Happy Birthday @docholligay! I finally got an idea of something super angsty to write for you and only managed to because it's your birthday as I don't know if I actually think it's a very well executed idea. SORRY IF THAT IS IN FACT THE CASE. No edits or re-reads because I don't know if I think it's good enough to post if it weren't for it being a gift. (aka I don't wanna re-read XD) Have some Minako angst. 2,255 words. No hard feelings if you don't end up wanting to read it. XD
The villains thought without their general, they'd be useless. Or that they'd be stupid and try to rescue me. It's not a bad tactical plan when your enemy is young and brash. Which, I suppose most of us are. But they took the wrong senshi if they were hoping for a trade or a sacrifice or a rescue attempt that would lure them into a trap.
No one was coming for me.
Oh sure, Usagi is trying to convince the others it can be done, and Haruka is probably pulling her hair out with worry. Still. They're not coming for me. Michiru will restrain Haruka's valor, and Rei will do her duty to her princess. She was always going to choose her princess over her lover.
I should be proud. I trained her to take my place in exactly such a case.
I'm not. Not in this moment. The room is too hot, too stuffy. The smell should repress my hunger, but I haven't had anything to eat since they got me.
They shouldn't have been able to catch me. If Usagi had stayed where she was supposed to. If Mako hadn't tried to power through a forward attack instead of backing up to give Michiru the opening when the enemy withstood the thunder.
The worst part is the thirst though. Once, they slid a small cup of water into the cell. I guess they decided I was, in fact, worth more alive than dead. I shouldn't have drank it. It wasn't enough. It made the thirst worse. I told myself not to, and resisted for a while. I couldn't tell you how long. I don't know how long I've been here. But there's nothing quite like thirst to make one lose self discipline.
The quiet broke like an explosion, the door of the cell grating open. It felt like I jumped out of my itchy, damp skin. My legs wobbled as I reflexively swung to my feet to face my jailer. This was the first time I was seeing the door open.
"All we've asked for is the holy grail. I would have thought a life more priceless than an object of power, but they haven't even deigned our offer with a reply." The voice was Kaolonite's. She tossed something to Venus, which was caught. Blessed coolness. Mina didn't look at what it was as she wasn't going to take her eyes off Kaolonite, but her hands recognized the object, and her whole body spasmed. A bottle of water. "Freshen up a little before our field trip. We hadn't cared enough about you to do anything worse, but it appears we will have to put on a show for your friends. It'll be more… impactful, if you're not already so decrepit."
Mina's hand clenched around the bottle. She should chuck it at Kaolonite and rush past her, make her own escape. Except she barely felt as though she could keep standing, let alone shove her way out and run. She probably had enough strength to summon her chain, but to do what?
"Nothing to say to all that?" The woman gave a one shoulder shrug. "Think about your loyalties."
"You have a proposition for me?" Her voice sounded strange to her ears. She hadn't used it in a while, and the stuffy air and lack of water had made her throat feel thick.
"No. Not really. Just seems to me they don't really care about you. I would have thought differently. It's no matter to us. In the end, you will serve your purpose. A meal will be coming soon. Eat up, look a little more refreshed. Try not to drink that so fast you throw it all up." And she left, closing the door behind her with a grinding that showed just how much effort it took to move the door. And as it closed tight, the air felt repressive, heavy, thick. Too thick. Like she couldn't breathe. And Mina was forced back to her knees as she gasped for breath.
--
Kaolonite waited for the senshi to assemble in battle before summoning the magical, transparent black sphere-cell Venus had been contained in. She could see her team through it, but a thick, oily substance warped their images as it swirled around within the orb. Jupiter reacted before Kaolonite even got to begin her evil monologuing about the exchange she wanted to make. A surge of her electric power smashed against the orb, and of course, nothing happened. At first.
It was like the orb had absorbed the attack… and rebounded it inside. Jupiter's power surged at Venus. Pain erupted from all sides, forcing her body to jerk. She bit her lip just in time to choke back the scream, but blood trickled down as the force of the pain and the power and the desperation buckled her body for what could only have been a couple seconds but felt like an eternity. It left her dazed and fallen against the side the bubble. There wasn't quite enough room to have fallen to the floor.
When she did come to, she heard shouting. Rei's voice was raging for everyone to stay back and not to do anything further. Mercury was yelling to Kaolonite to let her go, and Haruka was calling out directly to Mina, asking if she was okay.
Panting, Mina pushed herself upright and wiped her mouth on the back of her arm. Kaolonite was laughing.
"If you would have given me a moment, I would have told you what would happen if you tried to free your friend, but there is nothing quite like a demonstration, is there?"
"Let her go, or we will take you out Kaolonite!" Mars said it as an order, and it made Mina smile weakly. Venus would know this was a hopeless case, but Rei would believe she could do anything until she couldn't.
"That will not help your friend. Your only choice is to hand over the grail. Where is your silly little Sailor Moon?"
"Stay back." Mars ordered the others, and then she herself stepped warily forward, heading toward their captive general. She appeared ready for Kaolonite to try and stop her, but the woman just watched, seeming eager to see how this played out.
As Mars approached, she tentatively lifted her hand to touch the bubble. There was a crackle of electricity that caused Mars to flinch, but she kept her hand there. Venus lifted her own on the other side, touching the other side of where Mars did. There was no crackle for her. It was just a smooth, firm surface. She wanted to tell her to get her out of there. She wanted to tell her she loved her and despite all her frivolities, she always came back to Rei. But she looked up into those dark eyes and simply waited.
"Michiru and I have been looking into the mirror and fire. We were able to make sure Sailor Moon wouldn't know about this encounter. It's the only way we could think of to keep her safe. From this. We've been less successful figuring out how to get you out. Do you know where they've been keeping you?" This was all said in a quiet voice that had prompted Kaolonite to close the distance to hear, but they were both pretty sure all she could have caught was the last question.
The woman snapped her fingers, and the oily looking substance suddenly went from softly swirling to pulling together, shaping into a spike, and shooting through the center of the orb. Venus jerked in the small space to avoid being impaled. She was successful, but it was just surprising and quick enough that it caught her left arm as she moved, grazing deep against her outer bicep. She and Rei both screamed for a moment, and the senshi left behind jerked forward as one, but Neptune's sharp voice kept them from moving more than a step or two. Except Haruka, who had broken from Michiru's grasp and was suddenly also beside them, her fists pounding on the orb. Once again, Kaolonite's shrill laugh accompanied the moment.
"Oh right. That's another thing. If you don't get me what I want, your friend is going to be impaled in there. There's nothing you can do except-" The woman had to disappear as a wall of flame erupted toward her. She reappeared above them all, pissed and patting the hem of her dress. Rei had been so close. "Killing me won't release her. She can only be free when I hold the grail in my hands."
"Mina. Mina! Are you okay?" Haruka asked, her face nearly pressed to bubble. She'd stopped pounding as it was entirely ineffective.
"It didn't get me anywhere vital." She replied. Any other response would have been a lie, and while she wasn't opposed to lying, she wasn't ready yet to meekly accept her fate either.
"We have no plan for this." Mars said, staring intently into Mina's eyes, searching for instruction. Of course she couldn't just ask.
"It's all on you now Mars. I can't do anything from here. All I can ask is you make it quick if there's nothing to be done." Mina's voice was tight, restrained. She should have felt heroic, like an honored martyr. But she wasn't Haruka, and she wasn't Rei who would be happy to die in Usagi's place. Mina did her duty. She didn't always want to, and this was one of those times. She didn't want to die here, for a girl who had five times the amount of love in her life than Mina herself. Especially when she wouldn't have to die to save her. Except would they really let her go? At least the death might be quick if they gave up the grail. She would either be free or dead quickly. She couldn't go back to that cell.
"I've seen what happens if they get the grail. We all perish." There were tears welling in Rei's eyes. She looked so angry. They were probably tears of powerlessness.
"Mina," was all Haruka could say. She was so lost just now. This would have been so much easier for her if their places were changed. Mina wanted to laugh about the absurdity of it. She was their general and Haurka just a soldier, but if their places were switched, Michiru would have taken the grail for Usagi even by force if necessary to get Haruka back. But not for Mina.
"I wish we could have been something. Something real, before this." Mina said to Rei.
"Don't give up Mina!" Haruka said, pounding the bubble again.
"This is growing quite tedious," Kaolonite said from above, sounding angry.
"Venus." Rei said, her voice so controlled it shook. "You have to have some ideas-"
"Make it quick. Kaolonite is going to draw this out. If you can't get me out, don't let her humiliate me." She stared hard into those shining black eyes, looking for comprehension. Anger sparked behind her features and she slapped the bubble.
"How dare you ask that of me?!"
"I have no one else to ask." When Rei's eyes flicked to the side at Haruka, Mina let out a laugh of contempt.
"Mich-"
"She would never be forgiven, so she won't. Not for me."
"You two have a plan?" Haruka asked, sounding hopeful.
A sigh of annoyance from Kaolonite, and she snapped again. This time, Mina didn't try to dodge, just braced herself with her hands on the edges of the bubble as this time the power of the orb struck out and punctured right through Mina's body just under her collarbone on the left side of her body. Oh they would kill her, but not quickly. She wished they would as the pain suddenly disappeared as adrenalin poured into her, dulling the pain and making her ears ring.
"Stop! Stop! We'll get it. It's not here right now! Just stop and let us get it!" Uranus was yelling up at Kaolonite.
"Mercury, have you figured out anything else about this bubble yet?" Mars yelled back to the senshi. Mercury had been typing away at her computer.
"Your visions," Mina said, gasping after every couple of words, "didn't see you, getting me out of, this. Did they?" Mars ignored her and ran back to Mercury. Haruka was asking Mina what to do, if she was okay.
"Hey Uranus," Minako said, cutting in like they were just hanging out, ignoring Haruka's desperation. "You're a pain in the ass. But I liked having a friend. Tell your-" The spike this time, having successfully struck her, had stayed pinning her in place, but suddenly it drew back again. Her knees buckled and struck down on the curved part of the sphere, keeping her from being able to slump fully down. She leaned her forehead against the sphere.
"Mina, Mina." As her name brought her back to herself, the pain started to hit her in force. The adrenaline could only do so much. "Cast your chain. Mercury said if things can go in, maybe power can go out." Rei was saying to her.
Mina gave a gurgling laugh, blood spotting her lips. Oh yeah, that had gotten a lung. "That's the first thing I tried when they put me in here. It didn't work."
Another snap, and the next spike sprung through her middle. Oh that was going to kill her. But slowly. That had to be her stomach. Rei was on her knees by now outside the bubble, she now looking up at Mina as Mina was bowed over. "Be the one to show me mercy." She whispered, blood spattering against her cell as she spoke. If they let her out now, Usagi could still heal her with her crystal. But that was up to Rei now. The choice had to be made now.
"Minako" Rei said, and that one word was filled with longing and sorrow and grief for all the things they should have been for each other but would never get to. She said after a long moment, then stood.
"Are you finally ready to make the deal?" Kaolonite asked, seeing the decision in Rei's eyes.
"Haruka, I need you to go back to the others. That's a direct order. Do it for Mina" As Rei said this, Kaolonite lowered herself closer.
"Oh have you been holding onto it all this time?"
Haruka exchanged a tearful glance with all of them and allowed herself to be led away by Michiru who had stepped forward a while ago. As they stepped away, Rei looked to Minako. "I'm sorry."
The senshi of fire then threw everything she had into the largest, hottest blaze she had released to date, filled with all the misery of this moment, fury at her inability to do more, and conviction of the righteous. She took Kaolonite out in the sudden conflagration, and when the smoke cleared, there were two corpses, one a tangle of limbs against the scorched earth, and the other a pile of ash in a withered, cracked orb of burnt out power.
Unscathed among the circle of wasteland she had wrought stood Rei, straight-backed and hollow, and took her first steps away from the devastation as the official, monster general of the senshi.