Never Gone R
By: Jecir
Chapter Twenty-Six: A Retribution Dealt
"The girls are gone!" Tamaki's voice echoed in their ears like a death toll, bringing with it that numb denial that follows such a statement. The heroes of Tokyo could not believe what they were being told. It was too much. It was far too much.
The Dark Kingdom's trap had closed, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Everything had happened so fast. They had been finishing up their school day (the only normal thing left to any of them) when the Dark Kingdom had struck. Tamaki had been with Ami, Makoto, and Usagi when it happened. They were leaving Juuban Junior High. The sun was low, and the air was cool. It was the perfect day to walk outside, and they had quite a walk to the Hikawa Shrine. None of them suspected that the Dark Kingdom's trap was closing in on them.
It started as a coincidence. Someone bumped into Tamaki and grumbled something under his breath while doing so. Tamaki had scowled in irritation, but he did not let the incident ruin his good mood. Then another person intruded on their group, this time walking straight through the middle of them without uttering an apology. Makoto's temper had flared, and she had said some choice words about rude people being blind. Still, the procession moved onward.
They turned a corner and paused at a streetlight. Pedestrians crowded in around them, as pedestrians waiting to cross the street are tend to do, but the real shock came when there was a deliberate push from behind that nearly sent Usagi into the oncoming traffic. Makoto did not let the incident slide that time. She turned on the snickering group and sent out a heated challenge.
The crowd's response froze her in place and made each of their hearts clench with fear.
"Kill Sailor Moon," the pedestrians said in zombie-like unison. "Kill Sailor Jupiter. Kill Sailor Mercury. Kill Tech. Kill!"
The crowd surged.
Tamaki whipped out his laptop, and with deft fingers, hacked the streetlights. The lights turned to red; tires squealed and cars jerked to a sudden halt, opening a lane for the group to escape.
"What's going on?" Ami asked as they ran.
Another group of pedestrians were waiting for them on the other side of the street. Their faces were twisted into inhuman smirks, and their hands were outstretched in anticipation. "Kill the Sailor Scouts!" they cowed.
"Not that way!" Makoto grabbed Usagi's hand and lead the group into the traffic. Tamaki typed while running; taking control of the Tokyo streetlight system and using it to open up a safe pathway through the afternoon traffic. As they ran, drivers stopped their cars and climbed out, their faces transforming into the same sinister smirks as the people on the sidewalks. The chant of "Kill the Scouts! Kill the Heroes!" chased them down the street.
"We need to get out of here," Usagi wailed.
"Transform!" Makoto said.
The three Sailor Scouts summoned their transformations, and, in a flare of multicolored light, became their true selves. Tamaki closed his laptop and reached forward in anticipation; Sailor Jupiter grabbed his hand and jumped. She and Tamaki sailed through the air and onto the nearest rooftop, Mercury and Moon close behind them. Once they landed, Tamaki hit his knees and opened his laptop. "Ami! Open a channel to the others!" he commanded as he fished a headset out of his school bag.
Sailor Mercury pulled out her computer and, following Tamaki's prompts, opened a communication line to the others. The sounds of running and of struggle could be heard over the line.
"Guys!" Tamaki yelled.
There was a grunt and the sound of a scuffle before Kyouya growled, "Now's not a good time!"
"Yeah, I know," Tamaki said. His fingers were dancing across his keypad, and his eyes were narrowed and focused. "I take it everyone is being chased down by a mob?"
There was a chorus of varying confirmations. "I was able to escape for the moment," Venus reported. "I'm up on a rooftop, heading for downtown."
"Same here," Mars reported. "They seem to calm down once we are out of sight."
"That's good to know," Seiya reported. "My class turned on me in the middle of a lecture. I'm being chased across the campus!"
"Everyone get to higher ground!" Kyouya commanded. "Confirm when you are out of reach."
A long, stressful silence followed. Tamaki used that time to pinpoint the threat. The Dark Kingdom was targeting them. He needed to find out why.
"Clear," Seiya was the first to confirm. Sailor Jupiter visibly relaxed when his report came through.
"Clear," Ryu reported. "Kuzon is out of danger as well. Mars was right; once I vacated the Temple, the threat followed me."
"I'm clear," Kyouya said, coming back on the line a moment later. "Report. Who was attacked when and where? Seiya was in class; Ryu was at the Temple."
"I was waiting for the bus outside the hotel," Venus said.
"I was leaving school," Mars reported.
"Same here," Tamaki confirmed. "Moon, Mercury, Jupes, and I were on our way to the Temple. We escaped onto a rooftop, which seems the only safe place."
There was a muffled bang over the line, followed by a distant voice asking, "What are you doing up here?" Then, the same distant voice gave a startled cry, followed by the eerie chant of "Kill the Scouts!"
"Rooftops not so safe!" Venus reported.
"V!" Tamaki called. "Talk to me! Tell me what happened!"
A body hit the ground, and Venus said, "A security guard came onto the roof. He seemed fine, but then he saw me and changed!"
"Are you safe now?" Kyouya asked.
"Yes," Venus said. "I had to knock the poor guy out. I am heading to the next building over."
"Scouts," It was Seiya. "Were any of you transformed when the attack happened?"
Mercury, Jupiter, and Moon exchanged looks; they each knew what their answer would mean. "No," Sailor Mercury said. "None of us were transformed." Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus confirmed the same thing.
Seiya muttered something unpleasant. "Everyone, look around you. Is anyone attacking or is there still a mob?"
Jupiter hurried over to the edge of the building and looked down. "No," she reported. "No one is—" A loud cry cut her off. A moment later, the chant of "Kill!" rose in the air. Jupiter backpedaled away from the edge. "I take that back," she said. "They are attacking again!"
"Did they attack before or after they saw you?" Seiya asked.
"After," Jupiter said. They others reported the same thing, each with a growing sense of dread.
Kyouya cursed. "They know," he said. "The Dark Kingdom knows who we are."
"We can't be sure of that," Jupiter said.
"Yes, we can," Mercury countered. She and Tamaki locked eyes for a moment. "These attacks are being triggered only when people see us. When we get out of sight, the urge to attack stops, but if they see us..."
"It's welcome to berserker city," Tamaki finished for her.
"Exactly," Mercury said. "And it can only work if they know who we are."
The implications of her words hung heavy.
"We suspected that," Kyouya reminded them.
"Yes," Venus said. "But we did not suspect this!"
Tamaki resisted the urge to say that Kyouya and Venus not anticipating an attack strategy was definitely a first, but the call for their execution was getting louder. Apparently, the mob was getting bigger now that their location had been revealed.
"The Dark Kingdom is using innocent people to trap us," Seiya said.
"It's Zoicite's favorite play," Ryu growled. "She knows we won't attack civilians. Tamaki, can you search for a signal? Anything out of the ordinary; Zoicite isn't powerful enough for mass mind control. She would be broadcasting her powers somehow."
"On it." Tamaki looked up from his screen. "Mercury, I need your computer." Mercury did not hesitate. She handed him her compact. Tamaki pulled a cable from his bag and used it to connect Mercury's computer to his. "No matter how awesome a hacker I am, my computer can't scan for magic." He flashed a cheeky grin at Mercury, who rolled her eyes at his ability to joke even at a time like this.
Tamaki worked furiously; building a code that bound his technology with Mercury's magic and implanting it into a scanning program he made up on the fly. His fingers were blurs on his keyboard, and his mind worked in a whirlwind of thought. He never once questioned the procedures coming into his mind. He was singularly focused on finding the signal.
From behind him, Jupiter reported, "Their starting to come up the fire escape!"
A black screen popped up on Tamaki's computer. Two green lines—one going horizontally and the other vertically—crossed in the center. The green cross began to move over the black screen; as it did, a white grid formed in the background. "Come on, come on ,come on, come on," Tamaki muttered. He added new code to the software, refining the search. The cross moved faster over the grid. The grid morphed into shapes that vaguely resembled buildings.
A purple wave moved across the grid. Tamaki smirked, "Found you," and typed faster. The grid morphed again; the vague buildings solidified; and the cross continued its search. A second wave came, and then a third, and Tamaki watched it all.
The green cross stopped on a structure in the center of the grid. The grid completed its transformation, revealing a map of the city. Tamaki pressed a finger into his earpiece and reported, "The signal is coming from Tokyo Tower! I repeat, converge on that location!"
The mob of brainwashed civilians charged onto the rooftop.
Tamaki slammed his laptop closed, shoved it into his bag, and jumped to his feet in time to run with Jupiter, Mercury, and Moon toward the opposite side of the building. "Here!" he handed Sailor Mercury her computer. "Link the feed to your visor!"
Mercury nodded and tapped her earing twice. Her visor appeared in a flash of blue light. The scanning program immediately appeared on the artic screen. They reached the edge of the rooftop. Jupiter grabbed Tamaki's arm, and they jumped.
The journey to the Tokyo Tower passed in a blur. The four heroes moved quickly across the rooftops, doing their best to balance the line between speed and secrecy. Their powers aided them in their plight. They arrived at Tokyo Tower without incident.
Tokyo Tower was a landmark staple for the city. It rose over many of the buildings; a shining beacon of technology, architecture, and art. Floodlights illuminated the rust-red structure, and cast the world around it in a twilight blend of shadows and light. The three Sailor Scouts landed in front of the Tower; Tamaki, needing a moment to gain his bearings, knelt on the cool concrete.
"Tech!" Venus called. She landed at the inner edge of the hedges surrounding the Tower. She hurried to the small group, taking command in the absence of the Ninja. "Find a safe place to work! We need to disrupt that signal!"
"Right," Tamaki said. He sprinted for the Tower.
As he moved, he saw Sailor Mars arrive. "There's a mob heading this way," she warned. The warning was still echoing through the air when the first wave of brainwashed pedestrians appeared. The Sailor Scouts took position, forming a circle back-to-back, and waited.
"We can't attack them," Sailor Mars reminded them.
"Defense only," Venus instructed. "No powers. They'll be fine once Tech finds the source of the signal. Until then, we stall."
Sailor Moon clutched her moon crescent wand to her chest. "I'm ready," she said both to herself and to her friends.
The mob closed in around them.
"Let's do this!" Jupiter declared.
The battle began.
Above it all, Tamaki ran. He sprinted up the steps that wound around the interior of the Tower, taking them two and three at a time and rising higher and higher over the battlefield. He watched through the gaps between the railings as the mob charged. The girls held their own well, utilizing their training in hand-to-hand to defend against their attackers. Within moments, flashes of moonlight joined the fray. "That a girl," Tamaki whispered.
Below, Sailor Moon pointed her wand at another section of the mob and said, "Moon Healing Escalation!" A beam of silver moonlight burst from her wand and bathed the attackers. They fell in an unconscious heap to the ground, but, as soon as the gap was formed by the healed humans, more took their place, salivating with the chance to attack. "Why isn't it working?" Sailor Moon said in dismay.
"It's the signal!" Mercury said. "It's repossessing them faster than you are healing them!" She jumped back away from an attacker and pivoted away from another. She typed a command into her computer, and her visor beeped. "Tech, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear," Tamaki said.
"The signal is coming from somewhere near the top," Mercury reported.
"Of course," he said as he reached the main observation deck mid-way up the tower. He vaulted the chain closing off the landing and ran immediately for the next set of stairs leading to the second, smaller deck near the tower's top. "They couldn't make this easy on us."
"Hurry, Tech!" Venus said. "We can't keep this up forever!"
"We'll be there soon," Seiya assured suddenly, breaking the radio silence that had descended upon the Heroes. "Just hold on a little longer!"
"And keep your eyes open," Ryu warned. "Zoicite won't be far."
A flash of grey caught Tamaki's eyes. He groaned, "Way to jinx it, Ryu! Gals, they're here! Malachite and Zoicite are on your six!"
The warning came too late. Just as the Scouts were shifting their focus away from the mob, Malachite and Zoicite landed in the middle of their circle. A shockwave of dark energy emanated from them, throwing the Scouts into the waiting arms of the mob—all save for Sailor Moon. As the dark energy hit, Malachite grabbed Sailor Moon's outstretched arm and, with a cruel grin, twisted her arm back. Sailor Moon cried out in shock and in pain.
"Sailor Moon!" Venus yelled. The possessed mob had she and the others trapped. The girls fought hard to get loose, battling against the hands clawing at their arms, legs, and torsos.
Sailor Moon stared up at Malachite and Zoicite, her large blue eyes shining with strength. Her arm may have been trapped, but she still had her wand. She lifted it over her head. The Silver Crystal glinted in the moonlight as she said, "Moon He—ah!" A fresh wave of pain rushed through her as Malachite twisted her arm further against its natural bent. The shock of the pain caused her to drop her crescent wand.
"None of that," Malachite growled. "Zoicite, get the Crystal."
"No!" Sailor Moon gasped as the blond General sauntered past. "Stop!"
Zoicite chuckled. "This was too easy," she said as she stooped down and reached for the wand. "I will never understand how a useless child like you got your hands on the most powerful magic in the universe." Her gloved fingers brushed the Crystal.
Moonlight flooded the clearing.
Zoicite screamed as a burst of power threw her backward.
Up in the Tower, Tamaki gripped the stair railing for dear life. Wind whipped past him and the flare of light blinded him. It lasted for only a moment, and then, there was silence. Spots danced in front of Tamaki's eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, as his teammates' voices called over the line all at once demanding to know what was going on over there. Tamaki felt strangely disoriented; shaking his head and blinking rapidly before finally looking down into the clearing. That was when those dreadful words passed his lips, and the last line of defense against the Dark Kingdom felt their hearts sink.
"What do you mean they're gone?" Seiya asked.
"I mean, they're gone!" Tamaki said. He began running back down the stairs.
"Do you mean gone gone like they just vanished or did the Dark Kingdom take them?" Ryu probed.
Tamaki stumbled as he returned to the main observation deck. "I mean they took a page out of Mamoru's book and vanished in a flash of light!" Tamaki reached the edge of the observation deck and looked down at the street far below.
"How?" Kyouya demanded. "Talk to me, Tamaki, what happened?"
"Zoicite and Malachite dropped out of literally nowhere, ambushed the girls, and then, flash!" Tamaki said. "That's it! That's all I've got!"
"That means..." There was a pause over the line; in that silence, Tamaki realized what it was that Seiya was concluding in that moment.
It was Ryu who spoke it. "Tamaki, get out of there now!"
Zoicite and Malachite looked up at the Tower.
Tamaki backed away from the deck's railing.
The two Dark Generals phased through space and appeared in the air right in front of Tamaki.
All of Tamaki's bravado, his genuine humor and his cocky belief in his own self sufficiency vanished as he stared up at the leering faces of the remaining two Dark Kingdom generals. "Guys," he whispered. "Help..."
The evil duo thrust their hands forward.
Tamaki leapt back, his eyes fixed on the dark energy gathering in those gloved hands, and instinctively pulled two knives from under his sleeves. He threw them in a desperate ploy to distract his opponents. Malachite vanished before the knife could hit and Zoicite dodged, but she was not quick enough. The thin line of blood followed the path of the blade as it cut across her cheek. "My face!" Zoicite howled.
Tamaki grinned in personal triumph but did not take his usual two seconds to make a comment. He was no fool; he knew the situation he was in; how every second would count in this battle. He ran for the stairs.
"Not so fast!" Malachite materialized in front of him, the surge of dark energy from before undisturbed from Tamaki's assault. The Silver Death lunged at Tamaki; the dark energy crackling between his fingers. Tamaki twisted to the right. The attack grazed his shoulder as he moved. His skin burned from the near contact. He had avoided a direct hit, but Malachite was not dissuaded. He released the pent up energy in a violent burst aimed for the observation deck.
Steel and tile ripped out from the impact zone; a destructive wave sent directly for Tamaki. The force of the attack slammed into Tamaki's back even before the debris could reach him. Tamaki stumbled into the stair railing. He looked down; the ground was so far away. He would never make it if he ran. The rumbling of the wave was deafening. In the seconds before it would hit, Tamaki made a desperate decision.
He vaulted over the railing and out into the open air. His body dropped; clearing the blast zone. Tamaki looked up as the wave of debris rushed out over where he had been standing moments ago. "Parkour," he whispered. He grabbed the stair railing three tiers down. The sudden stop in momentum jolted through him. Tamaki waited a moment and then pushed off the railing, twisted, and fell again. He counted to five and grabbed the next railing. He continued this pattern; grabbing and releasing and slowing his momentum until his feet finally touched the ground. He shouldered his backpack and ran for it.
He did not get far. Malachite grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him into the concrete. The impact broke Tamaki's headset.
"Enough of this," Malachite hissed as he hoisted Tamaki up, the broken bits of technology falling to the ground, and threw him to Zoicite.
His dark lover gleefully caught her prize, turned him around, and trapped Tamaki in a choke hold. Tamaki jerked against her grip, but she quickly twisted one of his arms behind his back, stopping his struggle. "Behave," she cooed.
Malachite bore down on the trapped warrior. "Where are they," he demanded.
Tamaki glared at his enemy. He would not answer the lowlife scumbag who had left V to die in a warehouse.
Malachite grabbed Tamaki's hair and forced his head back. "Answer me!" he snarled. "Where did they go!"
Tamaki forced himself to laugh despite the pain. "Got me," he ground out. "You were the ones standing next to them. How could you miss their exit? Does your Great Leader not offer a vision plan?"
Malachite punched Tamaki in the stomach and then forced the lad back up with a cruel tug of his hair. "Care to try again?"
"Malachite," Zoicite cautioned.
"What?" Malachite snapped. His grey eyes were blazing with rage.
Zoicite glanced at her captive, a strange yet fleeting something twisting her stomach. She forced herself to meet her lover's gaze. "We need him alive," she reminded him.
Malachite snarled and released his grip on Tamaki's hair. Tamaki doubled over as best he could, leaned heavily against Zoicite's arm, and hacked up the blood that had been pooling in his throat. "You had better cooperate," Zoicite whispered to him.
Tamaki glanced back at her, confused as to why she would care.
Malachite stalked a few paces away and turned, his sword materializing in his hand. He pointed the blade at Tamaki. "You have ten seconds to convince me of your usefulness."
Tamaki hated the fear that was rising inside of him. So, this is it, he thought. It was the end of his journey. He would die here, alone, away from everyone he loved. It seemed fitting, he thought as he forced himself to stand straight and face his demise. He had spent the majority of his time in this battle in the shadows away from everyone. Why not die there as well?
A flash of silver in the shadows cut off his melancholy train of thought, and just like that, Tamaki's bravado returned. He smirked, spat some blood onto the ground, and fixed a cocky gaze on his executioner. "What happened to needing me alive?" he asked.
"You are alive as long as you are useful," Malachite warned. "And you are running out of time. Where are the Sailor Scouts?"
"The Scouts?" Tamaki hummed in thought. "Scouts? Scouts. Scouts scouts scouts...oh! You mean Sailor Moon, right? Warrior of love and justice; wielder of the Silver Crystal, the most powerful magic from the moon?" Malachite's eyes narrowed more and more the more Tamaki talked, but the lad would not give. Just a little more, he told himself. He looked up at the darkening sky and the full moon overhead and grinned. "I guess she went home."
Malachite raised his sword, took a menacing step forward, and then, pivoted around to slam his blade down onto the katana that had struck from behind. Dark steel met pure blade, and Malachite glared hatefully at the one person who just would not die. "Ninja," he hissed.
"Death," Kyouya returned.
"I understood you had run off like a coward," Malachite sneered.
"I understood that you had missed me," Kyouya answered. "I guess we were both wrong." He pushed forward, throwing Malachite off, and charged.
"Go get him, Capt!" Tamaki cheered. He slammed his heel into Zoicite's foot, using the momentary distraction brought about by his commander's entrance to his advantage. Zoicite loosened her grip on his neck just enough for Tamaki to snap his head back into her nose. Zoicite yowled in pain, releasing Tamaki in favor of grabbing her throbbing face. Tamaki stumbled forward; his head ached from all the slamming and head butting, but his smirk did not falter.
"You little!" Zoicite snapped her fingers. A wave a foul energy rushed through the clearing.
The mob that had been rendered unconscious from the intense flare of pure magic that had heralded the Scouts' disappearance began to rouse.
Tamaki cursed under his breath. He had forgotten about that little snag. He still needed to find and destroy whatever she was using to broadcast her signal.
"Get him!" Zoicite snarled.
The first rousers rose at her command and charged; Tamaki dropped his backpack and pulled out his sai, ready to stand his ground.
Seiya and Ryu arrived in that moment, pushing through the first line of defense and knocking them back away from the youngest member of their team.
"It's about bloody time!" Tamaki snapped.
Seiya and Ryu took flanking positions next to him. "It's not easy getting across town without magic," Seiya said.
As he spoke, more of the mob rose to its feet and prepared to attack.
"Argue later; battle now!" Ryu reminded them.
"Right," Seiya swung his staff over his head and got ready to meet the next wave. "Tamaki, get to the signal. We'll hold them off!"
"I'm on it!" Tamaki scooped his bag up and turned to run to the Tower, but Zoicite phased into the air in front of him.
"Not so fast," she snarled. She lashed out at the peon who had dared mar her perfect face.
Ryu shoved Tamaki out of the way and took the brunt of the attack, blocking it as best he could with his duel blades. When the attack subsided, he raised his swords in challenge and taunted, "Ready for round three?"
Zoicite sneered hatefully at the redeemed warrior and met his challenge.
Tamaki made for the Tower again, but again, his path was cut off—this time by the mob that was quickly growing in number. "Uh, guys?" he called, knowing that they could not heed him but still needing to say what they all could see, "I'm not getting to the Tower."
The mob snickered and charged.
It was nothing like their first battle in the construction yard. Kyouya faced his enemy with only his wits and will to win. He did not dwell upon the yearning for his magic—the powers that had placed them on equal footing—nor did he think about the deadly intent he saw in Malachite's eyes. His mind was fixed on one thing only: survive.
The first time they had battled, Malachite had been toying with him; then, in the Starlight Tower, magic had given Kyouya the advantage. Here and now, at the Tokyo Tower, Kyouya was faced with the true disparage of their skills. Malachite, the Silver Death, was holding nothing back. He was no longer amused by the mortal boy who had stood up to him. He was focused, determined, and deadly, and Kyouya was one misstep away from losing it all.
"Why did you come back?" Malachite snarled. "Surely it could not be because of that girl!" Kyouya grit his teeth. A reply would divert his focus, and he could not afford that; though, it did not stop Malachite from his taunts. "It was quite noble of you to run to her defense," the Silver Death taunted. "That weak Sailor whore was all too easy for Danubrite to defeat. Had you remained in your cowardice, her body would even now be rotting in the caverns of the Dark Kingdom!"
A spike of anger threatened to disrupt his focus. Kyouya forced it back.
"Tell me, boy, how does it feel to fail?" Malachite's taunts continued. He bore down on Kyouya; their blades sparking with each blow struck. "You failed to protect the Prince of Terra!" That hit home; Kyouya's stance weakened a moment as his mind rebelliously turned to thoughts of Mamoru.
"I am no fool," Malachite leered. "My Queen believes the Prince to be in hiding, but you and I know better." He pushed forward, his strength overcoming Kyouya's until their faces were mere inches apart. "He's dead."
Kyouya's eyes flashed—rage, hate, and pain all confirming Malachite's suspicions. The Dark General smirked cruelly. "No one could survive such a blow."
"Shut up," Kyouya growled.
"Tell me I'm wrong." Malachite pushed Kyouya back with such force that the Ninja was unable to regain his footing before Malachite struck. "Where is he?" He demanded. His sword cut through the night; Kyouya barely blocked the flurry. "Where is the Prince if he is not dead? Hiding? Like you after that battle?" Malachite broke the barrage; he released a burst of dark energy into Kyouya's chest. Kyouya flew back and hit the ground with a strangled cry. Malachite stalked forward. "You failed the Prince. You failed that girl. And now!" He grabbed Kyouya by the collar and spat in his face, "You are going to fail your friends."
Kyouya glared hatefully at him, but Malachite was unfazed by his distain. In fact, he relished it. With a twisted smirk, he hoisted Kyouya up—rising higher and higher until they hung suspended over the battlefield. Kyouya's legs dangled beneath him, and he gripped Malachite's wrists, for they were the only thing keeping him from falling.
"Look around you, boy," Malachite commanded. "See the futility of your efforts!"
Against his will, Kyouya turned to the battle raging around him. The mob had become innumerable. It crowded the open spaces before and around the Tower and clogged the streets beyond. Tamaki and Seiya were back-to-back in the small circle at the center of it all, fighting without injuring and pushing back against the horde, but with each victory came ten more challengers. Ryu, who had pursued his adversary into the framework of the Tower, was thrown back from an attack by Zoicite. He landed in the middle of the circle and pushed up to his feet only to be swarmed by the mob. He battled his way out long enough to join Seiya and Tamaki. The three looked around at the odds. Their defeat was closing in around them.
Over all of this, Kyouya hung, trapped and unable to assist. Should Malachite release his grip, there would be nothing to protect Kyouya from his death. This fact caused Kyouya's anger to rise, for it put Malachite in charge of his survival, and Kyouya could not bear the indignation. He was the master of his own fate. He would decide how he lived and when he died; not this puppet! Kyouya swung his leg up to strike his captor.
Malachite would have none of it. He sent a wave of potent dark energy into Kyouya. It laced through his nerves, froze his blood, and assaulted his bones. Kyouya grit his teeth, refusing to cry out even as the pain crashed through him. When the assault ebbed, his strength waned, and, for a moment, he hung, helplessly, in the air; the hands of his enemy his sole support.
Malachite chuckled. "So easily defeated without your magic," he mused.
"I don't need it," Kyouya ground out. The effects of the attack were fading; he tightened his grip and renewed his efforts to prove just that.
Malachite renewed his efforts to prove the stubborn warrior wrong. A second jolt of power left Kyouya twice as dazed and even more frustrated. "This is the second time your life has been in my hands," Malachite taunted. He released more ofhis powers into his victim and watched with dark glee as Kyouya struggled against the pain. He continued his monologue, shooting more and more dark magic through Kyouya's body as with each word he spoke. "What was it you said to me that first time? You live because you can? How naïve. To think that you have any control over your fate is laughable. Look at you; dangling there, helpless and weak! Alive only because I allow it."
He hoisted Kyouya up so that they were eye-to-eye; valiant silver even now challenging the sinister gray that narrowed in on him. "I am the author and finisher of your fate!" Malachite declared heatedly; Kyouya's challenging gaze drove Malachite's rage to burn the higher. His magic surged through Kyouya's beaten form, cowing all the while, "What chance did you ever have of defeating me? You foolish, impulsive child! You are nothing; a worthless, unskilled, magicless waste playing at being a hero; denying the truth and running from the inevitable!"
He stopped his attack. Kyouya unwillingly hung limp in this monster's hold. The magic wreaked havoc on his internal systems. His nerves and muscles spasmed; his chest constricted; and his body trembled from an inexplicable cold. Kyouya fought to keep his eyes open even as he felt the thunder of his heartbeat in his chest begin to slow. He would not give Malachite the satisfaction of seeing the fear he felt stirring—a fear that he had never before entertained. It whispered to him that maybe, just maybe, Malachite was right; that this battle he had been fighting was for not, and that his life was only a play thing in the hands of Fate. If that were all true, than Fate was a cruel mistress easily bought by those whom she favored.
"Die now, boy," Malachite snarled. "And know that it was I who chose this fate for you." Slowly, he unwound his fingers from Kyouya's collar.
Kyouya tried to get his arms to move; tried to reach up and grab Malachite; drag the wretch down with him and maybe, just maybe...maybe what? What could he do now? The wind rushed in his ears as he fell. His body would not respond. No matter how hard he forced his mind to move, his body was numb and his thoughts were muddled. Darkness crept at the edges of his vision, blurring the sky above him. He could feel death's cold touch reaching out to claim him. It was surreal; everything around him was slowing down; becoming hazy at the edges and yet so sharp and focused at the center. It felt like he was living his final moments in a tunnel that had walls made of nothingness and a small opening that was shrinking with each passing moment. The tunnel allowed very little sight or sound.
He could hear the battle. It should have been getting louder the closer he came to the ground, but it seemed so distant—the roar of the mob, the shouts of his brothers, and the laughter of his enemies—it all seemed like a fading memory.
He could not see the stars (he missed the stars; so bright and strong in the night sky), but the moon was full.
This is your fault, he thought as he looked at the moon. It was an errant thought that rose from the depths of his dimming soul. Images, blurred and indistinguishable, invaded the nothingness around him, bringing with it bursts of feelings that both confused and comforted him. A lethargic smile pulled at his lips as he thought, You enchanted us with your promises and drove us to reach for the stars.
There was a saying about reaching for the stars; something about being warry of the fall, but, as Kyouya's eyes began to close, he could not help thinking that the fall had been worth it.
A rush of gold invaded the darkness. A surge of heat collided with the numbness. The tunnel collapsed around him as Kyouya's soul was wrenched from the edge and forced back into reality.
Something strong and insistent pressed into his chest and a powerful command to "Breath!" shook him to the core.
His body responded before his mind could engage. He gasped; like a drowning man reaching the surface of the ocean, he sucked in lung fulls of air, and with each desperate gulp, he pulled in the gold and the heat that was surrounding him. It rushed through him; spreading to every nerve, every muscle, and into the core of his aching bones. It injected life where Malachite had brought death, and yet, it went deeper still. It invaded his mind and dove into his heart, filling every knock and cranny of his being until all he knew was the gold and the heat.
It scared him to be so consumed, and Kyouya felt his need to run rising to combat it.
The command to "Breath," came again. It was said with more comfort and compassion this time and was followed by, "And don't fight it."
Kyouya wanted to fight it. He didn't understand it, and it frightened him. It was awakening a part of him that had been asleep for far too long—a part that had roused for a moment that day in the Star Light Tower but had been quickly shut out when the battle was done. It was a part of himself that he did not want to face.
"Kyouya," that voice said.
The veil of sensation, of gold and of fire, and of life returning to what was dying all rolled back, and Kyouya finally found the strength and the focus needed to open his eyes.
A face he thought he'd never see again filled his vision. "Mamoru?" he gasped.
It was Mamoru but something was different. Kyouya did not know what.
Mamoru was kneeling next to him. He was dressed in black and gold armor. His eyes were blazing with authority, and his hand was pressed into Kyouya's chest. He was the source of the gold and heat. All around them was golden light, but Kyouya barely registered it. His gaze was fixed solely on his friend.
Mamoru pulled his hand back and then waved it. A flash of golden magic summoned a sword to Mamoru's hand. It was a double-bladed broadsword with an ivory handle marked with black stripes. It was a blade Kyouya knew well, though he could not fathom how or why. Mamoru held the sword out to him. "Take it," he said.
The golden magic around them swirled in one final salvo before it disappeared in a powerful burst, revealing the forgotten battlefield. They were on the ground in the center of the circle that had been the center of the mob. Seiya, Ryu, and Tamaki were standing around them, watching intently for what would happen next; the citizens of Tokyo who had been only moments ago vying for the Heroes' deaths, were lying in stunned paralyses, and, hovering over them like the demons they were were Zoicite and Malachite, watching with disbelief as the scene unfolded.
Mamoru's eyes narrowed as he pressed the sword insistently against Kyouya's chest. "Take it," he said again, "And kill that bastard!"
Kyouya looked past Mamoru to see Malachite glaring hatefully at him. Their eyes met, and a resounding truth passed between them. Their battle had begun long ago; born in a time and a place where superstition had felled a Pharaoh and an unwanted Fate had driven Kyouya to rebel against it all. "Anubis," Kyouya growled.
"Abomination," Malachite hissed in return.
Kyouya grabbed the sword and, with a surge of magic more powerful than anything he had felt in the Star Light Tower, charged the man who had taken everything he loved away from him.
Tamaki was close behind him. His eyes flashed dangerously, and his steps were equally as determined as Kyouya's, but his target was not so hateful. Zoicite stared at Tamaki with a mix of confusion, pain, and happiness. "Pollex?" she whispered.
Tamaki did not answer. He raised his sai—transformed from common metal to superior crystal—and yelled his battle cry. Zoicite jumped back away from the first charge. "Pollex!" she said again. "Stop!"
Tamaki did not heed her.
Below them, the power of Zoicite's signal pulled the mob unwillingly from its stupor. Mamoru, Ryu, and Seiya watched the enslaved people of Tokyo come to life to do their mistress's bidding.
"We need to destroy the signal," Ryu said.
Seiya nodded. His eyes were closed, and his brow was furrowed. He titled his head as if listening to something far away. A crystal shard slammed into the ground at Seiya's feet. He picked it up and smiled. "Tamaki says the signal is coming from the third satellite at the top. Take this," he said, his eyes still closed as he tossed the crystal to Ryu. "You'll know what to do with it, I think."
Ryu nodded; he placed his hand on Mamoru's shoulder. Fire surged up around them, and they were gone.
Seiya laid his staff on the ground. The time for physical force had passed, thus, he stood tall without his weapon and raised his hands to the sky. He opened his mind to the magic awakened inside of him and let it flow. "You will stop now," he said, and the mob obeyed. His magic sent the command into the minds of every captured human in the courtyard, stopping their advance and hindering the efforts of those beyond. Any whose minds were not under his sway had to push through the frozen horde in order to reach their targets, but once they crossed the threshold into the Tokyo Tower area, they, too, came under his control and froze.
Atop the Tokyo Tower, Ryu and Mamoru worked to break the signal. They had found the third satellite dish and, with an easy stroke of Mamoru's sword, severed the power. "Step one, completed," Mamoru said with a grin.
"Now for the hard part," Ryu said.
Mamoru chuckled and shook his head. He reached for the crystal, which Ryu supplied him. "I've missed this," he said off handedly.
"I believe Tamaki would have a clever thing or two to say here," Ryu said. "Something about missing battle and danger and the like."
"I'm glad to know some things don't change," Mamoru said. He allowed himself a moment's indulgence in the memories that were occupying his mind. When he looked up at Ryu, there was mischief in his eyes. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Ryu said.
Mamoru focused on the crystal. The shard began to glow a soft golden light. Ryu touched the tip of the shard, and fire mixed with the gold. The powers of the two defenders of the earth mixed inside the crystal until it pulsed with the blend of golden light and living fire.
Mamoru touched the magically infused crystal to the antenna of the satellite that had until moments before been broadcasting Zoicite's command. The crystal fused with the metal and spread until the entire satellite dish was covered in glowing crystal. Mamoru and Ryu stepped back in anticipation.
The golden light and living fire surged through the crystal, to the antenna, and rushed out into the open air in a powerful wave of purifying might. It brought healing and purification to the people of Tokyo. As it reversed the damage caused by Zoicite's spell, Seiya added his magic by weaving a single dream over the minds of the people. It lulled them into a haze and commanded them to their homes and their beds where they would awaken the next morning with no memory of what had occurred on this wretched night.
When it was done and the mob had dispersed, Mamoru and Ryu joined Seiya back on the ground and watched the last two members of their team complete their unfinished business with the past.
Zoicite did not like how she felt. For as long as she could remember, her emotions had been simple things. She was adept at wielding them to her needs. She understood anger and hatred and rage against her enemies. She relished the lust and desire she felt when with Malachite. She submitted to the fear and need to prove herself when before her queen. Ambition and pride drove her to do the will of their Great Leader.
But here and now, faced with this boy from her past, she felt something new, like the flutter she had felt earlier when Malachite had threatened the boy, and she hated. It was something warm and soft and yet painful. That cursed golden light had filled her mind with images of a face so like her own who had stood by her for many years only to walk away from her when given the choice. Her chest ached at the thought, and her anger burned because of it. That golden light had made her weak. She despised weakness, yet she could not muster the strength to stamp it out as she once had because this boy!
This boy who had joined the war alongside Sailor Venus, who had intervened in her fight with Jadeite, and who had stolen the Rainbow Crystals; who had defied her in battle and who even now chose to stand against her. This boy who she had mocked and taunted was causing her to feel weak; because that golden light had told her that this boy had another name, one that had been very dear to her once upon a time but was now once again on the opposite side of her convictions.
She did not like how this made her feel at all.
"Pollex," she whispered as she ducked under a spray of crystal shards. How alike their powers were. Both were born with the might of the north buried in their hearts. His had been awakened by the Prince of Terra; hers by the darker touch of their Great Leader. She had only wanted to return to her place by his side. How had he not seen that? They were two as one; they were meant to walk side-by-side as equals. He was the one who had charged ahead of her. It was his fault she chose the Dark Kingdom! If he had not left her, none of this would have happened! Those dark thoughts worked their sinister magic. Her anger blazed higher, momentarily numbing the ache in her chest and giving her the resolve to counter his attacks. She would show him just how powerful she was! She would make him pay for leaving her behind!
She summoned a rain of shards and threw them at him. The dark crystals flew through the air, driving the warrior of Terra out of the sky and back to the ground. She chased after him, a dark crystal sword coming to her hand. He blocked her strike with his crystal sai. "Why must you stand against me?" she demanded as their weapons met.
"You are my enemy," Tamaki said simply. There was no trace of the mirth or mischief that had defined him in this lifetime.
They separated and in the momentary pause between attacks, Zoicite said, "I'm your sister! Your twin! Does that mean nothing?"
"You lost the right to call yourself my anything when you killed me," Tamaki said.
"I would not have killed you had you listened to reason," Zoicite snarled.
"Reason?" Tamaki balked. He charged, and Zoicite met him halfway. "You drove our people to madness, whipped them into a rebellious frenzy against the Golden Throne. You offered them to Beryl! Where was the reason in that?"
As they danced around one another, Zoicite caught sight of the one who was truly to blame. The Prince of Terra stood on the outskirts of the battlefield watching them with those deep blue eyes that Zoicite hated so much! They were the eyes that had looked at her brother with immense love while never once turning to her. He was the one who filled her brother's head with dreams about adventures far away from her. He was the one who convinced her brother to leave her. It was his fault!
Zoicite pulled away from Tamaki, her eyes now focused on the returned Prince. Jadeite and the Scientist stepped in front of the ebony-haired boy, but in the end, it was Tamaki that stopped her. He summoned a wall of crystals to separate her from her prey. Her momentum propelled her into the wall, and his magic phased her through it. She reappeared on the other side of the battlefield, where he was waiting for her with sai raised. She narrowed her eyes as they met again. "You chose that boy over me!"
Her accusation echoed in the air between them.
"Yes," Tamaki acknowledged as his sai caught her blade. "And I will always choose him over you."
Kyouya was fighting in a blind rage. It was white hot, flowing through his blood and giving him a singular focus: kill the man who had killed him. His mind was filled with a past he dared not accept and a present that fueled his vengeance. This man who shared his blood had stolen everything Kyouya had ever loved, and Kyouya would not stop until he had revenge.
Kyouya chased Malachite through the air, across the clearing, and up into the Tower. Wherever the Dark General lead, Kyouya followed. He would not let Malachite escape his sight. The magic pumping inside of him put them on an even playing field. Neither was holding anything back. Dark energy battled against the white and black of Kyouya's magic. The enhanced physical prowess of the Dark Kingdom was pitted against the speed and agility granted him by his birthright. Their swords met, and sparks flew with each momentary contact. They were a blur, moving faster than shadows and barely leaving their imprint on the visual world. Those without magic to guide them would never see the duo; those with magic watched patiently, knowing the severity of this battle.
Every blow Kyouya struck was in retribution for what this man had done. He had murdered their father, the wise Pharaoh of the Central Kingdoms; he had sent Kyouya to a premature death in order to appease superstition; he had turned the people of the Central Kingdoms over to the Dark Kingdom and rebelled against the Golden Throne. He had led the Dark Kingdom against the armies of Terra. He had kidnapped Mamoru, manipulated Venus, put his friends in dangerous countless times, and he had been the one to order the archers to fire on that final day on Terra.
Kyouya yelled his rage. No matter what became of this war in his soul over the past and the present, he would see Malachite die tonight!
And just like that, it ended. In the place between focus and rage where the magics of darkness and light collided, Kyouya saw his opening. He knocked the blade of his opponent away and, with all the powers of the Central Kingdom backing him, rammed his sword through Malachite's unprotected torso.
Somewhere below him, Zoicite screamed in agony, anger, and denial. Kyouya did not heed it. His opponent was still breathing. He would not divert his attention until after Malachite's last breath.
Malachite clutched at the blade. Green blood poured like thick sludge from the wound and spilt down onto the cold stone beneath him. He choked out a laugh through the blood filling his lungs and sneered at Kyouya. "Do you...really think...this will end me?" He chuckled again. He leaned forward in spite of the blade. "My...Queen...will not...leave me to death... our Great Leader...will rise...and...the Dark Kingdom...will rule...all..."
Kyouya pulled his blade free and with a final swing, severed Malachite's head from his shoulders. The body of the Dark Kingdom's greatest warrior dropped to the earth, and as it fell, it dissolved into dust. Kyouya watched the body disappear, Malachite's final threat still ringing in his ears. He looked up at the dark sky, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The cool night air cleared his rage and allowed his soul to focus once more. He flicked the green blood from his sword and prepared for what would need to happen next.
"No!" Zoicite screamed as the body of her lover dissolved before her eyes.
Tamaki utilized the distraction to his advantage. He wanted to end this battle swiftly before the emotions raging in his heart overwhelmed him. He struck fast and accurately. Crystals flew through the air, their aim true, to strike where he commanded.
The crystals wrapped around Zoicite's ankles, wrists, waist, and neck. Each one struck with such force as to drive Zoicite to the ground. Before her sorrow could clear, the sole remaining General found herself pinned to the ground by her brother's crystals. The pure shards morphed around her, forming cuffs around her ankles and wrists; the edges dug into the ground, trapping her. The same happened around her waist and neck. Zoicite could not move; still, she struggled against the bonds, shouting curses at them even as the tears poured from her eyes.
Tamaki walked over to his trapped sister, sheathing his sai as he went. He knelt next to her and placed one hand over her eyes and the other over her heart. Only then did he allow the tears that had threatened him since the golden light's unlocking of his past to rise in his eyes and find freedom on his cheeks.
"Pollex," Zoicite whimpered suddenly.
Tamaki's fingers flinched over her eyes. He leaned over her to press his forehand against his hand acting as the blindfold. "I'm here," he whispered.
Her tears were hot beneath his hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I know," Tamaki breathed, unable to raise his voice over a whisper least it break under his despair. He closed his eyes and focused his magic to the hand pressing into his sister's chest. "Don't worry," he whispered as his mind replayed the memories of who she had been before the Dark Kingdom corrupted her. "I'm going to save you."
His magic coalesced; his fingers flexed over her heart; and a crystal shard, pure and strong, shot forth to do its Master's will. The shard pierced her heart and ended her pain.
Tamaki held his breath as the last of hers leaked out into the air. Then, as the quiet of reality settled in around him, he released the sob that had risen in his throat. He clutched his sister's jacket and pressed a trembling kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Castor," he whispered only to her.
He stayed there, not moving even as her body began to dissolve. He held on tight, refusing to let go. He had lost her so long ago; he would not leave her now until the last of her essence disappeared on the wind.
Behind him, Ryu, Seiya, and Mamoru gathered. Tamaki forced himself to sit back on his heels. His face was turned toward the sky, and his tears fell unhindered. Mamoru gripped his shoulder, giving what comfort her could. "It will be ok," he promised.
"I know," Tamaki said with a shaky breath. "She's free now."
Mamoru squeezed Tamaki's shoulder once more, and then he turned away.
He was not surprised when he was greeted by Kyouya's sword pressing into his throat.
Ryu and Seiya stepped back in shock; Tamaki stared with widening eyes.
Mamoru stood with unnatural calm as Kyouya glared at him.
"Who are you?" Kyouya demanded.
Mamoru smiled a mysterious sort of smile and said, "That is the question, isn't it?"
A.N.: Hello everyone. Here it is! Mamoru's return. Or is it? What does Kyouya know that the others don't? Or is it the other way around? Answers coming in the next chapter.
The references to Tamaki's and Kyouya's Silver Millennium histories are explained in detail in "Here Without You". I do hope by this time you have all taken a moment to read the original Never Gone Universe. Those stories will help fill some of the gaps I am purposefully leaving in this story. I have detailed the Silver Millennium as canonized in Never Gone in the original fic universe. For the sake of time, I am not repeating every single detail here.
Secondly, to those who may be getting confused about the overall story line because you are unfamiliar with the original anime, google search "Sailor Moon Episode Guide". Wikipedia has a great summary of each episode. It has helped refresh my memory while writing this. I am certain it will help you as well.
Lastly, on that note, I wanted to rehash the Zoicite/Tanzanite parallel. When I developed the original Never Gone Universe, I tackled the unexplained questions as to how or why the Generals would turn on Endymion so easily. My theories are laid out in Never Gone, and I have hinted at it in this story. In the 90's anime English dub, they made Zoicite a girl. I decided to build on that idea by making her the evil twin. I, then, stumbled upon in another Sailor Scout/Generals fic that Tanzanite and Zoicite were the same mineral, and the history of Tanzanite and Zoicite was born from there.
I believe those were the only things I wanted to cover in this author's note. We are 3 chapters away from the end. Hang on to your seats everyone. I will en devour to finish this fic before the new year. Reviews are love and motivation.
Warm Regards,
Jecir