Chapter Twenty: Kage's New Lady, Traveling the Tunnel of the Divine One
In the darkness, a pair of bare legs hovered seemingly without support. After a moment, a dark aura engulfed them and a black dress slowly fell to cover what was exposed. The legs drifted to the ground, and the clicking of a pair of heels touching down broke the silence. After another pause, the ends of a gauze-like pinkish shawl drifted down to brush the edge of the dress. Red lips smiled cruelly and ruby eyes narrowed with hatred. Framed on either side by pink bangs, the woman's forehead bore a black crescent moon pointing down. She flexed fingers ending in cruel red nails and softly said, "I'd forgotten how powerful this form was. Although, I feel stronger now than I ever could have dreamed in the past. Luna-P won't be necessary this time." It was unclear who she was speaking to, but it didn't seem to matter. "The senshi will die, and our Master will enter this reality, throwing everything into eternal darkness."
Black Lady threw back her head and laughed in an eerie cackle while motioning for the figure standing in the shadows. "Come along, Kage. Our Master awaits."
"Of course, My Lady. I will follow your lead." In the darkness, he trailed after the departing woman, his dark hair pulled back to reveal his pale face. Around him, the shadows writhed as if living creatures, creating an almost living cloak of darkness wrapped around his body.
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"We have to go down there?" Saturn's eyes widened with alarm and Uranus opened his mouth to say something sarcastic. At the last second, he changed his mind and instead said, "Yes. The Divine One is underground." In a surprising show of sympathy, he added, "It might not be so bad once we get down there. There are probably lights of some sort. I doubt all of the demons can see in the dark."
Saturn looked at Uranus with surprise, but then smiled gratefully. "You're probably right," he said softly. To himself, he added, I really hope so.
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"What's that smell?" SailorJupiter squinted, trying to pierce the veil of darkness that pressed on them from all sides. The sickly green flames of the few torches mounted on the walls only served to deepen the darkness present, and failed to illuminate more than six inches in front of them.
"Death." SailorMars said quietly. Mercury and SailorMoon both shuddered, and Venus, paling, shakily said, "I really wish you wouldn't say things like that, SailorMars."
The senshi of fire looked over at Venus with surprise and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. However, even a blind person would be able to see the black aura of this city. There is almost no life remaining here at all. There is only evil and death and corruption." Mars wrapped her arms around herself and fell silent.
SailorVenus looked to her brother for comfort, only to find him in worse shape than herself. Saturn was pale and shaking, and sweat glistened on his forehead. He swallowed roughly, and then gasped, taking several shallow gulps of air.
"Aikin? What's wrong? Are you okay?" She grabbed his arm, and he jumped violently. He looked down at her without recognition for a moment and then murmured, "Nako-chan? What is it?"
The other senshi stopped walking and fell silent. He stared at them, still shaking slightly, and blinked owlishly. "What's wrong with all of you?" His eyes darted around briefly, and he took another short gasp of air.
Finally, realization dawned in Sailorpluto's eyes, and she softly said, "Oh, you're claustrophobic, aren't you?"
He nodded shortly, a quick jerk of his head, and then began panting again. Before anyone could say anything, Uranus pulled the Space Sword from its sheath at his waist. "Then let's get this over with." He raised the sword and SailorVenus shrieked, "What are you going to do?"
Uranus brought the sword down suddenly, marveling at the balance. This was the first time he had held the sword unsheathed, and could sense the rightness of the situation. However, something wasn't quite accurate...the blade began to glow with a golden light, and a matching golden aura sprang up around his body. The blade went from a single edge to double, and grew thicker and longer. The guard became the spreading wings of an eagle, and the hilt itself turned gold. The sheath changed at his waist, becoming the same length and width of the blade, but also turning gold. The small gems vanished, and in their place a large ruby appeared at the top. He hefted it slightly and nodded with satisfaction. Venus had fallen silent, and the other senshi were watching him with awe. The glow faded from both himself and sword and Uranus smiled with satisfaction.
"What- what is it?" SailorNeptune asked after a moment of shocked silence. Her twin looked at it thoughtfully for a moment before replying, "The Heaven Sword. I think it may serve me better than the Space Sword would have."
Mercury looked at Pluto and quietly asked, "Can the talismans be altered like that?"
Pluto shrugged slightly and said, "The talismans are a projection of the energy of a pure heart. They are linked with the soul. I believe Tensei was using the power of his soul to adjust the blade for his own abilities. How he knew to do something like that, I don't know."
Uranus looked at each one of them and said, "We have to travel too slowly while in the dark. We all keep stressing the need for haste, but none of us seems to want to do anything about it. This sword," he hefted his new blade slightly, "will help with our darkness problem." The blade suddenly flared to life in his hands, glowing with a golden light, and illuminating the corridor for several feet in all directions. Although fairly narrow, the passageway stretched for seemingly endless distances down either way.
"Why didn't I think of this before?" SailorMoon cupped her hands on either side of her henshin brooch and light began to shimmer within the ginzuishou. Silvery light further illuminated the corridor, and next to her, Pluto's garnet orb began to give off a mauve light. SailorNeptune held out her hand, and the Deep Aqua Mirror suddenly appeared. A gentle aqua light poured from the mirror's surface, and she held it up, adding to the light.
"Let's go," Uranus Knight said firmly. "The Divine One is waiting for us."
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"Out of my way!" Black Lady snarled, and the squat, dog-like demon before her responded in kind. She raised her hand, spread her fingers, and black energy poured from the palm and her fingertips. With a short yelp, the demon disintegrated, and the woman strode down the corridor. "Why does this stupid place have to be so damn maze-like?"
Kage hid a smile and said with complete seriousness, "It is a maze, My Lady. Your mother created it many years ago."
"I know that!" She snapped irritably, "She probably did it just to get in my way."
"It's possible I suppose, but I doubt she thought you'd ever discover her plans to deceive you. She was too innocent to ever think you'd turn against her."
Black Lady, either ignoring him or choosing not to acknowledge him, said, "This is taking too damn long! The Master needs us now! Isn't there some way to cut through the maze directly to the center?" She leveled a blast of pure black energy at one of the walls, only to have it dissipate into nothing.
"Dammit! We don't have time for this!" Her ruby eyes narrowed suddenly and she murmured, "Wait. SailorMoon is here. Where SailorMoon goes, the ginzuishou goes. Kage! Find SailorMoon! NOW!"
"My Lady?" Confused by her sudden change in plans, he hesitated without obeying.
"This Labyrinth was created by the ginzuishou. Therefore, it can be changed by the power of the ginzuishou. Being of the line of the moon, I can use the crystal if I can get my hands on it. I will use it to carve a path straight to the Master. Now find SailorMoon!"
Kage sighed lightly, closed his eyes, and a black aura surrounded him. Finally, he opened one eye and sent a tendril of energy at Black Lady. It circled her wrist, and both of them vanished.
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SailorMoon's head shot up as a familiar energy brushed gently across the surface of her mind.
"What?" She whispered almost silently.
SailorMars suddenly froze and said, "Something is wrong. Something is coming." Her hair lifted slightly as the energy in the air around them suddenly grew and intensified, and Mars whirled in time to be thrown backward into the wall by a blast of dark energy. She crumpled without a sound, and SailorMoon turned to face their assailants with dread. Black Lady smirked smugly and tossed her head slightly. Kage hovered in the background, just behind her.
"Mama," she murmured sadly, her voice carrying heavy tones of sorrow, "and Kage." The demon, despite the blazing intensity of the hallway, had somehow managed to stay in the shadows, mostly be intensifying the shadow cast by Black Lady. The Garnet Orb went out as Pluto prepared to defend herself, and the ginzuishou dimmed as SailorMoon did the same. Kage stepped partially to the side, now able to comfortably dwell in the shadows once again flooding down the corridor.
"Hello, Neo-Princess Serenity-sama." Kage bobbed his head at her, and SailorMoon bit her lip. Black Lady swiftly turned and slapped him hard enough to snap his head back.
"Don't call her that! The only princess remaining in Crystal Tokyo is me. Do you understand?" She narrowed her ruby eyes down until they were mere slits of red, and Kage, ignoring the blood rising to his cheek, quietly replied, "Yes, My Lady." At these words, SailorJupiter paled and began to shake with rage.
"It was you!" She screamed, "You're the one who killed my mother!"
"Bastard!" Uranus Knight shouted. Jupiter looked at the furious Uranus Knight with surprise, but then, side by side, the two shouted,
"Decimating Voltage!"
"Heaven Strike!"
The Heaven Sword burst with a blinding light that ran all the way up Uranus' arms, fanning his dark hair with energy. The massive blast of golden light flared directly at Kage from the sword moments after the words of the attack phrase left his lips. Kage smirked and vanished.
Black Lady looked at the attack that was now approaching her with surprise, but quickly raised her hand and leveled a shot of dark energy at it. Not only did it prevent her from being struck, but it passed through the attack as if it wasn't there, dissipating the energy, and striking the two senshi on the other side. They slid backwards, but both managed to stay on their feet.
Panting, SailorJupiter snarled, "Where's Kage, Neo-Princess Selenity-sama?"
Black Lady laughed softly and said, "Right behind you." Uranus jumped to one side; but Jupiter was hit squarely in the back from behind with shadow energy, and was thrown forward onto her face. SailorNeptune scowled and said, "Enough is enough. We didn't come here to be killed by you!"
Neptune extended her index and middle finger together on both hands and circled them around each other directly in front of her chest. Two separate, cerulean, streams of water trailed at the ends of her fingers, and they slowly combined together into one ring of water circling in the air around her hands. She slowed down gradually, and pulled her hands farther apart. The ring formed into a ball of vivid blue water, which she pushed away from herself with both hands, fingers splayed.
"Iridescent Tide!"
SailorVenus quickly took Neptune's lead.
The blond senshi of love pressed her hands over her mouth. She blew a kiss into her hands, and lowered it from her mouth. Cupping the kiss carefully, she looked down into her hands, which were glowing softly with golden energy. Venus smiled coyly and tipped her hands forward, revealing several golden hearts. She squeezed them together, and when she opened them back up, her hands were coated with golden dust. They glowed slightly, and she brought them back up to her lips. Blowing gently, the dust drifted through the air in glittering streams of golden glitter. She suddenly took a deep breath and blew all the air out of her lungs. The golden dust merged into a misty cloud, which shot away from her.
"Golden Kiss Glitter!"
Kage threw a bolt of shadow energy at them and vanished moments before being struck. The attacks of the senshi hit the wall and dissipated into a shower of multicolored sparks. Neptune and Venus were hit by the shadow energy, thrown against the wall, and struggled to get to their feet.
Saturn, his eyes partially closed, held the Silence Glaive loosely in his hands. Suddenly, moving almost too quickly for the eye to follow, he slashed the air. Kage appeared exactly in the spot of his strike, and hissed with anger as a long gash was opened on his arm. Uranus moved to stand next to Saturn, and Kage, a sneer on his face, said, "Looks like I'll have to finish you off the ugly way." A sword of shadows materialized in his hand, and the senshi raised their own weapons in response. Black Lady, a cruel smile on her face, was advancing towards SailorMoon.
"Stay back, Small Lady," Sailorpluto cautioned, sorrow written plainly on her face, "You cannot harm a princess of the moon."
Black Lady sneered and took another step forward, saying, "And why not, Puu?" She made the childhood nickname into an insult, and narrowed her eyes before continuing with, "No one had any trouble trying to harm me, and aren't I princess of the moon? The truth is, you only abide by the rules when they happen to coincide with what your own wishes are. Doesn't your absence from the Gate of Time prove that? If you were following the guidelines set forth, the Gate would always have a guardian, wouldn't it? The fact that you're here right now plainly shows what kind of devotion you have for the rules." She sneered and raised her palm to release a torrent of dark energy.
"Dead Scream." A massive ball of violet energy shot through the air and Pluto threw herself in front of SailorMoon. The two attacks collided in mid-air, and Black Lady's energy tore through Pluto's and directly into the senshi of time.
"Sailorpluto!" SailorMoon caught the older senshi as she fell, and SailorMercury stepped in front of her leader and friend.
"Shimmering Frostbite!" Waves of ice and snow poured off of Mercury's body, but Black Lady shook her head with impatience, waved a hand at Mercury, and sent the senshi of water crashing into the wall.
"It's just you and me now, SailorMoon." Black Lady sneered, and SailorMoon, kneeling on the floor by Pluto, who was unconscious, jumped slightly and bit her lip.
"Give me the ginzuishou." Black Lady held out her hand demandingly. SailorMoon slowly got to her feet, an aura of calm falling over her like a cloak.
"No." She raised her chin slightly, defiantly, and held out a warning hand, adding, "Stop this, Mama."
Black Lady pulled back slightly, blinked with surprise, and threw back her with a loud cackle.
"Stop this, Mama," she mimicked in a squeaky voice. She stopped laughing abruptly and snapped, "Give me the ginzuishou, or I'll take it from you."
SailorMoon placed a defensive hand over her brooch and took a step back. To her left, Uranus fell heavily to his knees, the Heaven Sword beginning to flicker and lose its light. Moments later, Saturn staggered to the side, the Silence Glaive clattering loudly to the floor. Kage shrugged slightly and allowed the shadow sword to dissolve in his hands. He moved to stand behind Black Lady, and from that position he could have been supporting her or preparing to stab her in the back. SailorMoon hesitated for a second, but then stuck her jaw out stubbornly and said, "If this is the way it has to be, than so be it."
"Yes, so be it." Black Lady's mouth twisted into a sneer, and her fist glowing with black energy, she charged at SailorMoon, screaming a challenge.
"Mama! No! Stop!" SailorMoon crossed her arms over her chest defensively, and white light poured from the ginzuishou. Black Lady, apparently unaffected by the power of the crystal, surged forward, smacked SailorMoon's arms aside, and grabbed her henshin brooch, digging her nails into the skin beneath it. Uranus and Saturn got to their feet at the same time, and lunged at Black Lady simultaneously. Kage was instantly between them and his new mistress. Shadow energy crackled through the air, and when Uranus and Saturn fell, they didn't move. Black Lady's hand glowed with dark energy, and the ginzuishou's light struggled to break free of the confining negative energy. SailorMoon cringed, but refused to raise a hand against her mother.
"Mama," she whispered brokenly, "Please, stop this." The ginzuishou began to brighten, and Black Lady narrowed her eyes against the shining light. She started to pull the brooch off of SailorMoon's fuku, and the senshi's eyes widened with alarm as she felt the power transferring.
"No!" SailorMoon gasped, and grabbed Black Lady's wrist. "Let go!" Grabbing the ginzuishou with her other hands, Black Lady poured even more dark power into the crystal and snarled, "Give...me...the ginzuishou!"
"Stop!"
There was a brilliant flash of light, and Usa found herself floating in a dark void.
0
What happened?
It has stopped. The voices came from everywhere, half-heard whispers of numerous people of unidentifiable gender and age.
What?
Everything.
Why?
Because that is what you asked for.
No.
The voices made a disapproving noise and replied, Yes. The final word to pass by your lips was a demand to stop.
Usa realized it was true, so instead asked, Who are you?
No one.
What are you?
Nothing.
Usa sighed with frustration and answered with, Where are my senshi?
They have stopped as well. Everything is stopped.
Are they okay?
Yes. They are simply waiting in limbo. When everything resumes, so will your senshi.
How can I make everything resume?
You must wish with the other caller.
The other caller? You mean Mama?
Yes. She also had a wish, and her blood allows her access to the power.
What was her wish?
To be with her master, the Divine One.
Her master? NO! My mother would never do something like that! You've got it all wrong...
Usa trailed off and fought back tears. It wasn't really a surprise to hear the accusation, after all, she had seen her mother's reverted form of Black Lady. When the voices didn't reply to her protest, Usa finally said, I have to stop her. I wish...to be at the lair of the Divine One, with all of my senshi, and myself, completely healed.
There was suddenly a rush of air all around her, and Usa felt herself being drawn upwards. With a bright flash of light, she squeezed her eyes shut and felt herself being blinded.
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When SailorMoon opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to keep them from watering further, she found herself in a magnificent throne room. Massive, twisting stalactites made of black crystal hung from the ceiling in numerous places, and the floor was made of polished obsidian as smooth as glass. The room was lit by floating orbs of green light. SailorMoon turned her head, and found her senshi standing just behind her, looking slightly dazed, but ready for action.
Peering around in the slight gloom, the young senshi struggled to find their foes. SailorMercury had pulled her computer out, and was rapidly typing on the tiny keyboard. SailorMars closed her eyes, and extended her senses. Her hair rose slightly from the energy, and at last, she opened her violet eyes, and pointed directly behind them, saying, "The door to the Divine One is over there. If we want to keep Black Lady from opening the seal and freeing it, that's where we have to go." Uranus drew the Heaven Sword, Saturn hefted the Silence Glaive, Pluto raised the Time Key, and the rest of the senshi readied themselves to attack at a moment's notice.
Don't worry, SailorMoon whispered silently to the original senshi, We won't fail you. She moved through the crowd of her senshi and began to walk towards the darkened corner where the Divine One, Kage, and her mother awaited.
We won't fail you.