....Sometime in the future.....
Queen Serena and King Darien were crowned upon a lawn full of cheering crowds. Crystal Tokyo had found peace once again from the Negaverse. Cherry trees sent their sweet smelling blossoms across the air to congratulate the new royal couple. So young....they were so young... After the great sleep that sent all of the world into a dark slumber for 300 years, the earth had settled down and rejuvenated itself to its original near-perfect state of condition. All was at peace. And Darien and Serena were to be the rulers of the entire planet. With the sailor scouts as their friends, the young couple felt confident that they could tackle this new responsibility.
Watching from the sidelines, a young teenaged boy watched with awe at the crowning ceremony. He could only dream of someday wearing that crown with a beautiful queen by his side. Diamond was of a powerful family yes, but not of royalty. His family had been the wealthiest on the earth before the great slumber and it was his parents whose legacy was well remembered. But remembered for the evil that swept the land. His parents craved power and dominion over the earth. But, they also sought to save the earth from itself and through technology, they created an earth that was all metal, all electricity, all comfort. There was a machine to do everything, the human race had not one need to lift a finger. But, Diamond remembered those days with hatred as well. He remembered the abuse and the neglect given him by his parents. He had everything he could ever want, and then his brother Sapphire came along when he was five and the two of them grew together. They leaned on each other for support, they were all each other had since their parents never paid them any heed.
Diamond remembered those days, as he watched the royal couple ascend the grand staircase into the Crystal Palace at the center of Crystal Tokyo. Diamond loved this new earth, with the greenery and exotic birds and animals. Everyone was happy. The nightmare that had been the old earth was over. But, Diamond also thought, since my family was essentially the leading family before the great slumber, shouldn't I be the king?
But, he remembered that it was they that caused the great slumber... The overload of technology, the crash of everything mechanical, the collapse of buildings, the rise of dust into the air that blocked out the sun. His parents had been killed, but the rest of his family survived and were scattered all over the earth. He knew they were still alive, he felt his family's power coursing through his veins and it pulsed more strongly whenever he was around someone of his kind. For Diamond wasn't human. Like the royal family, his race was of the cosmic race. They had powers that humans didn't. Somewhere back in time, a long long time ago, the royal moon family and Diamond's family were related. The sailor scouts, the kings and queens of the other planets, even the beings of the Negaverse were all of the same race. What happened to cause such a separation? No one knew. But, he also considered this aspect...they were of the same race yet they were different. The royal family bore the marks of the crescent moon, golden and raised in an eternal smile signifying that they were of the race of moon people. Whereas, the mark of his family and all those of his race bore the mark of the Negaverse, the black crescent moon descending in a frown.
Diamond couldn't understand why people thought of his race as evil. Sure, many of his kind were bad, but not all. He wasn't bad, his brother wasn't bad. There were thousands and thousands of his race on the earth, and only his parents were evil, and they were dead....They were getting along in peace with the Moon race and the humans. So why did rumors keep finding his ears that since King Darien and Queen Serena had taken the throne, that they were going to banish the race of the black moon? He shook his head in fear, and hoped that this beautiful majestic couple, not too much older than he was, had a pure heart and would find compassion for his people.
" What is it Diamond? Is something wrong?" Sapphire nudged Diamond in the arm, his deep blue eyes showing hints of worry.
" No, nothing's wrong. I'm just hoping that the new King and Queen will forget what mother and father did and forgive our family......and our people."
"Our people? Diamond, we're of the same race as them" he pointed towards the Crystal Palace, "why would they punish us when we have done nothing wrong?"
"We're the same, but yet we're different. That's why we have different marks, us the Black moon, and they the Golden moon. Come, you are too young to understand it, I'll explain it to you later." Diamond and his brother Sapphire walked back through the excited crowds and went back to the neighborhood that housed some of his family. Perhaps he could have his aunt tell Sapphire about their history. She was the better story teller, not he.
1 year later....
Posted up on nearly every wall was a notice, which read like this:
WANTED: Ages 13 - 25, Male & Female , to be Guardians of Crystal Tokyo and guardians of the Earth. Train with the real SAILOR SCOUTS! Room & board provided. JOIN US NOW and be a guardian! Sign up sheets are at the palace gates, we will contact you regarding your entry within 3 days.
Diamond came across one such notice as he went to the little jewelry shop that he worked at. As he stood there pondering the notice, the wind blew his bleached white hair. He stood up tall and said to himself, "They can't put me in prison if I join the Guardianship! I'll show them my loyalty and show them I have a good heart!" An elderly man ambled by and happened to hear. He was human and bore no mark. "Why young man would they punish you? I've never heard of such! Did you do something wrong?"
"No, I have done nothing wrong. But I've heard tell that they are planning on imprisoning my people for what my family did to the old earth."
"Your family!? You're the son of those bastards that nearly destroyed the planet!? Serves you right!" and the old man ambled quickly away.
"I'M NOT EVIL!!!! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!" Diamond yelled at the retreating back of the old man. "if only they could see that not all of us are evil...curse this stupid racism...Curse this stupid mark I bear!"
When Diamond reached back home, he found Sapphire in tears. "What is it brother?"
"They're going to get rid of us! Nanna told me so. All of the Dark Moon people are going to be banished from Earth! What are we going to do!? I don't want to leave!"
"So it is true....did she say when they decreed this?"
"No." *sob sob* "I don't want to leave my kitty behind!" Diamond looked upon Sapphire with pity, he was only a boy of 8 years. A boy who shouldn't have to hear things such as that. He left and went in search of answers. He found his aunt at their kitchen table, her eyes red and puffy.
"Is it true?"
"Yes, Diamond it is. They are going to banish us to the new moon that has begun to orbit the earth. They are calling it the Negamoon. You have seen it yes?"
"Yes, I've seen it, it isn't much different from our moon that I can tell. When and where did you hear that we were being banished there?"
"I was in the marketplace, earning my pennies by levitating apples for a group of young human children. A guardian came up to me then, all official like, and read the decree before all there. All peoples of the Dark Moon race, bearing the mark of the black crescent moon wilt be forthwith banished to the new Dark Moon. I ran home afterwards. We're in trouble Diamond! Curse your parents and the evil name they gave our people!"
An uncomfortable silence lapsed between the two. Several moments passed by and Sapphire came in the room sniffling. Their aunt looked at the two and gave a brief apology before leaving the room.
"I'm going to join the guardians Sapphire. Maybe if they see us trying to be loyal and protect the earth they won't banish us."
"You really think so Diamond?"
"I hope so. I'm going tomorrow. Tell Nanna to not worry, maybe the royal couple will change their minds. They don't look to be so cruel."
3 months later, Diamond was on the bus heading towards the Guardian training center. He had willed his crescent to go away so that no one would know he was of the black moon race. Already, the deportations had begun. Hundreds had been sent already to what was being named "The Negamoon". Scouts had declared that the rogue moon was safe to live on, complete with food and water. But once there, you could never return. Diamond had spent his last 3 months staring at the fearsome orb in the sky. He must not get caught! For Sapphire's sake he must not get caught! So lost in contemplation he didn't notice the teenage girl staring at him from across the other isle on the bus. Coming out of his reverie he looked over at her and noticed that she was smiling at him. Did she know who he was? She appeared human, so she wouldn't have the ability to detect his powers. Perhaps he could make a friend. The more human friends he had the better a chance of staying on Earth.
A seat was empty next hers and he went to go sit by her. She obliged and continued smiling at him.
"Hi, I'm Jaiden. What's your name?" Diamond couldn't answer immediately, his thoughts swirled in a myriad of confusion. When she spoke his heart felt a warmness, his skin tingled, and his crest threatened to reveal itself. Was she of the Dark moon race too? He felt her power keenly, yet she bore no mark. Perhaps she was of the royal family in disguise, searching for people like him trying to hide on Earth.
"I asked what's your name? Are you off in lala land or something?" She was still smiling.
Embarrased he mumbled, "Oh, sorry....I'm Diamond."
"Diamond, nice to meet you. So are you excited to be training to be a guardian too?"
"uh...uh yeah! I'm looking forward to it." He was blowing his cover and he knew it. His hands were trembling, he put them in his lap and seriously considered going back to his original seat. A warm hand gently touched his arm, and he turned to see Jaiden still smiling at him.
"You're hiding too, aren't you?" The look of fear that crossed his face told her all.
"Don't worry Diamond, I am too. I knew you were like me the moment I saw you....I felt it...didn't you?" Relief instantly splayed on his face, he grabbed her hand in his.
"Yes! I did. I thought that you were a royal spy though. I am much relieved."
"So where do you come from? Tell me? We have another hour before we reach the training grounds."
"Well, I am Diamond, son of Rondo and Carnelia, and brother of Sapphire."
"Wow! I bet you've had a lot of bad encounters with people since the great awakening....I feel for you...no wonder you're hiding....you have to be at the top of their list, considering who your parents were."
"You have no idea." From then on, Diamond was comforted around Jaiden. He could tell that she was indeed a friend and one of his own race at that!
Several months of training ensued and more and more people were deported to the Negamoon. The day came for Sapphire to be deported along with his aunt and he cried out for Diamond, alerting the guardians that they had a traitor in their midst. They would have to search out the boy in the training camp and send him to where he belonged. Meanwhile, Diamond and Jaiden stayed side by side and learned much together. The love between them grew to an inseparable happiness. They heard word that the guardians were coming to deport them and had already deported his brother. They ran away from the training center and got married, nothing would separate them. If they were to be deported they would go together, if they were to hide, they would hide forever. At the ripe age of 18, they were ready to tackle whatever came their way.
"Our neighbors told us that they were coming for us today." Jaiden told her husband Diamond. Six months had passed since their marriage, and so far they had had no trouble.
"Who's coming? Our neighbors?" Diamond wrapped his arms around his wife's slightly swollen belly and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He noticed the tears rolling down her pretty face.
"The guardians. They've found us out. We can't hide anymore. They're going to send us there!" And she broke down crying, her face buried in Diamond's chest. He could feel her crest of power pulsating against his heart. They didn't deserve this he thought.
"I guess then we have no choice. Perhaps it is for the better." Although he didn't quite believe his own words.
"A life better? On that forsaken rock! Oh Diamond!" He held her against her as she sobbed into his chest. Jaiden was with child, and Diamond wanted the world for that child, knew that the child needed a good world to grow up in. Would Diamond ever be able to escape the chains of his race? Hate swelled up inside of him towards the Earth and its perfection, towards the Guardianship that was about to take his new family away to another planet, and most of all towards King Darien and Queen Serena.
A heavy knock sounded on the door. Jaiden ran towards their bedroom screaming and crying that they weren't taking her. Diamond opened the door wide and locked eyes with the Guardians, one of which had been his and Jaiden's very own recruiter. Flanked by the guardians were two of the Sailor Scouts, Mars and Jupiter. Diamond hadn't counted on this and thought desperately of how he could at least save Jaiden and his unborn child. He was too young for this....19 years old and having to go through this...
"Are you Diamond, son of Rondo and Carnelia, High Family of the Old Earth and the Negamoon?" Hatred burned in both of their eyes.
"Yes, I am." Diamond tried his best to stand tall and proud. Not ashamed of who he was.
"You are hereby declared an enemy and hazzard to the Earth. Gather whatever belongings you have for you are to be transported to the Negamoon in 15 minutes flat. Any trouble out of you and Ladies Rae and Lida will deal with you. No trouble now Diamond, you knew it was coming, you've hid for long enough."
Shocked and angry, Diamond went towards his bedroom, appearing to collect his things. They didn't own much, although Diamond had been left an extensive estate, jewels, and money galore from his parents, he thought it best to live as meagerly as possibly to keep from being found out. He had had his aunt transport all of that wealth to the Negamoon for Sapphire's and his sake should they be deported there. It wasn't doing him any good on earth anyways. Jaiden was lying on the bed sobbing, as far as he was concerned, the Guardian had said nothing about Jaiden's deportation. Did they even know she bore the dark crest too? He wasn't about to find out.
"Jaiden, they don't know about you yet. Promise me you'll keep hiding. Our child deserves this planet!" he whispered into her ear. She turned a bleary eye upon him.
"I'm not going to leave you!" she hissed. Her crest blazed to life as her anger surmounted her fear of the unknown Negamoon. The young couple embraced in a fiery moment, kissing and kissing as if they could never be torn apart. A harsh command echoed through their home.
"Hurry up you! We haven't got all day."
Together Diamond and Jaiden walked out of their bedroom. Hand in hand, they faced the guardians who would ensure their trip to the Negamoon. Sailor Mars looked Jaiden over, taking notice of the black crescent upon her forehead.
"You're pregnant aren't you?" she asked.
"What does it matter to you? I'm being sent to the Negamoon where my child will grow up with his people who will love him and not judge him on his race!"
"Queen Serena is with child as well. About as far along as you. I was just wondering anyways. The world will be a better place without those of the Negaverse!"
"Let's get the show on the road!" Lida said.
Diamond looked to his wife as they both used their powers to transport themselves to the Negamoon. Not looking once at the earth they had just left behind, they took in their surroundings. Bleak mountains, as black as night loomed in the distance. The ground was of a dead grayish brown. No plants grew upon the pallid surface. No warmth filled the icy breeze.
"This is our fate. Come, we must find the others. Perhaps they will have already built a city of shelters. We must find Sapphire."
Too upset to say anything, Jaiden followed Diamond through the desolate land, wishing that she could go back without fear of being put to death. A quick death by their hands should be better than the slow death of starvation on this moon! she thought to herself. As if in response her baby kicked in her womb. Angry, she used her powers and made a boulder explode into dust. Diamond turned around and put his arm around her shoulders for comfort. He felt like he could explode a thousand of the ugly boulders. His white hair mingling with Jaiden's red in the icy wind, the couple followed the tracks of the thousands of people before them who had gone off to survive.
After many hours of endless walking, Diamond and Jaiden found their people. They had taken to the underground in caves where it was warm. There was no leader and when the people that had gathered in the largest cavern complex saw Diamond, the son of Rondo enter, they cheered, "Our Prince! Long live Prince Diamond!"
"It seems our people have already chosen their leader." Diamond said softly in Jaiden's ear. So be it, he thought. Let people of the Negamoon grow strong and survive. Days turned into months, and the people of the Negamoon combined their ancient powers to build a grand city within the caverns of the Negamoon. They built a grand castle on the surface out of a rock that gleamed like that of obsidian and sparkled with the light of the stars. It was a mockery of the Crystal Palace in Crystal Tokyo. A fitting replica for the people who were wrongfully banished. But the people of the Negamoon weren't happy. The food on Negamoon was bland and consisted entirely of vegetation and fungi. The water was icy cold, but crisp and clear. Prince Diamond and Princess Jaiden longed for the Earth, for its abundance of food, light, and warmth. Three months after they had been exiled to the Negamoon, Jaiden gave birth, to a little girl. They named her Pearl, for she was as beautiful as any pearl Earth had to offer.
Years passed and Pearl grew to the young age of 5, about the same age as Small Lady, Rini, daughter of the Royal Couple in Crystal Tokyo. Prince Diamond and Jaiden were proud of their little girl and did the best they could to hide the fact that they were exiled and that Earth was indeed populated. For Pearl had been told a lie, that the Earth had become polluted and that nothing could survive in it, and that all of their race had come here to survive. Pearl knew nothing else. Young Sapphire grew as well, being of the age 13. He looked up to Prince Diamond. Diamond had brought their people together and was a great leader. But Sapphire missed the flowers and the trees, and he missed his old cat Slibina.
Walking around outside of the palace, Sapphire glared at the bleak landscape of the Negamoon. A blue flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Curious, he walked towards the area that had produced the blue flutter amidst the howling wind of dust. Twenty yards away he saw its source-----a flower! Wow! A flower! Here on the Negamoon! Sapphire winked out of existence and back in front of Prince Diamond's and Princess Jaiden's Throne room. Hurrying in excitedly he found his brother playing a game on the floor with Pearl.
"Diamond! Diamond! Come see what I've found!" Jaiden resumed her husband's game with Pearl as Diamond followed his excited younger brother.
"What is it Sapphire?"
"Look! There it is." Sapphire excitedly pointed. They came upon the blue flower, swaying in the chilly wind. It wasn't a pretty flower, it was sickly looking with brown thorns and withered leaves. The bud had blossomed into a pale blue sun, but looked ready to drop its petals at the next breath of wind.
"A flower Diamond! Here on the Negamoon!"
"Yes, it is indeed a flower Sapphire. It must be the only one of its kind......"
"I wish I could smell the flowers of Earth again Diamond....I miss the grass and the trees and the animals." Sapphire picked the blue flower and held it close to his chest.
"So do I dear brother.....so do I." And they both went back to the palace throne room where Jaiden and Pearl giggled with their game. Sapphire walked up to little Pearl and presented her the blue flower, the first flower she had ever seen.
"What is it Sapphire?" Pearl asked. Jaiden's eyes grew wide.
"Oh my!" she exclaimed.
"It's a flower Pearl. They grow everywhere on Earth. This is the only flower on the Negamoon. I want you to have it. Keep it always as a reminder that there are beautiful things to be found here." Sapphire gingerly handed her the flower. She took it in her hands and stared at it with awe-struck eyes.
"What do you say Pearl?" Jaiden prompted.
"Thank you Sapphire." Pearl cutely squeaked out.
"Sapphire, why don't you take Pearl to her chambers and show her how to press it and preserve it." Diamond asked and the two quickly walked off with the echoes of their excited voices reverberating throughout the castle.
"To think this rock of dust might not be so worthless after all...." Diamond mused. Jaiden came up to him and wrapped her arms around him.
The days drew slowly by and night after night Prince Diamond and Jaiden sat on their obsidian balcony and stared at the Earth that was so close, yet so far away. On Earth, the Royal Couple tucked in Small Lady and went to stand on their own balcony and stared hard at the Negamoon, a dark mockery of the Earth's moon orbiting beside it.
"Do you think we did the right thing Darien?" Serena asked quietly. She had come to ask this question a lot since the deportations.
"Serena, you know that we did what was in the best interests of the Earth. I have no desire to have anyone of the Negaverse wreaking havoc on this planet again. It had to be done....a mere safety precaution." Darien coldly responded.
"I just have a bad feeling....that somehow we shouldn't have....that somehow we didn't have anything to worry about with those people."
"Those people are the whole reason that Queen Beryl existed, that the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, and your own family and Queen Serenity was slain."
"But it wasn't those people. Surely not all of them are evil....Darien, I heard that there were children....Can you imagine sending little Rini to a place like that?" she shuddered with the thought.
"No, I can't. But at least there, they can do their own thing. At least we made sure that the moon was livable in the least. No doubt they are thriving."
"And conniving...I can't help but assume." Serena added.
"True. But at least they can't come back for fear of immediate death. Our guardians are trained well, or have you already forgotten the power of the Sailor Scouts." he nudged her roughly "Eh, Sailor Moon?"
"Oh hush Darien! It just feels so differently since we're parents now and have the whole Earth as our kingdom. Still, imagine being born and raised on a piece of floating rock and never locking eyes on a tree or bird and never feeling love...."
The special day drew near on the Negamoon. Four days away and it would be Pearl's sixth birthday! Preparations were made, banners strung, a feast prepared from every possible variation of edible flora on the Negamoon. People from all over the Negamoon came to drop off the gifts to the Princess Pearl. Diamond and Jaiden were busy overseeing the itinerary. Every year since Pearl was born, the whole population of the Negamoon went to great lengths to ensure the best birthday possible for their future queen, the one shining hope they had on a dark and bleak moon.
White hair decorated with rich sapphires and mahogany eyes outlined in green makeup, the little princess looked fantastic! Prince Diamond and Jaiden sat at the royal seats at the end of the fifty foot long banqueting table. All of the appointed nobles and elders sat closest to Pearl, who beamed with excitement at her special day. After a few encouraging words and blessings from her parents, Pearl dived into her presents and ripped them open, however few there were. She wasn't aware that only a week ago, back on Earth, Rini celebrated her sixth birthday amidst hundreds and hundreds of presents and feasted on delicacies that Pearl couldn't even imagine. Alas, that was the fate of the Negamoon.
Later on in the night, when the celebrating died down, Diamond carried his sleeping daughter in his arms as Jaiden pulled back the covers of Pearl's bed. Laying her down gently, Diamond tucked her in.
"She is the most beautiful child in all of the universe and negaverse combined." Diamond exclaimed.
"She is the Pearl of all Pearls, the jewel of all jewels. She takes so much after you Diamond."
Watching from a crystal ball, a hooded and shadowy figure watched the couple look down upon the sleeping child. Nestled safely in his small home in the remote regions of the Negamoon. The Doom Phantom chuckled evilly. If only they knew that they had invaded his large planetary-like space ship. At the core of the Negamoon was the dark crystal, the source of the Doom Phantom's power. It pulsated and glowed an eerie purple, eager to consume more energy and power. The Doom Phantom hated the scene before him. He had come to the Earth's solar system from the Negaverse in search of that oh so precious life energy. Earth was full of it, but he wasn't about to collect it directly himself.....no....he needed a puppet....The walls of his black home echoed with the harsh sounds of his laughter. Silence, chaos, and death was what ruled the Doom Phantom's life.
"Diamond, I refuse to be taught by a hooded old man who knows nothing!" Sapphire pleaded with Diamond two days later.
"You need an education and he seems like he would be the best tutor for you. He is the Wise Man, you would do well to listen to him." Diamond calmly replied, trying for the up-teenth time to get back into the book he was reading.
"But what can he possibly teach me that I don't already know? You know damn well that I am top of my class here."
"He will teach you the ways of royalty and military tactics for one thing. For another, you need a mentor outside of the school and I've found the Wise Man to be the best choice for you. I have already hired him myself to advise me."
"Why do you need an advisor?" Sapphire asked suspiciously. "What does Jaiden think of this Wise Man?"
"She approves of him. I wouldn't have hired him if she didn't. And for your information, I'm starting up an elite militia of hand-picked generals and an enlistment of anyone willing to join the Negamoon Guard. I don't trust that King Darien will let us live in peace. We must be prepared at all costs for an invasion or an infringement on our already forced freedom."
"And you're having me trained for this Negamoon force?"
"Yes."
"Doing?...."
"You'll be my top general.....That is if you complete your training with the Wise Man. If not.....I guess someone else will have to do it." Diamond looked up from his book and winked at Sapphire.
"Alright, alright! I'll let the old hag teach me. But, I don't like him. There's something wrong with him I think....for all I know he could be no different than our parents or ancestors who thought that happiness comes only through evil."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Anything else Master Complainer?"
"Uggh! I hate you sometimes." Sapphire turned and stormed out of the private library, making sure to slam the door as he went.
Teenagers! Diamond thought.
A month later....
"Mommy, I don't feel so good." Pearl laid her head on Jaiden's lap and shut her eyes. It had been a miserable day for the Prince and Princess. News from all of the villages and towns on the Negamoon had been brought to Prince Diamond all day. A sickness was spreading rapidly. No one had yet penetrated the source of the illness, though it seemed to be viral.
"What's wrong dear? Tell me what is wrong." Jaiden had been summoned to Pearl's room by her nurse who noticed that Pearl wasn't playing in her normal energetic manner. Jaiden feared that her daughter may have caught the sickness that was affecting the Negamoon kingdom. They had heard about no deaths as of yet, in fact it seemed that the first people who had caught the illness were on a recovery path. But, none of them had been children and were healthy to begin with.
"My body hurts and I'm hot."
"Where does your body hurt?" She placed her hand on Pearl's forehead and checked for fever.
"All over." Pearl began a bout of raucous coughing. Yes, she must have it. It has symptoms similar to the flu back on Earth. Oh dear.....And to think that we don't have any medicines for it yet....only pain relievers. I miss Earth and its medicinal wonders. Jaiden thought these things as she looked upon her feverish daughter.
"Is it the Negaflu?" Negaflu was the term being coined to the sudden and rapidly spreading sickness.
"I think it is Diamond....Oh, what are we going to do!? We have no medicines!" Jaiden pleaded of her husband.
"I honestly don't know. Wise Man seems to think that it'll pass like any other normal sickness. He says to just let the people blow through it with the prescription of rest, liquids, and cold rags on the forehead." Diamond was just as frustrated and worried. He cared for his people, but it was little Pearl, his seven year old daughter that worried him the most.
"I guess all we have to do is wait and watch...see if it does just pass. Have you heard any word from Doctor Tellamaris yet? Has he come up with any medicines yet?"
"No. Jaiden, the doctor is sick as well. I don't think there will be any medicines as of yet. We must wait and hope."
"Would Earth help us perhaps? Do you think if we pleaded with them, they'd give us the medicine?" Jaiden hopefully asked.
"Yes, we must try."
"Wise Man! Come here!" Diamond yelled out. With a hissing sound, the wise man appeared floating before the couple. His dark hood covering up any semblance of his face. His crystal ball pulsing ominously between his hands.
"You called me Prince Diamond?"
"Contact King Darien with our news of the sickness. Tell him that we are in dire need of medicine for symptoms much like the influenza virus. Tell him we will barter if necessary. This is urgent. Our doctor is sick with the illness, as is our daughter Princess Pearl. Surely he will understand and have mercy."
"Yes, my Prince." and the wise man blinked out of the room. Thirty minutes later, as the couple sat upon their dais and waited with held hands. The wise man blinked back. Prince Diamond leapt out of his throne and walked down to the Wise Man. Sapphire walked in behind the Wise Man, apparently hearing about the request.
"I am sorry my Prince. Earth will not hear us out. There will be no relief to this horrible illness. King Darien would not even gain me audience." With a bow and a shrug, the Wise Man left.
"HOW DARE THEY!" Diamond yelled. Jaiden just silently cried her pleas to whatever god might be listening to heal her people and Pearl.
"It seems as if the Earth sent us to our deaths ultimately. We are truly on our own with this one Diamond." Sapphire stated the obvious.
"Fools......they are all fools. My anger with them grows with every passing moment! They, with their fancies and medicines, and perfect lives. While we, who never did anything wrong, was exiled for our race and condemned to die here on this forsaken rock!" Grabbing the nearest statue, Diamond hurled it across the room to shatter against the black wall. Storming out of the central hall, Prince Diamond walked down the passageways, hushed now with the foreboding of illness, and quietly went to his daughter's room.
"Do you have any suggestions Sapphire?" Jaiden asked, still sitting upon her throne. Sapphire just sat down on the steps to the dais and shook his head.
"I don't know what to do anymore than you do. Maybe this Negaflu will pass, like the Wise Man said. He certainly seems not to be concerned with it too much."
"Oh, let us hope. I just want to see my little girl well again."
Diamond gently stroked his daughter's silver hair. Her chest rising slowly with each labored breath. Her fever had risen, her face glowed with the heat of the sun, her hands clammy and cold. Pitifully moaning, she opened her dark brown eyes and looked at her father.
"Da--dad-daddy?" She went into another fit of coughing, her whole body shivering with fever.
"Don't try to talk my Pearl. You need to rest."
"Nurse! Fetch her some soup and a cold rag. Her fever feels high."
"Yes sir, Prince Diamond." and the nurse quickly left the room. Jaiden walked in then and came to the other bedside. The look that Diamond gave her was one of all but hope. The lines of worry creasing his brow. Why did Pearl have to get the illness? What had she done to deserve it? The couple sat there, both holding Pearl's hands, hoping against all hope that the fever would break and she would recover.
Several minutes later, the nurse returned with the soup and rag. Delicately she wiped Pearl's brow, while Jaiden fed her the soup. So pitiful was Pearl that she could barely swallow, so weak she was. Pearl fell back to sleep soon after and the couple bade the nurse to leave, so that they could spend the night with their daughter----the night that Prince Diamond feared would be their daughter's last.
Sapphire was awakened late in the night by a loud wailing. Quickly getting up and dressing, he rushed towards the source of the sound, afraid of what room it was coming from. Sure enough, he stood before the closed door of his niece's room. Quietly opening up to door to peer inside, he saw Jaiden holding Pearl in her arms, limp and pale, rocking back and forth, sobbing into the silver hair sparkling with the light of the night stars. Diamond just stood silently staring out of the window towards Earth, a blank look stamped upon his face. Sapphire placed comforting hand on Jaiden's shoulder, who ignored him, so entrenched in her grief she was. He walked over to stand beside Diamond.
"What are you going to do Diamond?" Sapphire saw that Diamond was not going to answer any time soon. It was as if he had traveled far away, to the Netherverse where all the dead souls went, to say farewell to his beloved child. Sapphire left the room and sought out the Wise Man.
"Pearl has lost her luster has she not? The child is dead." The Wise Man stated as Sapphire entered his quarters. He was always staring into that crystal ball, always staring, always monotone.
"Yes, my niece has traveled to the Netherverse. So has hundreds of others here on the Negamoon from that wretched illness." Sapphire stated.
"And you want my advice? I gave Prince Diamond my advice. This will all blow over. My condolences of course, but it is the fact of life is it not? Death? Princess Pearl was but one of the unfortunates. I give them my royal blessings to have another child."
"You are so heartless and cold! You think this is about them just having kids? Do you not care!? I have never liked you Wise Man, now I know why! Your heart is as black and cold as the stone of this castle." Sapphire stormed out and went to his quarters, where he lay on his bed, a single tear rolling down his cheek for the loss of his brother's beloved daughter.
The burial of Pearl was nothing short of meaningful. Silk flowers lined her casket, gemstones placed in her hair. They buried her, the first, in the royal cemetery housed within its own courtyard beyond the castle walls. A statue had been carved in her likeness out of the ever abundant obsidian and placed over her resting place. A total of 1,115 Negamoon residents had died that same week. A number that Prince Diamond could hardly ignore, especially when that number included his one and only child. Jaiden became ever a recluse, refusing to even sit on her throne beside Prince Diamond. He accepted her grief and silently grieved himself, although he had to remain strong and conduct affairs on the Negamoon.
Two weeks later, Prince Diamond decided to go see his wife during the lunch hour. Jaiden had been refusing to eat of late, and he was very concerned for her. A mother's grief over losing a child was the greatest of all grievances. He had especially ordered the castle cooks to cook up Jaiden's favorite dish, perhaps to entice her to end her grief fasting. Upon opening the bedchamber door, Diamond felt that something was out of place. Looking around, he saw his wife lying in bed, seemingly asleep. A dark foreboding filled Diamond as he made his way over to lay in bed beside her. As he came upon her, he noticed her pale complexion, so unlike her normal rosy cheeks and vibrant ivory color. He knelt his head atop her breast, to feel it as still as a statue's. Her skin was ice cold. Yelling in anguish he brought her lifeless body towards him and hugged her tight. Her cheeks were still wet from recently shed tears. Diamond saw the empty vial that had rolled across the floor, previously filled with poison. His wife, his precious Jaiden, had committed suicide out of her grief for their lost daughter.
This cannot be! Why did you have to leave me alone!? Jaiden! Oh Jaiden! I shall surely die without you and Pearl by my side!
"Perhaps it would be wise to continue raising your army? An invasion perhaps?" The Wise Man suggested to Prince Diamond as he stood on a parapet looking towards Earth, obvious hate in his eyes. Little did Prince Diamond know that the Wise Man had released that potent illness that had killed so many upon the Negamoon. Little did Prince Diamond know that it had been through the Wise Man's hypnosis that his wife Princess Jaiden had committed suicide.
"I will have my revenge on the Earth! I will kill their children and kill their wives! I will give them the same sufferings that they gave us! They were the ones to send us here to our deaths.....let us exact our revenge and take control over the earth. Let us see who the true rulers should be."
"Perhaps I should suggest to you the proper course to accomplish your justified revenge." The Wise Man did well to hide his evil grin beneath the dark hood he wore. Sapphire just looked on helplessly, he didn't think Diamond would go to such great lengths to exact revenge. It was sickness and grief that killed his sister-in-law and niece, not the Earth.
"Wise Man mentioned to me, my Dear Prince Diamond, that inside this planet is a dark crystal that will allow us to create enough energy to destroy the people of Earth so that we can conquer it." Emerald, the beautiful and devious general stated. It was no news that everyone knew her lust for Prince Diamond. Ever since he had enlisted her to be a general beside his brother Sapphire, she had been stricken with jealousy of Princess Jaiden, until she conveniently died of course.
"Is that so? Tell me Wise Man." Diamond listened with eagerness.
"This planet's core is comprised of the Dark Crystal, a sentient being from the Negaverse. The more life-energy from humans it receives, the more power it can give those of the Negamoon. With this power, you can rule the earth and trample upon those who have so hurt you and taken away that which you truly loved."
"What must we do to take this life energy?"
"You must find all of the Crystal Points in Crystal Tokyo. From there, you can harness all of the energy and send it to the dark crystal. I can lead you to the dark crystal, and there it will give you power such as you've never known. The King and Queen of Earth will trembled under your feet! Muwahahahaaaa....." The Wise Man cackled evilly and Prince Diamond put on a look of determined revenge.
"Come, Sapphire, Emerald, Rubius. Let us go and see what this Dark Crystal has to offer..."
With their power granted them by the Dark Crystal, Prince Diamond had never felt so alive and felt so.....angry. He summoned Rubius, a lesser general and sent him with his women, 4 sisters, to the Earth to find and establish the Dark Crystal points to harness the energy. Emerald had of course wanted the job, to prove herself to him. Of course he knew her ulterior motives of pleasing him, both in work and bed. But, he vowed to himself that he would never love another woman again. The memory of Jaiden was kept near and dear to his heart. He would often go to his Pearl's room and hold the one flower that Sapphire had given to her and preserved and he would look out the window upon Earth, and as he thought about his loved ones, a single tear would roll down his face. The Earth would suffer for his loss. It was their fault to begin with, if they hadn't of exiled them to the Negamoon, Pearl would have never fallen ill and Jaiden would have never died of grief.
Several days later, all of the remaining people of the Negamoon put their powers together and sent a barrage of energy missiles towards Crystal Tokyo. The blast was so great that buildings crumbled, the peoples of the Earth were once again sent into a deep sleep. The Sailor Scouts, sworn to protect the Earth and Queen Serena, cast her into thick crystal, that no negaforce could penetrate. King Darien locked himself up in a secret chamber, after having sent Rini to the future to seek help. He could only shake his head in sadness at the obvious mistake they had made in exiling those people. Although, he had no idea the true cause of the Negamoon's wrath. The Wise Man had never contacted them about the medicine, had he, then King Darien would have sent the best doctors and medicines and little Pearl would have never died. But Darien was unaware of all this. Rini was unaware that Prince Diamond had learned of her and sought to kill her to avenge the death of his own little girl.
Locked in a complete state of meditation, the sailor scouts fought to keep the Crystal Palace in place. It was all of their hopes, King Darien's included, that Rini would succeed in her task of going back to the past.
Prince Diamond's destruction of Crystal Tokyo was near complete, but to have complete dominion over the Earth, they needed to find the same Crystal Points in the Old Tokyo, and exact the same destruction. That was a task Diamond was willing to undertake, he had his generals, trustworthy no doubt, and he doubted that they would fail him. In that case he would have them killed, for Jaiden and Pearl were not going to be dead in vain.
Revenge......Yes, Prince Diamond thought to himself, vengeance will be mine....