Without further ado...
Chapter Nine
Mercury's report had done nothing to improve Serenity's mood. In
fact, the young queen was fairly radiating anger. Motoki had taken
his sister and fiancee aside to explain things, while the Ayakashi
sisters and the Inner Senshi discussed the significance of a
potential return visit by the Black Moon. The Outer Senshi discussed
defense strategies for the palace itself, while most of the civilian
populace gathered into small knots to ponder the situation.
Shingo noticed Hotaru's father standing alone over in one corner,
and walked over to him. "Tomoe-sensei," he said, "what's wrong? You
look upset."
The white-haired man sighed. "Two enemies from the past have
returned, it seems. The first demons fought by the Sailor Senshi, and
the future enemies of our kingdom. It troubles me...I can't help but
wonder if...if..."
"If what?"
He turned, his glasses reflecting the bright lighting of the throne
room, obscuring his eyes. "If the Death Busters will be returning as
well."
"Death Busters?" Shingo asked.
Tomoe sighed. "My involvement with the Sailor Senshi goes beyond the
fact that my daughter is Sailor Saturn," he said. "I...I was their
enemy at one time."
Shingo blinked. "Huh?"
Tomoe sat down, removing his glasses, examining them almost
curiously. "When Hotaru was very young, I had taken her to the lab
with me one day. There was an experiment I was in charge
of...something terrible happened during that experiment. There was an
explosion." He paused. "Hotaru was badly wounded. She...wouldn't have
survived. But..."
Shingo placed a hand on his shoulder. "But what?"
"From the wreckage, something dark appeared, and spoke to me. It
identified itself as Germatos, a daimon, the servant of a powerful
entity known as Pharoah 90.
"Germatos offered a way to prevent Hotaru from dying, if I would
agree to become its vessel. It would use me to begin construction of
a gateway to the Tau system, to bring its master to Earth." He hung
his head. "I...agreed. I became the servant of the Death Busters,
breeding thousands of daimon with which to find the Holy Chalice,
which would awaken the dormant Evil Messiah, Mistress Nine..."
Shingo blinked. "You lost me, sensei."
"Hotaru's 'healing' at the hands of the Death Busters involved her
possession by Mistress Nine, the Evil Messiah, the one who would open
the path for Pharoah 90 to destroy Earth." Tomoe paused. "As
Germatos, it was my job to ensure that Mistress Nine awakened, to
bring about the end of the world."
Shingo gasped. "That's terrible..."
Tomoe laughed bitterly. "Now you understand what I meant when I said
I have an obligation to Her Majesty. I need to make penance for the
evil I wrought..."
"But you weren't in control," Shingo said. "It's not your fault."
Tomoe snorted. "Do you think I don't know that? It doesn't make it
easier to sleep at night, with the knowledge of what I was part of."
He scowled. "And that's why all this bothers me. The monster...part
of the two early enemies of the Sailor Senshi. What--what if the
Death Busters return?" He slipped his glasses back on. "Even though
Germatos was destroyed...what if another daimon appears? What if the
Death Busters seek me out again, to use me for their evil
purposes...?"
Shingo clenched his jaw. "We won't let that happen," he said.
"Serenity-sama won't let that happen."
"I hope so," Tomoe said. "I don't want to be...can't be part of that
terrible monster again. I'd sooner die."
*****
In the ICU ward of a hospital just outside the Juuban district, a
monitor that had not fluctuated in years suddenly came to life.
Nurses and doctors rushed to a room tucked in the corner of the coma
unit. Upon the bed in this room lay a pale, tall young woman with
flowing red hair. Thin pink lines of flesh upon her arms, face, and
upper chest told tell of terrible wounds that time had healed. The
woman had lain here, in a coma, for years, with no indication that
she would ever recover.
Now, the machines monitoring her vital signs beeped and flickered.
Her breathing broke from the deep, regular pattern of assisted
respiration, and her eyelids began to flutter.
Doctors and nursed hovered about, carefully monitoring all her vital
functions, as her eyelids slowly opened. She immediately winced from
the bright light.
"How do you feel?" a doctor asked.
She blinked, squinting up at the light. "Where--?"
"Kimazaki General and Surgical Hospital," the doctor said. "You've
been in a coma for a very long time."
"Coma--?"
"Can you tell us your name?" a nurse prompted gently. "You weren't
carrying any identification, and nobody came forth with any
information about you."
The redhead blinked, then frowned. "K--" she began, then coughed
slightly. "I think my name's Kaori," she slurred. "Yes, it's Kaori.
I'm certain."
"Do you have a family name?" the same nurse prompted.
Kaori thought about that, then shook her head. "Don't think so," she
said. "Just Kaori."
*****
High above the clouds, invisible even to radar, Princess Wraith,
encased in a dark bubble, sped to the north. A general...she needed a
second general, to serve until Goro could return to her side. Her
Mika and Death Phantom aspects had come up blank.
Her remaining aspect, however, knew of one option...
*****
After a short while, discussions of the new threat wound down, the
majority of the palace occupants had found other business to attend
to, and the Sailor Senshi turned their attention to other matters.
"Serenity-sama," Mars asked in a casual tone, "I noticed that Shingo
is wearing a different uniform than the last time I saw him."
"Yeah, not to mention that weapon he's carrying around," Jupiter
added. "That's definitely a new accessory."
Serenity filled them in on what she had done. When she was finished,
Mercury silently opened her computer, and began scanning. After a
moment, she nodded. "The power reading on one is much weaker," she
said, "but my computer insists that there are *two* Sailor Saturns in
the throne room, with a link between them that involves the Saturn
powers. I can't get a solid reading on that link..." she frowned.
Serenity smiled. "It's a soul bond...much like the bond I share with
Endymion."
"Are you sure you did the right thing?" Venus asked. "I mean, are
you sure it's what they would have chosen for themselves?"
Serenity nodded. "I'm certain of it."
Mercury glanced at Shingo, who was embroiled in conversation with
Hotaru's father. She then glanced over at the knot of Outer Senshi in
another corner of the room, and noticed that Saturn was sneaking
glances over at the pair every so often, smiling. "Do they understand
this new element to their relationship?" she wondered aloud.
"I think Saturn, at least, understands it," Serenity said. She
sighed. "They were going to talk about it, before this terrible new
business came up."
A rear entrance to the throne room opened, admitting boisterious
laughter. The Inner Senshi and Serenity turned, amused, to watch as
Endymion, Yuuichirou, and Umino emerged, trailed by Naru and Luna.
Yuuichirou and Umino now sported silver sashes and white crescent
moon pins on their uniforms. A crystal quarterstaff was tucked
through the back of Yuuichirou's sash, while Umino had a pair of
silver sai tucked into his belt. They bowed respectfully as they
caught the gaze of the queen and her Senshi.
Luna glanced about the room, and smirked as her eyes fell upon the
lone purple uniform. "It's just like you," she said to Serenity, "to
do something so impulsive."
Serenity shot the cat a hurt look. "Luna...I would have thought that
by now, you'd trust me to know what I'm doing."
Luna sighed. "Gomen, Your Majesty," she said. "I just wish you had
talked it over with me first..." she shook her head. "What's done is
done. We'll just have to hope it works out for the best."
"I know it will. For their sake, it has to," Serenity said.
"Well, he's going to require special training sessions now," Luna
said. "He'll need to learn what it means to have powers similar to a
Senshi, and more importantly, how to control them."
"I think it'd be a good idea if you didn't spring that on him until
after he's had a chance to be alone with Hotaru for a little while,"
Serenity said. "They have a lot to talk about now."
Luna nodded, frowning. "Yes...the significance of the bond you've
forged between them..."
"Is nothing compared to the bond that was already forming between
them," Serenity interrupted, smiling.
Luna's expression softened. "I suppose so."
"There's only one thing that bothers me," Jupiter said.
"What's that?" Serenity asked.
"Did it occur to anyone else," Jupiter commented, "that his uniform
looks a *lot* like the ones Beryl's generals wore?"
This took a few moments to sink in. "Serenity," Luna said slowly,
"did you bestow a title upon Shingo when you changed him?"
"Hai," Serenity said, blinking. "I gave him the name General
Dosei--" she trailed off.
"Interesting decision," Mars remarked, frowning.
"It does make sense," Mercury said. The others turned to her. "The
uniform style and the titles may have been a universal standard
during the time of the Silver Millenium." She paused. "This is
probably a holdover from that era."
"Yeah, probably," Venus said, nodding. "Still, you gotta admit it's
a little creepy."
*****
The lethal cold didn't bother Wraith in the least as she stood upon
a mound of snow, searching. The rift was weak, so weak that she could
barely detect it, but it was still there. Time had nearly completely
sealed the small tear between worlds...not that it mattered, as the
world on the other side of the rift was now dead.
Except for one entity...
Wraith paused for a moment, debating this course of action. *If I do
this,* she thought, *I could end up shooting myself in the foot.*
She gazed at the barely perceptible rift. *But in the end, what
other choice do I have?*
Gathering her resolve, Wraith reached out, and tore the
partially-healed fabric of space. The rift opened before her like a
raw, bleeding wound, dirtying the snowy plain upon which she stood
with the oppressive, lifeless darkness of the world beyond.
After a moment's preparation, Wraith stepped through the rift, into
the Dark Kingdom.
*****
Once all discussion of Palace affairs had wound down, Mercury and
Venus had left, to conduct some important personal business. Mizuno
Ami, clad in a simple blue sun dress, greeted the woman at the
nurses' station by name. The young nurse smiled warmly at her.
"Konnichiwa, Ami-chan. Mizuno-sensei is working in the ICU ward
today. I'll get a message to her that you're here."
"Arigatou," Ami said. She then headed for the waiting area nearest
ICU. A short while later, she heard a slight commotion, and looked
up. Several doctors and nurses were gathered in a small knot, moving
down the corridor behind a woman in a wheelchair. The hospital
staffers were murmuring excitedly. Ami stood up, and moved to take a
closer look.
The woman in the wheelchair was rather young, and beautiful, with
flowing red hair. She was smiling, and chatting amicably with one
young male nurse walking beside her, as well as with the doctor
pushing her wheelchair. The group suddenly stopped moving, and the
doctor moved over, allowing the nurse to take over pushing the chair.
She waved to Ami, who smiled and waved back. "Konnichiwa, Okaa-san,"
Ami said.
Mizuno-sensei smiled and waved. "Konnichiwa, Ami-chan," she said.
As her mother approached, Ami asked, "What's going on? Everyone
seems rather excited today."
The doctor smiled. "We've had a rather curious development in one of
our older coma patients," she said, gesturing towards the wheelchair.
"She's been here a very long time. We never expected her to wake
up...we certainly never expected her injuries to heal as well as they
did." Turning, she waved at the group. "Go on ahead," she called.
"I'm going on a lunch break."
The woman in the chair waved, and called back, "It was nice meeting
you, Mizuno-sensei!" Then the group moved away. Not, however, before
Ami had gotten a good look at the woman's face. *Masaka...*
"Ami-chan? Is something wrong? You look positively pale," the doctor
frowned.
Ami shook her head, smiling. "I'm fine, Okaa-san." She paused. "Are
you sure you can afford to leave your patient?"
Her mother laughed. "Kaori-san is in very capable hands. Everyone in
this hospital is curious about her. Her recovery is quite amazing."
*Kaori...* The name echoed in Ami's head. Forcing the thought out of
her mind, she decided to concentrate on the business at hand.
"Okaa-san," she began, "might we grab a bite to eat and go someplace
private to talk, where we won't be disturbed? I have something
important to tell you."
A look of concern crossed the older woman's face. "What is it?" she
asked.
"Not here," Ami said. "We need to be alone."
The concerned look on her mother's face deepened. "Alright," she
said. "We'll pick up some food from the hospital cafeteria and head
for my office. Will that be alright?" Ami nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, the two women sat in Mizuno-sensei's office,
picking at dinner trays from the cafeteria. At Ami's insistence, the
door was locked. "Alright, Ami-chan," the older woman said. "We're
alone...what is it you want to tell me?"
Ami was silent for a moment. "Okaa-san...there's a secret I've had
to keep for a long time now..." she began.
Her mother raised an eyebrow. "A secret? How long...?"
"Since I attended Juuban-gakkou," Ami said.
"That's quite some time," the elder Mizuno said. "What is this
secret you've felt compelled to keep for all those years?"
Ami stood, and walked over to the window. In the distance, the
barely-visible spire of the Crystal Palace gleamed in the afternoon
sun.
Her mother stood, and walked over to stand beside her. "Beautiful,
isn't it?" the older woman asked.
Ami nodded, smiling. "Un."
"But it still may be dangerous," the doctor said. "We still don't
know what it is, where it came from, what it's going to do..." She
noticed that her daughter was looking down, and that the younger
woman's fists were clenched. "Ami-chan...?"
Ami seemed to remember herself, and looked up, relaxing. "It's not
dangerous, Okaa-san," Ami said.
"And how do you know this for certain?" the elder woman asked.
"Because..." Ami took several steps away from her mother, standing
in the center of the room. A small, silver wand with a glowing
crystal tip appeared in her hand. She whispered, "Mercury Silver
Power, Make-Up."
Mizuno-sensei gasped as the room exploded with silver-blue light...
*****
Kaori gasped and doubled over in her wheelchair. The doctors and
nurses crowded around her. "Daijobu ka, Kaori-san?" they asked.
*Power...I feel a curious, familiar power...* The redhead
straightened, and smiled gently, though her face was somewhat pale.
"Yes...yes, I'm fine," she said. "It's nothing."
*****
Wraith stood before a large, dark slab of crystal. A pair of gloved
hands pressed against the interior surface of the crystal. Beneath
the surface of the crystal, a face was locked forever in an
expression of...outrage? Disbelief? Protest? It was impossible to
know. *Do I really want to do this?* she asked herself, with some
trepidation. *Yes. I am supreme, and peerless in dark power. My will
shall dominate all. Starting with this.*
Closing her eyes, she gathered her power, and began feeding it into
the crystal. A column of black light formed around the cold glass
prison.
After a moment, she felt something drawing her power. Alarmed, she
stopped the process, throwing up a defensive field and backing away
from the crystal warily.
Dark lightning crackled along the surface of the crystal, as cracks
began spiderwebbing its surface. Wraith watched in astonishment as
pieces of the crystal began dissolving into darkness, and were sucked
into its depths. A strong, dark forcefield rose around the crystal as
more of it began vanishing. After a few moments, the entire crystal
had vanished, and the forcefield began folding in on itself. The
figure within rose into the air, crackling with dark energy. The
expression which had been frozen on his face was gone, replaced by an
evil grin. Sharp green eyes gleamed maniacally, crackling with the
dark power surrounding him.
*He's...he shouldn't be this powerful...what--?* Wraith's mind
whirled. "J--Jadeite..." she said cautiously.
The blond, green-eyed general turned his gaze upon her. He then
turned his gaze upward. "At last...free..." Jadeite floated across
the room, and Wraith's hair stood on end from the power coarsing
around him.
"Yes, you're free. I have freed you. Now, you will serve me," Wraith
said.
Jadeite looked down at her curiously, much as one might look upon an
insect. "Serve?" he asked. "Serve..." he stroked his chin, as though
pondering the word. Then, he extended his hand, bolts of darkness
crackling around it. "Serve this!" he roared, flinging a solid ball
of black energy at her.
Wraith screamed as the attack tore into her defenses, and she was
flung across the room. She slumped limply against the wall of the
chamber.
"FREE!" Jadeite shouted. He threw his head back and laughed
maniacally. The corona of energy surrounding him coalesced, and
Jadeite teleported out.
*****
"A--Ami-chan..." Ami's mother gaped in shock at the young warrior
standing before her. "Ami-chan...?"
Sailor Mercury nodded, smiling. "Hai, Okaa-san, it's me." She walked
over and gently clasped her mother's hands, grimacing as she felt the
older woman tense.
"You...you're a..."
"Sailor Senshi, hai," Mercury said.
Mizuno-sensei walked over to the window and looked out. "The Fushigi
no Suishou..."
"Actually, it's called the Crystal Palace," Mercury said.
The doctor slowly turned to look at her daughter. "So...it's true?
The Sailor Senshi created it?"
Mercury frowned. "Not so much as created it...more like we're
responsible for its existence." At her mother's raised eyebrow, she
laughed softly. "It's a long story..."
*****
"I still say this is a stupid idea."
"Oh, come on Artemis," Venus said, giggling. "It'll be fun!" Opening
the door and stepping inside the house, she briefly contemplated the
slippers by the entrance, and snorted. "That would be an interesting
image, ne Artemis?"
Artemis caught sight of what Venus was referring to, and snickered.
"No kidding."
Ignoring the slippers, Venus called out, "Tadaima!"
"Okaeri nasai, Minako-chan!" her mother's voice called from within.
There was a shuffle of footsteps as the elder Aino moved to greet her
daughter. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you...since..."
Minako's mother stood, baffled, as she walked into the room, staring
at Sailor Venus.
Venus giggled. "Sorry Mom. Been kinda busy." She blinked as the
woman fell to the floor with an audible *whump*. "Anou..."
Artemis sweatdropped.
*****
Motoki, Reika, and Unazuki approached Serenity's throne, kneeling.
At the queen's nod, the trio stood. "Your Majesty," he said, "It has
been decided." He clasped Reika's hand. "Reika and I wish to remain
here."
Serenity nodded, smiling. "I'm pleased. And you, Unazuki-chan?"
Unazuki shook her head. "Gomen, Your Majesty. I can't right now."
Serenity smiled gently. "I understand. Please remember not to
disclose anything you've seen in here to anyone outside, alright?"
Unazuki nodded. "Of course." She paused. "Serenity-sama...are you
really Usagi?"
Serenity giggled softly. "Hai, Unazuki-chan. I was...am...Usagi.
Also, Sailor Moon."
Unazuki shook her head. "Incredible."
Everyone laughed. "Be well, Unazuki-chan," Serenity said.
"I'll be in touch, sis," Motoki said.
Unazuki nodded. "I'm happy to have had the chance to see all of
this," she said. Serenity closed her eyes, and the Ginzuishou flashed
briefly. Unazuki disappeared.
Mars raised an eyebrow. "You're becoming very skilled at controlling
that thing, Serenity-sama."
Serenity shrugged. "I think it's the Palace causing it. Both the
Palace and the Ginzuishou seem to...resonate with me, somehow."
Suddenly, Serenity winced, and doubled over, nearly pitching off of
her throne. Immediately, everyone present gathered around her, looks
of concern on all their faces.
"Serenity-sama!" Mars said. "What's wrong?"
Slowly, Serenity righted herself, sliding back into the throne. She
tilted her head back. Her face was somewhat pale, and a fine sheen of
sweat shone on her brow. "Dark...dark energy..." she said, gasping
for breath. "Powerful...dark...energy..." After a moment, she
regained her composure. "I'm...I'm alright," she said, frowning. "I
just...sensed something. Something very evil..."
"Can you get a fix on it?" Luna asked.
Serenity shook her head. "No...couldn't pin it down. It's very far
from here, but it's moving. That's all I can tell."
"What could this mean?" Jupiter wondered.
"It means we have a problem," Uranus said.
"Serenity-sama," Saturn said, "perhaps you should rest."
"Yes, that's a good idea," Mars seconded.
Serenity nodded. "I...I believe I will." She stood shakily, and
Endymion escorted her out of the throne room.
"This is a bad sign," Luna said. "We need to be on our guard at all
times now."
*****
A small, black storm moved swiftly over the icy plains of the
Arctic. At least, that's what the casual observer would have seen.
But then, the casual observer wouldn't have heard the storm talking
to itself, either.
"That bitch Beryl...heh. Got what she deserved. Yep, dead dead
dead...dammit. I wanted to kill her. Hm? Kill the ones that killed
her? Just as good...yeah. Just as good. Sailor Senshi. Kill the
Sailor Senshi. Hmm? Endymion? Endymion...Tuxedo Kamen...should have
known. Heh. Killed him already. Serves him right. Bastard. Sailor
Senshi...gonna kill 'em real slow...have some fun doing it. Heh.
Fun...yes. A lot of fun. Make Jadeite look bad...get Jadeite put in
Eternal Sleep...little whores. You'll get yours. You'll all get
yours...heh...hahahahahaha...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Chunks of ice on the ground were blasted into steam by bolts of dark
lightning, as Jadeite picked up speed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...
and I'm out of bubblegum.
---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
Murasaki Sentai Ficranger
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net
http://www.geocities.com/~etlostlurker
Lurker's Phone Answering Message:
"Haro! You leach Noboyuki House of Sushi.
We gualantee derivery in thirty minute, or you get
NO sushi!"
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