Chapter 12

"We've searched the whole wing, my lady," Tethys said as he swiftly approached Sailor Moon and Hyourin. "There is no sign of his majesty or the princess.

"The queen wringed her hangs together. Three out of the four Xeons had reported nothing. Only Mimas remained, and she was swiftly approaching the group.

"A servant said she saw the king and princess going to the conservatory," Mimas reported. "I checked the conservatory but there was no sign of them. They could very well be walking around the castle."

"I pray that they are," the queen said. She was tapping the toe of her red boot impatiently on the stone floor. "All right, I want you four to fan out and search the entire castle. I'll go to the conservatory and see if I can find any indication of where they went. Mother, you'll-""I'll go with you," Hyourin said. "After all, I may see them in my mirror if I go there." The senshi-queen nodded and swiftly began heading toward the conservatory. She was too worried to being arguing with her mother.

As Mimas had reported, the conservatory was empty. Hyourin never once looked into her mirror, which worried her daughter. The two left the conservatory, and as Moon locked the door, she felt a ping in her mind: Someone had just gone through the barrier. "On please, no!" she whispered as she ran to the garden pathway. Hyourin followed after in a casual, unhurried walk. A sad air followed her.

- - - - - -

Serenity was delighted to be able to frolic in the garden. She slipped off her slippers and went running through the tall silver grasses. Fredi followed in a slow manner with her slippers in hand. "Serenity, please stay close to the stairway," he said in a gentle manner. "These are dangerous times, mind you."

"Yes Papa," Serenity said in a sing-song voice. She skipped to the tall grasses around the stairway and disappeared in them. Fredi laughed as she rolled around in a very unladylike manner. He knew he would have to fetch a clean dress for her before her mother or grandmother saw. However, something in the back of his mind kept whispering to him, as though foretelling something to come. It was this whisper that kept him on alert. Then finally, the whisper had bothered him enough.

"All right, let us go back inside," Fredi said as he approached the waving grasses. Serenity poked her head out, and the sight made Fredi smile. There was a long silver blade of grass wrapped around one of her odangos and another wrapped in with one of her tails. Fredi pulled her out of the grass and straightened her up, pulling the grasses away and helping her into her slippers. Then he watched as Serenity made her way up the stairs to the garden path. It was the last thing he would ever see.

Just as Serenity stepped onto the final step she turned back to her father to see if he was coming. She gasped at the sight of a long black sword sticking through the back of her father's throat. Then the sword was thrust to the left, cutting away half of his neck. Serenity, in pure shock, stepped backward into long lanky arms. She looked up and saw a fierce woman that made her scream in terror.

Lishana winced at the high pitch of the princess' cry as she pulled the kicking girl down the stairs, dragging the girl's white dress and slippers through the pool of her father's blood. The king was face-down on the ground in front of the steps.

"May I please shut her up?" Lishana asked irritably.

Kurzai shook his head, saying, "No, we need her as bait to lure out the queen."

"It doesn't look like we needed to wait long," Lishana said as she motioned her head to the stairs. At the top, staring down at the bloody mess that was her husband, the senshi-queen Sailor Moon felt the color melt from her face. She looked up at her screaming daughter and at her captives. "Your majesty," Kurzai said with a courteous bow, "It is an honor to meet the strongest of the rulers."

"Release my daughter!" Moon called out. "Let her go!" Kurzai turned to Lishana and nodded. Lishana, however, refused to release her.

"You come down here first," Lishana said. "Leave your barrier and I shall release your precious siren daughter." Moon debated before stepping onto the first step of the stairs, removing herself from the safety of her shield. "Take two more steps and I'll let the kid go!" Moon sighed and took two more steps down. Lishana, however, did not release Serenity. "Kurzai, what are you waiting for?" she whispered. "Get her!"

Kurzai shook his head. "Release the princess," he said. "Honor the deal." Lishana growled and released the girl. Kurzai knew full well that Lishana would only have done it for him.

Serenity bolted to her mother, leaping into her arms. The senshi-queen embraced her daughter tightly. "Mama, they killed papa!" Serenity cried.

"I know, I know," Moon told her daughter. "Hurry back into the barrier now. Go!" Serenity was reluctant, but she ran up the stairs to the safety beyond the barrier. She didn't go much further, however, for fear for her mother.

Moon looked back down at the aliens below. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded. "Why is you're army invading our peaceful kingdoms? More importantly, why are you murdering the rulers?"

"We are following orders," Kurzai responded as he approached the queen slowly. "We are under orders of our Lady Tyran, and they are orders we cannot stray from for we of Tyran's army have little free will."

"We have free will," Lishana boasted, "But are simply loyal to our lady and we would do anything for her."

Kurzai turned to Lishana and motioned toward her. "Those twin marks on your neck are shared by all of the leaders in Tyran's army," he told her. "I have them, and have had them since I was naught but a child. The marks are Tyran's bite and through that bite she controls us." Kurzai turned back to Sailor Moon as Lishana looked at him with a surprised and almost weakened expression.

"We do this because we have no choice," Kurzai continued. "I have bent my orders to a point. I have murdered no child, save for one on Dosei that was an accident in self defense. It is no excuse, and for her death I am truly sorry."

"Sorry or not, you shall answer to your crimes," Moon said. "If you surrender now, I shall not give either of you the death sentence."

"Death is but a dream I shall never reach," Kurzai said as he took several steps more to Sailor Moon. "You are the most powerful of the rulers. I beg of you, expel our army before it is too late. With each enemy slain our army grows in strength. The more blood that is spilt the more powerful they become. They may only be at Meiousei and Tennousei, but they will soon excel and move on. I beg of you, use your power and expel the invaders back to Maygo!"

"Kurzai!" Lishana cried, "What are you doing? She is the enemy! Why do you ask this of her? You are turning traitor!"

"I am ending the bloodshed," Kurzai said, his proud strong voice now meek and weak. He turned to Lishana and she could barely recognize him, for his eyes were watery with tears. He turned back to the queen and fell to his knees. "I beg of you, while I am in my own mind! End this now!"

"Do it Selenity," said Hyourin. Moon looked up at her mother, who stood with Serenity's head buried into her dress. "All this I have foreseen; every death, every sorrow, and everything to come after this. It was hard to hold myself back, but I have restricted myself from trying to change destiny. You must use the power of your birthright. Use the Imperium Silver Crystal and expel our enemies!"

Moon couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Mother, you foresaw this all?" she asked in disbelief. "Even Fredi's death? Halin's? Ares'? Larissa's? Ovda's? All of them? How could you just let them die?"

"Because this is how it is to be," Hyourin said simply. "Destiny's path cannot be altered." Moon stared pleadingly at her mother. Her stare was interrupted, however, but Hyourin's eyes growing wide and her hand shooting up to point behind her daughter. Moon spun back to Kurzai, who had backed away and was clutching his neck.

Lishana rushed to Kurzai's side pulled his hands away to see if he had been hit by an unseen attack. What she saw, however, drained color and like from her face. The twin marks he shared with her on his neck were a brilliant burning red and were seemingly swollen.

"Tyran has discovered my treachery," Kurzai whispered forcefully. Then he shoved Lishana away and drew his shadow sword. He lunged at Sailor Moon, no longer meek and weak. Moon jumped over him, avoiding him easily. As she flew over him she, too, saw the twin red marks.

"Before it is too late!" Hyourin shouted as Kurzai collided with the stairs and bounced back with ease. He spun to Sailor Moon as she summoned the pink wand with the golden crescent moon. Sitting in the crescent was a perfectly round crystal. Kurzai lunged at the queen whose senshi uniform disappeared and was replaced with her usual gown. Her silver hair was in its usual style and the crescent moon burned brightly on her forehead. All at once a powerful force threw Kurzai backward, slamming him into the steps and cracking them into dust. Lishana screamed as she tried to get to Kurzai. The force of the queen's power, however, was too much.

Lishana looked fearfully at Kurzai as he forced his head up to look back at her. "Lishana hurry to the army!" he shouted. "Return to Maygo and right the wrongs!" Lishana didn't believe in Kurzai's words, but a wave of cowardice forced her to vanish from her place. Kurzai watched her disappear with a smile. "Be safe my love." In that moment, Kurzai lost consciousness and slipped from the world.