Author's Notes (11-04-03): Deeply sorry for the long long wait, but college has been getting to me. The length of this chapter is also just a wee bit longer than I was expecting. I hoped to get at least 4,000 words, now I'm looking at just over 11,000 still in progress. In progress you may ask? Well, as you see under the chapter name, I have split this chapter into parts. Currently I'm expecting just 3 parts, though the third will be a bit lengthy anyway. On a side note, this is the chapter I've been waiting to write for over a year now. It is my pride and joy, and I'm doing my best at it. This chapter hasn't really been revised, so there might be some errors. Expect he next couple parts in a week or so.
As with anyone else, I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. All belong to Takeuchi-sama.
Sailor Moon SolarS - Book One: Awakenings
Chapter 20: The Battle to End All
Act 1: Healing
Hikari stopped at one of the long, flat steps and laid Makoto down, then turned around to the others. "Stand behind me! I'll try to shield us!" They quickly gathered around Hikari and gripped her shoulders. The golden senshi drove her staff into the stone slab below her, and a warm veil of golden energy draped around them all. "Hold on! I don't know how this will hold!"
A blinding flash enveloped everything as Hikari spoke, and a deafening blast rocked across the mountainside. The girls held onto each other as tightly as they could, and Makoto clung to the legs of Usagi and Haruka. The ground shook and began to give way underneath them. They could feel the stone breaking beneath their feet, but they still couldn't see from the blinding light surrounding everything. Hikari held onto her staff as tightly as she could, but the ground on which it was anchored broke away, and the barrier shattered. They were thrown back by the force of the explosion. No one could hold on. Only their screams could be heard as they were torn from the grips they had held onto so tightly, but even those faded in the power of the blast.
The light of the explosion faded away, and the force of the blast had subsided. Usagi and Michiru slowly sat up a few feet from each other. Their clothes were torn and burnt, and their skin was cut and burnt. Usagi was the first to stand to her feet, and she limped to Michiru and slowly helped her up.
"Are you okay?" Usagi inquired.
"I'll be fine... Where are the others?"
"The blast we were hit by was still pretty strong. I don't even know how far we were thrown," she answered as she looked around. She ripped a small strip of cloth from the bow on her chest and used it to tie her fallen hair into a ponytail after realizing the force of the explosion had torn her odangos apart.
"This place is a mess," Michiru commented as she surveyed their surroundings. Most of the trees had been stripped of their leaves and blown over. The trees higher up the mountain were either burning or completely gone, and it looked as if most of the mountaintop was blown apart. A slow rain was assisting in slowing the burning of the trees, and the clouds hung low and were thick and dark.
"We need to find the others," Usagi said as she looked back. "Are you well enough to walk, Michiru?"
"I think so," she responded with a nod and took a step toward Usagi, nearly falling as a stabbing pain struck her lower left leg. Usagi was there to catch her and help her to sit. She looked down at Michiru's leg and saw that there was a short cut in her calf, probably quite deep.
"I don't think you can walk on this," Usagi said with a frown. She fiddled with her brooch and detached it from the bow on her chest, then untied the tattered fabric. She rolled Michiru over a little to inspect the cut and make sure nothing was stuck inside, then slowly wrapped the bow tightly around the cut, tying it tightly. Michiru let out a quick gasp in response. "I'll help you back up. Just hold on." Michiru nodded as she wrapped an arm around Usagi's shoulder and slowly stood onto one foot. They slowly walked back to the line of steps which remained, though many were ripped up from the ground. Usagi looked at Michiru, "Maybe you should sit here until I can find some of them. It'll be too hard to get you down these stairs.."
"Alright.. I'll stay here," Michiru said with a faint nod as she slowly sat down.
Usagi hopped down a few steps and looked around, placing her hands around her mouth and yelling, "Can anyone hear me!? Rei! Ami! Minako! Chibi Usa! Setsuna! Haruka! Makoto! Hikari!" She stayed silent to hear if anyone could respond, but she received the same silence. The sound of breaking branches caused her to look around quickly, and Chibi Usa nearly fell out of a nearby tree. Her foot caught on a branch before she hit, and her unconscious body dangled a few feet from the ground. Usagi ran over as quickly as she could and pulled Chibi Usa's body from the branch. She slowly opened her eyes and rubbed her head.
"What happened..? Hikari's barrier broke didn't it?" she asked with a groan.
"Yeah," Usagi responded as she ran her fingers along Chibi Usa's hair. "You and Michiru are the only ones I've found."
"Puu..?" Chibi Usa faintly whispered. Usagi tilted her head a little at what Chibi Usa said and looked around. Setsuna was slowly walking up the steps some distance down the path. She was gripping her arm, and it looked like there was a small trail of blood running down it. Chibi Usa frantically rose to her feet and ran down the stairs. Usagi tried to follow, but her limp kept her from keeping the same pace. A small flash of color in the dead surroundings caught the corner of her eye, and she stopped to see what it could be. Haruka was laying face down on the ground, and Makoto was still clinging to her leg.
"Haruka! Makoto!" she yelled softly and ran to them. "Can either of you hear me?"
"Ugh... Yeah, I'm awake, Usagi," Makoto said with a groan. Usagi knelt down and slowly shook Haruka's unconscious body.
"Haruka.. Haruka, wake up.. Are you okay?"
"Huh...?" Haruka mumbled lightly as she rubbed her eyes, then opened them. "Usagi? Makoto? Where are the others?"
"Michiru is sitting at the top of the stairs, and Chibi Usa and Setsuna are a little lower," Usagi replied. "I don't know where Ami, Rei, Minako, or Hikari are yet. Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I'll be alright," Haruka answered as she stood to her feet.
"Will you be alright if we leave you here until we find Hikari?" Usagi asked as she inspected Makoto's body. She nodded slowly in response.
"I didn't know a daimon had that much power in it," Haruka remarked in disbelief.
"Naraku said it had a dark crystal in it. Maybe that did it," Makoto suggested as she sat up against the nearby tree. Usagi and Haruka walked back to the trail of distorted stairs and walked down to Chibi Usa and Setsuna.
"Is she alright?" Usagi asked. Chibi Usa nodded. "Setsuna, did you see any of the others?"
"A little farther down from here," Setsuna began, "I saw some hair in a tree. It might have been Minako or Hikari, but I'm not sure."
"Chibi Usa, can you take Setsuna to the clearing up there? Makoto's there too," Usagi asked as she pointed. Chibi Usa nodded a little. "Michiru is at the top of the stairs. If you can, please bring her down here too. Her leg was cut pretty badly."
"I'll try.. Good luck," Chibi Usa said as Haruka and Usagi walked further down the stairs.
"Do you see anything?" Haruka asked.
"Nothing.. Just dead trees.. How far did that blast reach?"
"Who knows.. Finding the others is more important right now. The mountain will heal itself.."
"There!" Usagi exclaimed. Haruka turned to where Usagi was looking. "That's Minako's hair in the tree!" They ran to the patch of trees where they saw the hair and found Ami and Rei laying against the tree and Minako hanging over one of the branches. Rei was sitting against the tree, and Ami was laying over her lap.
"There you are..," Rei said with a soft sigh. "I was hoping someone would get here soon. I couldn't take both of them, so I decided to wait here until one of you found us."
"Are you okay, Rei?" Haruka asked.
"I'm fine, and Ami looks okay too. I didn't want to risk pulling Minako down without somebody else helping."
"We'll get her down," Usagi said as she grabbed Minako's ankle. "Ready?" Haruka nodded, and Usagi slowly tugged on Minako's leg, soon bringing her down into Haruka's arms.
"She looks fine too, Rei," Haruka commented. "You two take Ami."
Usagi slowly took Ami's shoulders as Rei stood up and took her legs. They went up the flight of uneven stone steps first, and Haruka followed. Her eye caught a tiny golden sparkle farther down the steps. "Usagi, I think Hikari's a little lower down here."
"We'll come back for her then," Rei said as they pulled Ami into the clearing. Chibi Usa was just helping Michiru sit down. Ami was laid down beside Makoto, and Minako beside Ami. Haruka lowered to her knees, and her and Michiru pulled each other into a deep embrace, relieved at each other's safety. Usagi's voice was the only thing that pulled both back into reality.
"Guys, we found Hikari, but she looks pretty beat up," Usagi said as she and Rei pulled the golden haired senshi into the clearing. She was unconscious, and her body was battered and bruised.
"It looks like she took most of the explosion when the barrier broke," Setsuna commented.
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Makoto wondered.
"She should be," Rei answered. "She did say that she heals quickly."
"I hope she's right about that," Chibi Usa said softly as she touched Hikari's cheek. "Wake up Hikari.. You're scaring us." A soft cough came from Hikari's lips.
"At least she's responsive," Ami said. The girls turned around and looked down at her. They hadn't realized that she had awoken. "She should be alright then. Most likely she'll wake up soon as well."
"You just have to wonder how strong that blast had to be to hurt someone as strong as her this badly," Michiru commented. A low groan came from behind them as Minako stirred and opened her eyes. She sat up a little too quickly and clutched her stomach.
"You landed on a tree," Haruka said softly, "so you might want to be gentle with yourself."
Minako let out a soft cough and looked at Hikari. "Will she be alright?"
"We're not sure yet," Ami answered. "She looks like she took most of the explosion when the barrier failed. Who knows if even she can take that kind of power." She glanced over at Michiru for a moment and noticed Usagi's bow tied around her leg. "It would probably be good if we could keep her cool."
"But we don't have any water for her," Minako said with a frown.
"We'll need your bow, Minako," Ami began as she looked at Rei. "Could you lend me a little of your fire?" Rei tilted her head, but complied with Ami's request. She held her palms out, and a small warm flame appeared above them. Ami held her hands beside each other and just beside Rei's flame. "Minako, can you hold your bow under our hands?"
She nodded softly as she untied her bow and brought it under Ami's hands, "Okay, but what are you planning?"
Ami formed a small sphere of energy that condensed into a lump of ice and held it close to Rei's flame, causing it to quickly melt and pour water onto Minako's bow. Minako and Rei smiled at the realization of Ami's idea, and Minako slowly moved the cloth around in her hands to soak it completely. Once the stream of water had been nearly exhausted, Minako folded the bow and slowly wiped Hikari's face, then laid it on her forehead.
"Could you give her a little water too, Minako?" Rei requested with a smile. Minako nodded and slipped off her gloves, cupping her hands under the thinning stream of falling water. Rei pulled her hands away and slowly sat Hikari up. Minako slowly funneled the water into Hikari's mouth, and they were delighted to see her swallow.
An hour or so had passed, and the rain falling from the clouds, which had mysteriously appeared after the explosion, had begun to fall more heavily. The sun was quickly falling below the horizon and darkening the clouds overhead. It felt as if a cold wind had also begun to blow from the site of the explosion. Suddenly Hikari gave a violent cough and sat up, her hands grasping her staff tightly as if there was a threat nearby.
"Hikari lay back!" Rei said with a gasp. "You shouldn't be moving so much!" Hikari took a few seconds to realize where she was, then slowly relaxed back against Rei.
"We were worried that you might not make it," Usagi said as she knelt down. "You were hurt badly. You took most of the explosion on yourself before it hit us, didn't you? You risked being killed to save us."
Hikari looked down a little and softly whispered, her voice still weak from her injuries, "I am the protector of this system. You are the princesses of this system. I would always do everything I could to ensure your safety."
"Is there anything we can do to help or heal you?" Chibi Usa asked in a concerned voice.
"The only senshi other than me who has healing powers is Sailor Moon, but hers are only a cleansing power," Hikari responded. "I just need a day or two to recover. Your injuries do need tending to, however. I shall heal Makoto and Michiru first, then the rest of you." Rei slowly released her as Hikari slowly stood to her feet, using her staff to hold herself up. Slowly she walked to Makoto and steadied her footing, then brought the head of her staff to Makoto's broken leg. As warm energy passed through her leg, and she could feel the pain fading and the bone healing. Hikari then stepped over to Michiru and did the same, allowing the gentle healing energy seal the deep wound in her leg. "Since I'm so weak right now, my healing powers won't be as strong as they usually are."
"Anything is good enough, Hikari," Ami remarked with a smile. Hikari smiled back and held her staff toward the sky, nearly falling over, but Haruka braced her. A warm glow enveloped the girls, pushing out the chill in their bodies from the rain and cold wind sweeping down from the site of the explosion. Their cuts and bruises slowly vanished, and they could all feel their strength returning. The warmth from her staff also illuminated the area with a soft golden light. It had grown nearly black from the setting sun.
"Do you think you can keep that light shining from your staff, Hikari?" Minako asked.
"I believe I can do that," she replied and lowered her staff.
"We need to go back up the mountain to see what's left," Setsuna suggested. "That cold wind isn't right. We need to see what's creating it. This rain is also odd. It just seemed to be here when we woke up, and I know we weren't unconscious long enough for it to blow in."
"Could that be what Naraku meant by 'an everlasting torrent?'" Ami wondered.
"There's only one way to find out," Usagi said as she glanced up the mountain. "We need to go back up. Can you make it, Hikari? Do you need one of us to help you?"
"I can make it. It's not that far to the top anyway."
The rest of the girls stood to their feet, and they began their short trek up the mangled path of stairs. They slowly inspected the increasing damage around them as they walked.
"I can't believe that daimon could have done this," Minako said in disbelief.
"The temple's probably gone too," Makoto added.
"That would be likely," Ami said. "If this much of the mountain was blown apart, then a stone temple couldn't withstand it, especially with the blast being right beside it."
They reached the edge of what was now a large crater on the top of the mountain. An icy wind swept over the girls as they stepped into it. In the center of the massive crater was a cluster of black crystals, barely visible from Hikari's light.
"Maybe this could help," Hikari said as she tilted her staff upward. The light quickly shot upward and illuminated the entire crater. The crystal in the center was as black as coal.
"My goodness.. Could that be the dark crystal that was in the daimon's body?" Rei asked in astonishment. "It's huge."
A series of black sparks skipped across the surface of the crystals, and soon the clouds above it parted. The girls could see Naraku's moon directly overhead. The sparks increased and quickly shot up at the moon, then returned to the crystals, causing a few more pieces to sprout and grow around them.
"So it's drawing energy from the Dark Moon?" Chibi Usa concluded.
"Looks that way," Usagi said. "I don't want to see what it will turn out to be. Moonlight Luminescent Shine!"
"Usagi, wait!" Hikari yelled as she tried to stop her, but the attack was already thrown. It stuck the crystals and quickly vanished. The dark crystals began to pulse in energy and suddenly exploded in size. New crystals quickly grew and old ones branched out. A spark jumped from one and stuck Usagi in the arm. She fell to her knees and cried out in a shriek of pain. Her arm had turned cold and blue where the spark hit. Hikari looked around at the rest of the girls. "I'm getting us out of here right now!" She held her staff high into the air, and they were all teleported away as a volley of sparks skipped across the mountaintop.
Naraku laughed in the confines of Miru's lab. Hotaru walked up and gave an expression of curiosity on what Naraku was laughing about. "What have you done this time, Naraku?"
Naraku's laugh slowly subsided as she looked down at Hotaru. "Nothing really. I just let them know of our plan in 12 days."
"And..."
Naraku smirked slightly. "And I took off most of the mountaintop they were on by planting a dark crystal in my daimon."
"Must have been a strong blast with a dark crystal," Hotaru said as she put her arms behind her head. "Were any of them killed?"
"Unfortunately no," Naraku answered. "Some could have been killed, but Sailor Sol set up a barrier than shielded them from most of it."
"Most?"
"It shattered after the ground under them gave way. Sailor Sol took most of the blast on herself. Stupid girl... She was injured the most, but even she recovered."
"Too bad," Hotaru said. "Let me guess. You wanted to have some fun with them, so you gave them a warning before the daimon exploded?"
"I didn't want the chance of too many dying before our final encounter," Naraku commented with a smirk.
"So how large is the crystal now? It can't be too strong if it didn't drain any of their lives."
"It's about 20 meters high now," Naraku said as she glanced back up toward the surface.
"That's massive," Hotaru said as she tilted her head. "How did it get so large that quickly?"
"The genius of the group threw an attack at the crystal."
Hotaru blinked a couple times. "Sailor Moon? She was stupid enough to attack it without thinking what it could do?"
"Did you expect more from her?" Naraku said with a laugh. Hotaru slowly joined in the laughter, but soon stopped when she noticed Miru curled up in the corner. "What's with her today? I've seen her there all day."
"She was complaining about being cold up on my moon," Naraku said as she shook her head. "She's probably still whining to herself about it. Just leave her be. We don't need her anyway."
Miru pulled her legs closer to her chest and locked her arms around them. Her body was lightly shivering, and she faintly mumbled to herself, "Something isn't right...not right...not there... Can't feel it anymore...empty..alone...." She repeated this over and over again, though Naraku and Hotaru ignored her.
Near the outskirts of Tokyo, a bright flash overtook the streets, and the senshi appeared in the air, then fell the ground below with a crash.
"OW! Why do we always have to land from ten feet in the air?" Minako said as she rubbed her back.
"You had the soft landing, Minako," Rei groaned. "Could you get off me? I think you're getting heavier."
"I am not getting heavy!"
"I could comment," Usagi began with a deep grunt, "but I'm not sure who's heavy and who isn't. You're all on top of me! Get off!! Get off!!" Her arms flailed everywhere as she tried to wriggle herself out of the pile, but her efforts were useless until everyone rolled off her. They brushed themselves off slowly, and Usagi stood to her feet after cracking her back. Hikari hunched over and braced herself with her staff, taking long, deep breaths.
"Are you alright, Hikari?" Chibi Usa asked as she walked up to her. Hikari's hair had fallen over her shoulders and draped over most of her body like a golden cape.
"I'm just exhausted," she answered with a long sigh. "I need somewhere to rest for now."
"No one's around," Rei said as her eyes searched the area around them. "It would be a little odd to see the Sailor Senshi walking into any building." They all gave a soft nod and detransformed one by one. A loud boom rocked across the ground, causing the girls to turn around quickly. The dark crystal was visible from the city! The dark energy could be seen streaking across the clouds above.
"But that's at least fifteen miles!" Ami said in total shock. "It must be massive now.."
"Look what you did, Usagi!" Haruka yelled. "Didn't you think of what could have happened!? Who knows what that crystal could do now!"
"I didn't want to see what it could have done if we left it," Usagi responded as she looked away.
"So you attacked it!" Haruka screamed. "You didn't think of the consequences that could follow! Now that thing could possibly kill everything!"
Usagi's body lightly shivered, and a thin trail of tears ran down her face. Haruka's words struck right at her heart. She turned away and ran off as fast as she could down the street.
"Usagi!" Minako yelled as she ran after her. She turned around and growled at Haruka before resuming her chase, "You should learn to keep your mouth to yourself!"
"Come on," Michiru said with a soft sigh. "We need to go get her back."
"Yeah," Rei replied as she shielded her eyes from a flash of lightning. "She doesn't like storms like this."
They ran down the streets for what seemed like hours before coming to a small restaurant. Minako was standing at the door and signaled them in.
"How is she, Minako?" Makoto asked as they walked in and away from the storm.
"She hasn't said anything since I found her, but she isn't crying anymore," Minako answered as she glanced at Haruka. "She was really hurt by what you said. You know she only wanted to keep everyone safe. We'll find a way to destroy that dark crystal. Just try to be a little nicer this time, and please DON'T tell her that she'll be the reason everyone will die. That doesn't do any good for anyone. She's upstairs, just follow me."
They followed Minako to the second floor of the building and found Usagi standing at the window looking outside. She was motionless as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the accompanying thunder shook the building. The girls sat down on some chairs behind her, all except Haruka, who walked up to Usagi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Usagi, I'm sorry I said that. I was just upset at what was happening, and I took it out on you. I didn't mean it." Her apology was returned with silence. Usagi's body stayed as rigid and unmoving as it had been since they found her. Haruka turned and looked at the others, then sat down beside Michiru. Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, creating a crashing boom of thunder.
"I've never seen her like this before," Ami remarked.
"She's never just stood there while it was storming. I wonder what's gotten over her," Minako added.
"I think she was pushed over her limits," Rei suggested quietly. "With everything happening, it could have been just too much for her.."
"Just like it has been for Hikari," Makoto said as she looked at Hikari. She had drifted to sleep soon after she sat down. Her wounds and bruises had already begun to heal.
"Just let her rest for now," Chibi Usa said as she laid back. "She deserves that at least. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her today."
"You'll pay, Naraku," Usagi softly whispered. The others quickly looked up at her in surprise, though Usagi was not speaking to them. She was still facing the window. "For Luna, Artemis, Hotaru...for Mamoru.... You'll pay dearly..." She lifted a hand and rested it on the window. "Mamoru... I'll get her back for you.." She quickly turned around and looked at everyone. "So we have 12 days until we fight, right? That means we have until next Sunday to get stronger! We can do it if we try!" Her excited pitch had caused Hikari to wake up just as another bolt of lightning struck nearby. Everyone stayed motionless for a moment, then Usagi suddenly jumped up and screamed, nearly burying herself under one of the chairs.
"As short-lived as that was," Rei said with a soft chuckle, "she's right. We can get strong enough to take Naraku on if we try. We got stronger by meditating just that little while. Imagine how strong we can all get if we do that for twelve days. Naraku won't stand a chance!"
"I hope you're right, Rei," Chibi Usa said with a tiny sigh. "I wonder how strong Naraku really is."
"Too strong," Hikari mumbled. "Which is why I must push myself as far as I can go before then. I must become strong enough to defeat her. If not, then I do not know if we can win, but we must try. We must push ourselves farther than we thought possible. We must fight with no restraints, for this could be the last battle which decides the fate of this world. Get some rest tonight and train as hard as you can. I must return to the sun so I may recover completely. I shall return in two days to further our training."
"We will, Hikari," Usagi said as she peeked her head out from under the chairs. "I hope you get better soon. We really need to get you stronger more than any of us. If you aren't strong enough, then our power won't matter at all."
"I will do all I can," Hikari said as she stood to her feet and began to talk to a secluded hallway. "I'll see you in two days." With that, she walked down the hallway, and a small flash of light signaled her departure.
Despite the day they had, everyone slept peacefully for the entire night. They all awoke completely refreshed and ready to prepare. The storm had maintained its intensity and had shown no sign of weakening.
As the morning progressed, the girls slowly gathered at Usagi's home. As each girl arrived, they found the rest huddled together around the television. Minako was the last to arrive as she was the usual late-morning sleeper.
"What are you watching?" she asked while she found a place to sit.
"The news," Usagi answered. "It's been on all morning." Minako crawled over to turn the volume up slightly.
"Still no explanation to the formation of the massive amounts of rainfall which have covered Tokyo and most of the island. There have been some reports of people hearing a large explosion just before the rain began. Satellite images show no indication that the rain is moving. City streets and lowland towns have now begun to flood. If you live in any of these low-lying regions, you should move to higher ground until the waters recede. We will bring you more information when it becomes available."
"So they don't know about the Dark Moon or that dark crystal that sprouted?" Minako asked.
"It seems that way," Haruka answered. "They never mentioned either during the entire broadcast."
"Naraku just likes to toy with us," Setsuna said with a growl. "She doesn't get pleasure by torturing innocent people now that she has us, and she knows just how to get to us too."
"Anyway," Rei slowly changed the subject, "there's a spot close to the Hikawa Shrine where we can train. No one would find us there. There isn't anywhere we could train that could be dry, so we'll just have to put up with the storm."
They all nodded and headed out after a short meal. Their training for the worst battle of their lives was about to start...
To be continued...
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Sailor Moon is copyright © 1992 Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation.
English Language Adaptation © 1995 DiC Entertainment
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Written by Tsuki no Hikari
tsukinomeido@hotmail.com
universalcommunity.tripod.com/SolarS/
As with anyone else, I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. All belong to Takeuchi-sama.
Sailor Moon SolarS - Book One: Awakenings
Chapter 20: The Battle to End All
Act 1: Healing
Hikari stopped at one of the long, flat steps and laid Makoto down, then turned around to the others. "Stand behind me! I'll try to shield us!" They quickly gathered around Hikari and gripped her shoulders. The golden senshi drove her staff into the stone slab below her, and a warm veil of golden energy draped around them all. "Hold on! I don't know how this will hold!"
A blinding flash enveloped everything as Hikari spoke, and a deafening blast rocked across the mountainside. The girls held onto each other as tightly as they could, and Makoto clung to the legs of Usagi and Haruka. The ground shook and began to give way underneath them. They could feel the stone breaking beneath their feet, but they still couldn't see from the blinding light surrounding everything. Hikari held onto her staff as tightly as she could, but the ground on which it was anchored broke away, and the barrier shattered. They were thrown back by the force of the explosion. No one could hold on. Only their screams could be heard as they were torn from the grips they had held onto so tightly, but even those faded in the power of the blast.
The light of the explosion faded away, and the force of the blast had subsided. Usagi and Michiru slowly sat up a few feet from each other. Their clothes were torn and burnt, and their skin was cut and burnt. Usagi was the first to stand to her feet, and she limped to Michiru and slowly helped her up.
"Are you okay?" Usagi inquired.
"I'll be fine... Where are the others?"
"The blast we were hit by was still pretty strong. I don't even know how far we were thrown," she answered as she looked around. She ripped a small strip of cloth from the bow on her chest and used it to tie her fallen hair into a ponytail after realizing the force of the explosion had torn her odangos apart.
"This place is a mess," Michiru commented as she surveyed their surroundings. Most of the trees had been stripped of their leaves and blown over. The trees higher up the mountain were either burning or completely gone, and it looked as if most of the mountaintop was blown apart. A slow rain was assisting in slowing the burning of the trees, and the clouds hung low and were thick and dark.
"We need to find the others," Usagi said as she looked back. "Are you well enough to walk, Michiru?"
"I think so," she responded with a nod and took a step toward Usagi, nearly falling as a stabbing pain struck her lower left leg. Usagi was there to catch her and help her to sit. She looked down at Michiru's leg and saw that there was a short cut in her calf, probably quite deep.
"I don't think you can walk on this," Usagi said with a frown. She fiddled with her brooch and detached it from the bow on her chest, then untied the tattered fabric. She rolled Michiru over a little to inspect the cut and make sure nothing was stuck inside, then slowly wrapped the bow tightly around the cut, tying it tightly. Michiru let out a quick gasp in response. "I'll help you back up. Just hold on." Michiru nodded as she wrapped an arm around Usagi's shoulder and slowly stood onto one foot. They slowly walked back to the line of steps which remained, though many were ripped up from the ground. Usagi looked at Michiru, "Maybe you should sit here until I can find some of them. It'll be too hard to get you down these stairs.."
"Alright.. I'll stay here," Michiru said with a faint nod as she slowly sat down.
Usagi hopped down a few steps and looked around, placing her hands around her mouth and yelling, "Can anyone hear me!? Rei! Ami! Minako! Chibi Usa! Setsuna! Haruka! Makoto! Hikari!" She stayed silent to hear if anyone could respond, but she received the same silence. The sound of breaking branches caused her to look around quickly, and Chibi Usa nearly fell out of a nearby tree. Her foot caught on a branch before she hit, and her unconscious body dangled a few feet from the ground. Usagi ran over as quickly as she could and pulled Chibi Usa's body from the branch. She slowly opened her eyes and rubbed her head.
"What happened..? Hikari's barrier broke didn't it?" she asked with a groan.
"Yeah," Usagi responded as she ran her fingers along Chibi Usa's hair. "You and Michiru are the only ones I've found."
"Puu..?" Chibi Usa faintly whispered. Usagi tilted her head a little at what Chibi Usa said and looked around. Setsuna was slowly walking up the steps some distance down the path. She was gripping her arm, and it looked like there was a small trail of blood running down it. Chibi Usa frantically rose to her feet and ran down the stairs. Usagi tried to follow, but her limp kept her from keeping the same pace. A small flash of color in the dead surroundings caught the corner of her eye, and she stopped to see what it could be. Haruka was laying face down on the ground, and Makoto was still clinging to her leg.
"Haruka! Makoto!" she yelled softly and ran to them. "Can either of you hear me?"
"Ugh... Yeah, I'm awake, Usagi," Makoto said with a groan. Usagi knelt down and slowly shook Haruka's unconscious body.
"Haruka.. Haruka, wake up.. Are you okay?"
"Huh...?" Haruka mumbled lightly as she rubbed her eyes, then opened them. "Usagi? Makoto? Where are the others?"
"Michiru is sitting at the top of the stairs, and Chibi Usa and Setsuna are a little lower," Usagi replied. "I don't know where Ami, Rei, Minako, or Hikari are yet. Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I'll be alright," Haruka answered as she stood to her feet.
"Will you be alright if we leave you here until we find Hikari?" Usagi asked as she inspected Makoto's body. She nodded slowly in response.
"I didn't know a daimon had that much power in it," Haruka remarked in disbelief.
"Naraku said it had a dark crystal in it. Maybe that did it," Makoto suggested as she sat up against the nearby tree. Usagi and Haruka walked back to the trail of distorted stairs and walked down to Chibi Usa and Setsuna.
"Is she alright?" Usagi asked. Chibi Usa nodded. "Setsuna, did you see any of the others?"
"A little farther down from here," Setsuna began, "I saw some hair in a tree. It might have been Minako or Hikari, but I'm not sure."
"Chibi Usa, can you take Setsuna to the clearing up there? Makoto's there too," Usagi asked as she pointed. Chibi Usa nodded a little. "Michiru is at the top of the stairs. If you can, please bring her down here too. Her leg was cut pretty badly."
"I'll try.. Good luck," Chibi Usa said as Haruka and Usagi walked further down the stairs.
"Do you see anything?" Haruka asked.
"Nothing.. Just dead trees.. How far did that blast reach?"
"Who knows.. Finding the others is more important right now. The mountain will heal itself.."
"There!" Usagi exclaimed. Haruka turned to where Usagi was looking. "That's Minako's hair in the tree!" They ran to the patch of trees where they saw the hair and found Ami and Rei laying against the tree and Minako hanging over one of the branches. Rei was sitting against the tree, and Ami was laying over her lap.
"There you are..," Rei said with a soft sigh. "I was hoping someone would get here soon. I couldn't take both of them, so I decided to wait here until one of you found us."
"Are you okay, Rei?" Haruka asked.
"I'm fine, and Ami looks okay too. I didn't want to risk pulling Minako down without somebody else helping."
"We'll get her down," Usagi said as she grabbed Minako's ankle. "Ready?" Haruka nodded, and Usagi slowly tugged on Minako's leg, soon bringing her down into Haruka's arms.
"She looks fine too, Rei," Haruka commented. "You two take Ami."
Usagi slowly took Ami's shoulders as Rei stood up and took her legs. They went up the flight of uneven stone steps first, and Haruka followed. Her eye caught a tiny golden sparkle farther down the steps. "Usagi, I think Hikari's a little lower down here."
"We'll come back for her then," Rei said as they pulled Ami into the clearing. Chibi Usa was just helping Michiru sit down. Ami was laid down beside Makoto, and Minako beside Ami. Haruka lowered to her knees, and her and Michiru pulled each other into a deep embrace, relieved at each other's safety. Usagi's voice was the only thing that pulled both back into reality.
"Guys, we found Hikari, but she looks pretty beat up," Usagi said as she and Rei pulled the golden haired senshi into the clearing. She was unconscious, and her body was battered and bruised.
"It looks like she took most of the explosion when the barrier broke," Setsuna commented.
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Makoto wondered.
"She should be," Rei answered. "She did say that she heals quickly."
"I hope she's right about that," Chibi Usa said softly as she touched Hikari's cheek. "Wake up Hikari.. You're scaring us." A soft cough came from Hikari's lips.
"At least she's responsive," Ami said. The girls turned around and looked down at her. They hadn't realized that she had awoken. "She should be alright then. Most likely she'll wake up soon as well."
"You just have to wonder how strong that blast had to be to hurt someone as strong as her this badly," Michiru commented. A low groan came from behind them as Minako stirred and opened her eyes. She sat up a little too quickly and clutched her stomach.
"You landed on a tree," Haruka said softly, "so you might want to be gentle with yourself."
Minako let out a soft cough and looked at Hikari. "Will she be alright?"
"We're not sure yet," Ami answered. "She looks like she took most of the explosion when the barrier failed. Who knows if even she can take that kind of power." She glanced over at Michiru for a moment and noticed Usagi's bow tied around her leg. "It would probably be good if we could keep her cool."
"But we don't have any water for her," Minako said with a frown.
"We'll need your bow, Minako," Ami began as she looked at Rei. "Could you lend me a little of your fire?" Rei tilted her head, but complied with Ami's request. She held her palms out, and a small warm flame appeared above them. Ami held her hands beside each other and just beside Rei's flame. "Minako, can you hold your bow under our hands?"
She nodded softly as she untied her bow and brought it under Ami's hands, "Okay, but what are you planning?"
Ami formed a small sphere of energy that condensed into a lump of ice and held it close to Rei's flame, causing it to quickly melt and pour water onto Minako's bow. Minako and Rei smiled at the realization of Ami's idea, and Minako slowly moved the cloth around in her hands to soak it completely. Once the stream of water had been nearly exhausted, Minako folded the bow and slowly wiped Hikari's face, then laid it on her forehead.
"Could you give her a little water too, Minako?" Rei requested with a smile. Minako nodded and slipped off her gloves, cupping her hands under the thinning stream of falling water. Rei pulled her hands away and slowly sat Hikari up. Minako slowly funneled the water into Hikari's mouth, and they were delighted to see her swallow.
An hour or so had passed, and the rain falling from the clouds, which had mysteriously appeared after the explosion, had begun to fall more heavily. The sun was quickly falling below the horizon and darkening the clouds overhead. It felt as if a cold wind had also begun to blow from the site of the explosion. Suddenly Hikari gave a violent cough and sat up, her hands grasping her staff tightly as if there was a threat nearby.
"Hikari lay back!" Rei said with a gasp. "You shouldn't be moving so much!" Hikari took a few seconds to realize where she was, then slowly relaxed back against Rei.
"We were worried that you might not make it," Usagi said as she knelt down. "You were hurt badly. You took most of the explosion on yourself before it hit us, didn't you? You risked being killed to save us."
Hikari looked down a little and softly whispered, her voice still weak from her injuries, "I am the protector of this system. You are the princesses of this system. I would always do everything I could to ensure your safety."
"Is there anything we can do to help or heal you?" Chibi Usa asked in a concerned voice.
"The only senshi other than me who has healing powers is Sailor Moon, but hers are only a cleansing power," Hikari responded. "I just need a day or two to recover. Your injuries do need tending to, however. I shall heal Makoto and Michiru first, then the rest of you." Rei slowly released her as Hikari slowly stood to her feet, using her staff to hold herself up. Slowly she walked to Makoto and steadied her footing, then brought the head of her staff to Makoto's broken leg. As warm energy passed through her leg, and she could feel the pain fading and the bone healing. Hikari then stepped over to Michiru and did the same, allowing the gentle healing energy seal the deep wound in her leg. "Since I'm so weak right now, my healing powers won't be as strong as they usually are."
"Anything is good enough, Hikari," Ami remarked with a smile. Hikari smiled back and held her staff toward the sky, nearly falling over, but Haruka braced her. A warm glow enveloped the girls, pushing out the chill in their bodies from the rain and cold wind sweeping down from the site of the explosion. Their cuts and bruises slowly vanished, and they could all feel their strength returning. The warmth from her staff also illuminated the area with a soft golden light. It had grown nearly black from the setting sun.
"Do you think you can keep that light shining from your staff, Hikari?" Minako asked.
"I believe I can do that," she replied and lowered her staff.
"We need to go back up the mountain to see what's left," Setsuna suggested. "That cold wind isn't right. We need to see what's creating it. This rain is also odd. It just seemed to be here when we woke up, and I know we weren't unconscious long enough for it to blow in."
"Could that be what Naraku meant by 'an everlasting torrent?'" Ami wondered.
"There's only one way to find out," Usagi said as she glanced up the mountain. "We need to go back up. Can you make it, Hikari? Do you need one of us to help you?"
"I can make it. It's not that far to the top anyway."
The rest of the girls stood to their feet, and they began their short trek up the mangled path of stairs. They slowly inspected the increasing damage around them as they walked.
"I can't believe that daimon could have done this," Minako said in disbelief.
"The temple's probably gone too," Makoto added.
"That would be likely," Ami said. "If this much of the mountain was blown apart, then a stone temple couldn't withstand it, especially with the blast being right beside it."
They reached the edge of what was now a large crater on the top of the mountain. An icy wind swept over the girls as they stepped into it. In the center of the massive crater was a cluster of black crystals, barely visible from Hikari's light.
"Maybe this could help," Hikari said as she tilted her staff upward. The light quickly shot upward and illuminated the entire crater. The crystal in the center was as black as coal.
"My goodness.. Could that be the dark crystal that was in the daimon's body?" Rei asked in astonishment. "It's huge."
A series of black sparks skipped across the surface of the crystals, and soon the clouds above it parted. The girls could see Naraku's moon directly overhead. The sparks increased and quickly shot up at the moon, then returned to the crystals, causing a few more pieces to sprout and grow around them.
"So it's drawing energy from the Dark Moon?" Chibi Usa concluded.
"Looks that way," Usagi said. "I don't want to see what it will turn out to be. Moonlight Luminescent Shine!"
"Usagi, wait!" Hikari yelled as she tried to stop her, but the attack was already thrown. It stuck the crystals and quickly vanished. The dark crystals began to pulse in energy and suddenly exploded in size. New crystals quickly grew and old ones branched out. A spark jumped from one and stuck Usagi in the arm. She fell to her knees and cried out in a shriek of pain. Her arm had turned cold and blue where the spark hit. Hikari looked around at the rest of the girls. "I'm getting us out of here right now!" She held her staff high into the air, and they were all teleported away as a volley of sparks skipped across the mountaintop.
Naraku laughed in the confines of Miru's lab. Hotaru walked up and gave an expression of curiosity on what Naraku was laughing about. "What have you done this time, Naraku?"
Naraku's laugh slowly subsided as she looked down at Hotaru. "Nothing really. I just let them know of our plan in 12 days."
"And..."
Naraku smirked slightly. "And I took off most of the mountaintop they were on by planting a dark crystal in my daimon."
"Must have been a strong blast with a dark crystal," Hotaru said as she put her arms behind her head. "Were any of them killed?"
"Unfortunately no," Naraku answered. "Some could have been killed, but Sailor Sol set up a barrier than shielded them from most of it."
"Most?"
"It shattered after the ground under them gave way. Sailor Sol took most of the blast on herself. Stupid girl... She was injured the most, but even she recovered."
"Too bad," Hotaru said. "Let me guess. You wanted to have some fun with them, so you gave them a warning before the daimon exploded?"
"I didn't want the chance of too many dying before our final encounter," Naraku commented with a smirk.
"So how large is the crystal now? It can't be too strong if it didn't drain any of their lives."
"It's about 20 meters high now," Naraku said as she glanced back up toward the surface.
"That's massive," Hotaru said as she tilted her head. "How did it get so large that quickly?"
"The genius of the group threw an attack at the crystal."
Hotaru blinked a couple times. "Sailor Moon? She was stupid enough to attack it without thinking what it could do?"
"Did you expect more from her?" Naraku said with a laugh. Hotaru slowly joined in the laughter, but soon stopped when she noticed Miru curled up in the corner. "What's with her today? I've seen her there all day."
"She was complaining about being cold up on my moon," Naraku said as she shook her head. "She's probably still whining to herself about it. Just leave her be. We don't need her anyway."
Miru pulled her legs closer to her chest and locked her arms around them. Her body was lightly shivering, and she faintly mumbled to herself, "Something isn't right...not right...not there... Can't feel it anymore...empty..alone...." She repeated this over and over again, though Naraku and Hotaru ignored her.
Near the outskirts of Tokyo, a bright flash overtook the streets, and the senshi appeared in the air, then fell the ground below with a crash.
"OW! Why do we always have to land from ten feet in the air?" Minako said as she rubbed her back.
"You had the soft landing, Minako," Rei groaned. "Could you get off me? I think you're getting heavier."
"I am not getting heavy!"
"I could comment," Usagi began with a deep grunt, "but I'm not sure who's heavy and who isn't. You're all on top of me! Get off!! Get off!!" Her arms flailed everywhere as she tried to wriggle herself out of the pile, but her efforts were useless until everyone rolled off her. They brushed themselves off slowly, and Usagi stood to her feet after cracking her back. Hikari hunched over and braced herself with her staff, taking long, deep breaths.
"Are you alright, Hikari?" Chibi Usa asked as she walked up to her. Hikari's hair had fallen over her shoulders and draped over most of her body like a golden cape.
"I'm just exhausted," she answered with a long sigh. "I need somewhere to rest for now."
"No one's around," Rei said as her eyes searched the area around them. "It would be a little odd to see the Sailor Senshi walking into any building." They all gave a soft nod and detransformed one by one. A loud boom rocked across the ground, causing the girls to turn around quickly. The dark crystal was visible from the city! The dark energy could be seen streaking across the clouds above.
"But that's at least fifteen miles!" Ami said in total shock. "It must be massive now.."
"Look what you did, Usagi!" Haruka yelled. "Didn't you think of what could have happened!? Who knows what that crystal could do now!"
"I didn't want to see what it could have done if we left it," Usagi responded as she looked away.
"So you attacked it!" Haruka screamed. "You didn't think of the consequences that could follow! Now that thing could possibly kill everything!"
Usagi's body lightly shivered, and a thin trail of tears ran down her face. Haruka's words struck right at her heart. She turned away and ran off as fast as she could down the street.
"Usagi!" Minako yelled as she ran after her. She turned around and growled at Haruka before resuming her chase, "You should learn to keep your mouth to yourself!"
"Come on," Michiru said with a soft sigh. "We need to go get her back."
"Yeah," Rei replied as she shielded her eyes from a flash of lightning. "She doesn't like storms like this."
They ran down the streets for what seemed like hours before coming to a small restaurant. Minako was standing at the door and signaled them in.
"How is she, Minako?" Makoto asked as they walked in and away from the storm.
"She hasn't said anything since I found her, but she isn't crying anymore," Minako answered as she glanced at Haruka. "She was really hurt by what you said. You know she only wanted to keep everyone safe. We'll find a way to destroy that dark crystal. Just try to be a little nicer this time, and please DON'T tell her that she'll be the reason everyone will die. That doesn't do any good for anyone. She's upstairs, just follow me."
They followed Minako to the second floor of the building and found Usagi standing at the window looking outside. She was motionless as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the accompanying thunder shook the building. The girls sat down on some chairs behind her, all except Haruka, who walked up to Usagi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Usagi, I'm sorry I said that. I was just upset at what was happening, and I took it out on you. I didn't mean it." Her apology was returned with silence. Usagi's body stayed as rigid and unmoving as it had been since they found her. Haruka turned and looked at the others, then sat down beside Michiru. Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, creating a crashing boom of thunder.
"I've never seen her like this before," Ami remarked.
"She's never just stood there while it was storming. I wonder what's gotten over her," Minako added.
"I think she was pushed over her limits," Rei suggested quietly. "With everything happening, it could have been just too much for her.."
"Just like it has been for Hikari," Makoto said as she looked at Hikari. She had drifted to sleep soon after she sat down. Her wounds and bruises had already begun to heal.
"Just let her rest for now," Chibi Usa said as she laid back. "She deserves that at least. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her today."
"You'll pay, Naraku," Usagi softly whispered. The others quickly looked up at her in surprise, though Usagi was not speaking to them. She was still facing the window. "For Luna, Artemis, Hotaru...for Mamoru.... You'll pay dearly..." She lifted a hand and rested it on the window. "Mamoru... I'll get her back for you.." She quickly turned around and looked at everyone. "So we have 12 days until we fight, right? That means we have until next Sunday to get stronger! We can do it if we try!" Her excited pitch had caused Hikari to wake up just as another bolt of lightning struck nearby. Everyone stayed motionless for a moment, then Usagi suddenly jumped up and screamed, nearly burying herself under one of the chairs.
"As short-lived as that was," Rei said with a soft chuckle, "she's right. We can get strong enough to take Naraku on if we try. We got stronger by meditating just that little while. Imagine how strong we can all get if we do that for twelve days. Naraku won't stand a chance!"
"I hope you're right, Rei," Chibi Usa said with a tiny sigh. "I wonder how strong Naraku really is."
"Too strong," Hikari mumbled. "Which is why I must push myself as far as I can go before then. I must become strong enough to defeat her. If not, then I do not know if we can win, but we must try. We must push ourselves farther than we thought possible. We must fight with no restraints, for this could be the last battle which decides the fate of this world. Get some rest tonight and train as hard as you can. I must return to the sun so I may recover completely. I shall return in two days to further our training."
"We will, Hikari," Usagi said as she peeked her head out from under the chairs. "I hope you get better soon. We really need to get you stronger more than any of us. If you aren't strong enough, then our power won't matter at all."
"I will do all I can," Hikari said as she stood to her feet and began to talk to a secluded hallway. "I'll see you in two days." With that, she walked down the hallway, and a small flash of light signaled her departure.
Despite the day they had, everyone slept peacefully for the entire night. They all awoke completely refreshed and ready to prepare. The storm had maintained its intensity and had shown no sign of weakening.
As the morning progressed, the girls slowly gathered at Usagi's home. As each girl arrived, they found the rest huddled together around the television. Minako was the last to arrive as she was the usual late-morning sleeper.
"What are you watching?" she asked while she found a place to sit.
"The news," Usagi answered. "It's been on all morning." Minako crawled over to turn the volume up slightly.
"Still no explanation to the formation of the massive amounts of rainfall which have covered Tokyo and most of the island. There have been some reports of people hearing a large explosion just before the rain began. Satellite images show no indication that the rain is moving. City streets and lowland towns have now begun to flood. If you live in any of these low-lying regions, you should move to higher ground until the waters recede. We will bring you more information when it becomes available."
"So they don't know about the Dark Moon or that dark crystal that sprouted?" Minako asked.
"It seems that way," Haruka answered. "They never mentioned either during the entire broadcast."
"Naraku just likes to toy with us," Setsuna said with a growl. "She doesn't get pleasure by torturing innocent people now that she has us, and she knows just how to get to us too."
"Anyway," Rei slowly changed the subject, "there's a spot close to the Hikawa Shrine where we can train. No one would find us there. There isn't anywhere we could train that could be dry, so we'll just have to put up with the storm."
They all nodded and headed out after a short meal. Their training for the worst battle of their lives was about to start...
To be continued...
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Sailor Moon is copyright © 1992 Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation.
English Language Adaptation © 1995 DiC Entertainment
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Written by Tsuki no Hikari
tsukinomeido@hotmail.com
universalcommunity.tripod.com/SolarS/