THE URN OF THE AGES
Chapter 10: "Vengeance Is Mine"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
In the living room of his small apartment, Hayami Fujihara sat watching television coverage of the battle raging in Asahikawa. He had more than a curious interest in it. As most Japanese, this was a potential disaster and coming so soon after the disaster of the previous year it was very hard to take. It was as if they had all angered the gods and this was the penance they all had to suffer through. Hayami could hear the stories his grandfather told him of the deprivations after World War II, of how it seemed like just one thing after another until life almost seemed hopeless. Not that he was particularly religious or superstitious, but one had to wonder about how much of this could be coincidence.
What made it personal was the revelation his fiancé, Ami Mizuno, had made to him just weeks earlier. She was Sailor Mercury. That revelation made this personal, because he could see glimpses of Sailor Mercury, the woman he was going to marry, as the television camera mounted on the overhead helicopter panned around the scene. It was difficult then to believe that the reticent genius he'd become fond of was one of the greatest warriors Japan had ever known. It was almost impossible to believe it now. But Ami had no logical reason to lie about it, as she saw bragging as a counterproductive human trait. So there she was, laying her life on the line for the sake of Japan and its people.
Hayami's mouth suddenly felt dry. What if she never came back? What if she died trying to protect others? Could he cope with that?
And what if she died on camera, with him watching? Could he cope with that?
Leaning forward on his chair, hands unconsciously cupped across his mouth, Hayami watched the broadcast intently, urgently. The thought of her in the midst of all of that flashing energy made him more and more nervous with every moment it continued.
"Please be safe, Ami," Hayami whispered.
"Have you seen any sign of her?" Shingo asked. He and Yuriko were also intently following the news reports from Asahikawa.
"No," Yuriko shook her head. "I haven't seen anyone who comes close to looking like Kagura, or any other Yuki-onna."
"You suppose the urn changed her into that?" Shingo asked. "I've followed Sailor Moon's career pretty closely. She's run into some pretty strange things."
"It's hard to tell through this television broadcast," Yuriko disagreed, "but I don't think that's Kagura. It's closer to the wizard in the old legend - - the one who forged The Urn from the skull of a Tiangu."
"Suppose something happened to her?"
"Probably," Yuriko frowned. "She was fooling around with powerful magic. It may have been too much for her and - - and consumed her."
"Sorry," Shingo offered. Yuriko shook her head.
"Kagura got what she deserved," Yuriko stated. "She had no love in her heart. Even among Yuki-onna, we knew she was cruel and distant."
"Lucky for me you were never like that," Shingo smiled, clasping her delicate hand.
"I was," Yuriko confessed. "Never to her level, but I was a predator like her once." She glanced gratefully at Shingo. "Luckily for me, this wolf found a lamb worth giving up her fangs for." She sobered and looked back at the television. "I'm going to be selfish again. I hope they win - - The Senshi. Because if they lose, it means I'm going to lose you so soon after I found you. And I really don't want that to happen."
"Yeah," Shingo agreed. He reached over and placed his hand on Yuriko's abdomen. "I know what you mean. But I believe in Sailor Moon."
In Asahikawa, Li Che Yang stabbed out with his right hand while his left went to his temple. He stared down intently at his target, the possessed senshi Sailor Jupiter.
"BEGONE FROM ETERNITY!" the wizard raged. "FROM ALL SPACE I BANISH YOU, FOR ALL TIME I BAR YOU!"
Jupiter only smiled.
"Again you attempt that?" the Tiangu asked through Jupiter's mouth, electricity spitting and sparking in her hands. "How many times have we fought, human? How many times have you tried to banish me from reality with a thought? You cannot banish me! My hatred of you will not let you!"
"DO NOT CALL ME HUMAN!" roared Yang. "I AM NO LONGER HUMAN! I HAVE RISEN ABOVE SUCH STATION!"
"There are limits to your power," Jupiter continued as if he hadn't spoken. "You are not the god you seek to be. You only succeeded in slaying me through treachery. And I have thwarted your ambitions ever since, as I shall again now."
"You shall only DIE!"
Forming a sword out of the blue-white energy he commanded, Li Che Yang brought it up in a sweeping arc and delivered it with the intent of cleaving Sailor Jupiter and dispelling her atoms to the heavens. But the sword impacted on the electric barrier Jupiter erected and went no further. Sparks flew and lit up the area with bright white light.
"Again you attack and again you are stopped," snarled Jupiter. "You can only succeed when you strike from behind or from the shadows."
Yang slashed again with his energy sword.
"But I don't really have to hit you, do I?" the sorcerer grinned viciously. "All I have to do is outlast you! Sooner or later the human who hosts your damnable spirit will burn out and die! And then I can finally strike you down once and for all and be RID OF YOU!"
"Another gambit you have tried before," Jupiter snapped back, "and another gambit that has failed! My hunger for vengeance against you will outlive a thousand human hosts! I will go through the entire population of this world if it means seeing you trapped back in that abominable Urn you created, writhing in your own frustration!"
"Mars!" Sailor Moon turned and hissed frantically at her companion. "Did you hear that? We've got to do something!"
"We already threw everything we had against that wizard," Mars shook her head wearily. "He's beyond my power - - beyond our power. And Jupiter - - she's possessed by a Tiangu. I couldn't take on a Tiangu at full strength."
"But you heard him! Jupiter's going to die if this lasts much longer!"
"Yes, I heard him! What do you expect us to do that we haven't already done?"
"My Princess," Pluto said, kneeling next to Sailor Moon. She and the other Outers had made their way over and regrouped with the other Senshi. "Uranus, Neptune and I are not as drained as you all our. Though our attacks have had little effect on this adversary, we could at least be a distraction to him."
"Yeah, maybe it'll give that thing inside of Jupiter a shot at ending this," Uranus added.
"Anything you could do would be greatly appreciated," Sailor Moon said hopefully. Uranus nodded. "Thank you!"
"Anything for you, Dumpling," grinned Uranus.
She looked at Neptune and Neptune nodded. Neptune looked at Pluto and Pluto nodded. Circling to flank Li Che Yang, the three Outer Senshi moved into position to attack. The sorcerer was too busy slashing at Jupiter's electrical field to notice them. When they reached a position Neptune was comfortable with, she silently signaled the others. They waited a moment, and then opened fire.
"Space Sword Blaster!"
"Submarine Reflection!"
"Dead Scream!"
The Inner Senshi watched as the Outers attacked and then dodged, continually moving and attacking so as to disrupt and distract Li Che Yang. They could see the wizard was annoyed by their attacks, but he had the good sense to concentrate on deflecting Jupiter's lightning. Sailor Moon looked within herself, mentally asking the Silver Crystal for help. Her answer was a tightness in her chest reminiscent of the pain she felt trying to hold the chunk of asteroid together as it entered Earth's atmosphere and save her friends. She couldn't; not yet. She'd just have to trust the Outer Senshi this time.
Gert Tenoh was about to venture into his daughter's bedroom, but he stopped and knocked first. He never understood why it caused his daughter so much consternation when he ventured through her closed door without knocking first. He was her father and he had every right to go in when he chose. If she was hiding something, he had a right as her father to know. If she wasn't hiding anything, she had nothing to worry about. But it was a sore subject between them, as so many things seemed to be anymore, and the thought of arguing with his dearest child wasn't worth it just to be right. Better he should just knock.
"Yeah?" he heard Junko call out.
"I was just checking on you," Gert said as he peeked in the room. Junko was at her computer. "I heard voices."
"It's the computer, Dad," Junko told him, glancing over her shoulder. "I found a video brochure on line for Niigata University and I was just looking over the campus. You must have heard the narration."
"Ah," nodded Gert. Just to be sure, he leaned in and saw a rolling picture of a well-kept college campus. "So you think you're going to like it there?"
"It looks nice," Junko offered.
"You know, you could still go to a school here in Tokyo," Gert suggested. "Live here a little longer."
"With my test scores?" Junko asked. "Tokyo University is definitely out."
"There are other schools," Gert began.
"Niigata is fine. The school has a nice reputation and it looks like a good place," Junko told him. "And it'll be nice to be out on my own. I have to start sometime. Haruka . . ."
"Ah!" Gert scowled and raised his hand. "Don't bring her into this. Fine, if it's what you want, you do it and be happy. Just remember, you'll always have a place here."
"I know," Junko smiled.
Gert nodded and backed out of the room. When the door was closed, Junko clicked on her computer. Thank the gods internet tabs had been invented. The scene on her monitor changed from the Niigata website to the live news stream she had been watching of events in Asahikawa. Junko watched with fascination and just a little anxiety as Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune and her sister, Sailor Uranus, battled the towering Chinese wizard, attacking and then darting away before his counterattacks could catch them. It was always a thrill to see Uranus in action. She moved with the speed of thought and when she stood still she stood with the proud defiance of a true champion.
Junko felt a familiar pang in her heart. Why couldn't she be a senshi, too? Uranus saved people. She affected change. Sure, a teacher could affect change, too, but not on the scale that Sailor Uranus and the Senshi could. Being a teacher was like wanting to fly to the moon and settling for piloting a hang glider. If only . . .
Something on her monitor made Junko sit bolt upright. A blue-white arc of energy swept out from the Chinese wizard. It fanned away from him and slammed into the three Outer Senshi, scattering them in all directions. The picture was chaos for a few moments as the news crew panned around, trying to find what had happened to the Senshi. It focused on the senshi Junko knew as Sailor Jupiter, but that wasn't where Junko was looking. Far in the background, framed between Jupiter and Li Che Yang, was Sailor Uranus. She was sprawled awkwardly on the pavement and struggled to rise up. And Junko found herself leaning forward, hands pressed between her legs to the chair.
"Come on, Haruka," Junko whispered fervently. "You can do it!"
Later she would wonder if she was saying this to convince Uranus or herself.
Seeing the Outer Senshi tossed away like dolls sent a wave of despair through the others. Sailor Moon tried to bring the Moon Tier to bear. It still felt like lead in her hands, but at least she could feel some of her power manifesting. Would it be enough?
Then Mercury acted. She rose to her feet, looming over Sailor Moon and Mars and Venus. Her expression was resolute. "There's no longer any point in waiting," Mercury stated.
"Max attack?" Venus asked.
"I doubt it will do much, but it has to be now," Mercury nodded. "Maybe it will be enough to give the Tiangu the opportunity to end this. I doubt Jupiter has any more time."
Mercury raised her hands and looked squarely at Li Che Yang. The wizard saw her out of the corner of his eye, but kept his attack focused on Jupiter.
"Sub-Zero Caress!" Mercury shouted.
The February cold of Asahikawa dropped forty degrees in a heartbeat. It was as if Mercury was sucking every ounce of heat energy from the air to power her attack. Water vapor from the breath of everyone in the area crystallized and fell to the ground. A blast of water sprayed across the distance between Sailor Mercury and Li Che Yang. It caught him chest high, enveloped his arms and upper torso, then flash froze into solid ice ten meters thick. Momentarily immobilized, the wizard snarled in frustration.
"Ice begone!" roared Yang, invoking his supernatural power. The ice faded to mist in seconds. But it was seconds Yang couldn't afford to sacrifice.
"An opening!" proclaimed Jupiter. Her head flew back and she called down a massive bolt of lightning.
The bolt struck Li Che Yang dead on, piercing his chest and seizing his body. The sorcerer shook as if a gigantic hand was flailing him, trying to separate his head from his body. A booming cry of agony rose up over the tremendous thunder clap and rolled over the length and breath of the ruins of Asahikawa. He reared back, still impaled by the bolt of lightning, and began to shimmer. The bolt spent itself and disappeared. So did Li Che Yang. His form started to swirl, then spin into a whirlpool of color as it was drawn back into The Urn Of The Ages. Bereft of support, The Urn plummeted to the ground, bounced two times and came to rest on the sidewalk next to a trash can.
"I-Is he gone?" Sailor Moon asked as Mars and Venus struggled to their feet.
Jupiter walked over to The Urn and picked it up. She cradled it in her hands as she walked over to Sailor Moon.
"He is gone, trapped once again in the tomb of his own making - - a victim of his own ambition and avarice for power," Jupiter said, smiling with malicious satisfaction. She handed The Urn to Sailor Moon. "I would ask a favor of you, human: Guard this well and let no one else invoke its power. In return, I will restore your city to what it was."
"C-Certainly," whispered Sailor Moon. She was in shock at what Jupiter looked like. Her skin was ashen and her face was deeply lined and drawn. Jupiter looked more like a walking corpse than the friend and teammate Sailor Moon knew.
Giving The Urn to Sailor Moon, Jupiter turned and with a sweep of her hand restored the buildings on the east city of the city that had been leveled. A sweep of her other hand restored the buildings on the west side. She turned back to Sailor Moon.
"Your structures are restored and all who died within them live again," Jupiter said. She smirked devilishly. "It is my final slap at the accursed human Li Che Yang, to undo everything he has done. Let him twist in agony with the knowledge that I can erase his every effort with but a gesture, even from the grave, as I have through the many centuries." She grew serious. "But remember our bargain, human. Guard The Urn and do not let it be invoked again, for I am weary and wish to remain at rest."
"I will," Sailor Moon nodded. Then she reached out and clutched Jupiter's hand. "One more thing: Please restore Sailor Jupiter to what she was."
Jupiter's expression grew cold. "That was not part of our bargain, human."
"But," Sailor Moon sputtered, alarmed, "but she'll die!"
"Then let her die," Jupiter shrugged. "What is the life of a human to me?"
A blue-white, almost imperceptible light shot away from Sailor Jupiter. Jupiter's expression changed, indicating the Tiangu spirit had vacated her body. She became Jupiter again. Then her eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped to the ground, to the sound of Sailor Moon's terrified shriek.
Concluded in Chapter 11