"Firesoul!" Three of the creatures were destroyed by the flames. These enemies were weak, so much they only represented a moderate threat to mortals the warriors protected, but their number made them a challenge to their adversaries. Another half-man half-beast monster charged, Mercury took upon her to disorient it while Venus pierced it and the corpse consumed by itself. Seeming to understand despite their obvious lack of a mind that attacking one at the time left them no chance whatsoever, the creatures attacked together, without apparent consultation. Thirteen against four, the chances were about equal. Had Sailor Moon been there, the fight would have been brief, one "Moon Princess Halation" would have handled the multitude, but she was late and the others could very well manage.
Five had already fallen when a movement was visible one corner further. Usagi was finally coming at the site of the reunion the attack had cut short. Two beasts ran out the group of survivors, delighted by this new target.
"Moon Crystal Power Make Up!"
Foolish move. All along her endless transformation, Usagi was vulnerable to physical attacks and the lower demons' were lethal to whom couldn't dodge them. The others busy defending their own life, Jupiter ran toward the danger. Catching up on the monsters, she caught the forward one, a monstrous but small centaur, and hung to its body, dragging it to the ground. It had reddish fur with a blonde mane, its ugly and old head topped with a pair of bull's horns. It kicked, making her lose her grip, but she closed in, holding its legs to avoid blows and prevent it from getting up.
The other creature hadn't abandoned its companion, or maybe it just had smelled the fresh blood and chose the closest prey. From its shoulder, it took its arc and fitted an arrow. With unexpected precision, it avoided one of the bodies moving on the ground and pierced the other's heart.
The three warriors left behind hadn't lost time and the six remaining opponents were no more. The two who had run still lived, one struggling on the ground against Jupiter, the other, an archer, aiming at this one. Mercury attacked, her power wasn't the most powerful but it was the quickest, and encased the upper half of the archer's body in a mass of ice. It didn't die, but it couldn't do harm anymore, and if it couldn't free itself it would choke and die anyway.
The centaur got up but had little time to accomplish its vile deeds, as Sailormoon emerged from her transform process, the first thing she saw was the sharp horns followed by the rest of the being charging onto her, just to be caught up and engulfed by a ball of fire who left nothing of it. She was about to thank her friends but abruptly stopped when she saw an expanse of red at her feet.
Without a word, she kneeled and took Jupiter's hand. The woman didn't react. From the middle of her bloody chest, a wooden stick protruded, the end of an arrow. She reached to pull it out but changed her mind, if she remembered well it was something she shouldn't do. Mercury kneeled at the wounded's other side. She took her pulse while Moon begged her to wake up. The girl was even more alarmed when she rose her head to say they needed to call an ambulance immediately. Venus hesitated, then turned her back and ran toward a store farther down the street to use the phone.
On her side, Mercury didn't know what to do. Sure she wanted to be a doctor but for the moment she was a high school student, skilled of course, but certainly not a doctor. Jupiter's heart had stopped, by the time the ambulance would arrive she would be dead, but with an arrow in the heart attempting to resuscitate her would most likely finish her off, and pulling out the arrow would probably give the same result. Part of the problem solved itself. The monster in its ice cast passed away and its arrow vanished.
Moon saw Mercury hesitate, then begin to give her cardio-respiratory resuscitation, but within a few minutes death took its toll. The warrior reverted to her normal form, lacking the vital energy to maintain her transformation, Mercury abandonned her efforts and a heavy silence took place. Moon was now holding Makoto's hand against her face, dampening it with her tears, and two high pitched sobs were heard. Then she exploded: "Mako-chan! No, you can't die, wake up I beg you! Mako! Mako please don't die!"
She had grabbed her friend's shirt and shook her as if she could wake her from eternal sleep. Rei decided it was better to separate her from the body and tried at first softly, then firmly, to pull her in another direction. She almost had to fight her. She had made it to a few steps away when she escaped her. With an heartbreaking scream, Moon threw herself on the still warm corpse and held it in her arms. Digging her face into the curve of the shoulder to break into desperate cries. Her despair was alone strong enough to activate the silver crystal and a powerful light escaped it, but she neither saw or felt it.
"Please Mako-chan, I don't want you to die!"
She felt Rei's hand on her shoulder, but this time she didn't try to pry her away. She couldn't help but to expect her friend would at a moment or another wake up and tell her she's been an idiot to make so much noise for nothing, she was almost mad at her for not doing so. But she knew from where she was, she should have clearly heard her heartbeats, and there was nothing but an abominable silence.
Hands were pulling her away again, more timidly than how Rei would have done, it probably was Ami. How could her friends act so coldly? Didn't they feel the same way about Makoto's death? She only got away from that sinister silence answering her cries when a voice weakly whispered into her ear: "Usagi? Please, get away, you're crushing me."

Chapter 1