"It's not easy
Trying to understand
How the world can be so cold
Stealing the souls of man
Cloudy skys rain down on all your dreams
You wrestle with the fear and doubt
Sometimes it's hard
But you gotta believe..."
-- Faith Hill - "There Will Come a Day"

// thoughts //
THIS IS SOMEONE VERY IMPORTANT. AND NO, HE IS NOT YELLING.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Land of Confusion
Chapter 12: Hold Your Faith

*~*~*~*~*~*

//What was the line from that musical? 'We both reached for the gun?'//

The balcony pressed coldly on Yaten's back, reminding her how close she was to an untimely demise; though at this point, she wasn't sure whether she'd prefer the fall or the black pistol Vail was shakily clutching.

"I won't let you shoot the Princess." Yaten's voice was a lot more stable than she felt. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Don't think I won't!" Vail's eyes kept losing focus, going from clouded to sharp and back again. The rain continued to spit at them; they were a barrage of angry, cold needles on Yaten's skin. Her hair clung sloppily to her face, and she looked about as scared as Vail did, but she was holding her ground.

She took a step forward, although she was certain her feet moved of their own accord. "Give me that gun, Vail. You don't want to do this."

"How do you know what I want?!" The gun clicked; a bullet was loaded into the barrel. Vail seemed to stumble, thrown by an unseen blow, and let out a growl of frustration. His eyes regained focus, and appeared to stay that way for a moment.

"Yaten, please, stop me before I do something terrible! I'm can't...stop this!" The wind picked up, blowing his read hair about, and the vibrant eyes glossed over again.

Yaten swallowed inaudibly, feeling blood trickle down the back of her throat, and took another step forward. "Killing Kakyuu won't do you any good. It'll just cause anarchy. Is that what you want, after we've worked so hard?"

Vail's trembling finger was on the trigger, ignoring her. "One more step, and I'll shoot!"

Yaten would take that chance. Her mind ceased to be her own. The adrenaline started to pump in her veins again, for the first time in nearly five years; not since she had seen the flash of the Golden Senshi had she felt such a rush. In a moment of daring, she lunged for Vail, hoping a snap kick would knock the gun out of his hands.

"Funny," Yaten mumbled, slumping to the ground, "I thought I had better reflexes than that..."

Without a word, Vail dropped the gun. The rain water mixed with the blood, smearing it all around the balcony. Yaten hissed sharply as she felt around for the wound; by some minor miracle, the bullet had only taken out a small portion of skin and muscle from her abdomen - her internal organs were still in tact. Still, it hurt like hell, and she would need to bandage it sooner or later, or she would bleed out. But for now, she had to keep Vail's attention on something other than picking up that gun and going elsewhere.

//Maybe all those bad movies we did weren't so bad after all...// "Your aim has gotten better," Yaten mumbled feebly. She pressed her hand harder on her waist, in order to stop the blood, but she was only succeeding in producing more.

Vail's face contorted, obviously torn between looking abhorred and triumphant. "I told you not to move!"

"Well, stupid headstrong me, I had to go and test you..." She coughed violently, only partially with intention, and she spit out a little blood.

There were no words to describe the inside of Vail's mind. His real thoughts, repressed though they were, were screaming and crying and trying to force their way to the surface. And that little worm of evil, the disgusting thing, cackled with unadultered glee, wallowing in its own triumph. It loved the smell of blood, but the real Vail wanted to vomit. It was not pretty, the scene inside his head. Thousands of neurons were firing like lightning, all arguing with each other, and his body refused to cooperate.

Vail clutched his head; he couldn't make sense of anything. Two voices were crying out to him, telling him what to do, how to feel, how to act. The little worm was winning out, and Vail bent down toward the gun...

//Dammit Yaten, think of something, think of something!//

With one bloody hand clutching at the wound, Yaten got up on her knees and put her free hand on top of the red-haired boy's. "Please...don't do this. This isn't what you want, Vail..."

She coughed again, and then crumpled, one hand still on the wound. The white dress she wore had become the most beautiful, disgusting shade of crimson known to nature.

"For me, please...Don't do it." Her voice was nearly drowned out by the raging storm as her eyes fluttered closed.

Vail's mind could not make sense of this image; the little worm of evil was fighting with him, vying for control. It wanted that gun back. It had a job to do. Shooting the girl...that wasn't part of the plan. There was other blood to be shed.

The real Vail, somewhere in his own mind, was crying uncontrolably. He fought for his limbs, so he could step back from what his own hands had done. He struggled for what seemed like an eternity, and finally got control.

Yaten shot up when she heard the rustle of cloth. She stumbled as her legs protested, but haphazardly made her way to the balcony's edge.

Vail's body was unmoving, sprawled on a bush of white roses. Yaten could only hope that they had managed to soften his fall.

----------

Rhys' vision came back slowly, but the first thing he felt when he came to was the broken glass embedded in his thigh, and the weight of unconscious Seiya and a tree on his lungs.

"Seiya, are you okay?" he asked, words slurred slightly. A minor concussion, perhaps.

Seiya did not respond; or if she did, Rhys could not hear it - her face was buried in his chest. He slowly lifted one arm to try and nudge her awake.

Seiya's body rolled over limply, and he was greeted by the sight of the back of her head. It was cracked wide open by a tree branch; the bone crushed, her brain (or what was left of it) was exposed and blood spilling everywhere. Not even a Sailor Senshi could survive a blow like that.

"Seiya!" Her name got stuck in the back of Rhys' throat. "You stupid, stupid girl; why did you have to be on top of me?"

In an attempt at denial, he feebly reached for her neck to find a pulse. Of course, there was none.

"Seiya, you can't leave me now..." Rhys couldn't stand the sight of all that blood; he turned his head away in disgust. Not only the blood, but Seiya's eyes were drilling holes into him: they were still wide open, cobalt blue frozen in a moment of pure terror.

"Gods, I can't do anything right..." he murmured. "I thought we could have a second chance, and look at what I did. I should have left you well enough alone."

Rhys had seen her on the news constantly in the past few years. Seiya had not seemed lonely or sad; her face shined differently than before, with a different maturity. He could see an unnamed heartache, but he was sure it was not for him; she had probably counted him among the billions upon billions of casualities, and had moved past him.

But when he had seen Taiki in the marketplace, and she had asked for his address...he got hopeful. Stupidly hopeful. And this was the only thing he had to show for it. By wanting Seiya back, he'd condemned her to death.

"Damn me and my stupid romantic ideals..."

PRINCE CRHYSTOPH.

This qualified as one of those Oh Shit! moments. Voices in your head were not usually a sign of good things.

"You wouldn't happen to be Death, would you? I'd hate to hope that you might put me out of my misery."

NO. I AM NOT SO POWERFUL AS DEATH.

"Well then, what can I do for you?" Rhys would have felt intrigued to know more, if he didn't feel so numb.

SAILOR STAR FIGHTER IS NOT MEANT TO DIE.

Rhys snorted, a sound entirely unlike him. "I'm sorry, but you're a little late for that."

DO NOT GET SARCASTIC WITH ME, YOUNG MAN.

Rhys resisted the urge to "eep."

SOMEONE I SHOULD TRUST IS CAUSING CHAOS. I CANNOT STEP IN TO STOP HIM, SINCE THAT WOULD BE A BREECH OF...WELL, A LOT OF IMPORTANT STUFF. IT IS MY JOB TO OBSERVE, TO GUIDE, NOT TO MAKE WAVES. I CAN, HOWEVER, ATTEMPT TO RIGHT WHAT HE HAS WRONGED.

There was silence for a moment, where nothing could be heard but the sound of continuous rainfall.

THERE IS A CONDITION.

"There always is," Rhys added softly.

YOU MUST PROMISE ME THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS, YOU WILL NOT LET SAILOR STAR MAKER SURRENDER.

"To whom?"

NOW IS NOT TIME FOR YOU TO KNOW. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO ACT.

"I can't very well do that, pinned under a tree and my lover..." Rhys winced in agony; the glass continued to cut deeper, and if he moved even an inch, it would be severed to the bone.

OH YES, MUSN'T FORGET THAT.

"...Rhys?" Her voice was so soft that it couldn't even be classified as a whisper. It was a puff of air that happened to form his name. But Rhys could feel Seiya's warm breath on his neck, and he suddenly felt a rush of joy up and down his body (the parts he could still feel, at least.)

"Seiya! Oh thank Dios, I thought you were dead!" Rhys moved his hand slowly to wipe a smudge of blood from Seiya's face.

"What happened?" Seiya's breathing was haggard, and her eyes were still glossy, but she wasn't dead. Seiya wasn't dead.

DO YOU PROMISE ME, PRINCE CRYSTOPH? I CAN JUST AS EASILY TAKE THIS BACK.

// Yes. // Rhys hoped that the being in his head could read his thoughts - talking to himself would only make Seiya anxious.

GOOD. NOW GET OFF YOUR BUM AND GO TO THE PALACE.

// And how, pray tell, do you recommend I do that? Seiya's not exactly in walking condition, and there's still this whole issue with the tree... and the glass. //

The glass in Rhys' leg shattered into a million shining pieces, and then faded into the rain.

"Um." That wasn't quite what Rhys had been expecting. "Well, okay...Seiya, do you think we can roll this tree off us?"

"I can try..." With all the effort she could muster, which was not a great deal, she pushed at the broken tree trunk with her shoulder. Miraculously, the tree rolled away with a great crunch, and to Rhys' adrenaline-fed delight, he could still feel his legs.

"Rhys?"

"Yes?" He moved his hand to brush slowly across Seiya's pale cheek again.

"We're not dead yet?"

"Nope. Not dead yet."

"Oh good...For a minute, I saw a blinding white light, and I was worried that we'd never get to finish this absolutely delightful tickle fight." Seiya was smiling through the pain.

"There will be plenty of time for that later." Rhys slowly, ever so slowly, sat up. Seiya shakily got to her knees - most of the crushed skull had repaired itself, but her head was still bleeding. "We really need to get to the palace."

Before Seiya could ask him why, every one of her nerves spasmed, and violently at that.

-- the princess --

-- the princess --

-- get back to the palace --

-- GET BACK TO THE PALACE OR THE PRINCESS WILL DIE! --

"Rhys, help me up," she barked suddenly. This feeling, this utter terror, had not pumped through Seiya's veins for many, many years. "We have to--" she shuddered briefly as she put weight on her legs "--help the Princess!"

"Didn't I just say that?" he muttered, smiling lopsidedly. Seiya grabbed his hand and plowed through the remains of the greenhouse as fast as her dizzied brain would allow it. Rhys grimaced every time his foot touched the ground - his leg may have been in one piece, but it was still bleeding and it wasn't bending like it should. Not that he would dare stop and tell Seiya that.

"Don't you want to stop and henshin, dear?" he asked as Seiya flung the front door open.

"No time!" Seiya had to shout over the downpour. "We just have to go!"

// I don't want to be too late... // Her head was throbbing, and every raindrop that splattered against her skin felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds. But she had to go, and she had to go now, or else...

Or else...

Quick as a shot, Seiya ran toward the palace, leaving a confused Rhys outside his mess of a house.

"Well, looks like I'll be on my own then." He shook his head bemusedly, and started jogging lightly and painfully after his lover.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ouhi?!"

Kakyuu looked up at the door, then at the clock. Had she really been staring at the broken vase for an hour?

"Ouhi, are you alright?" Taiki stepped gingerly over the broken glass and porcelain, closing the door partially behind her. Her hand was near her pocket, obviously prepared for something - or someone.

"Oh Taiki, you worry so much. I'm just fine," Kakyuu's voice was tiny and laden with tears, and she struggled to keep eye contact when she wanted so badly to look away and cry.

"That's not the voice of someone who is 'just fine,'" Taiki said softly, touching her princess' shoulder. "Can I assume all these things didn't fall off the shelves on their own?"

"I..." Kakyuu swallowed hard. Her chest tightened as Taiki's eyes softened, still glittering with worry. Something was happening...

"Kakyuu?" Panic nibbled at Taiki's stomach. Was there an enemy in here after all?

"He's coming here. Whatever it is that wants to kill you...it's coming," Kakyuu had to whisper, because she was starting to feel sick. Every step that it took toward her door, it choked a little more air out of her.

Taiki nodded, turning toward the door. "Maker Star Power, Make--"

The door opened, cutting her off. It was only Yaten.

Taiki blanched, and then felt the absurd urge to giggle as relief washed over her. "Yaten...wants to kill me? But I haven't put hair dye in her shampoo for months..."

Yaten was smiling, but not at the humor; it was a feral grin, like a cat with a mouse caught in its paws. All the blood drained from Kakyuu's skin. Taiki looked from Yaten, to Kakyuu, and she knew. Her relief had been premature.

"Ouhi, get behind me. Now." Taiki felt her blood run cold. This was it. This was her moment of truth.

"No, that's just what she wants!" Kakyuu protested. "I won't let you die, Taiki!"

"That's not your choice." Taiki's eyes narrowed as Yaten produced a small gun. But it wasn't a gun loaded with bullets: the cold, narrow barrel told her that. It was a high powered laser. And the precision sight was being aimed straight for her heart.

"I'll go through you to get to the Princess," Yaten warned, raising an eyebrow. "You really want that?"

"Try me."

Yaten swung the gun up and fired. Taiki threw herself on top of Kakyuu and they both toppled behind a nearby set of filing cabinets. The grand window shattered into thousands of pieces, and Taiki inhaled sharply as many of them dug into her neck and back.

"Stay down," Taiki growled through gritted teeth. Kakyuu squeeked in protest, but did not move.

"You can take a shot at me," The sight was back on her heart the moment Taiki stood up, "But I'll go straight to Hell before I let you get the Princess."

"That could be arranged." Yaten was still smiling.

"You'd only be doing me a favor by killing me." Taiki put up her hands. "You'd just be putting me out of my misery. Wouldn't you much rather make me suffer? That is what you're after, isn't it?"

"Oh, there will be plenty of suffering, of that you can be certain." The gun was steady, and now Yaten's finger was on the trigger.

"Taiki..." Kakyuu had always known her Starlights would protect her to the last. She knew how dedicated they were. But Taiki was bordering suicidal! She wasn't even fighting!

It was as if she thought it were inevitable.

"And why shoot me in the heart? You're more likely to miss that way. Why not my head?"

Yaten's grin got wider, if that were even possible. "Because I want you to be alive just long enough to watch me decapitate the Princess."

"You sadist."

Suddenly, a heaving flurry tackled Yaten, sending her into a crumpled heap on the floor. Something very bloody and wet struggled to pin her to the ground, and was just about to be successful, when Yaten clobbered it over the head with the gun. Her arm popped up and pulled the trigger.

Taiki's scream was brief, but it broke Kakyuu's heart.

She scrambled out from behind the file cabinets just as Taiki slumped to her knees.

"Stupid, I told you to stay put!" Taiki tried to sound angry, but she just couldn't do it, especially when Kakyuu's tears started to fall on her face.

"Why didn't you fight her?" Kakyuu wailed miserably.

"Because the end result would have been the same," Taiki said, and then winced. Everything seemed to be shutting down on her; her vision was starting to get dark. She pointed off to her side. "But at least someone has this situation under control..."

Seiya roared impossibly loud and snapped her foot up to meet Rufus' chin. There was a crack, and he grunted as he realized his jaw was broken. It would heal quickly, but that didn't mean it wasn't hurting like hell. He grabbed Seiya's wrist forcibly and threw her across the room, where she collided face-first with a bureau.

"Okay, she has it mostly under control."

Everything was very dark for Taiki as she felt herself being pulled into Kakyuu's lap. She could still feel tears falling on her face, and she realized that maybe she was crying, too. She covered up the wound on her chest, like it would be of some use to stop the running flow of scarlet. "Come on now, Ouhi, it's not that bad..."

"Not that bad?!" Kakyuu pulled back like she was slapped. "You're dying!"

"So? I don't fear death, if that's what you mean..."

"I need you," Kakyuu whimpered, and now all Taiki could see of her was her face, crumpled in misery.

"I know you do. But I just can't...I can't do this anymore. Everything hurts, except your face."

"I never wanted you to hurt," Kakyuu brushed her hand over Taiki's face, and then her ruined left shoulder. "All I ever wanted was to make the pain go away."

"I know how hard you tried, Ouhi. I know it. It's not your fault; it's mine..."

Taiki realized she had stopped breathing, and Kakyuu's face was disappearing. She felt weightless, as though she could just disappear into the air.

"Be strong, Kakyuu..."

Somewhere in space, a star flashed white hot, lighting up the empty void.