Here it is!  The long-awaited eighth chapter of "Daughter of Earth"  I hope you enjoy it!  Thanks again for the patience!

Anaxandra

Disclaimer: see chapter one

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out! First, my muse decided to take a nice long vacation and I was left high and dry without any creativeness for weeks. Then, when she finally came back, my computer decided to be a pain and deleted a lot of my files including this chapter. So, I think I've fixed the problems and hopefully it won't take that long to get the next chapter out! I hope you enjoy this one! I am very sorry about the shortness of the chapter, but I couldn't find a proper stopping point. Don't forget to give me feedback 'cause it really inspires me!! Also, thanks to Shawn-chan and Memory-chan for their inspiration!! Luv ya!!!

Daughter of Earth

Chapter Eight: Bonds Between Friends and Family

A dome of silence seemed to overtake the ivory-painted room. Slowly, the last of the battle scenes lifted from the court's eyes. But, the horrors of what they had just witnessed still remained fresh in everyone's minds.

Multiple reactions occurred as the images started to register in minds. Cassie had her head buried in Andrew's chest as her body convulsed with sobs. Trying desperately to prevent her own tears, Mina held her boyfriend's shocked form tightly. The two Athenian royals were still trying to comprehend the fact that Sailor Earth, their teammate and friend, had been the one to destroy their planet and kill all those innocent people.

Lita and Raye had their normally fiery eyes squeezed shut in anguish at what they had seen. Their knights had their strong arms around the girls' bodies. The others merely held tightly to the closest person to them.

Serena, amazingly, was pretty calm-looking as she lovingly comforted her distraught boyfriend and former fiancee. His broad hands were shaking violently as his sapphire eyes stared hauntingly at the nearby window which was being splattered by a sudden rainstorm outside.

Jed was just as shocked as any of the others. He had just found out that Addy was his soul mate and former fiancee, but then with a blow learned that she was the person who destroyed Athena and killed multiple innocent lives. Running his hand through his golden locks, he glanced at his teammates, the Earth Protectors, who were looking just as shaken-up at the scenes as he was.

But, of all the reactions, the most intense was the one of Adele Duboise, formerly Princess Adelaide of Earth. She had remained remarkably stone-faced and emotionless throughout most of memories, but now seeing all the reactions of her former friends caused her unbearable pain that struck her heart like an arrow. Taking husky, ragged breaths, the ebony-haired girl struggled unsuccessfully to calm herself while inching her way to the very edge of the sofa she was residing on.

Finally, after about five emotional minutes, the court began to calm themselves down with tears subsiding. The silence was broken by Sailor Pluto who announced she was leaving now and that she would see them soon. This mere declaration was enough to break the ice surrounding the rest of the group. They started whispering comforting words amongst themselves and soon conversations were formed.

Jed quietly got up and wandered over to Cassie and Andrew. Shooting off his trademark flirtatious grin, he successfully managed to get a small smile out of the young brunette scout and her brother.

He was just about to turn to chat with Zoe and Mike when Serena'a soft voice sounded in his ear, "Addy? Addy? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Swiveling around, the blond protector's azure eyes widened in surprise.

Without warning, a blur of midnight black dashed off the couch and headed toward the apartment door. The distant sound of a knob turning and then the slamming of the door echoed throughout the small apartment. The noise had caught everyone's attention and they realized that Addy was no longer sitting on the couch. Cassie had raised her tearstained face from Andrew's shoulder and she gasped in amazement.

"Was that Addy?" Molly asked timidly.

Serena nodded, "I think so...oh, how could we be so inconsiderate? Here we all are, sobbing our brains out and no one thinks about Addy!"

"Sere's right! We've been to caught up in our own pity parties that we forgot about Addy. If we feel like this after watching those scenes, I wonder what it was like for Addy! I can't imagine what she felt as she had to relive something she probably never wanted to think about again!" Amy stood up and the rest of the room agreed with her.

Raye came up with a question, "Should someone go after her?" Rings of yes's, and of course's sounded through the room. It seemed that everyone wanted to run after Addy and try to comfort her.

"No!" the group jumped about ten feet in the air as Apolla spoke up. The black and white guardian cat continued, her voice slightly shaking, "That wouldn't be the best of ideas right now! I've lived with Addy for a long time and I know how she reacts to different things. Reliving those memories is pure torture on her mind. She has to deal with many recurring nightmares about them pretty regularly."

"Well, she did...." Nate's remark was cut off by a death glare from Zoe.

Apolla sighed in defeat, "Addy has been extremely nervous about revealing these things to you all and now you know why. While she understands that she did those things under the influence of Beryl, she has never fully forgiven herself for them. Personally, I don't think she ever will. Anyway, I believe seeing your reactions to her actions was just too much for her. Also, if all of you try to run after her, she will merely run farther from you."

Everyone in the room sat back down on chairs, sofas, and the rug. As much as they hated to admit it, they had to trust Apolla. The cat knew Addy more than anybody else in the room.

Darien soon spoke up, "Well, we can't just let her run around in her state of mind! Especially in a storm like this!" Apolla smiled inwardly at the young man's statement. It seemed that he never completely lost his sibling bond with Addy. She remembered quite clearly how protective Endymion was of his little sister.

"You're right, Darien. Somebody should go after Addy to stop her from hurting herself even more!" Serena grasped Darien's hand and squeezed it in support. Then a ten minute argument broke out in the living room about who should be the person to go after the girl. Apolla, Luna, Artemis, and Perseus shot each other side glances at the immaturity of their charges.

Finally, Perseus hollered out in a deep voice, "Will you children please try to act civilized for once in your lives?" That declaration pretty much shut everyone up in a hurry.

"Now, I know all of you want to help Addy, but I believe only people she truly trusts should go after her," Apolla responded as she glanced around the room. Her lamp-like eyes set themselves on Jed and Darien, "Boys...I think you two should be the ones to go after my princess."

Jed stared in amazement, "What? Me? Why me?" Darien wondered this same thing in his mind.

"During the Silver Millenium, you two were Adelaide's most trusted friends. Jed, as Addy's soul mate, she will probably listen to you better than anyone else. She loves you with all her heart and soul, trust me," Apolla continued, ignoring the blush that had crept up Jed's pale cheeks, "And you Darien, you may not remember much about the past with Addy, but I do. As you and Addy were only a year apart, you two were the closest pair of siblings I've ever seen. Addy confided in you through every step of her life and I don't doubt that will change now."

Everyone in the room quickly nodded their agreement to what the black and white cat was proposing. Darien and Jed glanced at each other and were surprised to see a fire in their eyes. Although they didn't fully comprehend what Apolla had said, they knew one thing and one thing only. Their beloved Addy was out in the storm, distraught and confused. The love these two men felt for her was overwhelming and without another word, they marched out of the apartment with determined looks on their handsome faces.

An icy stream of rain hit their bodies as they exited the apartment building. In the brief hour they had been at the Outers', the sky had turned an inky black and echoes of thunder sounded off.

"So, where should we look first?" Jed asked his friend. The stubborn man wouldn't admit it to anybody, but it made him extremely nervous knowing Addy was alone and unstable in this kind of weather.

Darien shrugged his broad shoulders, "I'm not really sure. Tokyo's a big city and there are a million places she could be hiding."

"Just use your bonds with Addy and you'll know where she is," came a soft reply behind them. Apolla cautiously stepped out of the shadows and tried to blink the raindrops from her eyes.

"What are you talking about, Apolla?"

The aging cat sighed in annoyance, "For two of the best warriors on the planet, you sure are dense. The planetary powers during the Silver Millenium bonded the princesses with their family members and soul mates. You may not have been aware of it, but you two have always been able to sense where Addy is and also how she's feeling. Don't ask me to get too technical because that would get confusing."

"Okay. Okay. Now, how do we use this bond to sense where my sister is?"

"Just clear your minds and try to concentrate on Addy and Addy alone. Find her magic signature and then use that to locate her." Apolla responded.

The two men glanced at each other with doubtful looks. Darien closed his sapphire eyes and erased all thoughts from his mind. Suddenly, he felt a powerful burst of magic in his gut. Slight nausea formed, but he tried to ignore it so he could concentrate on Addy more.

A small figure was seen hurrying down the street, the rain pounded on their back. The figure's raven hair blew like a cloud behind them. Tears mixed with raindrops on their face while eyes of dark green glittered with desperation and fear. Addy's party outfit was soaked thoroughly, but she didn't seem to notice. All she could think of was the reaction of her friends and family to what she had done.

I knew they wouldn't accept it! I tried to tell Apolla, but she wouldn't listen. I destroyed Athena and helped Beryl kill all my friends! I don't deserve to be forgiven no matter what anyone says!

Darien and Jed hurried after Addy, following the magical signature they felt from the Earth princess. The two men also felt her emotions raging through her body which were overpowered with fear and self-hatred. She was eating herself up over something that happened long ago that she couldn't control. All Jed knew was that they had to find her before she did something stupid like try to kill herself. He had just found his lost love and he was definitely not going to lose her again.

Addy was sitting on a branch of a large oak tree staring into oblivion. Rain continued to pound on her, but she didn't seem to even realize. A bitter wind blew a mass of tangles around her face that she didn't attempt to remove.

"Addy? Addy, are you up there?" a male voice that sounded strangely familiar echoed in the girl's ear.

Addy glanced down from her perch and gasped at what she saw. The complete shock of seeing Jed and Darien threw her off balance and she went pummeling through the branches. With speed he never forgot from his days as an Earth guardian, Jed dashed under the tree and caught the distorted woman with ease.

"Addy? Thank god you're all right! I was so worried about you!" Jed buried his face in his soulmate's black hair. Without even thinking, Addy found herself wrapping her arms around Jed's neck and hugging him tightly. She didn't understand why she felt so safe and protected in the blonde's arms, but she did.

A feeling she had long-since forgotten was creeping into her heart. The love her past self had for Jadeite was still there and had only been lying dormant until just the right moment. She snuggled into her former lover's powerful arms and eliminated all traces of doubt that he wouldnt' love her in a single instant.

Darien stood watching the small reunion for a few minutes before Addy's emerald eyes stared into his face. A smile erupted across his face as he scooped her away from Jed and twirled her in the air. The sound of laughter could be heard from Addy as she clung to her older brother for the first time in years.