Like cat and mouse, Sailorvenus continued to run around the game
center, with the bomb of a bullet chasing her. Her legs grew weaker with
every step she took. Then, as if an imaginary light bulb lit up in her
brain, she smiled. She had a plan. She hoped that it would work; it always
worked in movies. Summoning a tad bit of strength, she swiftly ran towards
the monster. As soon as she was a nose away from it, she jumped and tumbled
over it. Landing gracefully on her low-heeled, orange shoes, she looked back
at the monster, hoping that the bomb got it instead. 
	No such luck.
	Venus screamed, as the bomb went down on her, ending in a loud, explosive
KA-BOOM.
	"VENUS!!!" Sailoruranus screamed.

==================
Burning Heart Souls
Chapter 15:
"Revelations"
==================

	The monster laughed hysterically. "That bomb wasn't heat-seeking. It was
'strong-feeling-seeking'." 
	"Kono--!" Sailoruranus clenched a fist. 
	Uranus heard a muffled voice under the thick layers of smoke. "Venaas
Roring Haat Vaibraesion!!!" The smoke began to clear. Uranus' eyes grew as
wide as saucers. 	"VENUS!!"
	Uranus' shock disappeared, and her gaping mouth formed a smile. There stood
Venus with her hands on her hips, tiny scratches from the explosion on her
legs, but she looked perfectly fine. Uranus was about to wonder how she had
survived, when she saw a series of hearts rotating around the golden-haired
sailor like some sort of forcefield; the 'Venus Rolling Heart Vibration'!
	Venus flipped her hair over her shoulder, and glared at the monster. "I'm
back! It's gonna take more than just a bomb to outwit me! Lightning never
strikes the same place twice!"
	The monster looked flabbergasted, but regained its composure. It aimed its
gun at Venus again, preparing to shoot. Venus glared at the monster. The
shield of hearts disappeared, as she raised her arm for a blast to
counterattack the gun. The monster fired, and so did Venus. "CRESCENT
BEAM... SHOWER!!!" 
	It ended in a loud explosion, but neither of them got hit. Venus placed her
hands on her hips again, and smiled smugly at the monster. The monster gave
a cry of disappointment, and took out another kind of gun. It laughed, and
pointed it at Venus. "This is my lightning bolt gun!"
	Venus raised an eyebrow. "Lightning bolt gun?" (A large sweat drop appears
at the back of her blonde head.)
	"Geez, couldn't it come up with a much better name?" Uranus thought out
loud, tapping her booted foot impatiently on the game center's marble floor.
"I mean, 'Venus Love-Me Chain' is bad enough as it is!"
	"I heard that!!" Venus frowned at Uranus.
	"Damare!!!" The monster shouted to them, and fired. Much to Venus'
amazement, it was a lightning bolt that came out of the barrel. It looked
similar to Sailorjupiter's Supreme Thunder, but Venus thought Jupiter's to
be far cooler, and better.
Venus did not move from her spot, even as the lightning bolt was headed
towards her. With a swift turn of her arm, Venus conjured up a long, angled
weapon in her hand, and threw it at the lightning bolt.
	"CRESCENT BOOMERANG!!!"
	The boomerang and the lightning bolt collided, and POOF, the two blasts
stopped each other. The monster stomped the ground in frustration, baring
its teeth at Venus. 
Venus took an aggressive step towards the monster. "Are you quite done yet?
In that case, I'll be able to finish you off now! VENUS--" 
	She stopped, and turned to look at Uranus. "Uh... what other attacks do I
have anyway?"
	Uranus groaned  (while collapsing to the floor, with a big sweat drop on
her head). "And I thought your nifty gadgets were pretty neat!"
	Venus scratched the back of her head. "A-hahahaha! This time I'll do this
without gadgets! You just watch!"
	"What do you think I've been doing for the past few minutes? Yoga?" Uranus
gave an exasperated sigh, and leaned on the game center's glass door. "I'm
gonna take a snooze. Wake me up when you're done."
	"Hey! Don't fall asleep on me now! I've just begun!" 
	"And as usual, you're hogging all the fun!"
	"Why you---!!" They bit back in unison.
	Without warning, a loud, booming rattling noise sounded. Venus and Uranus
turned abruptly, and jumped out of the way... just in time to dodge the
monster's attack. It carried another strange-looking gun in its hand. It
looked similar to a funny, odd-shaped armalite gun. Uranus and Venus gaped
at the new weapon that the monster held.
	"What's wrong? Are you amazed at my invincible strength and power?" The
monster jeered at them, waving its 'gun' in the air, grinning widely.
	Venus gave a sigh. "Why did we have to get stuck with a looney, gun-freak
monster like this?" She looked at Uranus from the corner of her eye. Uranus
looked half-asleep, her arms crossed. Venus nudged her, and Uranus' eyes
flew open.
	"How can you sleep at a time like this???" Venus hollered.
	"Uh... practice?" Uranus replied casually, a bit distracted.
	The senshi of love groaned in exasperation. "You always say the wrong
things, at the wrong---" 
	She went crashing onto the video game arcade machines before she finished
the sentence. Uranus was more than awake now, as she saw Venus fly into the
air, and knocked over three or four arcade machines. Uranus quickly turned
to face the assailant, but the next thing she knew, she too was pushed back
by an incredibly powerful force. She gave a low cry from her throat, as her
back rammed into a drink rack. Uranus could hear the tinkling and shattering
of glass, as her body slid to the floor, her eyes wide. She landed on her
chest, her eyes still wide open. A few cans of softdrinks fell from the
rack, and rolled on the floor. 
	Gritting her teeth, Venus sat up. She gasped, as she saw Uranus lying on
the floor, glass shards and tin cans scattered everywhere. Who was their
attacker? It could not have been that gun-crazy monster. That was
impossible! Venus winced. Her right arm ached plenty. Placing her left hand
on her right arm, Venus got up, and limped towards Uranus.
	"Haruka-san," Venus said through clenched teeth. She knelt beside the
short-haired senshi. "Haruka-san!"
	Uranus did not even blink, but she uttered a soft sound. Venus gave a sigh
of relief. She glanced around. The monster was gone! And there was no trace
of their attacker anywhere! Venus turned back to Uranus.
	"Haruka-san, daijiobu?"
	"Sure," Uranus slurred, able to get herself off from the floor. "These are
one of my better days."
	"It is one of mine too." Came a voice, which was not the monster's, from
the corner of the game center. Uranus and Venus averted their eyes to the
direction of the voice. There, standing among the shadows, was a figure of a
man.
	"You!" Venus said, standing abruptly, and taking on a Sailor-V stance.
"What have you done to that looney monster?? I won't forgive you!!"
	[Uranus collapses on the floor with a very big sweat drop] "Baka!!" Uranus
burst out, bonking Venus on the head. 
	"Hey!! But what if he DID kill off the monster?" Venus countered. "The poor---"
	"You boke!! That guy could be our attacker!!" Uranus pointed to the man.
	"Oh. That's right!" Venus took on a pose. "You there! Come out! In the name
of love and justice, I'll make sure you are executed!" 
	The man slowly stepped out from the shadows. He was tall, lean, and
good-looking, much to Venus' dismay. Brown strands of hair fell to his
forehead. Venus peered closely at him, as her gaze rested on a mark on his
forehead. She could not make out what it was, but she thought of it to be
unimportant. A cape was draped over his broad shoulders. He looked at
Uranus, then at Venus, as he walked towards them, a sinister smile playing
on his lips.
	"Who are you??" Uranus demanded.
	He stopped nearing them, but the smile remained glued to his face. "Your
death!"

********************************************************************************

	Birds chirped loudly among the trees at the Hikawa Shrine, as the sky took
on an orange hue. The snow had vanished, leaving the late afternoon setting
dry and humid. It felt like summer. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Sailormars,
Sailormercury, Sailorpluto, and Botan sat around the small table at the
center of the living room.
	"We have no choice."
	"But if the gate closes..."
	"...You'll be stuck in Meikai forever."
	The discussion turned tense, as everyone grew quiet; questions and
contradictions playing in their heads. Yuusuke crossed his arms, a frown
creasing his face and forehead. Pursing her wine-red lips, Pluto awaited his
decision.
	"I don't think Hades is a very friendly person... err... individual," Botan
said nervously. "Mou~! I hope Koenma-sama is all right."	
	"Don't get your tassles all in an uproar, Botan," Mars chided, continuing
to hold an ice pack to Yuuichirou's temple, after tending to his wounds. He
was still oblivious to the conversation taking place, but Mars thought it
seemed better that way that he did not know what was happening. She suddenly
felt something hard in his pocket. Curiosity jabbed at her. She was itching
to find out what that bulky object was. She could not hold back the impulse
much longer. Making sure no one was looking, Mars slid her gloved hand into
Yuuichirou's pocket, and pulled out a small, deep blue, felt case. She
paused. What was this? Her inquisitive nature wanted her to open the case,
and see for herself what was in it. She did so, ignoring the small voice of
conscience in her head. Evidently, to her, what Yuuichirou did not know,
would not hurt him. 
	Mars took a peek, slightly opening the case, and almost gasped. Resting
majestically on a smooth, satiny-blue velvet, was a ring. It glittered
beautifully under the light of the setting sun. Mars felt a pang of jealousy
welling up in her, as she continued to stare at it. The ring was
gold-plated, studded by four, exquisite, blood-red rubies; and at the center
was a brilliantly-cut diamond. There was no mistake about it; it was an
engagement ring. Mars' heart fell, however she felt happy for the girl
Yuuichirou intended to marry. Mars gave a sigh, and returned the case to
Yuuichirou's pocket. 
	'Yuuichirou no baka!' She thought sadly.
	Nobody had seen her take the case, and she was grateful that no one had.
She turned her attention back to the discussion.
	Mercury had her mini computer ready as usual. "According to this, the gate
to the underworld, Meikai, is only 25.2 inches high, and..." She punched on
some more keys. "...32.7 inches wide. It's slightly spherical in shape."
	Kuwabara and Yusuke started to calculate, as they silently counted their
fingers. Botan groaned. Mars rolled her eyes. Pluto looked at them, amused.
	"There is still a chance for all of you to enter the passageway, but it's
getting smaller and smaller, so we must act now." Mercury added. "It closes
2.54 centimeters every 30 minutes!"
	"Yosh! We'd better move it!" Yusuke got to his feet, and clenched his fist
in determination. "You coming, Kuwabara?"
	Kuwabara straightened, but did not say anything. Then he remembered Yukina,
and he stood up. "I have to check on Yukina-san. I want to see if she's all
right."
	As if the heavens had heard him, Yukina appeared, walking up the shrine's
steps, along with Shizuru, Keiko, Hotaru, and... Hinageshi! Hinageshi looked
extremely well, her shiny red hair bobbing up and down, as she climbed the
steps to the shrine. Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Botan ran to them, smiles pasted
on their faces, happy to see all of them alive and safe... except for one...
and their smiles faded. The four girls carried a dark, immobile, and
dead-weight figure, which looked strangely familiar. Hiei! 
	"Somebody help us out here! This guy is no feather-weight!" Shizuru complained.
	Kuwabara and Yusuke took it from there, scooping Hiei in their arms. They
carried him to the inside of the shrine, and laid him down on the wooden
floor. Yukina looked particularly sad, as she gazed at the boy whose life
was taken away by the Meikai. Yusuke took one look at the ice maiden, and
realized that she had finally found her long-lost brother.
	Botan and Hinageshi shared a long sisterly hug. Kuwabara was more than glad
that Hinageshi was right before him, healthy and smiling with glee. It was
too good to be true.
	"Oi, Hinageshi, how did you--?" Kuwabara tried to ask.
	Hinageshi smiled. "We have Kurama to thank. Though he didn't know it, he
freed my soul from one of Maja's bracelets." 
	"Kurama? Where is Kurama now anyway?" Botan wondered out loud.
	Hinageshi's face took on a bemused expression. "...But I don't know the
girl he was with. She was tall, and had long, brown hair."
	Mars and Mercury exclaimed in chorus. "Mako-chan!"
 
********************************************************************************

	He opened his eyes. He was not on familiar ground, but the apartment room
he was in had an air of hominess and warmth. Averting his eyes from the
room's surroundings, Kurama rested his gaze on the girl he had rescued
earlier, and sucked in his breath. He had almost forgotten about... this.
How long had it been since they've been that way --- in the way that made
his face heat up, and his heart race? Makoto was breathing normally now, and
her cheeks were tinted with a touch of pink. A lock of brown hair fell to
her forehead. Unable to hold back the urge, Kurama gently swept it away with
his fingertips. His hand went lower, and traced the curve of her cheekbone.
	He stopped short. What was he doing? He fixed his eyes on a wall clock not
far away from the right-side wall. Makoto had been unconscious for over two
hours now. Thankful that he had saved her life, Kurama carefully and quietly
slipped away from her, as not to awaken her. Before he could get himself off
the bed, he felt her stir. He froze, as he heard a soft sigh escape her
lips. Much to his bad fortune, Kurama saw Makoto's eyelids slowly flutter
open. Blinking once, twice, Makoto's eyes regained its sparkle and shine.
When she saw Kurama sitting by the bed, she forced a smile. Her mouth and
cheeks felt unbelievably numb.
	"Kurama..." She tried to say, but it came out as a croak.
	Kurama still did not move. Makoto probably did not notice the fact that
they were both unclothed. Kurama took a deep breath, and crossed his
fingers, preparing for the dire consequence he was about to face. 
	He swallowed. "Mako, gomennasai." It came out like a squeak, instead of an
apology. He did not look at her. He looked at the floor, at his feet, at his
toes, at the potted plant at the far end corner of the room... everywhere,
except directly at her.
	Then it hit her. 
	Her hands could not feel the slightest trace of fabric on her body. Her
skin felt exposed and chilly, even under the covers. Her trembling hands
moved to her mouth, as it formed a silent gasp. Her eyes, under those lush
fringe of lashes, grew wide, as her face contorted into a look of shock,
surprise, and vulnerability.
	After a long, tense while, she finally found her voice. "Y-you... YOU
JERK!!! YOU ECCHI!!!"
	The flat of her palm found his cheek after that.

********************************************************************************

	The warm reunion over at the Hikawa Shrine brought hidden, joyous tears to
many of them; Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, Sailormars, Sailormercury,
Sailorpluto, who were joined by Shizuru, Keiko,Yukina, Hotaru, and
Hinageshi. Yusuke saw the way Kuwabara lit up when he saw the petite spirit
guide. He knew it must have been traumatizing seeing a friend die. He looked
at Yukina. How much more if it were a brother...? He glanced at Hiei's
unmoving body on the floor.
	"Yukina," Yusuke said softly, while placing one hand on her dainty
shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'll make those Meikai scum pay, don't worry."
	Yukina's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she nodded her head slightly.
	"Yukina-san," Kuwabara cut in, still unknowing of the fact that Hiei was
her brother. "Don't tell me you feel sorry for this shrimp!" But deep within
him, Kuwabara did feel a certain sadness knowing that the fire demon was dead.
	Yukina was about to reply, when Pluto said, "Yusuke, there is no time to
lose. If we are to pass through the gates of Meikai, we have to go now. The
passageway will not wait for us."
	"I know." Yusuke nodded. "Where is the gateway leading to Meikai anyway?"

********************************************************************************

	The Crown game center, which was usually filled with noisy, game-obsessed
kids was now deathly quiet. The handsome man eyed Sailorvenus and
Sailoruranus, evil intent in his expression. "You are on Meikai territory.
Your souls are mine then!"
	"Ha! Sez who?" Venus scoffed. "You may be a hunkmeister, but you're still
an enemy! VENUS... LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!"
	Venus fired her blow-kiss attack at the man. He did not move from his
place. Venus knew she was going to make a direct hit with the heart-blast
headed towards him... until it disintigrated a few millimeters away from him.
	"Nani?!" Venus exclaimed. "My attack didn't work?!"
	"He's stronger than that monster we saw earlier," Uranus observed.
	"Duh. He's the one who attacked us just a moment ago, right?"
	The man eyed them closely, darting his eyes from the orange-suited fighter,
to the tall, cobalt-suited one. He raised his arm, and pointed at Venus.
"You are the one with the strong feelings."
	"Me?!" Venus squeaked. "Strong feelings? You can't be serious! How can I
have strong feelings?? I can be sentimental and a hopeless romantic, but..."
	The man walked towards Venus, his eyes gleamed dangerously. Venus could
barely make out the mark on his forehead. Were they letters?  
	Uranus stepped in front of Venus. "Listen, pal, I don't know who the hell
you are, but Venus' soul stays put, you understand?"
	"No, no," He replied. "I don't think so. You see, you're on Meikai
territory, and intruders are destroyed." He snapped his fingers, and the
monster they had seen a while ago reappeared. "Bring me their souls!"
	"We're trespassing??" Venus said disbelievingly. "How?? This is the Crown
game center, my favorite hang-out spot!"
	 The monster fired its famous armalite. Venus screamed, as Uranus dragged
her away from her post. Venus looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. 
	"You baka! This is no time to cry!" Uranus snapped. "Don't be a crybaby
like Odango-atama Usagi!"
 	Eyebrows lowering, Venus puffed in her chest, and turned bravely to the
monster.  Where did the attractive man go? Venus shook her head. No matter.
It was time to deal with this looney monster once and for all! "Uranus,
let's combine powers!"
	"Wakatta!" But just as they were about to do so, the monster attacked
again, making them jump and evade. A combined attack would take too much
time. Again, and again, the monster fired, clicking on the buttons on its
body. Uranus and Venus dodged every blast, leaping into the air; and landing
steadily on their senshi heels, their shoes meeting with marble. 
	Uranus and Venus looked at each other, and nodded. Time to split up!
Uranus, with her long and athletic legs, went left; Venus took right, and as
planned, the monster followed Venus. Venus' legs were not as long as
Uranus', but she was still a good runner. Then, as soon as the monster was
in range, Uranus raised her arm high above her head.
	"WORLD... SHA---"
	"Uranus!!! Behind you!!!" Venus screamed, but she did not slow down her pace.
	Uranus rotated herself to catch a glimpse of the person behind her, but she
did not quite catch that smug and evil grin on his face, for she felt her
body being slammed onto a wall. She gave a loud cry, as the pain shot up and
down her nerves. A powerful force held her pinned to the wall. She could not
move a muscle. She opened her tightly-drawn eyes, and saw him. It was the
same man who threatened she and Venus just a minute or so ago.
	"Uranus!!!" Venus yelled. She glared at the man. "Let Uranus go!!"
	The man smirked in reply, but did not free Uranus. With a slight upturn of
his hand, Uranus cried out in pain, making Venus' blood boil.
	"Let her go!!!" Venus shouted angrily, but she was in no position to beat
the living daylight out of the man, because the gun-freak monster was still
chasing her.
	"You," The man said to the monster, then pointed to Uranus. The monster
stopped running after Venus, and went towards Uranus, aiming the armalite
gun at her.
	"NOOooo!!!" Venus screamed, rushing towards where Uranus was.
	"You idiot!!" Uranus said. "Stay back!!"
	As if a split second had gone by, the monster pulled the trigger. The
continuous sound of gunshots surrounded the game center. The last thing
Uranus heard before that, was Venus' voice: "Abunai!!!". Uranus wanted to
shut her eyes tightly. She wanted to block out what she was seeing. Venus
was taking every single blow! Her body was now bruised and bleeding, but she
still tried to stand.
	"I... won't let you...hurt Haruka-san!" She declared weakly.
	"I don't think it's wise to fight," The man said. "If you stop resisting,
you won't feel any more pain."
	"Let Haruka-san GO!!!" Venus cried at the top of her lungs. Then, she saw
them; the letters on the man's forehead. The letters...
	And the monster fired again, making Venus utter a heart-wrenching scream.
She crumpled to the floor, her clothes and flesh torn. 
	Laughter escaped the man's lips. Uranus could not take it. She clenched her
fists, as a salty tear dropped from her eye, and wet her cheek. To her
horror, the monster was about to fire again!
	"YAMEROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Uranus screamed, her voice echoing throughout the
building.  
	
********************************************************************************
================================================================================

OTTER'S NOTE (oops... I mean "author's note"): Hiya folks! *whew* I'm
finally done with chapter 15. More coming up. I know, I know... this is a
long fic. If you get bored with it, just tell me. ^-^ By the way, guess
which Hades I'm putting in here? Clue: "Memo me maim you after this
meeting!"  (You can tell, I just watched Disney's Hercules!) ^-^
	Oh yeah... I know what Mako said to Kurama (quote: "Y-you... YOU JERK!!!
YOU ECCHI!!!") is very Akane-like, but I couldn't think up of anything else.
With a girl like Mako, that's a bit mild, dontcha think? But then again, who
could say such mean things to a gentle guy like Kurama? And I think "ecchi"
means "pervert"... at least that's what I know. Question... does anyone know
Sailorvenus' attacks in the Sailormoon Super S Playstation game? Thanks. ^-^
	Anyway, that's about it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, as much as I did.
C&C's welcome anytime, of course. But nobody's doing that, so I don't feel
so confident right now. That's why it's taking me so long to finish up a
chapter these days. One other thing, before I forget, wait for the next
chapter, ok? It's gonna be cool! For a sneak preview of it... hmm... let's
just say (don't take it literally)... Kurama dies and goes to heaven; and
Hiei becomes a girl.  

HIEI: What's that supposed to mean??! I become a GIRL??! You can't do that
to me!! [swiftly takes out katana] First I die, now this!! Change it, or else!!
CHEVALLE: Temper, temper. I told you not to take it literally. But Hiei is
Hiei... never listens. I should've just made you a girl... and I'm not
talking figuratively.
HIEI: Why you--!! [swings katana at Chevalle; hits nothing but air.] Doko---?!
[Chevalle reappears in front of Hiei] CHEVALLE: Peek-a-boo! Surprise!
[tweaks Hiei's nose.]
HIEI: AAAAARRRGH!!!! 
CHEVALLE: Jaa ne, minna-san! ^-^

~ Chevalle ^_*
"Life is a mirror. Try smiling at it, and see what it sends back to you."

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http://www.skyinet.net/users/kcmisa/UForest.htm             |
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http://geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/3981/                     |
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