And without further ado, I present to you the next installment with much unnecessary delay and impatience on the part of yours truly. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and this chapter goes out to each of you and even those who appreciated it in silence.

Color My Heart in Two

Chapter 4

Plotting

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The sound of heels clicking echoes through the dark and lonely corridors, bouncing off the walls and resounding hollowly in the black marble floors which stretch into the distance. Gloomy and foreboding, the only light in the crevice shines forth from the doorway sitting at the farthest end of the expanse. The walls, ceiling, and floor reflect the same color, the color of midnight, death and horror. The distant gray-white light bounces off the reflective surface, casting eerily glowing shadows with the cold illusion of a death march freezing any trespassers to their own nightmarish core.

Smelling of burnt leather and wet earth, the loan transgressor continues along the path that few are willing to travel. Dried mud smeared across her leather and her burnt, useless whip hanging at her side, the cold woman marches steadfastly to her demise before her waiting Queen. The mission had been so simple, laid before her with one simple request to put their plan into motion. Get rid of Venus. Those four words echo in her ears even now as she returns from the gauntlet of rain descending upon Juuban. Her long amethyst hair sways behind her in soggy waves, weighed down by mud and water; she brushes her matted bangs from her eyes as she blinks the dirty droplets from her lashes. The final remnants of her mascara lays smeared beneath her eyes and down her left cheek, barely distinguishable from the splatter of filth on the other side of her face.

Such an exhausting chase it had been, through the back alleys and side streets of the busy district of Tokyo. The Senshi of Venus proved herself once more for both fitness and elusiveness as she managed to keep a step ahead of her, not only for a few hours that day, but for days on end. Frustration and anger prevail as the hard fought chase until finally the leader stumbled and she was open to strike. Finally able to complete her job and returning home to the darkness where her Queen would recognize her accomplishment and return again to her kingdom.

"Stupid feline," she curses in annoyance. To think the one thing that would ruin her perfect hunt would be a silly little cat. Not that it really matters, the Queen wouldn't care so much, as long as Venus is gone. Right?

With one hand on her hip, she brushes her other hand across her thigh, a glob of mud slipping to the floor of the once pristine hall with thud, falling in line with the trail of muck left behind her. Huffing slightly, she repeats to herself the speech she'd composed for her Queen. "Phase one complete your majesty. We await your orders your majesty," she whispers in concentration, a glazed look clouding her eyes as she doesn't even notice as she crosses into the ring of glow surrounding the doorway at the end of the hallway.

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A burst of light flashes just as suddenly across her vision, drawing yet another curse from her lips as she hides her eyes from the brightness of the grand room. Archaic and gothic in nature, the expansive stone wall rise high above the ornate stone pillars which circle the room with ten paces between each. The room is kept aglow by torch light positioned at each pillar along with the full moon shinning through the painted glass panes lining the ceiling. The shapes and colors of the light filtering through matches that of the circular rug in the center of the room in the darkest possible shade of blood red, a stark contrast to the black marble. At the center of the room and the only thing touching the plush carpeting, sits two dark and gothic thrones upon a raised dais, both empty, and a large jagged shard of reflective glass hangs between them.

"NIHIL!!" A woman's voice shrieks forth, with the intensity to chill any soul stone stiff, and causing every torch in the room to flicker and snuff out.

Startled from her thoughts and jumping nearly a foot in the air, hair weaving in waves behind her before rushing forward, she takes a single step onto the finely groomed carpeting and bowing gracefully. With on clasped hand held over her heart and eyes downcast to the floor, the woman now known as Nihil whispers obediently in response, "Yes my Queen." Not even glancing up, she can feel the eyes burning back at her from the other side of the window. Chastising herself for being so hasty to assume she was in the clear, she doesn't dare to move, even when she notes a stream of mud running down the inside of her leg and threatening to dirty the rug.

"Where is Venus?" The cold woman's voice demands, cutting through the silent throne room, her face reflecting in the window pane, eerily similar in looks to Nihil. Sharp purple eyes and pale skin, framed by long and wavy violet hair and she us dressed in a long, elegant lavender dress, personifying her own regal image. "You were to bring her body to me," she scorns, malice burning deep in her eyes.

Gasping lightly, Nihil steadies her quaking form before righting herself and facing her Queen, "Hai, Nehellenia-sama." She chants obediently, locking her intense gaze that of the body she's emanated from. "Venus' body's nothing but dust, no sign of her remains on this useless rock," she announces triumphantly with a smirk, proud of her accomplishment as well as showing her disdain for this frontier planet.

Growling vehemently, Nehellenia peers darkly through the shard of mirror housing her as lashes back at her irritating body double, "I will not tolerate you insulting this planet which I will soon call my own!" Hissing her words as threateningly as possible, she glares, calming her boiling blood. "I told you Venus was to be brought to me dead," scoffing she turns to step back from her place in front of the mirror. "We must ensure she's gone before we can take the second step. Those two are the only ones blocking me from my prize."

"Two?" Nihil asks in confusion, lost on her Queens's words. Not daring to enrage her Queen further by questioning her motives, she fails to block the lost look from her eyes as tries to think back to their previous interactions. She parts her lips to speak yet another hesitant question when she's thrown back into silence by Nehellenia's harsh words.

Glancing back, now a few paces from the window to the outside realm, she grows frustrated by her brainless drone. "Don't play coy with me Nihil," she barks back, crossing her arms, ignoring the hurt look crossing the younger girls face. "You know as well as any that Sailor Moon's power is only as strong as the proximity of her planets." Noting the vague nod from the intimidated girl, she slowly steps towards the window again. "And you also know that the closer the planet, the higher percentage of power the Ginzuishou draws from its guardian, right?" Awaiting a response from the girl, her impatience growing, she shrieks out at the girl once more, "Right?!"

"Hai! Nehellenia-sama," she replies obediently, dropping to her knee in respect and hope that she can win back over her Queens's milder temperament.

Eyes narrowed, unsure of Nihil's words, she drops her arms and places her hands on her hips. "And who are the two closest to the Moon?" Speaking as if addressing a child, her frown deepens.

"V…Venus and Mars, my Queen," she stutters, daring a glance at Nehellenia's face.

Brushing her bangs from her eyes with her finely manicured nails, she exhales heavily. "Oh, so now you're only part stupid," scoffing again she turns her back to Nihil. "Yes. And if they're gone, so goes half of Moon girls' powers. And THAT my little pawn," she glances back over her shoulder, radiating darkness, "brings us in range to finally return the throne to me and the kingdom of the dark moon. That's why you must give her corpse to me. My people deserve to see her dead!" She shouts, turning to face Nihil one more time.

Cowering, Nihil crawls forward with a look of desperation, "But my Queen…," she whimpers, reaching out to Nehellenia.

"Spit it out," she demands, tiring of such insolence. "Before I rethink your position here."

Rising to her feet, Nihil uses all of her strength to hide her own doubts. "Venus is no longer of this planet. Her body is gone. Her essence, dead or alive, radiates nowhere on this plane. Even her scent no longer exists here." Crossing her fist over her heart, she repeats her words in her mind, hopping her Queen will accept her words.

Weighing the value of the girl before her, Nehellenia studies Nihil carefully for several moments with no hint of what response she may hold. The tension building, the beads of sweat dotting her forehead don't go unnoticed. "I have waited five long years for this opportunity to arise," she informs evenly, using her cold tone to drive home her meeting to her young soldier. "If you are wrong, I will make certain that your death is slow and very, very painful." Each word slowly drips from her tongue, instilling much needed fear back in her favor.

Stumbling backwards in fear, Nihil's nerves spark on edge as she's prepared to escape from her own certain doom. "Yes my Queen! I swear to you, I will not let you down!" Slowly moving towards her salvation at the other side of the room, she calls to Nehellenia, to bide her good graces. "I will serve her to you on silver and gold. Our second step to glory will be complete. For our kingdom!!" She chants with pride, before turning tail and dashing from the room at break neck speed. 'I will not fail.' She repeats in her mind as she runs agilely on toe and heal.

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In a world of darkness and mist, a warm silence fills the voice, as single glowing orb of light pierces the nothingness with its minute halo of light. The visions of things past and things to come play out in cold cruelty as a pair of lonely eyes can only watch and take no action. Taboo dictates all. Things happen for a reason and certain events must always take place, one before the other. Though things may not always work how you might expect.

There are millions of paths a single life may take, all in which you can really depend on is hope, the hope that those you care for will manage to survive. Survive.

The bearer of the eyes, watches the world unfold, in the deepest shade of garnet, steps closer into the light. The warmth caressing her skin as her long forest hair frames her weather cheeks. She's watched the threads of time far too long to know that the strand they walk on can snap in the slightest breeze. Watching still, even as the soul she watches fleas for her own selfish existence, she can feel the tear as if it's ripping right before her.

"Too late."

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Sorry it's taken me so long to update but I sure hope you enjoy this chap. My net has been on the fritz for quite a while now. It seems as though that it only wants to work on days I work. Which means no net on off days and those are the days I like to update on cause it gives me real time to work on the chaps to tune them before presenting them to your devouring minds.

I'll admit also the first half of this chap was hard to write because it wasn't as exciting but it was necessary to build to a fun next chap.

Please let me know what you think or at least throw some rotten salmonella free tomatoes at me to show you still care.

I expect the next chap for you by Wednesday or Thursday.

Tchusen!

Tunks