Here goes...
This chapter both took far too long and is far too long. My apologies
for both. I only hope that some kind souls out there will choose to look
past these faults and read this, and perhaps even to lighten my dreary
life by sending a missive regarding their impressions of the work?
Or, in other words: Sorry this thing took so long, but it sure is huge
(for me, at least). Any C&C, positive or negative, is vastly
appreciated, even if its only a line or two... it helps to know that
people are actually reading these things... :)
Now, to try and catch up on my backlog of fics to read and C&C myself...
As always, all previous chapters can be found on my website and on
FanFiction.Net.
Here's to hoping the new version of Juno doesn't mess up the
formatting...
Aaron Nowack
"Never let reality get in the way of a good hypothesis."
http://www.geocities.com/anowack/
Shades of Gray
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack
Chapter 8: Aftermath
"I have not yet begun to fight!"
"Well, hurry up then, we're losing!"
-variously attributed
***********************************************************************
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative
talents far exceed my most humble own. Distribution and other rights to
Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own. I
make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters.
However, the text of this fanfic and all original characters presented
within are mine, and should not be used without permission. Thank you.
***********************************************************************
Jadeite cursed as he strode into his throne room. Youma
scurried out of the dark lord's path, as it was all too obvious that he
was in a less than pleasant mood. And if there was one thing that had
been instilled into the instincts of all youma over the millennia of the
Dark Kingdom's existence, it was to stay out of the way of powerful
beings when they were in bad moods.
Why couldn't that bitch Iris have stayed dead? Jadeite growled,
subconsciously shooting a bolt of flame off from his hand and nearly
incinerating a youma that didn't dodge fast enough. He had been mere
seconds from getting his revenge on Deinas, and Phoebe as well. His
army had been triumphant, the Senshi doomed. He had been that close.
But yet... so far away from victory.
Obviously his research had been insufficient. He had believed
Sailor Saturn long dead, slain on Pluto, too far away to be sent to the
future by Serenity's magic. And, as had been oh so effectively
demonstrated, he had been wrong. Sailor Saturn lived. Therefore,
Jadeite had to call all his assumptions about the state of events on
Earth into question.
If Iris had returned, would Thea? She had died five years
before the final battle, but did that mean anything? What about Fuera,
slain at the same time? Could Rega and Rhea be reborn? Would they even
have any power if they were? Jadeite already suspected that Nemina,
Aqoran, and Teritan had made it to the present. They had been with the
other Champions when the end came, after all.
The end... sometimes, it still gave him nightmares, as hardened
a villain as he was. The hordes of youma storming the walls... the
deadly thunder of the bombardment, revealing once and for all how
devastating the power the Fleet had held had been... the awesome power
of the insane, corrupted Dragons... the Seven Great Youma, combined to
form a being rivaled only by Metallia herself... countless incidents of
futile heroism... countless lives darkened by cowardice at the final
hour... the all consuming fury of the Champions.
Jadeite remembered the Lord of Fire. He remembered the flaming
visage that had confronted him as he stood over Phoebe's charred form.
He remembered his own powers dying, drained away. He remembered the
soulless eyes. He remembered his useless attempts at reason. He
remembered being mere moments away from dying, saved only by the
beginning of Serenity's magic. He remembered fear.
But, Jadeite reminded himself, that was a force he need never
face again. The desperate Champions had opened a door that could never
be used again. They had wasted their ultimate power in a futile attempt
to fight destiny, and had doomed themselves to slow extinction. The
Champions could not live forever... and there would never be any more.
Jadeite smiled as he lowered himself onto his throne, and the
collected youma of his court breathed a sigh of relief at the apparent
change in their lord's mood. "So," Jadeite asked, "What news from the
front?"
That was enough to kill the momentary relief of Jadeite's
servants. "My lord," a particularly brave youma began, "Your Generals
managed to halt Mordrangar's advance several days ago."
Jadeite, however, easily determined that something else had
occurred. "And?" he asked, drawing his single word out to show his
displeasure with the beating about the bush.
"My lord... they regret to report that this halt seems to have
come to an end. Mordrangar is now steadily advancing and is now only a
few dozen miles from here." The youma was barely able to keep himself
from quivering in fear. Beryl had often taken out her displeasure at
bad news on those who brought it to her attention.
"Is that so?" replied the dark lord in a menacing tone of voice.
"What is your name?" he asked the bold youma.
"Ha... Hakar, my lord. The Overlord of Hellas Point," was the
stammered answer.
"Very well, Hakar," Jadeite said as he rose. "Your bravery
would be better put to use fighting my enemies, I believe. You are now
in temporary command over all operations against Terra... General
Hakar." As the court fell into chaos at the sudden promotion, Jadeite
departed in a whirl of flame. Then, the scheming started.
Jadeite growled as he reappeared in his personal chambers. He
supposed that his Generals had done better than he had expected, having
managed to halt Mordrangar at all, however briefly that had been.
Jadeite slowly calmed himself. He would have to deal with Mordrangar
now, no matter how much he would like to concentrate on Terra.
***********************************************************************
The early morning sun shone through scattered clouds that boded
rain in the future. Though normally this would have been no large
matter, given that the previous afternoon the sun had not shone on Tokyo
at all, it is perhaps understandable that those who lived in that city
were not entirely indifferent to this ordinary sight. For a while, many
had wondered whether the sun would ever rise again.
For several hours the day before, the ordinary sky that had hung
over Tokyo, nearly unchanging for as long as any there could remember,
had been blotted out. Instead of the pleasant, life-giving rays of the
sun, Tokyo had bathed in a hellish glare more suited to a work of
fiction then reality. Eyes cast towards the heavens in prayer met a
fiery red firmament that none from Tokyo knew to call Metallia's Eye.
Metallia's Eye. Immortalized in youma legend, it was the heaven
that hung over the blasted wastelands called the Dark Kingdom. It knew
no stars, nor any solar body. Instead, it shone with a light of its
own, a light that turned all below it into twisted parodies of their
true colors.
And Metallia's Eye had brought Metallia's children. The youma.
Those few humans who knew anything about them did not know their origin,
and nor did the youma themselves. Their first appearance in the annals
of the Silver Millenium had been five years before those annals closed
for the final time. All that had been learned by then was their
loyalties, and their skill in combat... two lessons the Silver Millenium
learned all too well.
But fortunately for Tokyo, and indeed for all of the bluegreen
orb on which it rested, the youma had been turned back, halted at what
could have been the moment of their triumph. And so, the morning sun's
rays were free to play upon the slowly stirring city, as they had for so
long.
***********************************************************************
Those rays shone through the windows of the Tsukino household,
where Usagi's alarm clock had begun its daily imitation of an actually
useful device. Though the set of beeping sounds that emerged were far
from loud enough to wake the dead, they were more than loud, and
annoying, enough to cause almost any living human to stir from their
slumbers. Regrettably, Usagi was not almost any human being.
A hand reached out and flipped the off switch on the alarm.
Immediately, the buzzing noises stopped. Though unfortunately for
anyone else in the room, they were swiftly replaced by the loud snores
of the young girl who should have been awakened by the alarm. These
snores would, moments later, cause the room's other inhabitant to rise,
but that is getting ahead of the narrative.
Shortly after the alarm was silenced, a voice came rising from
below Usagi's bedroom. This voice was that of Tsukino Ikkuko, Usagi's
mother. What she said was, "Usagi! It's time to get up!"
A voice answered this one, a voice that simply stated, "I'm up!"
To prevent the reader from being fooled, it should be noted that this
was a subconscious reaction, and that at no point during this sequence
of events had the young girl in question fully awakened.
At this point, the aforementioned other occupant of the room
stirred and leapt onto the bed. One clawed paw was extended, and one
light tap on the skin of the girl was performed. As occurred most every
morning, this had the effect that the other two disturbances had failed
to produce.
Usagi leapt upward, startled awake by the pinprick sensation of
Luna's claw. "Luna..." she hissed before her eyes caught her clock.
Then, she exclaimed, "Oh my god I'm going to be late!" This was said
without any pause, and therefore came out as a mostly incomprehensible
babble.
Not too long later, Usagi was racing down the street outside her
house, a half eaten piece of toast located in her mouth. There was
remarkably little damage, considering the chaos that had unfolded the
previous day. Of course, this area was not where the actual fighting
had taken place.
Meanwhile, in the home that Usagi had just vacated, her parents
were poring over the morning paper's fragmentary report of the events of
the day before. What had occurred was far from clear, at least for
ordinary human beings like them or those they counted on to explain the
events to them. It would be several more days before the full extent of
the damage was determined, but already there was talk that the police
commissioner was planning to resign over his utter failure to provide
any sort of defense.
It was only a few minutes later when Usagi raced into her
classroom and leapt into her usual seat, barely beating the beginning of
roll call. It took her several seconds to catch her breath, and several
more moments to notice that Naru was not present.
***********************************************************************
The soft light of the morning sun also found its way to the
Crown Cafe and Arcade, where the usual morning crowd, though slightly
smaller than normal, had begun to gather. A babble of conversation
flowed through the air, as the patrons struggled to come to terms with
the events of the previous day. Two young customers, however, had a
different though related topic on their minds.
Uji gulped down the remainder of his soda. "You really think
this will be that big?"
Sachiko nodded. "Definitely. I'm figuring... two-part article,
front page both days. Particularly because of yesterday."
Uji's eyes bugged out. He rarely had any of his photos printed,
much less on the front page. He wasn't even taking photography classes,
it was just a hobby for him to snap a few and give them to the school
paper. "Really?"
"You kidding me?" responded Sachiko, placing her drink back down
on the table. "This is the type of photo that the real papers kill
for... and that can win photographers awards! Nobody's ever gotten any
sort of clear photo of the Sailor Senshi... much less one like this!"
Uji a hand through his black hair. "It's just... a bit hard to
believe, I guess. I... just... wow."
Sachiko laughed. "That's exactly what the staff on the paper
said when they saw them. Half my photographers want to kill you because
they don't like being upstaged by an 'amateur', the other half want to
make sure you start taking classes. They say you've got a
'photographer's instinct', or something like that."
At this point, Allana Farrel, the gaijin who had recently
purchased both the Crown Arcade and Cafe, stepped over to the table.
"Do you two need anything else?"
"No, thank you," replied Sachiko. "I think we're about done."
Allana smiled, nodded, and left. She quickly headed across the
room to speak to another group of customers.
Uji yawned, then rose. "I'm feeling a bit under the weather...
I think I'll go out for a walk," he said.
Sachiko stood as well. "Come by the office tonight, okay? I'd
like you to have some input on how we set the articles up, and to get
some more details on how you took it."
"Sure," Uji replied. With that, the two left the Crown Cafe.
***********************************************************************
A lone figure stood, staring into the sun, hand shading his
eyes. It was hard to believe that this was the same sun that had shone
down on him when he first came to this place. He had grown and changed
so much since then. But all that growth was for nothing. Not if she...
The man sighed once, then glanced down at the lone bag that lay
at his feet. He would leave here with no more than he came, except for
the memories, and one picture. One picture of her. He needed no
others.
The young man stooped over and grasped the bag's strap with one
hand, then threw it over his shoulder, not minding its weight. A weight
far less then he felt he carried in his heart. He had tried to leave
not long ago, after a similar confrontation. He probably should have
left then. Though it was obvious that she did care for him, it was
equally obvious that she did not care for him as he cared for her. And
that was a world of difference.
He knew that he would have to change more if he wished that
difference erased. If she did not love him by now, she never would
unless something changed. Fighting would not win him her heart, he
knew. Yet, every time he saw her with another, he gave into his urge to
lash out, to punish whoever tried to come between the two of them. He
had to leave, to grow and mature in a way he could not with that
constant goad.
Even as the man thought those thoughts, he heard soft footsteps
behind him. "So. This is it," came the familiar voice from behind him.
"Yes," he said, his own voice uncommonly calm. "I've already
talked it over with your grandfather."
"Why do you have to leave?" asked the young woman.
"It's not like I'm leaving forever," the man replied. "I'm just
going for a few months. Going home, seeing my parents. Train in some
other places, with some old friends. That's all." The words seemed
hollow in his own ears.
He started as he felt two arms encircle him from behind, then
tighten into a fierce hug. "Come back soon, Yuuichiro," said Rei.
As he slowly disengaged himself from her arms, Yuuichiro nodded.
"I will."
***********************************************************************
As the sun rose ever higher, it found its way into a small one
room apartment located near the campus of the local university. Inside
this room gathered a group that one might think unlikely to be gathered
at this time of day in this place. But, from another point of view,
such a meeting was nigh inevitable. The events of the previous day
affected some groups even more than others.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" screamed Unazuki as
she pounded Ikawa's desk with her fist.
The owner of the apartment winced. "Unazuki, these walls aren't
soundproofed."
"Sorry," the only female in the room replied. "But my point
still stands. What are we supposed to do now that Saturn's awakened?"
Motoki nodded. "My sister does have a point. How are we
supposed to win now? Even throwing out the fact that Sailor Saturn
could destroy the Earth, she simply has more offensive power than any of
us, and enough defensive power to..."
"I don't think we should throw out the end of the world,"
interrupted Urawa Meno, his voice dry. "If we start to win..."
"She'll do it." Tamori's voice was steady and certain.
"Juno..." whispered Unazuki, her eyes distant, remembering a
long ago horror.
Ikawa sighed and strode over to the window. "We can't let this
stop us. But how is it possible that she's here? She was on Pluto at
the end... wasn't she?" His eyes stared out over the all too peaceful
city, considering what had occurred the previous day and what seemed far
too likely to occur in the near future.
Meno glanced at Ikawa. "All the other Outer Senshi were there
too, but we thought nothing of it when they showed up on Luna."
Unazuki shook her head, coming out of her brief reverie. "Yes,
but it's reasonable that they would have teleported to Luna for the end.
But Saturn? Serenity had..."
"So?" asked Ikawa, turning back to his guests. "Why should we
think she wouldn't have used everything at her disposal at the end?"
"After all," said Tamori. "Didn't we?"
Ikawa glared at Tamori. "That's different! We didn't... It was
the Ginzuishou, Genitas! The Ginzuishou and Serenity. Not us. It
didn't happen the first time..."
Motoki looked up. "But that was the first time. Not the
second. The situation was different... Deinas." As Motoki spoke,
memories of the heated discussions preceding the decision came swarming
back to Ikawa.
He pushed down the memories, refusing to relive those days.
"You agreed to the decision, Gladian. Janus made his study and we acted
on the facts."
Meno glanced between the two Champions. "It was all based on
hypothesis. We never really had called them forth before. The first
time..."
Unazuki interrupted him with a growl. "The past is past. We
all agreed in the end. It had to be done. It's the future that
matters. What about Saturn?"
Motoki was the first to speak. "We cannot continue as we have
been. With Saturn's awakening, the circumstances have changed."
"And how would you have us alter our plans? We cannot abandon
either fight. Not now," stated Ikawa
Motoki shook his head. "You are mistaken. We can't fight the
Senshi right now. Not until we're up to full strength. It's not worth
it."
"But..." Ikawa began, then stopped as he saw the others nodding
at Motoki's words.
Motoki continued, looking around the room to gauge the support
for his plan. "Saturn is simply too powerful. We cannot afford a
confrontation with the Senshi under the present circumstances."
"So, how do we avoid one?" asked Meno.
"Barring conditions like yesterday, let the Senshi handle the
youma," replied Motoki.
"Brother..." started Unazuki.
"I know. But with Saturn on their side, they should be more
than capable of dealing with minor attacks. If it gets out of hand,
we'll step in, but what we need to do is focus on Awakening the rest of
us, at least if Meno can give us their identities."
"I'm working on it," replied Meno. "It's more difficult than it
seems."
Motoki nodded. "Fine. We have a quorum here. A unanimous vote
will bind all of us, even those not present, until a further vote is
called to reverse the decision."
"Define the issue at hand," Ikawa said. "Are we reversing the
decision to continue the war against Serenity?"
"No." Motoki looked Ikawa in the eye. "That is not being
contested here. The issue is whether we should cease initiating
operations against the Senshi until we have Awakened the rest of us."
Unazuki was the first to respond. "It seems reasonable to me."
Tamori nodded. "Agreed. There is no point in throwing our
lives away."
Meno looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke. "True. I do
not believe that we would accomplish anything in fighting the senshi now
other than leaving Earth vulnerable to the youma assault. Yesterday
made it clear that they are more of a threat than we anticipated."
Ikawa sighed, than nodded. "All right. Let's try it. But I
think we'll have plenty of trouble with the Senshi despite this."
"I hope you're wrong, Ikawa," replied Motoki. "So shall it
stand, until all are one!"
"Until all are one!"
***********************************************************************
The sun's light beat down upon the space where yesterday the
Osa-P shopping center had been. Now, however, what stood there was
merely a charred ruin. It was merely luck that had kept the blaze from
spreading as far as it might have... luck and the efforts of a few brave
souls.
Now, figures could be seen moving once more among the rubble.
Some had used to live there, and searched for the remains of their
possessions. They were here only by the permission of the other group,
one which had its own duty to fulfill.
The Tokyo Police Department and Fire Departments were out in
force, investigating the fire. Yet a certain despair hovered over these
men, one in its own way equal to those who had lost their homes, but
thankfully not their lives, to the blaze. It was the job of these
people to prevent occurrences like this, but both had failed in their
duties.
Even so, normally there would have been a grim determination
present, a desire to hunt down those who had caused the destruction that
had come both to this building and to a lesser extent the surrounding
area. However, all of the officers present knew that this was
impossible, for the same reasons they had been unable to protect the
people they were sworn to defend.
What could mortal man do against demons? Monsters that could
ignore gunfire, that instilled terror into the bravest of souls. Even
when the youma attacked one at a time, the police could do nothing, even
in the rare instances that they could even confront the monster. But
then, it had been easy to mostly ignore. Nobody had ever been seriously
hurt, and the monsters vanished as quickly as they came. Oh, there had
been the odd incident or two, such as the time a gigantic dark crystal
had sprung up in the middle of Juuban, but they were rare exceptions.
But now, that had changed. First Mugen High, and now this. It
had been entirely too possible for someone to have been killed last
night, and they had stood by. They knew the commissioner was resigning
in disgrace over this incident, and also over his whole policy about
"Senshi business", as the whole class of incidents had been termed.
And that would signal a change in the way the police were to
handle such situations. But still the question remained in the minds of
the people who surmised that they would soon be ordered to fight against
the youma: What could they do against demons?
***********************************************************************
Fuarku Ikawa held his head in his hands as he sat in his now
empty apartment. The others had left, hurrying to go to their morning
classes, or at least to ensure that they were not too late. Ikawa, on
the other hand, did not have any classes for another hour today, and so
had time to reflect on the recently disbanded meeting.
He knew that the total unity of purpose that they had maintained
both since their Awakenings and through most of the war that had
preceded it had begun to fragment... just as it had before the final
battle, the last display of might before the fall of eight thousand
years of human civilization.
Sailor Saturn: the Senshi of Silence, the warrior of
destruction. Her appearance changed everything, didn't it? Besides a
dangerous shift in the balance of power, she brought back the memories
of why they had fought, of the billions that had died in the rebellion.
And that brought him to the Fall, and his own role in it.
Ikawa remembered the final destruction, the apocalypse that he
and the other Champions had felt in their very souls as Serenity's magic
ended. The utter dissolution of the powerful enchantments that made
life off Terra possible. The deaths of all but a remnant of a remnant
of mankind, all because of... what? Had it been Serenity, overdrawing
on the mana wells? Or, as Motoki had suggested, had it been none other
then themselves, destroying that which they sought to protect?
With the power they had summoned in the final hour, it was
possible, Ikawa had to admit. With that power, anything was possible.
But he was certain it had to have been Serenity. There was no way she
could have accomplished what she had without it. Not without prior
preparation, preparation she could not have made.
But still... Ikawa had to wonder. Regardless of where the blame
fell, was there something he could have, should have done? Something
that would have stopped armageddon. Something that would have preserved
his memory as a hero, rather than as the Betrayer of Peace.
Those words were bitter. He could not have supported Serenity.
To do otherwise would have been to truly become a traitor... not to the
Silver Millenium, but to the oath that he had followed for eight
thousand years.
"By the planet Mars, this I swear," whispered Ikawa. "I will
always help those who are in trouble, in need of help, or in need of a
friend. I will not turn my back on duty or honor. I will fight and die
for what is right and just." Ikawa shuddered as he continued,
preparing to utter the words that had driven the rebellion. "I will
defend those who cannot defend themselves. I will avenge those I cannot
defend, and mourn those I cannot avenge."
That was the center of it all. Avenge those he could not
defend. That was the reason he had fought, the reason that all those
who had followed him had joined. To avenge the dead. To avenge Juno.
Ikawa rose and walked over to the apartment's lone window and
stared into the sun for a moment, then finished the oath. "This I
swear, until all are one."
***********************************************************************
"This is not going well." Ishamanar paced around the command
tent. Outside, the music of war was still being made: cries of battle,
the clash of weapons, and the screams of the dying. It was a familiar
sound to the two youma, and one that bothered them not at all.
Inside the tent, however, there was little to suggest the events
that produced these chords. Indeed, the interior was actually a fairly
pleasant place, at least for the Dark Kingdom. The only reminder of the
war was a large set of maps spread over an even larger table, with
figures representing the various forces involved in the struggle scatted
atop them both. It looked in many ways like the setup for a game, but
this game was dead serious... and seriously deadly.
"Obviously," Nyxan replied dryly, glancing down at the maps.
"Mordrangar's been pushing us back fairly steadily now."
"This is your fault!" Ishamanar turned towards his fellow
General suddenly, barely reining in his impulse to attack his companion.
"You lead us straight into that trap." One of his fists pounded the
table, knocking over a few of the metal figures.
Nyxan's red eyes glowed softly. "I don't recall you raising any
concerns over the terrain." Both of the Overlords looked towards the
region of the map representing the location of their defeat. The valley
was now surrounded by a black line marking the boundaries of the slowly
widening abyss Mordrangar had forced open.
Ishamanar growled before backing down. "All right. Mordrangar
tricked us both, and drew us into that valley." The valley where he had
single-handedly wiped out the entire Dark Kingdom vanguard.
Nyxan sighed. "And since then all we've been able to do is
retreat. He's been using his numbers well." Nearly three quarters of
the figures on the table were colored red, representing their allegiance
to the Mountains of Desolation.
"And now we've got Jadeite coming to the front. He's not going
to be particularly pleased with us." Ishamanar studied the battle maps,
once more noting the unfavorable situation. "I've heard he's already
appointed a new General, probably to replace us."
"No," replied the ebony Overlord quietly, a slight smirk visible
on his face.
"What do you mean?" asked Ishamanar.
Nyxan allowed his expression to widen into a grin. "He assigned
the new General... some nobody named Hakar, to command operations
against Terra. He wouldn't do that if our posts were going to become
open." And the Overlord had been very glad when his allies in the
palace had told him that small fact.
"I suppose that's good, though it could cause some problems with
our agent..." Ishamanar trailed off, then continued. "But it wouldn't
hurt to pull out a small victory before he can arrive."
"True," agreed Nyxan. He speared a point on the map with one
claw. "Here."
Ishamanar studied the area with an expert eye, then nodded. "It
could work. Those forces have advanced further than the rest..." He
traced the bulge in the lines with his finger.
"And so we surround them on three sides," finished Nyxan.
Ishamanar nodded once. "Let's do it."
***********************************************************************
Furuhata Motoki sighed as he settled into his seat for his
morning class. He had barely made it in before the class begun, and
somehow he doubted that he would learn much this period. Not that he
had learned much in any period recently. Fighting evil in your spare
time didn't exactly do wonders for your ability to concentrate on
schoolwork.
Nor did having your little sister fight alongside you. For as
long as he could remember, Motoki had done his best to keep Unazuki from
harm. Now, he had to deal with his sister putting her life on the line.
Another part of him saw nothing odd with that, though. After all,
they'd fought together for eight thousand years... what did it matter
that they were now siblings by blood rather than by spirit alone?
For a moment, Motoki tried to derail his train of thought and
concentrate on the matter at hand... Physics. However, for some reason
his mind found the ins and outs of springs less than entrancing at the
moment, and Motoki found himself returning to more serious matters.
This morning's meeting had not been pleasant. But then, there
had been little to be pleasant about. Sailor Saturn had been reborn.
And that, really, was that. With that little fact, all the assumptions
about the balance of power had to change. And that had been enough for
a change in plans.
It was too bad that Dein... no, Ikawa hadn't realized that.
Just as he hadn't realized what would happen at the final battle. That
time, Motoki had lost the challenge, and the entire Silver Millenium
paid for it. This time, he had won, and hopefully that might save Earth
from the same fate.
But still... Sailor Saturn was a major threat. One that could
not be allowed to survive. But how to stop her?
"Mr. Furuhata..." The teacher's voice startled Motoki out of
his musings.
"Yes, sir?" Motoki answered, looking up.
"I would suggest paying attention, Mr. Furuhata. This material
will be on the exam."
***********************************************************************
Overlord Hakar was not in a particularly good mood. Though
being appointed a General was an unexpected boon, it had some unpleasant
consequences. Namely that just about every Overlord, including ones
vastly more powerful than Hakar, was now interested in seeing him take a
fall.
And this made Hakar understandably nervous. Despite their
newfound parity in rank, he was nowhere near as strong as Nyxan or
Ishamanar. He knew that either of those two Generals could, in a
confrontation, defeat him without anything even resembling an effort.
Indeed, Hakar was aware that he was one of the weaker Overlords.
And that meant that the only reason he wasn't already dead was
that the other Overlords were wary of calling Jadeite's wrath down on
them. And so, understandably, Hakar was busy struggling to come up with
ways that he could continue to enjoy his King's favor for as long as
possible.
He was to be in charge of operations against Terra. That was a
prestigious post, but not a particularly safe one. Out of all the
Generals and Overlords who had led the armies of the Dark Kingdom
against the Senshi, only one survived. Jadeite. Hmm...
Hakar nervously knocked on the door of the room Jadeite had
appropriated to use as a private meeting area. His lord had requested
that he present a plan for an operation before he left for the front.
Hakar hoped that what he had come up would meet the dark lord's
approval.
"Enter," came the voice from within, and Hakar complied. The
room was simple, with a dark stone table dominating the center and
chairs scattered around it. Jadeite was seated facing the door, and
Hakar slid into a seat across from him.
For a moment, the two stared at each other silently. Then,
Jadeite broke the silence. "So, General... what have you planned?"
Hakar cleared his throat, then began. "My lord... it is my
desire to attempt to seize the source of energy one of your...
constructs detected during the last strike."
"You mean the daimon energy patterns?" Jadeite asked.
"Yes, my lord. If I am successful, we may uncover more of
the... eggs. Or, at the least, we will learn more about the Death
Busters. After all, it is possible that they might pose a threat to us
once Terra has been reclaimed."
Jadeite smiled. "Very well. What forces will you require?"
Hakar almost breathed a sigh of relief before answering. "My
lord, I believe that I will be able to accomplish this mission with the
forces I already command. If all goes well, I will not need to confront
the Senshi at all."
Jadeite nodded. "Good. Is there anything else?"
Hakar shifted in his seat before he began. "My lord... before
Queen Beryl... removed you from your position... you claimed to know the
Senshi's identities." He left the question unspoken.
"And you wish to know them?" Jadeite asked.
"It... would be helpful, my lord." Hakar struggled not to show
his nervousness.
"I saw their true forms. A small, but important distinction."
Jadeite smiled slightly.
"I see, my lord. By your leave..." At Jadeite's nod, his newest
General rose and left.
As the door shut behind Hakar, Jadeite sank back into his chair.
It was interesting, but he could not bring to mind what the Senshi had
looked like in their true forms. Perhaps the Eternal Sleep procedure
had damaged his memories. Or perhaps he had merely forgotten, however
unlikely that might have been. It had, after all, been only a few
seconds' glimpse.
Jadeite sighed once, wishing that he had thought beforehand that
the Senshi would be inexperienced enough to not transform until they
arrived. He could have set up some sort of recording device, and then
his flawed memory would not be an issue. However, he could not travel
back in time, could he?
In another place, Overlord Asphara, consort to General
Ishamanar, smiled as she let her scrying spell die. "Interesting."
***********************************************************************
Urawa Meno stared silently at the phone for a moment, his hand
still resting on top of it. As always, his brief conversation with his
brother had left him with more questions than answers. Much like his
brother's visions...
It was obvious that Ryo had had a vision, about something
involving Meno, back when this had started. Something dangerous. That
had been obvious to him, even before he had Awakened. But, for whatever
reason, Ryo saw fit to keep this vision a secret from his brother. Why?
Meno could not determine any reason for his brother to deny him
important information. Unless... telling him his future was dangerous
as well? That could be plausible. But, rarely were Ryo's visions clear
enough for Ryo to decide that. An interesting puzzle, or it would be if
it didn't involve himself.
Meno simply didn't know enough. Not about his brother's vision,
or about what had happened to Ryo during the brief time he had lived in
Juuban, or about other things. For instance, the details on what had
happened between the Senshi's Awakening and his own. The Dark Kingdom
had attacked, he knew that. Kunzite was dead, and Jadeite was alive.
But... what about the other Generals? What about Beryl? Did they live?
And, what about the other attacks on Tokyo? Who was behind
them? What had occurred? Would whoever was behind them strike again?
Those strange monsters from yesterday... what were they, exactly? Were
they related to any of the other attacks? Evidence of an alliance?
This was all information that Meno felt was vital, yet none of the
Champions had even the slightest clue. And the only people who were
likely to know were the Senshi...
Meno sighed and pulled out his computer. He had some work to
do...
***********************************************************************
Mordrangar frowned as he settled himself into his throne. He
had teleported back to his fortress, sheltered deep beneath the
Mountains of Desolation, to take care of domestic matters that had begun
to build while he was at the front. He would soon be returning there,
but for the moment he had time to sit back and think.
The war was going well, minor setbacks aside. Jadeite had been
foolish to slay the ambassador from the Mountains of Desolation. Had he
not done that, Kizzar would still rule them, and their loyalty would be
to the throne of the Dark Kingdom. Instead, however, the anger over
Malvaar's death had given the Dragon the support he needed to depose the
nominal leader of the Mountains, and lead his new subjects to war
against the General who thought he could replace Beryl.
And for that thought, Jadeite was doubly a fool. It had not
been fear of Beryl which had kept the Overlords in line. It had been
fear of the Dragons. And what had kept the Dragons loyal was fear of
Metallia. But without that dark goddess ruling over all, no single
being could have commanded the loyalty of the entire Dark Kingdom.
What had happened after Beryl had died was the ultimate
evidence. It had not taken an hour for the Dark Kingdom to collapse.
Kyrien, Dragon of Air and ruler of the western continent, had vanished,
and his realm had disintegrated into countless squabbling fiefdoms. In
the East, the three remaining Dragons had gone to war for the throne,
while their own realms slowly dissolved behind them.
A year of warfare had proven that there could be no victor, and
a truce had been reached. But the damage had not been undone, and none
of the Dragons ever reestablished full control over their former
domains. Mordrangar himself had gone into seclusion, and it had taken
Jadeite claiming the throne to bring him out of it.
Mordrangar was shaken from his musing as a low tone sounded
throughout the throne room. Someone wished to teleport in. The Dragon
of the North frowned as he determined the identity of this person. What
could she want...?
There was only one way to find out. Mordrangar lowered the
magics that prevented teleportation into the throne room, and a whirl of
flame appeared before him. It took only a moment for the fire to
vanish, and be replaced by the figure of a human-seeming woman.
The woman smiled as she looked at the ruler of the Mountains of
Desolation. "Hello, Mordrangar."
"Scalae." The Dragon of the South. "What do you want?" he
asked simply.
The woman's smile widened, though her apparent mirth did not
reach her pupiless red eyes. "I have some news you might be interested
in..." Her tone was light and teasing, almost mocking.
Mordrangar grunted. "What? Have you and Jadeite reformed your
old alliance?"
Scalae snorted in disgust. "Far from it. I have no desire to
serve him again."
"Well then, Fire Dragon, tell me your news and begone. I don't
have time to play with you." Mordrangar's face was calm, despite his
inward irritation.
Scalae glared at the Dragon of the North, then responded, "I
thought it might be of interest to you that Loriel has stirred from his
undersea palace and moves westward, with an aim to invade the Northlands
while you are distracted."
Mordrangar nearly laughed out loud. "The Dragon of the East
thinks he can defeat me? Small chance."
"Oh?" asked Scalae. "What if his forces combine with Jadeite's,
hmm? I might have considered aiding you for old time's sake,
Mordrangar, but since you desire me to begone..." Scalae vanished, not
bothering to waste energy on a display to mark her teleportation.
Mordrangar was motionless on his throne. Loriel, allied with
Jadeite? Impossible, the Water Dragon got along with Jadeite even worse
than the Fire Dragon. But even so, Loriel's raid would force him to
divert his forces from the conflict brewing in the South. This was not
good news at all.
***********************************************************************
Usagi was breathless as she raced into the hospital room. Why
did school have to be so long? Ever since she had found out why Naru
wasn't at school, she had been able to concentrate on schoolwork even
less than normal. Unlike normal, she had actually had an excuse that
the teachers would accept to some degree. Thanks to that, she had
avoided the ever-present threat of detention for today, which had left
her free to head for the hospital.
"Is she all right?" Usagi managed to gasp out as she slowly
caught her breath. "I heard about it at school and..."
"She's fine," Naru said. "Just a few minor burns and bruises.
The doctors say she'll wake up soon."
"That's good. When I heard your mother'd been hurt... I was so
worried that some thing really bad had happened, and that I wasn't able
to..." Usagi stopped suddenly, realizing that she might have said too
much. Would Naru be able to make the connection that so far seemed to
elude everyone? And would that be a good thing or a bad thing.
"Don't worry, Usagi. I know you'd do everything you could to
help me or my mom." Naru smiled at her friend. "I'm sure you always do
your best."
Usagi froze. Did her best friend know? Or was the statement as
innocent as it seemed? Somehow, Usagi doubted it. How long had Naru
known? Her thoughts in turmoil, Usagi struggled to say something, but
for once words escaped her. Finally after a long moment, she spoke.
"You know, don't you?"
"Know what?" Naru asked, in a voice that sounded too innocent
to truly be so.
"You do know." Usagi said nervously.
Naru seemed about to speak when the door swung open. "I brought
you the drink you asked for, Naru!" stated Umino as he stepped into the
room. "Oh, hello, Usagi!" When neither girl responded, he carefully
set the drink own on a low table and examined the scene before him.
"What's going on?" he asked, alert to the undercurrent of
tension in the room.
"Nothing," Naru said, picking up the soda. "Nothing at all."
Usagi's nervous glances around the room caught the wall clock,
and Usagi realized that she had a meeting scheduled with the other
Senshi shortly. "I'm sorry, Naru, but I have to leave now. I'll be
back later."
"I understand," Naru said as Usagi left. "I understand," she
repeated, this time in a whisper.
***********************************************************************
Tenou Haruka had never been the most calm of people. Indeed,
when she was younger, her rages had been near legendary among her
teachers and classmates. Since then, she had calmed down considerably,
no longer being inclined to violence at the slightest provocation.
However, when she had reason, she could still summon the temper that had
driven her in years past.
And that was something she strongly desired to do at the moment.
Unfortunately, no targets for her rage presented themselves at the
moment. Therefore, she took it out on one who was not present. "Where
is Setsuna?" she growled.
The green-haired Senshi was noticeably absent from the room.
"You would think that the Senshi of Time would be able to not be late,"
commented Rei. "Even Usagi made it on time."
The aforementioned moon princess looked up from the plate of
cookies that had been consuming her attention. "She never shows up
anyway..." she commented, a trace of sadness in her voice.
"Because she's hiding something..." muttered Haruka to herself,
unheard by any but Michiru, who looked dubious.
"In any case," Ami stated. "We should probably begin." The
gathered Senshi all nodded at that. She then continued, "I'm sure your
all glad to hear that we probably don't have to worry about another...
incident like yesterday. As far as I can determine, it was a result of
a special set of circumstances that only occurs every few thousand
years."
"That's a relief," said Makoto. "I couldn't take something like
that every day." There's was enthusiastic agreement to that statement
from the Senshi.
From the sides of the room, Artemis spoke up. "Yes. It was an
event much like that which first freed Metallia back in the Silver
Millenium."
"Unfortunately," Luna continued for him, "we didn't recall that
until it was too late, and even if we had I doubt we would have been
able to predict its occurrence. Too much data was lost."
Ami nodded, thinking of the constant problems she had searching
for information from her computer. She then continued, "That said, we
can't rule out that there's something else we don't know about. I've
been looking in the files on my computer for anything similar, but I
haven't found anything yet."
"I take it that you have also had no further luck uncovering any
information about what all this is about?" Haruka asked.
Ami silently nodded in reply. "At least we now know why the
Dark Kingdom seems to be returning to activity after so long."
"Jadeite." Rei said simply. "Why isn't he dead?"
"We never actually saw his body," replied Ami. "The real
question is if he did survive, why it took him so long to attack again."
The room was silent for a moment, and shortly after that the
meeting broke up, as the Senshi went their various ways to deal with
what were supposed to be their normal lives.
***********************************************************************
Ishamanar growled in frustration. It had been such a simple
plan! Cut off the forward-most enemy units, then destroy them at their
leisure. Unfortunately, things had gone wrong from the first moment of
the battle.
First, the left flank assault had gone off early, and the other
two armies had been forced to attack before they were ready. Then, a
too skilled commander on the other side had realized what was occuring,
and the enemy had managed a retreat to the main battle front. From
there, the engagement had spread until it was a full-scale battle all
along the front lines.
Ishamanar casually broke an enemy youma in two as he moved
forward. Fortunately, the Dark Kingdom forces were, for the moment,
holding well, and inflicting tremendous casualties on the enemy.
Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before Mordrangar brought
his massive reserves into play, and the weight of superior numbers would
likely hurl the battle front a few miles closer to Jadeite's palace.
Ishamanar growled and continued on his way to the battle lines. The way
things were going, he would have to personally beat some sense into his
front-line commanders to get them to retreat and entrench before they
were crushed.
Ishamanar frowned as he dodged a bolt of deadly acid, and sent a
fireball to incinerate the youma who had launched the attack. Why was
Mordrangar waiting this long? There was no reason for him to draw this
conflict out. A quick glance at the enemy standards confirmed that only
insignificant reinforcements had arrived at the front.
Curiosity getting the better of him, the youma General took to
the air and searched out one of his aerial units. It took only a moment
to order a reconnaissance in force to the north. It took slightly
longer to slip through the enemy's own aerial forces, and then head to
where the main encampments should have been.
Should was the operative word. Where Ishamanar was expecting
legion upon legion of fresh troops, there was only signs of their recent
departure... to the north. Ishamanar pondered the situation for a
moment. It had to mean that the Mountains of Desolation were facing an
enemy on their own territory. It didn't matter who, at least for the
moment. What did matter was that there was now a real chance for a
decisive Dark Kingdom victory.
***********************************************************************
Urawa Meno was hard at work. He had very much to do, and little
time to do it in. The first thing was to confirm what he had already
suspected: that yesterday's events were the result of a conjunction, and
not of a permanent portal forming. Thank the heavens of all nine
planets for that small gift.
That done, he moved on to his second task, which was trivial.
Meno set his computer to constantly scan for energy signatures matching
either the Dark Kingdom or any of the three remaining Champions, and to
alert him when such a reading registered.
With the busy work out of the way, Meno moved on to the real
problem. He quickly accessed the main Silver Millenium database,
thanking for the thousandth time the long dead engineers who had built
the underground vaults in which they were stored, deep beneath the ruins
of the moon palace. Had those cavernous chambers been one bit less
secure, there would be nothing left of the greatest archive ever built
by humanity.
That it was no longer... ten millennia had taken their toll on
the computer systems. Whole databases were destroyed, while many more
were damaged beyond recovery. But the system as a whole was still in
place, and one day could be repaired. And that was no mean feat, given
the length of time that had passed since it had been built.
Meno remembered what it had been like building that system, on a
commission from the Queen... it would have been the current Serenity's
great-great-great-great-grandmother, give or take a great. It had taken
two decades, but it had been worth every moment. And when the job was
complete, the Queen had given him and his partner twin minicomputers,
each bearing their symbol and able to access a special linkup into the
database.
Meno was currently trying to determine the last time that that
linkup had been used. It should have been a difficult task, but Meno
had placed a few backdoors in the software those many millennia ago. A
moment later, he had his information. Sailor Mercury had used the
system earlier in the day, but was not currently connected.
A pity, but he could wait. It was another trivial task to
create a watchdog program that would alert him when the Senshi next
utilized the system. And he had no doubt that would be relatively soon.
With his tasks complete, Meno flipped on the TV, grabbed a soda, sat
back, and relaxed.
Just as Meno was settled in, his computer beeped. Had Mercury
already...? A quick look informed him that that was not the case. His
computer had picking up an energy pattern... transient, but still a
report... of a pattern matching Medea's. Another Champion was on the
verge of awakening. Meno stood and headed out his door and down the
hallway to Ikawa's room. It seemed as though relaxation was going to
have to wait.
***********************************************************************
The room became deathly quiet as Tamori opened the front door.
The young man frowned... he had heard the low buzz of conversation from
outside. Oh well. "Hello," he stated flatly as he entered and closed
the door behind him.
A few murmurs that could vaguely be called greetings were his
reply. Tamori glanced over to where the scars of the recent battle lay.
He supposed it was ironic that he had Iris to thank for saving his
current home. It had to be pure luck that she had happened by though...
he would have to have Meno whip up some sort of warning system. The
Dark Kingdom would almost certainly make another attempt at seizing the
research materials. Jadeite was nothing if not persistent.
As Tamori pondered these things, Haruka and Michiru had rose as
one and headed for the stairs. The sight of their departure reminded
him of what the previous day had caused him to forget. "Michiru!" he
called out.
The aqua-haired woman turned around. "What is it, Tamori?"
"I've got a group project in my Intro to Music class to
interview a modern musician. Would you mind if we picked you as our
subject?" Tamori grinned inwardly. Despite the events of the previous
day, normal life had to go on. And hopefully, yesterday would be the
last time his housemates had to deal with anything but normal life.
Michiru smiled. "Of course not. Talk to me later and we'll set
up a time. All right?"
Tamori nodded his assent, and the two women completed their
journey out of the main room. Tamori then turned his attention to the
owner of the house. "Professor Tomoe, I checked on the labs like you
asked. They were fine, didn't seem like the trouble got anywhere near
them."
The professor nodded. "That's good. We should be able to
replace what the... monster damaged, then."
The sound of the phone ringing was heard from the kitchen.
Silently, Hotaru went to answer it. A moment later, her voice was
heard. "Tamori, it's for you. Someone named Urawa Meno."
An instant later, Tamori was on the phone. "What? You're sure?
Of course I'll be there. Yeah, bye." A few minutes later, Tamori had
left his home once more.
***********************************************************************
Sailor Pluto, it seemed, was now in a permanent state of
distress. Ever since that one last talk with her future self- the
person she would become if all went well- everything had seemed to
become exactly the opposite of well. The Champions showing up was a bit
of a surprise, but she had gotten over that fairly quickly. Same with
the Dark Kingdom attacks.
But then, Chronus had shown up. That bastard. That total,
complete, utter bastard. She had barely been able to stand him when he
had been an ally, and ever since he had become an enemy, he had been
unbearable. It wasn't even the fact that her father had died to create
him... over time, all wounds heal, and eighteen thousand years was a
long time.
It was his insistence that he was her father that made him truly
impossible to co-exist with. Her father had died when Chronus was born.
He might have access to his memories perhaps- a question that Sailor
Pluto did not know the answer to, and hoped she would never find out-
but he was no more her father than the holographic recording on the moon
was old Queen Serenity. No more her father than Ares was Deinas, or
Vulcan, or any of a thousand hosts he had taken over the years.
How many souls? How many lives had been wiped out over the
years, burned away by the power that was the Champions, and their never-
ending need for new forms as old ones died? It hardly mattered... in
any case, it would soon be over. When at last the shells they wore now
failed, the Champions would be gone forever, borne away into the same
oblivion where they had sent so many others, from her father and the
rest, down to whoever the Champions had claimed now.
Though perhaps... yes, that would be the case would it not?
Pluto laughed quietly. Now, just before they were forever destroyed,
the Champions finally had bodies that were totally their own, that no
soul had been sacrificed for. They had been reincarnated much the same
as the other Senshi had, this time. Pluto wondered how Queen Serenity
would feel, if she knew that her dying effort had sent her hated enemies
to the future, along with her loyal servants.
Probably, Pluto thought, she would be happy. She would say much
the same that her daughter would in the same situation. That perhaps
that last effort would be enough to turn them away from the darkness,
and to the light. Or perhaps not. Queen Serenity, despite her good
heart, had been known to hold a grudge. Another thing Pluto would never
know. Despite her vast powers, a telepath she was not.
Pluto was stirred from her musings as she felt a new power
forcing the timestream to even greater fluctuations. Only one thing
could be causing that... well, perhaps two. Either Metallia, or
something very much like that dark goddess was stirring, or a Champion
was about to Awaken. Or, given the way things had been progressing
lately, both.
With but a thought, Pluto traveled to the place she occasionally
thought of now as her home. Fortunately, Tamori was apparently out of
the house, meaning that she did not have to maintain an illusion of
normality. A split second after she appeared, she had tracked the
disturbance to its location.
A few moments after that, four Senshi sped towards the local
college campus. There was no time to alert the Inners. Whatever was
happening would happen in a matter of minutes.
***********************************************************************
Jadeite smiled as he arrived at his Generals' new forward
command post. The smile widened as his two subjects bowed deeply.
Those two knew how close this meeting had come to being far less...
congenial then it actually was going to be.
"My lord," Nyxan stated. "It is a pleasure to have you with us
at this time, when the tide of battle has turned once more."
"Get to the point, General," Jadeite said. "What is the current
status of the battle?"
"The enemy has managed to set up some hasty fortifications, my
lord," Ishamanar said, "but after we crushed their main positions, most
of the fight went out of them. There is also a larger force most of a
day's march to the north. That force is apparently marching for the
Mountains themselves."
"Fascinating," Jadeite said. "What do you say we head to the
front?"
Both Generals smiled. They had known their ruler would be
pleased with the day's events, which had brought the Dark Kingdom forces
to a position more than a mile north of the valley where their recent
retreat had begun. And so, they were now back in his favor, and that
was a very good thing for their plans.
However, that was not what concerned them as they arrived at the
front. Mordrangar had yet to show his face this day, and they worried
that the dragon would once again single-handedly reverse the losses his
forces had suffered. But with Jadeite at the front, that was less
likely, as the dark lord possessed great power.
He was currently demonstrating that power, sending bolt after
bolt of flame into the enemy positions, devastating them. Combined with
the renewed assault by the two Generals and their forces, it looked as
though the enemy would be forced even farther north.
Then, a small lone figure walked out of the enemy emplacements.
As though it had been prearranged, the sounds of fighting slowed to a
halt, all eyes turning towards the center of the battlefield.
Recognizing the figure, Jadeite too strode forward, until the two stood
only a small distance apart.
"So..." Jadeite began. "I see the rebel leader had come to
witness his final defeat."
Mordrangar laughed, a particularly unpleasant sound. "Fool.
You have not defeated me. This," he said as he gestured around, "is
irrelevant. So is the other army to the north, as is Loriel's little
force that they march to destroy. In the end, it would come down to you
and me."
"True," Jadeite stated, a smirk on his face. "There is only
room for one king in this world. Shall we let 'the end' be now?"
"Very well," the Dragon said. "Let this war stop here."
Jadeite raised one white gloved hand. "Soul Flame." As he had
expected, the Dragon ignored the attack, which evaporated against his
defensive fields.
"Is that the best you can do, little human?" asked the King of
the Mountains of Desolation.
"Trust me, Dragon," Jadeite replied as he pulled the Flame
Diamond out of subspace. "I can do better."
***********************************************************************
Once more, they gathered. Bound together by both history and
destiny, they came together for the second time that day. But this
time, a bit of excitement counteracted the confusion and depression they
all still felt, to one degree or another.
"Are you sure?" Zeus asked, already guessing the answer.
"Absolutely." Hermes grinned, an action that had been all too
rare this day. "Medea is ready to Awaken."
"Where?" queried Ares, who, unlike usual, was hanging around the
edges of the group.
"I'm not sure yet," Hermes replied. "But we should be able to
track her down in a few minutes. She's somewhere in the area."
"Not to rain on our little parade," interjected Aphrodite, "but
how are we gonna Awaken her? I don't think Sailor Uranus is going to
help us, even if we say the magic word."
Ares glanced at Aphrodite. "It worked with Sailor Venus," he
said, a slight smirk appearing on his face, though it quickly faded.
"I doubt that tactic will work twice," Chronus stated. "What
about..."
Hermes nodded. "We'll try the method I've been working on. If
that fails, we'll leave and come up with another plan."
"All right," Zeus said. "If that's settled, let's get going."
At those words, the Champions as one raced off into the slowly
gathering shadows.
***********************************************************************
Ten thousand years ago...
"We have to do this." Deinas's voice was calm and steady. "We
have no choice. It was what it took when we were... born. It's not
likely going to be any easier this time."
"No," replied Gladian, just as calmly. "We have no way of
knowing what will happen. It could drain the mana wells, which is
exactly what we want to prevent."
"Didn't Janus try to study the procedure a few years back?"
interjected Aqoran.
"Yes," said Azala, nodding. "I remember I had to help him with
some of the tests."
All eyes in the briefing room turned to the Champion of Mercury,
who was presently gazing out the viewport onto the gathered might of the
rebel fleet. "Those tests were hardly conclusive," he replied, without
moving his gaze. "I don't believe that a drain is a likely effect, but
there's no way to know for sure."
"There's too much risk," Gladian said. "I won't approve of this
on that little evidence. And you all know the one certain effect."
"Yes," said Teritan. "When these bodies fail, we all get to
visit my realm again... but permanently this time. Like Fuera and
Rega." The rest group shuddered at the Champion of Pluto's comment.
"Exactly," said Gladian. "It's not worth that. I want a vote,
Deinas. Let's see who wants to die here."
The Champion of Mars, and nominal leader, sighed. "Very well.
The issue at hand is whether we should prepare to summon the Lords in
the forthcoming battle, should it become necessary. We are all present.
Five or more aye votes will bind all of us, until a further vote is
called to reverse the issue. I vote in favor of the proposal."
"I vote nay," stated Gladian.
"Against," said Azala. For a moment she struggled with herself,
then continued. "I'm scared of what will happen if we summon them."
"Well, I know what will happen to us, and I'm not scared. I
vote aye," said Teritan.
"I, too, am in favor," Nemina said.
Aqoran opened his mouth, then closed it again. He paused for a
moment, before finally voting. "Aye."
Genitas shook his head. "The time stream is too confused. I
feel attempting a summoning would be too dangerous. I vote against."
All eyes turned once more to Janus, who would cast the deciding
vote. "I vote in favor," Janus said after a moment's hesitation.
"Very well," said Ares. "The motion passes. So shall it stand,
until all are one!"
"Until all are one!" replied the other Champions.
"All right," Ares began. "Let's get ready. If we don't have
to, I don't want to summon the Lords, but be ready to do it the instant
Serenity starts casting whatever spell she's working on. Teritan,
Aqoran, Nemina, Genitas. I want you going in on the west side. The
rest of you, come with me on the east. Let's go."
As one, the Champions transformed and teleported to the surface
of Luna. When Ares's group arrived, they briefly started a
as two more figures teleported in, blocking their way into the main
palace. For a moment both groups stood still, both apparently shocked
at meeting the others. Then, one spoke.
"This time Ares... I won't retreat," Senshi Uranus said as she
drew her sword.
"Then you will die," replied the Champion of Mars. "Flame
Strike!" The burst sent Uranus flying, the Space Sword tumbling from
her hand.
Growling, her companion raised a hand. "Deep Submerge!" The
attack forced Ares back, but the other Champions were already on the
move.
"Deep Freeze!" Senshi Neptune dodged the attack, which ended up
encrusting ice all over one of the elegant pillars which stood besides
the palace's entrance.
"Blazing Light!" Neptune screamed as the attack hit her,
searing her flesh and blinding her.
"Thunder Bolt!" The lightning blast hit Neptune, who was in no
condition to dodge or block the attack. The Senshi of Water jerked once
before collapsing.
Both Ares and Uranus rose nearly simultaneously. "World
Shaking!" screamed Uranus. Ares braced himself for the impact, which
sent him stumbling back.
Uranus reached down to attempt to retrieve her weapon, but
Aphrodite sent another attack her way, and Uranus was forced to roll to
one side to avoid the searing blast.
Unfortunately this motion brought her directly into the path of
a Thunder Bolt from Zeus, the force of which left her stunned. Ares
rose once more, striding over to where the Space Sword lay. A quick
kick sent it spinning farther away even as both Senshi began climb to
their feet.
Neptune was already beginning an attack, pulling the Deep Aqua
Mirror out of subspace. "Submarine..."
A sword blow from Aphrodite forced the Talisman from her hand,
and the Champion quickly sent it to join the other Talisman. However,
Neptune was still far from helpless, and a quick Deep Submerge forced
the Champion of Venus back.
"Thunder Bolt!" The attack barely missed Uranus, who was
currently confronted by Zeus. Unable to gain a chance to get off an
attack, the Senshi of Air was slowly forced against the wall of the
inner palace, where a Deep Freeze from Hermes left her pinned.
Nearby, Senshi Neptune fell to the ground as a firebolt from
Ares streaming overhead. Before she had a chance to move, Ares's sword
slammed into the ground beside her neck.
"I'm sorry, Dia," whispered the Champion of Mars as flames began
to run down the blade. "Raging Inferno." As the ground underneath her
broke apart, Neptune felt dozens of marble shards ripping through her
skin, even as the flames burned the flesh from her bones. Soon, the
pain faded away, and everything else with it.
Senshi Uranus screamed as the Champion stepped away from the
mangled corpse and bowed his head. A few moments later, that scream
died out, and the four Champions made their way, now unimpeded, towards
the center of the palace complex. A bit after that, hordes of youma came
pouring over and through the walls of the palace, with the same
destination in mind. A few hours after that, the Silver Millenium fell.
That was then...
***********************************************************************
...and this is now.
Zeus came to a halt as he observed the four figures standing
before him. Four more figures soon followed suit. For a moment, the
two groups merely stared silently at each other, seeking any weakness,
but both knowing one was not to be found.
It was Zeus who finally broke the silence. "Leave. We don't
have any business with you tonight."
It was Sailor Pluto who made the Senshi's somewhat less
eloquent, but probably more realistic, reply. "Dead Scream."
As Zeus dove to one side, the purple ball of deadly energy
passing overhead to eventually impact against a nearby storefront, a
hail of projectiles headed in the other direction as a counter argument.
"Silence Wall." The rain of attacks harmlessly exploded against
Sailor Saturn's defensive field.
"Bitch," Ares growled. "We'll deal with you tonight. Flame
Strike!" The attack, however, proved no more effective than its
predecessors, though perhaps it may have seemed that the Senshi of
Silence now leaned a bit more on her glaive then she had previously.
Unfortunately, the other Senshi were not idle during the time
this took. Zeus was thrown up from the ground where he lay by a World
Shaking, and was hit in midair by a Deep Submerge. Propelled by the
twin impacts, the Champion of Jupiter flew backwards, until he slumped
unconscious against the ground.
Chronus did not seemed disturbed by this, however. He merely
concentrated a moment, and uttered two words. "Time Slip." A split
second later, he appeared behind Sailor Saturn, and a single sword blow
was all it took to disrupt the Senshi's concentration, and her spell.
A few seconds after this, another hail of attacks proceeded
towards the Senshi, this time unimpeded by any pesky force fields. As
the Senshi took cover, the Champions followed their attacks, swords at
ready.
Behind all the other combatants, Chronus and Sailor Saturn
indulged in a deadly dance, glaive and sword meeting each other in a
thousand different ways. Chronus's reflexes were superhuman, but his
opponent found half-forgotten patterns coming back to her, exploiting
every hole in her opponent's defenses.
Ares headed directly for this confrontation, only to be stopped
by a glowing blade. "Get out of the way," he spat with a snarl as he
locked weapons with Sailor Uranus.
Uranus found herself sneering in return. "I already beat you
once. It won't be too hard to beat you again." The two blades
separated briefly, then joined once more.
Ares laughed. "You should have killed me when you had the
chance, Cyrene. You got lucky, but it won't happen again."
"Space Sword Blaster!" screamed Uranus, as Ares's taunt hit far
too close to home.
Ares smirked, twisting to one side and allowing the beam of
energy to pass by harmlessly. "I told you. That won't work twice.
You're going to have to be better than that."
Nearby, Aphrodite frowned as she faced off against Pluto. This
would not be easy. A Dead Scream flew past, barely dodged by the young
Champion. Aphrodite raced forward, attempting to close with the Senshi,
only to be forced to roll to one side as a second attack was summoned by
Pluto. Yes, Aphrodite thought as she rose and cautiously circled around
the Senshi, this would be very difficult.
Slightly to the left of the struggling Champion, another two
warriors faced off. "Deep..." the two voices called in unison, though
the conclusions would be fairly different.
"...Freeze!"
"...Submerge!"
"Not bad," Hermes commented as the two attacks cancelled each
other out. "But not good enough. Ice Storm!"
"Submarine Reflection!"
Both wounded, the combatants paused for a moment. But only for
a moment, as the two soon began their duel once again. For the time
being, they were seemingly evenly matched, but it would be only a matter
of time before one would make a potentially deadly error.
On the other side of the battlefield, another duel was coming to
a close. Chronus, fast as he was, had made a mistake, and one twirl of
the Silence Glaive left him both disarmed and with a very deadly weapon
pressed against his chest.
For a moment, both were perfectly still. "I can kill you,"
Sailor Saturn said softly, her purple eyes dull and flat.
Chronus closed his own eyes, unwilling to look at those death-
like orbs. "I know," he whispered.
***********************************************************************
For a moment, the two kings stood motionless and silent. Then,
one spoke. "Soul Flame Barrage." The other merely grunted, and a
earthen shield rose out of the ground, protecting him from the dozens of
deadly firebolts.
Mordrangar was quick to take the offensive, shattering his own
shield and sending the shards hurling towards his opponent. Jadeite
smiled and half whispered another spell. "Fire Shield." As the rock
shards neared Jadeite, they burst into flames and vanished.
However, even before the last shards vanished, Mordrangar
started on his next attack. The ground before him exploded at the
lightest touch of the Dragon's fist, and Jadeite raised his arms in
front of his face in a futile attempt to shield himself, knowing he had
no time to prepare another defensive magic.
When the dust settled, Jadeite bled from several small cuts. A
grimace on his face, he slowly raised one arm, ignoring the red stain on
his glove. "My turn," he said flatly. "Rolling Inferno." The Flame
Diamond, held in a firm grip by his other hand, flared briefly as the
dark lord's outstretched arm slammed into the ground. Around it, the
already disturbed earth was once more flung up into the air, this time
by a burst of fire. The disturbance rapidly moved forward as a wave of
secondary explosions went off, culminating as a jet of flame shot out
from the ground where Mordrangar stood.
When the fire died down, Mordrangar seemed unhurt, though his
simple clothing had been slightly singed. However, to those with the
skills to see, it was obvious that the defensive fields he had prepared
had now fallen, leaving him open to his opponent's next attack, which
had already begun.
"Soul Flame Barrage!" This time, the storm of firebolts slammed
into the Earth Dragon, forcing him back and eliciting a grunt of pain.
Wasting no time, Jadeite hurled another firebolt in a move designed to
keep the Dragon on the defensive.
Mordrangar, however, sank into the earth before the bolt reached
him, only to rise up again directly behind Jadeite. One powerful punch
sent Jadeite reeling, and the Dragon quickly closed once more, intent on
finishing off the human who claimed to rule the Dark Kingdom.
Before he could reach the former General, however, Jadeite
summoned a blade of flame, and launched into his own attack. The
searing heat of the first strike to land was an object lesson to the
Dragon that he was not quite fast enough to dodge Jadeite's expert
strikes. Despite the fact that each individual blow was nothing more
than a minor irritation to the mighty Dragon, Mordrangar knew that it
was not wise to take them lightly.
Therefore, Mordrangar quickly retreated, until he was safely out
of sword range. "You might be more of a challenge than I expected,
human." For the first time, an expression appeared on the Dragon's face
as he smiled. "This could be fun," he said.
"No," replied Jadeite as he allowed his sword to flicker and die
out, silently preparing to cast any of a dozen spells to counter his
opponent's next move, whatever it might be. "It won't."
"Really?" asked Mordrangar, as he shimmered and faded from view.
Moments later, he was replaced by a massive serpentine form. Dark
brown, pupiless eyes, each the size of the human's head, stared down at
Jadeite, who found himself reduced to insignificance by the gargantuan
wyrm. Jadeite remained still as Mordrangar lowered its head to the
ground, where it still towered over the human. "I think it will,"
stated the Dragon in its deep, loud voice. A tiny bit of acid dripped
from Mordrangar's opened jaw, causing a cloud of steam to rise up when
it hit the earth. "I think it will."
***********************************************************************
Professor Tomoe sighed as he carefully stacked another set of
flasks on the shelf that ran all along the wall of his home lab. The
attack by the pseudo-daimon yesterday had caused a good bit of chaos,
though luckily nothing important had been destroyed. Tamori's report
that the university labs were fully intact meant that what had been lost
could be quickly replaced.
Another sigh escaped the professor's throat as he moved on to
the next item on his checklist. He shook his head, trying to
concentrate on his work and not on... his daughter. Putting down the
test tube he had been examining for cracks, Tomoe found himself
wondering what was going on, in whatever part of Tokyo Hotaru was now.
A monster attack? One of those Champions?
Tomoe was shaken from his musings by the sound of a throat being
politely cleared from behind him. As he turned around, Tomoe discovered
a well dressed man standing in the center of the room. And behind him,
in the shadows underneath the stairway, Tomoe could feel two...
presences. Very malign presences.
Of course, the man himself did not seem to be a paragon of
virtue either. Though his features were nondescript, there was
something odd about the way he stood, eyeing the Professor like one
might a particularly large insect. The worst was the man's eyes: dead
and flat, devoid of any spark of life. Eyes were supposed to be the
windows to the soul... but these windows opened onto a vacuum.
The man smiled, but it seemed merely an empty gesture, not any
display of emotion. "I am here to take your materials on the...
daimons."
Tomoe silently backed away, eyes subconsciously glancing about
to find an exit he knew did not exist. At this, the man nodded. "Get
him."
From the shadows emerged two creatures that appeared to be a
cross between a spider and a woman. Tomoe's active mind quickly
categorized them as youma... which probably meant the man was actually
one himself. Not as though that piece of information helped him much in
his current situation.
Tomoe quickly found himself dropping to the floor to avoid a
blast of web fluid, which quickly impacted against the far wall, leaving
a sticky mess that would no doubt take hours to clean. A clumsy roll
allowed him to dodge a blast from the second youma, as well as leaving
him next to the wall safe wherein the more dangerous samples were kept.
"You can't escape, human," commented the man. "I am a General
of the Dark Kingdom, and nothing you can do could hurt me."
Tomoe ignored the man and concentrated on quickly opening the
safe, not risking a glance backward to see what the youma were doing.
After what seemed like hours, but was actually only a few seconds, Tomoe
was able to fling the safe's heavy door open and duck behind it for
cover. Not a moment to soon, as soon sticky webs were splattered over
the door.
Tomoe cautiously reached into the safe and pulled out an item he
had been hoping to never see again... Eudial's heart snatching rifle. A
quick glance at the all too familiar weapon confirmed that there was
only enough energy for one shot remaining.
The professor, not giving himself time for second thoughts,
sprung up from his crouch and in one smooth motion pulled the trigger.
The beginnings of a laugh quickly turned to a gasp of pain as the energy
bolt struck the Dark General.
Time seemed to freeze as the attack took its effect. Tomoe had
seen too many heart crystals in his time, but this one was different.
Black, squat, and lightless, the crystal crumbled away even as it
formed. As the crystal shattered, a piercing shriek filled the air, and
for a moment, the image of a powerful, monstrous being was superimposed
on that of the man. An instant later, all that remained of General
Hakar was a rapidly dissolving pile of dust.
Tomoe nervously eyed the two remaining youma. He had used his
only weapon, and was now defenseless if they chose to take revenge for
their fallen master. An option they appeared to be taking, as one
slowly raised its arm in preparation for an attack...
"Fire Soul!" The firebolt incinerated the attacking youma,
leaving not even ashes behind as it hungrily consumed it. Five figures
appeared at the head of the stairs, attracting the attention of the lone
remaining, doomed youma.
Tomoe did not pay attention to the ensuing brief conflict,
instead allowing shaky legs to settle onto the ground as he realized he
was going to make it out of this alive after all.
***********************************************************************
"What the hell was that?" Sachiko exclaimed as the sounds of
conflict sounded outside the open window to the press room. Quickly
saving the layout for the article she was working on, she risked a
glimpse outside.
"Damn," she whispered, half afraid that someone would hear her.
"I wish Uji had made it... he could get enough pictures for a whole
week-long serial..."
Outside the window was perhaps the most amazing scene she had
seen in her life. Sure, she'd witnessed a few Senshi battles, everyone
in Juuban had, but this was something else entirely. Gasping, she
ducked under the windowsill as a blast of fire came a few meters too
close for comfort. "Damn," she repeated.
After a moment, the young woman risked another glance outside
the window. Directly in front of her, Chronus and Sailor Saturn were
beginning their duel. It was another conflict, however, that would
catch her eye.
"Space Sword Blaster!" Even as Sailor Uranus said the words,
Sachiko knew that something important was about to occur. As the attack
was harmlessly avoided by Ares, Sachiko found herself slumping to the
ground, her legs no longer willing to hold her up.
Something inside her head was changing. "No," she whimpered
quietly. "I'm me. I'm me." But unfamiliar images began to come
pouring into her conscious mind, as though a dam had burst. Cold. It
was so very cold...
A vast gas giant hovering protectively above in the dark
heavens. Blood. Pain. Solitude. Darkness... powerful, all-consuming
shadows. A dead world. Hatred. Death. These were only a few of the
images and sensations that became Sachiko's world as she lay on the hard
floor of the press room.
"No..." she whispered, her body spasming in remembered pain as
she discovered images she somehow identified as belonging to the
Titanian Massacre. A moment later, she felt bloody-handed triumph at
the Battle of Ariel. A half second after that, she was leading the ill-
fated Invasion of Terra. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, Sachiko
struggled to find some high ground where she could escape the flood of
memories...
Then, a fragment of conversation. The voices were now familiar,
though but a moment ago they were unknown.
"I can kill you." Iris!
"I know." Genitas...
A moment later, Sachiko stood once more, shaking legs barely able
to hold up her body. A moment after that, Medea, Champion of Uranus,
had Awakened.
***********************************************************************
Ares risked a glance to where Sailor Saturn held Chronus's life
in her hands. "Damn it," he growled as his and Uranus's weapons clashed
once again. "I don't have time for this!" Ares blocked a quick strike
from his opponent, and redoubled his attack.
Uranus sidestepped a blow, then struck home with her own,
drawing a thin line of ruptured metal down Ares's side. "Make time,"
she said simply, as she pressed her advantage, this time drawing blood
from the Champion.
Ares took a step back, then with a feral scream leapt forward
once more, driving the Senshi back with swift, powerful strikes. Uranus
flawlessly exploited the holes left by her opponent's wild strikes, but
Ares ignored the counterattacks, fighting like a man possessed.
Not far away, Sailor Neptune had weathered the hail of ice
shards her opponent had called down, while Hermes had successfully
dodged her own attack. Hermes quickly tried to close to take advantage
of his Neptune's lack of a melee weapon, but a Deep Submerge was all it
took to force the Champion to back off.
Aphrodite as well attempted to close with her own opponent, only
to narrowly avoid a sweep of Pluto's staff that would have knocked her
legs out from under her. Knowing that she had no ability to get off an
attack before Pluto could respond, Aphrodite was forced to resume a slow
wary circling of her opponent, watching for an opening she feared would
never come.
However, all three conflicts paused when a feminine voice called
out, "Mind Twist."
The next sound the combatants heard was a piercing cry of pain
from Sailor Saturn, who stumbled backwards, Silence Glaive nearly
falling from her nerveless fingers. A new figure came stepping out from
the school building, midnight blue armor covering her lithe form.
Displayed in gold on the breastplate was the symbol of Uranus.
Chronus opened his eyes and smiled. "Medea." He swiftly bent
down and retrieved his weapon, and the two Champions faced off against
the slowly recovering Sailor Saturn.
On the other side of the battle, a sudden, vicious attack by
Ares left the distracted Uranus deprived of her weapon, on the ground,
and with Ares's sword at her throat. "Everybody freeze!" Ares growled
loudly.
As the warriors complied, Ares glanced at the Senshi. "All
right. Back away, and get rid of your weapons."
The Senshi hesitatingly complied, returning their weapons to
subspace while silently retreating from the field of battle. However,
it was obvious that they were prepared to launch an attack at a moment's
notice.
Ares returned his attention to the Senshi at his feet, his sword
arm tense and ready to strike. Uranus sneered. "Go ahead," she said.
"Prove I was wrong to let you live."
Ares stiffened, then slowly retracted his weapon. "We're even
now," he said simply. He then nodded to his fellow Champions. "Let's
get out of here."
The Champions swiftly departed, pausing only to retrieve the
fallen form of Zeus. For tonight, the battle was over. For tomorrow?
***********************************************************************
Author's Random Ramblings
1) Another chapter down... this one being the longest one yet. As
always, all comments are appreciated.
2) As always, my deepest thanks to those who bear the burden of turning
the drek I churn out into to something readable: the few, the bold, the
prereaders. This time, they number three: Angus MacSpon, Rebecca
Nowack, and Chaeotica.
3) I'm pondering two different directions for this story to take: one
would be to keep the current 20 chapter outline and shorten chapter
length, the other would be to trim some of the fluff and have a smaller
number of larger chapters. Any comments from the quasi-mythical readers
of this fic on this question would be most helpful.
4) I will take this opportunity to plug Improfanfic
(http://www.improfanfic.com/). It's a great site with several anime-
style "round-robin" fics, and they're always looking for more authors.
My own humble work can be found in Spirits of Hope and Suikoden: Distant
Shores.
5) As always my fics are archived at my personal website
(http://www.geocities.com/anowack/). They can also be found on
Fanfiction.Net. In addition, during the long spells between fics, I
psuedo-regularly update my LiveJournal
(http://www.livejournal.com/users/anowack/) with progress reports and
stuff.
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