordered. "Now!" I gritted my teeth and shouted the words, but I wasn't prepared for what happened. It started at my feet, moved up my legs, my torso, and spread down to my fingers. It was warm and pulsating...a feeling of complete subjugation, and it overtook me quickly. I felt...strong. My vision flickered into focus, and I saw the youma before me, venomously attacking Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Kamen, driving them back with their own attacks. Pulling my arm away from Mars' grasp, I swung the wand around my body, tracing a large circle in the air. A blinding light flashed above me, and the sky glittered with a multitude of powerful energy. The youma turned around in shock, and Venus knocked the mirror from her hands with a strong kick. The light overtook the youma, and an unearthly scream sounded through the trees. The scream became human, and the beautiful form of the youma disappeared, leaving a normal teenage girl in its place. She collapsed to the ground in an exhausted state of unconsciousness. By her side was a sparkling blue crystal. Tuxedo Kamen picked it up and placed it in his pocket, his storm-filled eyes meeting mine. I frowned deeply in his direction. The senshi, including the recovered Mercury and Jupiter, looked at me in awe. I was practically glowing with energy as I lowered the wand. "Sailor Moon..." "You did it..." But soon the light faded and reality hit. The wand slipped from my fingers as the pain from the injury on my arm returned with a fury. I stumbled and let out a cry. "Hey...are you okay?" Mars asked, arms flying to steady me. I couldn't hear her...all I knew was pain. Overcome with dizziness, my ears plugged up, and the world began spinning wildly on its axis. I sank to the ground and felt two arms grab me. The last thing I saw was Tuxedo Kamen's alarmed eyes searching my own. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- http://www.geocities.com/moonlit_eclipse/ Ja ne! Aimee-chan >^..^< sailor_moon89@hotmail.com