Of Trying Times(Mars/NPC)

**Takes place after "The Golden Awakening"**

The sky was dark, the buildings were burnt or cracked, and the streets were empty and silent except for the sound of heels clicking from either senshi. Not one member of the Black Moon came out to torment them nor did any helpless citizens come forth looking for their saviors.

As if Sailor Jupiter were a savior.

Sailor Jupiter was done with everything. Honestly, what could she actually do to help? After she lashed out at Endymion and had earned fighting words back, she had expected Mars to be pissed and be lecturing her by now. But the said senshi walked in line next to her, keeping quiet. Or biding her time. Sailor Jupiter thought mournfully. When Mars was angry about someone's ways, she never kept quiet unless she waiting for the right moment. And when that happened, no one could stand in the way of her everlasting flames of fury. But the sudden kidnapping of their princess and the ways of war had changed everyone and who was to say it hadn't changed Mars as well? Sailor Jupiter glanced at the quiet priestess and shifted uncomfortably. Silence was something that Sailor Jupiter had grown to hate. It gave her more time to think, and thinking led to sadness and sadness led to anger.

Jupiter's princess was gone and she had angered on of her team mates by getting into a silly fight with him. She had to make amends, but first, she had to get her mind back on track for looking for civilians and word of how Serenity and Rini were.

"Do you think all the citizens are dead?" Jupiter asked finally, wanting to break the silence tension between the two comrades. Jupiter looked to the ground and her face fell, the plant life looked horrible, she couldn't stand it. Kneeling she examined a once beautiful flower and began taking in the disaster.

Sailor Mars had remained quiet the entire time since their arrival in Elision, her anger and despair was so great that keeping it to herself seemed to be the only way to deal with it. It wasn't hard to see the others dealing with this in their own way, everyone blaming themselves for their epic failure, she knew that they were all responsible and that she wanted to yell at them all but the one person she really wanted to unleash her furry on was Serena. How could she let herself get captured?! How could she do that to them, leave them like that! When they needed her the most she wasn't here and Mars was so angry at her for that.

Hot tears stung at the corner of her eyes as her and Jupiter walked, Mars being far too involved in her own thoughts and anger to pay any attention to the ruins around them..which, she should start doing. It would do them no good if she wasn't alert in case of a attack. At the sound of Jupiter’s voice Mars stopped walking and looked around as her comrade bent down to examine a flower. What a silly thing to worry about in a time like this. Who's to say. she spoke at last when Jupiter asked if the citizens were dead. Those that rebelled were she could almost guarantee it but the others? Who knew what Diamond and his clan would do with them.

A sudden breeze picked up and the priestesses long raven hair whipped around her. There was something about that wind..a warning of sorts but it was hard to tell now, the world around them was so full of dark energy that it was nearly too overwhelming for the psychic. We should keep moving. She told Jupiter gravely. They had a mission to carry out.

"Should we even keep looking for them?" Jupiter asked in a defeated tone as she glanced up at the raven haired priestess. Jupiter's stamach felt sick at the thought of what could be happening to any citizens that were probably being held prisoner right about now.

"We should keep moving."

Sailor Jupiter nodded at Mars notion to continue on when the wind picked up eerily. She stood up and walked passed Mars, knowing she would follow. However, Jupiter stopped short and turned back to her raven haired comrade. "Which way?" She asked slowly and quietly, afraid someone of the Black Moon would hear them. Jupiter hated this, this hiding and searching that herself and everyone else was doing. What was the point? And why are we hiding? It was Endymion's planet, he should just take it back. Jupiter bunched her fists in a ball tightly as she tried to contain her anger. She and Mars needed to focus on what they were doing. Glancing over at Mars, Jupiter felt the odd sensation that Mars was sensing...something, and that was enough to set Jupiter straight. "Mars?" Jupiter whispered as she came closer to her fellow senshi. "Is there something out there?"

The fire Senshi walked behind her companion and kept her senses open, it was so hard to pinpoint if anything was coming for them. So hard in fact that her body was tense was trying to anticipate a attack. When Jupiter stopped and asked which was Mars stopped as well and closed her eyes, trying to feel the best direction but after a while she opened her purple eyes and looked at her friend. I don't know.. She said truthfully, any way they choose could lead them somewhere she supposed. Maybe we should start one way and work our way back. They could cover more ground that way.

Is there something out there? She must be feeling it too and as much as she wished she could say for sure she couldn't...and it made her feel useless. I can't tell. There is too much negative energy around that it's hard to pin point anything. Mars looked around and closed her eyes once more But we should be alert...just in case.