Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or own anything to do with the franchise, all rights belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do own my story and my own OC characters.
I do not own image.
Hello Everyone,
This chapter is very much battle driven and I'm not the best at fight scenes, hopefully it isn't too bad. And Usagi's children are fine at the end of this chapter.
Ysheild : Thank you so much for your review, it really made me happy when I saw it :-)
Flareup4Ratchet: Thank you for your review :-) I've read lots of different versions of this myth, I think most of them are as you said, Endymion being a shepherd but I did come across one where he was a Prince for some reason and liked it :-)
TropicalRemix: Thank you for your review, yes there is an eventual cleansing although that is towards the end of the story.
Thank you guys for reading this story and big thank you to those supporting it, there are a few chapters left and then its all done! The next chapter has flashbacks so we get to see more about the Senshi and Mamoru's past before they reached this situation they're all in. I'll try and put up Chapter Ten in the next few days.
Chapter Nine
"This place doesn't feel right" Uranus said as they found themselves in a snowy plain in the middle of a cold blizzard. They had been investigating a rumour that an old mansion was where Beryl was to merge with Meteria. They took the chance but decided that Mercury needed to stay back and run diagnostics. Venus had found the deep burgundy door that emitted dark energy. Jupiter had been the first to open it and before they knew it, they had been sucked into a swirling vortex that transported them out of Japan.
"Where the hell are we?" Mars asked as she brushed off snow from her skirt.
"Mercury, can you hear me?" Neptune said frantically through her ear piece, there was nothing but static. Neptune had a bad feeling about all of this. She had suggested they forget the rumours they had heard and waited. But then what if it wasn't just simply a rumour? Were they not strong enough to battle their way out should the battle take a nasty turn? Neptune could feel sweat building up on her forehead. It was freezing and yet, through her worrying, she felt suddenly hot.
"So, we did walk into a trap…great. Do they think sending us to a snowy plain is going to level the playing field in their favour?" Uranus scoffed. She was more than confident in her abilities. They hadn't faced her in this version of the past or present. In her mind, they made the difference and the quicker Pluto, Saturn and Sailor Moon came back the better. For now maybe she could remind the Negaverse how out of their depth they might be.
"Don't be overconfident" Mars whispered, standing next to Uranus whilst Neptune, Jupiter and Venus discussed tactics. Uranus clenched her fists as she looked into Mar's violet eyes. She calmed down when she saw the hurt and pain in them. Uranus came to a sudden thought; she didn't know how they had coped against Meteria and Prince Endymion. In fact, she hardly knew anything about the Inner Senshi and what they had been through.
"Venus and Jupiter used to think the same way as you. We all did. We had faced Queen Meteria before, this should be easy right? But you know what the real truth was? We all died during the Silver Millennium, killed by the very men we had loved. We failed our Princess; Venus had seen her take her own life, because of her grief over Prince Endymion. None of us had been there to comfort her, to save her. Queen Serenity saved us all. She did it at a cost to her own life and still, the seal had not been perfect. Over-confidence against an enemy is a bad idea; it may have cost us our lives before. I assume in the world we were all meant to be from, the Outer Senshi had a re-birth too?" Mars said, already knowing the answer as Uranus nodded her head.
"I am sorry, it's just, Neptune and I had faced terrible enemies in the past, on our own protecting the Moon Kingdom, the very Kingdom we loved so much. But we never faced Queen Meteria…I must remember that Meteria has chaos inside of her, empowering her and in this world, she is even more powerful having nearly conquered all of earth" Uranus admitted. Mars smiled a little, thinking about what her life had been before she woke up as a Sailor Senshi. She had never been considered normal so in a way, even if she died here, she would have no regrets. She loved this life more than anything and she loved it not because of the battles or her powers. No, it was because she had her friends.
The ground began to shake causing the surrounding mountains to move due to the quake in the ground. A dense fog covered over them all, freezing cold fog. Jupiter held onto Venus and Neptune whilst Uranus grabbed Mars. They all stood holding onto each other as a great gust of wind blew them to the ground. It went silent after that as the fog receded.
"A little dramatic don't you think Zoisite?" Jadeite said in an annoyed voice.
"I got bored waiting for them to actually do something" Zoisite said in a dry tone. Mars and Uranus both got up, anger in their eyes, but there was another look in Mars's. A look Jadeite hated to see. It was like she could see right into his soul. As if she knew the real man he was beneath all the regalia he gave off.
"I will get you out of my system witch" Jadeite said in a menacing tone. Mars closed her eyes, trying to push down the feeling of disappointment that welled within her heart.
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" Venus called out, separating Jadeite and Zoisite with her attack.
"COCONUT CYCLONE!" Jupiter went for power as her attack blasted past Jadeite, nearly hitting him. Jadeite formed a sword out of energy, a dark blue energy that emitted a fire. Mars knew that Jadeite's fire could sometimes rival her own, she knew it was due to the power of the Golden Crystal made worse by all the negative energy.
Neptune was about to attack when she felt something was off. Why was there only two of the generals, where were the other two?
From afar, floating above all the fighting and protected by a force field, Prince Endymion looked angry. His eyes blazed a furious red as he looked at the Senshi below. Dressed as Tuxedo Kamen, he placed a gloved hand forward and started to emit a dark energy ball. A look of mischief evident in his eyes, he dropped the dark energy ball hitting Uranus and Mars and blowing them apart from each other. Kunzite and Nephrite, who had also been in the force field chuckled darkly as they came out of the force-field and landed between Mars and Uranus.
"How pathetic, I expected more of a fight" Kunzite said eyeing Venus as he spoke.
"Then you will get one. I will make you remember even if I have to knock you half senseless!" Venus cried out as she used her crescent beam attack. Kunzite blocked the attack, allowing Nephrite to charge forward. He created a dark shadow and shot it at Neptune. Neptune used her mirror to divert the attack which then Jupiter stepped forward and landed a swift kick to Nephrite's shoulder.
"CURSE YOU SENSHI!" Nephrite spat out. Jupiter momentarily froze, hurt by his words. Nephrite took his opportunity and shot Jupiter with another of his dark shadows. This time there was no escape. She screamed out in pain as the shadow released electric shots. Jupiter looked at Nephrite who was laughing at her pain. They used to love each other so much. How could a love like theirs disappear so quickly, like it was nothing? Did she mean nothing to him? It was as if Nephrite could sense her pain because he had stopped laughing and started to look worried. The attack ceased and Jupiter fell face first on the snowy ground, not moving. He didn't know what to feel. He knew his job and he was doing it but why did this feel so wrong?
"Upset your girlfriend stayed behind?" Jadeite mocked Zoisite. Zoisite raised a perfectly arched eyebrow before sending a dozen green energy balls Sailor Mars's way. They had landed on her and blew up all around her making her fall to her knees. Jadeite stood stock still, anxiety etched on his face. Was he actually willing her to get up or to stay down?
"Upset I blasted your girlfriend?" Zoisite levelled back before sending more green energy balls to finish the job. Mars tried to jump out of the way but it had been too late. The blast was enough to knock the wind out of her. She fell on her back, breathing hard but still awake. Jadeite shook with fury, again, unsure as to why.
"Remind me to return the favour to Sailor Mercury, is she frightened of a little heat?" Jadeite threatened. Zoisite's eyes were stone cold but he said nothing as Venus had been taken out by Kunzite. Venus had fought him off but her heart kept telling her he was still the man she loved. Kunzite took advantage of her weakness and engulfed her in a massive white energy ball. Uranus was the last standing.
"She's a strong one, never seen her before" Jadeite said, smirking.
"Come on then you bastards, I can go on all day!" Uranus screamed out, getting into a fighting stance. She suddenly felt a cold chill run down her spine as a dark figure approached her from behind. She spun on her heel, levelling a punch but found her fist had been expertly caught in the gloved hand of Tuxedo Kamen. Her eyes widened when she saw the look of malice in his eyes. His prize was not here and therefore, his anger had boiled over.
"As welcoming as that sounds, unfortunately, I do not have the time to play with you" Endymion said coldly before stepping back. Uranus was unsure what he was going to do before he made a black rose appear. He then threw it at her. By the time the rose reached her, it had split into a dozen roses wrapping Uranus in sharp vines. The vines then released negative energy, enough to shock Uranus. She passed out from all the pain and energy it took to try and stand up and fight.
"Imprison them and locate the rest. Beryl is preparing to merge further with Meteria, we don't have enough time to waste with these Senshi. Our time is coming" Endymion said, creating a dark portal for them to walk through. The moment Usagi returned, he would know about it.
xxx
On the day they were to return back to earth, Princess Serenity had wanted to stop on the Moon. She needed time to think. They had quickly brought her to the Moon Kingdom and allowed her to have some space whilst the three of them spoke about tactics and what they were returning too. Sailor Galaxia still had some questions of Pluto and Saturn before she spoke with Serenity again.
Serenity had been a little disturbed by Nehellenia's parting words.
"The children you carry and yes, I know. One of them has dark energy inside of them. I don't know which one, you may not know until they have grown up but be weary of it. Also, do not think Prince Endymion will ever be fully cleansed, none of them including the Generals will be. You must live with that knowledge and make best use of it. Perhaps this will aid you in the future" Nehellenia said in a soft tone. It was only now Serenity had taken time to truly think about her words. In a way, she had not been surprised. Prince Endymion was evil, fuelled by negative energy. It would make sense that his children would be just as dark as him. But couldn't the Silver Crystal cleanse the children whilst they were inside her?
'No, the Silver Crystal is protecting me and them….' Serenity thought as she started to bite her nails. Was it still wrong that her soul cried out for Prince Endymion? She was desperate to be with him but how would he take the new state she was in? He hadn't worked out she was Princess Serenity, would he still kill her and her unborn children? These thoughts were dark but she had to think them. Nehellenia had made it clear that in these circumstances, she couldn't simply rely on her light anymore. She had to embrace some of the darkness her mother had thrown away. But that didn't mean she would welcome it. No, she would use it when she had no choice, when all choices were out of her hands and she had no-where else to turn to.
"Hime" Serenity was dragged from her thoughts by Sailor Galaxia. Serenity looked at Galaxia and suddenly, felt a closeness she hadn't felt with any of the others, why was that?
"Look, I know Nehellenia spoke to you but just be careful, we don't know her own game plan if she has one" Galaxia didn't want to admit that the way Nehellenia looked at Galaxia had freaked her out a little.
"I know. Let's head back, we have a planet and galaxy to save" Serenity said in her most cheery voice. Galaxia smiled as Princess Serenity stood by her side. It felt right for some reason, the two women side by side.
The moment they landed back on earth, they knew something was wrong. Pluto teleported them back to the command centre only to find Sailor Mercury and Reika in deep conversation. Pluto and Saturn instantly went to Mercury.
"Take Serenity to a room for her to rest, she needs it" Pluto told Galaxia. Galaxia allowed another lady guide them to a private room. It was simple, plain with one single bed and a desk. Galaxia was not impressed.
"Don't worry about it. Go back to the others and see what the plans are" Serenity said before transforming back into Usagi. Although Usagi was worried, she was also very tired. Galaxia nodded as she closed the door. Usagi fell onto the bed. She had felt drained but she hadn't wanted the others to know. She wanted them to still believe in her. She would save them, she just had to.
As she laid on the bed on her back. Usagi felt an odd tingling feeling in her chest. She felt a familiar pull, guiding her spirit almost out of her body.
'What the hell?' Usagi wondered aloud before she heard the dark chuckling of Prince Endymion.
'So you have returned…where have you been?' he asked speaking within her mind. Usagi gasped, the link, he had found the link but this was new. She had never been able to communicate with him like this via their minds.
'How are you doing this?' Usagi asked back, deflecting the question. Again, he chuckled deeply.
'I have your precious friends…would you like to know what we have done to them?' he asked darkly. Usagi felt her throat go dry as she went silent.
'You didn't hurt them did you?' she asked in a sad frightened tone. Endymion didn't answer at first, faltering when he heard her voice. He didn't like her sounding like that and it pissed him off.
'Well, to get the information I needed…don't worry, they fought us off admirably but in the end, we broke some of them. Managed to infiltrate their minds and pull out what they knew against their will. Their screams filled the Negaverse' Endymion said coldly as Usagi started to cry.
'Oh ….don't cry…I don't think the Senshi would like to know their Moon Princess was crying over them' he said chuckling again 'Yes, I know. I know everything. I am coming for you Princess; I would prepare your friends. Beryl finishes her merging today and soon all of you will bow before her feet as well as mine' Endymion said venomously before pulling away from the link. Usagi got up straight away and ran out of the room. He didn't know she was pregnant. Probably he stopped his interrogation once he knew she was the Princess. She had to warn them, she just had too.
Once Usagi reached the meeting room, she witnessed Jadeite blast Mercury into a wall. Zoisite glared at Jadeite before he went to pick her up and disappear with her body. Galaxia and Motoki stood off against one another, both emitting their own energy.
'Why does Motoki's energy look so familiar…and Galaxia's?' Usagi wondered before Pluto stood in front of her and blocked Kunzite's attack.
"Hime, think of your unborn children, you must protect them" Pluto all but whispered in pain as she blocked another attack from Kunzite. Suddenly, a great pressure was released in the room, making the rest of the Senshi fall to their knees. Galaxia continued to try and stand but Motoki had released a red fiery light hitting her against her stomach. The pain was excruciating. She had never felt anything like it before in her life. But this light, it felt nostalgic, what was it about Motoki that made her feel as if she were home. It was the exact feeling she had with Serenity. Once the pressure receded, Prince Endymion appeared, dark energy surrounding him. His red eyes landed on Usagi, freezing her in place. His eyes widened as he approached her. She was still so beautiful to him but he had to remember, this was the very woman who had bewitched him in the past, to try and steal the Golden Crystal of Earth. She had to be destroyed and he would be the one to do it. He was to be her executioner but now wasn't the time. No, he would destroy her once Beryl and Meteria fully merged. Then he would kill the Moon brat in front of his future wife, thus starting a new reign on earth. The very thought made him giddy. He had finally located the elusive Moon Princess.
"Your Senshi believe you will save them. How sad to know that their dreams are about to be so cruelly shattered. The image of their perfect princess to finally be broken…." Endymion dryly said as his fists pumped with dark energy.
"This isn't right Endymion and you know it. You have to fight it…." Usagi cried out. Jadeite started snickering.
"Pathetic, still trying to bewitch us, sorry but it won't work now. We're far more powerful than you" Jadeite said cruelly.
"We will bathe this planet with your blood and that of the Senshi" Motoki said viciously, ignoring the tug at his heart seeing Reika passed out on the floor and seeing Usagi looking so helpless.
Usagi stepped back, frightened but she would not run. No, she had to stand and face them. Endymion laughed before he charged in front of her, pushing her up against the wall roughly. Usagi instantly went to hold her stomach but she could feel the Silver Crystal protecting her babies, it just meant she would take most of the blows. Endymion's hand latched onto her throat and squeezed, making her gasp for air.
"I have you now Princess. It's over" he said wickedly. Usagi tried to wiggle her way out but it was no use, she was trapped. He then brought her close to him, his lips grazing her left ear.
"Maybe I can have some fun with you before your eventual death, I am sure you'll enjoy it" he said seductively before sending shockwaves of electricity all over Usagi's body, knocking her out.
"Mamo-chan…" she whispered before she passed out, shocking Prince Endymion as her limp body fell into her arms.
xxx
'Mamo-chan, do you love me?' Usagi had asked as she stood under the moonlight with Mamoru. Mamoru smiled down at her, his eyes filled with warmth.
"I have told you this many times Usa" Mamoru said, toying with her. Usagi wiggled in his arms as she looked deeply into his eyes. Damn it he had never ever seen such a beautiful woman in his life.
"Mamo-chan, seriously, please…." Usagi pleaded. Mamoru sighed, mock frustration before he pulled her close to him.
"I love you Usako more than anything in the world. I want to spend all my life with you and if we should both die, I pray my soul finds yours again" Mamoru said. Usagi blushed as she buried her face into his chest.
"Why didn't you just say that Mamoru-Baka!" Usagi whined to which Mamoru chuckled.
"I'll tell you every minute of the day that I love you if it makes you happy" Mamoru said genuinely. These were the memories flooding Usagi's mind as she feared she had truly lost the man she loved to the Negaverse. Whatever happened to them now, she would always cherish these precious memories. They meant the world to her. Her Mamo-chan, her real life shinning Prince. He had been through everything with her. They had fought long and hard for a good future. Whatever happened to her, she couldn't allow those she loved to fall apart. They deserved a good, peaceful future and she would fight with everything she had to protect their future. She would free her Mamo-chan, she just had to. He deserved to be happy, even if it was without her. Her friends and the love of her life deserved to find happiness.
'I promise to give it my all guys' Usagi thought as darkness finally claimed her mind. Prince Endymion held her form in his arms as a portal opened up for them. Looking at the portal, he knew his destiny was to begin. So why did it all feel so dreadfully wrong?
