Title: Crystal Moon
Fandom: Sailor Moon / Inuyasha
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Naoko Takeuchi and Rumiko Takahashi, creators of Sailor Moon and Inuyasha respectively.
Warnings: Shoujo-ai, non-explicit violence, character death
Main Pairings: Inuyasha X Serenity, Inuyasha X Usagi
Side Parings: Endymion X Suki, Endymion X Serenity (arranged), Mamoru X Usagi (past), Inuyasha X Kikyo (past), Sesshoumaru X Ami (more will be listed as they appear in the story)
Summary: The Senshi's memories of the Silver Millennium have always been incomplete, remembering little more than the night the Moon Kingdom fell. But what if things hadn't been as straight forward as those few memories made them seem? A mysterious malfunction with the Time Gates draws everyone to the past, where secrets will be revealed, and Usagi will be reunited with her past self's first love…
Crystal Moon
Secrets and Lies
Chapter 12: Broken Hearts
"Empath?" Inuyasha questioned with a raised eyebrow, eyeing the golden-haired Senshi standing beside the Moon Princess. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not really sure how to explain it," Serenity said with a thoughtful expression before turning to the leader of her guards. "Kinsei-chan?"
The orange-clad Venusian Princess eyes the hanyou for a few moments. This was her first time meeting him since Tenousei and Kaiousei had reported his existence to the rest of the guards. She wasn't sure yet whether or not she could trust him.
"Kinsei-chan!" Serenity said again, frowning as she nudged the other blonde. "Come on, be nice!"
"Fine, whatever," Kinsei sighed before again eyeing the hanyou. "People who are empathic are able to sense emotions, and even take them into themselves and reflect the back out. Empathy is a rare gift for most people, but quite common among Venusians. All members of the royal family, like me, are empathic. It's the key to the power of the Senshi of Venus."
"Sound… complicated." Inuyasha frowned, not entirely sure he got it. "What about your own emotions? Can you reflect them out too?"
"I can, but it's a lot more difficult. Don't ask me to explain it, even I don't entirely get it myself." She shrugged.
"Are all your guards' powers so… weird?" Inuyasha frowned. Serenity giggled.
"They're all a little complicated in their own right."
xXxXxXx
"I thought Kinsei was supposed to escort you today?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow at the fourteen-year-old Princess' current guards for the day, Meiousei and Dosei.
"Kinsei-chan isn't in a very good mood today," Serenity answered. "And you know how that affects her control."
"Yeah." Inuyasha frowned, recalling the last time he'd see the Venusian in a bad mood. He'd made a teasing jab with the intention of trying to lift her mood, but it had the opposite of the desired effect. A physical wave of anger had been pushed out at him, slamming him into a nearby rock. Thankfully his hanyou body had been able to withstand the impact without any permanent damage, but he was fairly sure he'd bruised a rib.
"There's something else you should know," Meiousei said concernedly, fiddling nervously with a black lace sleeve on her gown. "People are starting to get suspicious about Serenity-sama's frequent… disappearances. Particularly the Queen. As promised, we've kept our word and told no one why she comes to Earth, but we can only keep it hidden for so long. And when the Queen finds out…"
"Mama would never let me see you again, Inu-chan…" Serenity murmured sadly. "She's convinced by all the stories people tell about youkai. She would never believe that you were good."
Tears were forming in the Princess' blue eyes, and the hanyou wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
"We'll think of something," he murmured against her hair. Now that he'd finally gotten up the nerve to tell her he loved her, he'd be damned if he'd let her go…
xXxXxXx
"Now that my lessons are over, I don't know how often I'll be able to come here," Endymion murmured, gazing over the lush landscapes of Elysium while Suki expertly weaved a chain of flowers beside him.
"That's true," the Priestess murmured, keeping her tone as neutral as possible while not looking away from her project. "Especially after your marriage."
The Earth Princes frowned, turning blues eyes to the Priestess. He studied her for a few moments before letting out a defeated sigh.
"If only you weren't the High Priestess…"
"If I hadn't been one of the previous Priest's disciples, we would never have met," she pointed out with a smile.
"True, but if one of the other disciples had been given the position instead of you, then…" he took her hand. "I could forget about this charade of a marriage and just marry you."
The Priestess gave a wistful smile.
"You can't spend your life worrying about what could have been," she murmured. "We both have our own roles to play, and we must do so. It is the Mother's will."
"She does seem to love toying with us," he chuckled, earning a smile from the Priestess. "Well, then, at least promise me one thing, Suki."
"What?" she asked curiously. The Prince raised a hand to run fingers idly through her long, dark hair.
"Let's find each other in the next life. Where no one can control our fate but us."
The Priestess gazed at the prince for several moments, trying to determine for certain whether or not he was serious. Finally, she smiled.
"All right. It's a promise."
xXxXxXx
The Queen stared in shock at the Earthling before her, unable to believe what he'd just told her. Gathering her thoughts finally, she turned her eyes from Kumo to Kasei and Kinsei, both girls looking uncomfortable now.
"Is what he says true?" she questioned, their posture telling without her having to ask.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Kinsei confessed, barely over a whisper. She could not bring herself to raise her eyes to the Queen, nor to her own mother standing vigilantly at the Queen's side. She could easily sense the anger and disappointment flowing from them both.
"What were you thinking, Kinsei?!" Thalia demanded, dark orange eyes narrowed at her daughter. "To put the Princess in such jeopardy is unthinkable!"
"But he's not a threat!" Kinsei insisted.
"Silence!" Queen Serenity ordered, rising from her throne. The Senshi leader flinched, but obeyed. She'd never felt the Queen quite this angry before.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Kasei spoke up as respectfully as possible. "I understand you are angry, and you have every right to be. But at this point, there is no way to remedy the situation without hurting the Princess in the process. She cares for him too much, and would be emotionally scarred."
"I believe I can help you there." Gurin spoke up from where she stood beside Kumo.
"And how is that?" Queen Serenity questioned.
"Lady Gurin is a great sorceress." Kumo spoke. "Perhaps the greatest Earth has to offer. In particular, she has a knack for weaving the Waters of Lethe."
"You can't possibly be implying what I think you are!" Kinsei gasped, horrified.
"You two are dismissed," the Queen said coolly to the two Senshi. "I will decide later how to deal with you and the other Senshi."
"But-!" Kinsei began, but Kasei place a halting hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, Queen Serenity-sama," the red-clad Martian said obediently, leading the other out.
"Kasei, don't you understand what they intend to do to the Princess?!" Kinsei demanded in the hall.
"I do," Kasei said. "But what can we do, Kinsei? If we go against Her Majesty, we'll be stripped of our titles and banished back to our home planets. And we can't do the Princess any good there."
"I… I suppose you're right…" Kinsei said in defeat.
xXxXxXx
Usagi lightly fingered the silver key held in her hand. Crystal blue eyes remained dry, but only because she had cried so much in the two days since she'd seen Setsuna, she couldn't anymore, at least not for a while. She still couldn't believe the circumstances she had found herself in…
"Usagi-san…"
Usagi looked up to see Rin looking at her worriedly.
"Usagi-san, are you alright?"
Usagi forced a smile on her face, standing and dusting the dirt from her skirt.
"I'm alright, Rin-chan. I'm sorry to worry you."
The little girl didn't look entirely convinced, but she chose not to push the subject for fear she would only further upset the other girl.
"Okay. Makoto-san said that dinner is almost ready."
Usagi nodded, stashing the small key in her jacket pocket. She'd found that without Pluto nearby to draw power from, the Garnet Rod's strength, while not entirely gone, had diminished quite a bit. Its form had also changed to reflect this. It was now only the slightest bit bigger than the Time Key ChibiUsa had used so long ago, but it still maintained its shape and overall design, including the miniaturized Garnet Orb placed atop it.
She couldn't help wondering, as she limped back toward camp with Rin, how Setsuna would handle that part. Even though they had been separated from the Heart Crystal's themselves, the three Talismans were still a piece of the Outer-most Senshi, a part of their very hearts. She imagined it must be a devastating feeling to be separated from them in such a way.
That thought only further Usagi's resolve to end Naraku's control of her friends. She'd had plenty of reasons to before, but now she had one more. One very important reason. Setsuna would never be whole without the Garnet Orb set atop the Garnet Rod.
xXxXxXx
"So this is the change in history. This is what the Guardian needs us to correct," Cynthia murmured quietly from her seat beside the 'meditating' Inuko.
"Yeah," Inuko murmured back, her hair falling over her face in a way to obscure the conversation from the others at the camps he was sitting a slight ways off from. "To be honest, I'm surprised such a huge change could be made without shattering the line completely and making it entirely void. This particular line isn't supposed to tangent off until after that battle. All events leading up to it should remain the same for this to qualify as the same line."
"The line hasn't shattered, but slowly but surely, it is being broken," Cynthia said grimly. "What's happening to Ichigo and Sakura is a clear sign of that."
Inuko nodded, a frown on her face. It made her feel almost sick to think about how the twins had looked last time she'd seen them. Fading away, almost like ghosts. Ichigo's entire right hand had vanished, and Sakura's legs were nearly in the same predicament. Sora and their parents had been understandable worried sick, and wouldn't leave the girls' side for a minute, the only reason they hadn't come to see her off. She'd been a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to properly say goodbye to Sora, but she understood his concern for his elder sisters took precedence.
The Guardian had explained the twins' condition easily. She'd seen it before, a sign that the past was being changed drastically. The greatest lesson she'd ever taught them was that the flow of time was not linear; infinite pasts and futures existed. But each time line had specific tangent point at which it was meant to divide into the different futures possible for it. Then those lines it split into had its own assigned tangents where it may branch off, and the process continued as such. If something were to change at a point prior to the assigned tangents, then those tangents themselves could possibly be canceled out. And if those tangents were canceled out, the existent possible futures meant to come of them would also crumble. As long as the tangents were threatened, the futures the lead to would be hazy, fading bit by bit. As long as they at least remained possible though, so did the futures and any alterations could be corrected. So long as the tangents were reached…
"As long as we make sure they reach the tangent, we can save Ichigo and Sakura. Even if they come to fade completely, reaching the tangent will restore their existence," Inuko murmured, almost as much to herself as Cynthia.
"Yes, but it's not just them," Cynthia reminded her. "The Guardian said that as well. They were affected first because they are the eldest. The rest of us will be affected as well, the longer the tangent is threatened. Even you will eventually be affected if we fail…"
Inuko shuddered as the thought. The twins had refused to say anything about exactly what their condition felt like, not wanting to concern their parents more than they already had. But she could tell by the looks in their eyes when she saw them. It didn't seem like they were in pain, it seemed the impact was more psychological. She couldn't blame them. It had to be terrifying to wake up every morning and find more and more of your body no longer there, the pieces not entirely gone slowly fading out, always on step closer to joining those that had vanished…
"Well, all the more reason to make sure we don't fail."
xXxXxXx
Bruised knees hit the ground for what must have been at least the dozenth time, trembling hands flying to her head with fingers gnarling in strands of blonde hair. Her breathing was labored, her head pounding. How in the hell had she controlled this power in the past.
"I can't do it!" she practically sobbed, turning her eyes to the one trying to help her. "I just can't!"
"I know it's hard, but you have to!"
His voice was stern, but his blue eyes showed he was clearly concerned at how she was handling this. He hadn't expected this power to return to her in this life at all, let alone all at once. She didn't have a lifetime of training backing her up. She didn't have an experienced teacher. He knew enough to help her out, but this was not a power he had experience with on a personal level. He'd never experienced the side effects of it, nor understood how to deal with them.
She took a shaky breath, pulling herself just as shakily to her feet.
"I'll… I'll try…" she panted out, untangling her hands from her hair and allowing them to fall to her sides.
He watched grimly as she gather her strength for another attempt.
Hang in there, Mina…
xXxXxXx
Kohaku silently watched the dark-haired girl, who stood silently in the courtyard with fireflies flitting around her. He still only vaguely understood how the powers of those four girls worked. It wasn't as if Naraku went out of his way to explain things to someone he assumed was a mindless puppet. He'd overheard a little of what he'd explained to Kagura, something about the girl's previous lives ben powerful princesses from other worlds.
But this girl in particular… supposedly her power was over Death and Rebirth. How was he supposed to believe that such a fragile looking girl could house such fearsome power? It was unfathomable.
"You're staring." The girl suddenly spoke, surprising Kohaku. He'd never heard her speak before. He'd begun to think she was the same as he was still feigning to be to Naraku. But now that she was looking directly at him, a faint smile on her lips, it was clear that wasn't the case.
"So you're' not as submissive as Naraku-dono thinks," she stated, lifting a hand to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Kohaku mentally cursed, trying to come up with some way to talk his way out of this. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."
"You won't?" Kohaku questioned in surprise before he could stop himself. She shook her head, moving closer to him, her footsteps silent as she moved through the barren courtyard to stand before where he stood on the wooden walkway surrounding the manor.
"No, I won't. The way I see it, whether your mind is fully dominated or not, you still serve Naraku-dono. That is, unless you want to forfeit your life."
He saw her violet eyes drift away from his face, and knew she was gazing directly at her shoulder, where the shikon shard keeping him alive was buried. He frowned, wanting to argue against her statement, but he knew she was right.
"What about you?" he questioned. "Why do you work for Naraku?"
"That's simple. How would you feel if you had unlimited power, but couldn't exercise the use of any of it without killing yourself in the process?" Kohaku blinked, unsure how to answer that question. "Death and Rebirth… the domain of Saturn. All of the other Senshi can use their power whenever they wish. But me? My power is a double edged sword, one which ends both my opponent's and my own life. To not be able to touch my power unless it's a last resort, while all the other defeat enemy after enemy, despite being stronger than all of them except perhaps the Princess. It's… infuriating.
Kohaku waited for her to gather herself again before continuing to speak.
"But Naraku-dono has changed that," she said with a soft smile, one that made him question how certain she was of this new allegiance of hers. "In this way, I can exercise my power in smaller increments, ones that can defeat an enemy, but only weaken me, not kill me. I can serve a true purpose, and fight fully. I'm no longer seen as a weakling."
"Is it worth it?" he finally blurted out. "I mean, you betrayed your friends for this, didn't you? Is it really worth it?"
"You wouldn't understand," she said coolly. "How could you?"
"I might understand better than you think," he answered. There was a heavy silence between them as he contemplated his words. Finally, he sat down on the walkway so they were at eye level.
"My name's Kohaku. What's yours?" Another long pause, and he was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer when…
"It's Hotaru…"
xXxXxXx
Minako trudged tiredly toward the village, her body feeling heavy from the strain she'd been putting on it. If only she'd never taken that strange jewel from that creature she'd defeated. She'd felt a surge of power from it, and the next instant she'd found her uniform in her Senshi form had changed. But with that new form had come this power that she couldn't control, that put an emotional, mental, and physical strain on her that she was struggling to handle.
Artemis had been helping as much as he could. Apparently it was a resurgence of a power she'd had in her previous life, one that her limited memories of the Silver Millennium hadn't prepared her for. But there was only so much Artemis could do to help. He wasn't Venusian; he hadn't directly used this power at any point. He could only go on what little he'd known from interactions with herself and other Venusians in the past.
"Some rest will do you good," the white cat said softly, looking up at the blond with concerned eyes.
Minako nodded in agreement. Rest definitely sounded like a good plan. She trudged tiredly toward the building that appeared to be the village's inn. She didn't have any money, but she'd had the good luck so far that most villages had had at least one place willing to give her a room and meal for a night in exchange for some work.
She paused when her eyes fell on the woman tending to the inn. She was wearing a pale blue kimono, so pale it could almost be mistaken for white. She seemed somehow very familiar. Her eyes were an almost iridescent shade of blue, similar to the sheen of a satin ribbon. Her pale blond hair was sectioned off, the upper half twisted into two braided buns on either side of the top of her head. The lower half fell mostly loose to her knees, but close to the ends was tied off into two sections with blue ribbons that closely resembled the color of her eyes.
"I… I've seen her before…"Minako whispered to Artemis. The woman gave a soft smile in Minako's direction.
"My, it's been quite some time, Kinsei-sama."
Minako's eyes widened in shock. That name… she vaguely recalled being called it a long time ago. In her previous life…
"Who… who are you?"she questioned softly, not looking away from the woman. She gave a serene smile, stepping out from behind the counter she'd been standing behind. She called back to someone else that she was going on a break, beginning to step outside of the inn.
"Come with me, Kinsei-sama."she said as she passed the younger girl. Minako hesitated, not sure if she trusted this mysterious woman.
"You can trust her, Mina."Artemis murmured softly at her side. "I remember her well. But what she's doing in this era… I don't know."
Minako nodded slowly, beginning to follow after the woman with Artemis close behind. There was silence as the two followed the woman out of the village and into the forest. The quiet was beginning to grate on Minako's nerves, and her poor control of her emotional state right now meant that wouldn't end well if she didn't speak up.
"Who are you?"she asked once more.
"I'm a little sad you don't remember me," the woman smiled softly. "My name is Mnemosyne. I was a servant of Queen Serenity."
Minako frowned, thinking over the name. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it…
"Why did you awaken in this era, Mnemosyne?"Artemis questioned. "We and the Princess and the others awakened in an era 500 years in the future."
Mnemosyne shook her head. "Queen Serenity tried to do too much at once. Her power was waning considerably, she was dying… My stasis faded much sooner than it was meant to. And some who were meant to be reborn… Their souls weren't able to be fully propelled forward as they were meant to. They were incarnated sooner than they should have been."
"That would explain why we've never encountered his reincarnation," Artemis observed, though Minako had no idea who the cat was talking about. Whose reincarnation? The only enemy she recalled from the Silver Millennium had been Beryl and the Shitennou, controlled by Metallia. But they'd defeated them. Was there someone else she wasn't remembering?
"You can… you can help Minako, right?"Artemis asked hesitantly. "You still have the power?"
"Minako?"Mnemosyne blinked turning to look at the two. "Ah, of course. That must be what Kinsei-sama is called in her new life."
"Y-yeah."Minako nodded, looking between the cat and the woman. "But… there's a way you can help me? I don't know how to control this power, and…"
Mnemosyne gently placed a hand on Minako's shoulder. "It's really quite simple. Reincarnated souls bathe in the River of Lethe, washing away their memories from their previous life. Your memories of how to control the powers inherent to the Venusian Royal Family, all your training, are lost."
"And you can fix that?"
"Of course."Mnemosyne smiled, gently taking Minako's hand and continuing to lead her forward. "There are two Rivers of Memory: the River of Lethe, which washes away memories, and the River of Mnemosyne, which restores lost memory. I serve as the guardian of the River of Mnemosyne."
As she'd been talking, they'd approached a small river running through the forest.
"Don't tell me this mythical river just happened to be near the village," she frowned. Mnemosyne laughed.
"The true physical river lies in Elysium. Not impossible to reach, but quite difficult without the aid of present High Priest or Priestess. But those able to weave the waters of the Rivers, especially those who serve as the direct Guardian, can summon them through other waters."
Minako swallowed as she studied the simple river, Mnemosyne beside her removing her geta and beginning to wade barefoot into the river. It was rather shallow, barely reaching the woman's knees when she stood in the center.
"Is there anything I need to do or…?"Minako asked hesitantly.
"Not yet." Mnemosyne shook her head. "Just wait for the moment."
Artemis sat calmly beside Minako, both of them watching the pale-haired woman as she closed her iridescent eyes. The waters around her slowly began to glow a pale silvery color, streams of the water beginning to trickle into the air, swirling slowly around Mnemosyne's body. Minako watched in fascination as the water flowed through the air, watching the color begin to change subtly. She wasn't sure how to describe the color. It somehow managed to look silver and orange simultaneously, but not yellow as she would picture if someone had described such a color to her.
"The memories of Princess Kinsei tia Magellan, washed from her soul at the fall of the Silver Millennium." Mnemosyne murmured, opening her eyes and fixating her gaze on Minako. "You have to willingly accept them into you. If you reject them, they shall return to the River of Mnemosyne unless summoned again."
Minako hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. If this would give her control, she would do it. The silver-orange streams of water flowed away from Mnemosyne and toward the golden-haired senshi. She closed her eyes as she felt the water beginning to swirl around her. It felt oddly warm, almost comforting. The waters simply continued to embrace her for a moment, before beginning to flow into her through her chest. The warmth centered there was enough to be slightly uncomfortable, but she wouldn't go as far as to call it hot.
Each drop of water seemed to be another moment of her previous life, the memories gradually returning to her and mingling with her memories of her current life. She could feel the memories mingling, able to identify one life from the other, but not feeling as if they were separate identities. She was no longer simply Kinsei or Minako, but both at once as memories flashed before her eyes.
"Her name will be Kinsei. Macaria has set the trend for this generation it seems." The smiling face of young woman with sun-kissed skin, orange eyes, and golden hair a darker shade than her own looked tiredly down at her. She was quick to to recognize her. Queen Thalia res Magellan of Venus… her mother.
"You must always be careful with this power Kinsei. Losing control can be quite dangerous. It will take a lot of practice. I'll show you how." Thalia spoke calmly to the five-year-old Princess. Minako remembered how she'd been upset over a noble's daughter taking one of her favorite toys. Not knowing how to control her power yet, she'd lashed it out at the poor child, and now Thalia knew it was high time she begin training to control it if she were going to be one of Princess Serenity's guards in a few years.
"I won't say I'm particularly fond of the dog myself."Kinsei said to Serenity. "But he's harmless. I know he doesn't mean you any harm, and his feelings for you are genuine. He just manages to get on my nerves sometimes."
"Lady Gurin is a great sorceress." Kumo spoke. "Perhaps the greatest Earth has to offer. In particular, she has a knack for weaving the Waters of Lethe."
Minako's eyes snapped open as the last of her previous memories flowed into her. A shocked hand flew to her mouth, horror evident in her eyes.
"The queen… she actually allowed that… How…?"
She looked to both Mnemosyne and Artemis for confirmation. Both had a guilty expression, not looking her directly in the eyes.
"Artemis, you knew this… Why didn't you ever tell us any of this?"
"It… It didn't seem necessary," the white cat murmured. "Usagi was happy with Mamoru… I couldn't bear to tell her about someone she'd likely never find. I didn't want to hurt her."
"He's alive in this era, isn't he?"
"It's likely." Mnemosyne was the one to answer this time. "Youkai, especially dai-youkai, are very long-lived. Five centuries wouldn't be much to him. It's… possible he's died, but if he did, it definitely wouldn't be from natural causes."
There was suddenly a loud crash from elsewhere in the forest. Minako's head whipped in the direction of the sound. It had sounded like some sort of explosion, followed by falling trees. Likely another youkai. If it was rampaging, it was dangerous. And now that she could control her power, she had no reason not to pursue it.
"Venus Shikon Power! Make Up!"
xXxXxXx
A frown came to Rei's face as she stopped walking forward, pulling Inuyasha's attention to her.
"I sense a strong negative force nearby…"she murmured darkly. "It's… familiar? I can't put my finger on it."
"Well, someone's observant," said a condescending female voice. An instant later, Kagura appeared before the group in a swirl of wind. Inuyasha's hand immediately fell to Tessaiga at his side, glaring at the wind sorceress.
"Kagura… I take it you're not here for a social call," he growled lowly.
"Clearly not," Kagura laughed. "No, I'm here for the shards you carry. So few left scattered… what you carry is the bulk of what we need."
"Not gonna happen! Kaze no Kizu!"
The demoness easily avoided the attack, which crashed into the trees behind her and caused them to topple to the ground.
"Fuujin no Mai!"
"Inu-chan!"cried Usagi, held back by Makoto as Inuyasha raised his arms to block to attack. When the dust around him settled, he didn't seem to be seriously injured, but she could definitely see his arm was bleeding. His sword had been knocked from his hand at the force of the blow to his arm, and was lodged in a nearby tree.
"Wench!" Inuyasha growled lowly, breath beginning to come shallowly.
Kagura gave Usagi a displeased look. So many more humans around the mutt, so irritating. Not as much as the humans Naraku had collected. But she couldn't shake that something about all these human women seemed oddly familiar. Ah well, once they were dead, there wouldn't be much to worry about.
"Let's see how many of you last from this. Ryuuja-!"
"Love and Beauty Shock!"
A golden blade shaped like a heart flew through the air and struck Kagura's hand. She gave a pained cry as the fan was knocked from her hand, quickly turning in the direction the blade had come from. The others also followed the trajectory of the strange projectile, finding a blonde haired woman standing with one hand outstretched in Kagura's direction.
"Minako-chan!" Usagi gasped. It was definitely Sailor Venus, but she could also see the clear difference in her. Gloves resembling kimono sleeves, a skirt and sleeves colored in a pattern of orange, yellow, and blue… clearly Minako had one of the jewel-shards in her possession.
"You…"Minako narrowed her eyes at Kagura. "You're not supposed to exist now."
"What…?" Kagura glared at the girl. "What nonsense are you talking?"
She must be one of the ones Mnemosyne meant. Minako thought to herself. One whose soul didn't come to our era first like it was meant to. She must have reincarnated in this era first and then in ours when this incarnation dies…
"Inu-chan, are you alright…?"Usagi had run to Inuyasha, noticing that his breathing was labored. Something seemed wrong. Normally the dog demon could take more damage than this.
"No, don't!" Inuko cried as Usagi knelt down beside the silver-haired male. And instant later, Usagi felt a searing pain running through her arm. Inuyasha had grabbed her arm, claws digging straight through her jacket and blouse and deep into the flesh. She could already see the white material being stained red with her blood.
"I-Inu-chan, you're hurting me…"she whimpered, looking to the hanyou's face, only for her eyes to go wide in shock. Rather than the normal warm, golden eyes she'd grown accustomed to, the irises had turned a poisonous green color, the whites a scarlet red.
"Get back!" Inuko cried as the hanyou's other clawed hand was raised above her head, poised to come down toward her neck…
xXxXxXx
Author's Notes: Finally I have this at what I consider a complete chapter, cliffhanger and all! Feel a little evil ending it there, but…
Not much to say that hasn't already been said. Sorry to my followers for such a long delay, and I'm going to TRY not to let it get so bad again, but honestly, I can't make any promises.
And since I didn't include it in the "half-chapter" version of this chapter, I shall put it here. The soundtrack/theme song for Chapter 12 is "Beautiful World" by Hikaru Utada.
For those readers reading exclusively on Fanfiction, I encourage you to look up my deviantArt under the screen name Elrazhnia. Not only is Crystal Moon posted there, but there are also images (made using either doll makers or coloring blanks) to help give full image to my OCS and the new look of the Shikon Senshi, as well as some related journal entries and a dA exclusive WIP side project "Another Side, Another Story", currently with chapters from the POVs of Queen Serenity and Princess Suisei. Fair warning though, some of the images and journal entries contain major spoilers, so examine at your own risk. If you follow the link on my main profile to the group CrystalMoon-FC, you'll also find some lovely fanart provided by one of my followers, Sadekuuro!