I always got the feeling that Rubeus was really f*cking creepy. Like Criminal Minds psychopath, no remorse, enjoyed torturing animals as a small child creepy. Maybe that's just me. There was something about him though… I don't know. Also, side note… by the Stars Arc I feel like Mamoru being brainwashed shouldn't have been such a freaking surprise. I mean the boy is obviously way too pretty for his own good – all the evil Queens/Senshi gone bad want a piece of him. Instead of Usagi getting all weepy eyed and being like "ZOMG not Mamo-chan!" it would have been way more realistic for her to say something along the lines of "Bro, really?" Maybe it has something to do with the car accident he was in as a child, or his lack of guardians but DAMN he is easy to brainwash.
Also OMG this Saturday is the last episode of SM Crystal. So I'm hoping they announce the next arc. Because seriously I will be so sad if it's over. I need to see SMC Neptune and Uranus. And omg Saturn. Seriously how good was last Saturday's? Pluto stole the show. And made me cry. And like, come on, she is legit the supermodel of the series. She is so beautiful. OMG. Okay anyway. Read on… *hides*
"World shaking!" "Deep submerge!" A large yellow orb hurtled through the ground, mixing with another orb turbulent with the water of the ocean, combining to form a deadly attack that hit Rubeus with full force from behind before he could even comprehend what was happening. His eyes went wide, mouth trained into a small 'o' before his body was ripped from his spine, a pile of bones and melted flesh before her boot.
"What the…" Usagi gasped, shielding her eyes with a gloved hand. Two female figures cast in shadow stepped forward in unison as Usagi squinted to make out their features. One was tall with short white hair and fiery blue eyes, her bow bright yellow against her deep navy skirt, collar, and slouchy boots. In her hand she clutched a sword and held an air of confidence that would put Mars to shame. Next to her was an aquamarine haired beauty with gentle turquoise eyes, her uniform and heels a rich teal color. Her bows were a deep navy blue that reminded Usagi of the ocean, and she clutched an intricately carved teal hand mirror in one of her gloved hands.
"Princess Serenity," the shorthaired senshi greeted her, kneeling and bowing her head. "We would like to offer ourselves to protect you," the other soldier kneeled beside her, faces solemn as they awaited her response.
"I… well, I don't mean to sound rude but –"
"Who are we?" The soldier with turquoise hair interrupted, a gentle smile gracing her features. "No, I suppose you wouldn't ever have heard of us."
"As it should have been," the girl with short hair stood, a look of fierce determination on her face as she crossed her arms. "We are the outer senshi, and it was our sworn mission to protect you from threats from the outside of our solar system."
"Only we failed you," the other senshi added, a look of sadness falling across her face. "We were too late to come to your aid, and by the time we realized what had occurred, you were dead and Queen Selenity was about to use the Silver Crystal.
"But that only answers part of your question. Guarded by Neptune, planet of the deep blue sea, I am the solider of affinity, Sailor Neptune," the turquoise haired beauty smiled warmly, offering a dainty curtsey. Usagi smiled shyly, curtseying in return.
"And I am guarded by Uranus, planet of the skies. I am the Soldier of Flight, Sailor Uranus." She nodded her head slightly in greeting, giving off a domineering personality that both awed and intimidated Usagi.
"There are two others among us, one of whom I believe you have already met," Neptune replied, winking at Usagi. Her sheer beauty made Usagi blush, the delicacy in which she carried herself – and yet she had just destroyed Rubeus with the flick of her wrist. One would be a fool to underestimate her.
"Sailor Pluto?" Usagi questioned, Uranus' nod affirming the answer. "So I… what do I do now?"
"We will protect you while you locate the Silver Crystal," Uranus replied in a tone that implied she thought it was the most obvious thing ever. Usagi blushed, looking down at the ground. The last thing she wanted was for these new soldiers to think she was an idiot.
She thought back to Queen Selenity's words, to the way Pluto had brushed off the importance of locating it… perhaps it was something she carried within her, something she had had the whole time?
But could it really be so simple? Could I have carried it all this time… could I have prevented the deaths of all my friends long ago, could I have prevented this from happening all together?
No, even if it is within me I don't know how to access it. Or use it. What good is something if I can't use it?
"Care to clue us in to the great workings of your mind?" A dry voice interrupted her, pulling her back to the present while Neptune elbowed Uranus sharply in the side. "Don't mind her, she's not much for manners," she replied coolly with a toss of her wavy hair over her shoulder. Usagi giggled at the display, the sound musical in the dead space and a relief to her. It was the first time she had laughed since, well, since before Mamoru had been taken.
Taken, she reaffirmed with determination, clutching her hand around his timepiece. Taken, not dead. Mars said I would know if he… he can't be dead.
"You seem… familiar to me," Usagi replied after a moment, unable to set her mind on what it was about the white haired soldier that she recognized.
"Do I, odango?" she laughed, winking at Usagi. She gasped, eyes wide as she pointed at Uranus. This only seemed to spur Uranus' laughter further as Usagi's cheeks flushed a brilliant pink.
"Haruka?!"
The solider winked again and gave a cheeky bow, adding a flourish with her hand. "At your service, Princess."
"But you're… you… I thought you were…" she flushed bright red, remembering the rainy kiss Haruka had placed on her lips.
"The key word is thought, Odango," she replied impishly, clearly enjoying the way her Princess was squirming. Beside her Michiru rolled her eyes, scanning the area around them. "Boy, girl, what does it matter really. I don't adhere to labels. Besides – I don't remember ever saying I was a boy, you made the assumption on your own."
"Yes, but you didn't exactly correct her either, did you?" Michiru replied sharply, turning on Haruka with her hands on her hips. "Honestly, we've got more important things to focus on, stop messing around." "I made her laugh, didn't I? That's got to count for something." Uranus leaned forward, pressing her lips to Neptune's cheek in a gesture that made Usagi blush, warm from the love that radiated between them, and empty simultaneously from missing Mamoru.
"Everyone kept referencing a dark side of the moon earlier before they attacked," she began bravely, taking a deep breath. "I think – no, I know that's where Metaria is. That's where we need to go."
The pair nodded in agreement, heading forward from Rubeus' ashes. They flanked either side of her, strong warriors of their own right, painted faces of indifference reminding her of Pluto.
"You said there were four of you, didn't you?" She finally interrupted, her feet tired and resolve fading. "The fourth – who is she?" Neptune and Uranus exchanged a charged look that did not go unnoticed by Usagi, the kind of look your parents give when they're trying to think of a way to not tell you something.
"Well, I assume you learned the planets of the solar system at some point during your education, Odango. There are nine. Eight of which have senshi in the typical sense. Earth has it's own protector, if you will."
"Mamo-chan…" she replied in awe, blushing as Haruka rolled her eyes. "Okay. So Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury are all a part of my immediate guard. That would mean my outer guard consists of… Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn?"
They nodded, their faces carefully drawn into masks to betray no emotion. "There you go, Sailor Saturn is the last of the outer senshi."
"Why do you say her name like it's a bad thing?" she rounded on them, curiosity getting the better of her as she stuck her hands on her hips.
"Why don't you stay focused on the task at hand, hm?" Uranus fired back, arching a sculpted eyebrow. "Instead of dredging up myths from the past." A dark shadow cast over them, shrouding them in near darkness. The only light came from Usagi's crescent wand, Uranus' saber which was drawn close, and the curious mirror that Neptune clutched close to her chest.
"What Haruka is trying to say, Sailor Moon, in her less than subtle –" "Neptune look out –"
There was a burst of water and crackle of dark energy as the two collided head on, the heavy attack of dark power that seemed to have come out of nowhere and the whirlpool of sparkling waves that shot from Neptune's mirror to surround her.
"This, Odango, is where we take our leave." Uranus replied in a mechanical voice, yanking Usagi by the arm so hard she worried it might break off all together. She no longer had the energy in her to fight, to beg her to let her stay, to kick and scream. She went limp, the sadness of it all washing over her, drowning her as Uranus stopped to grip her shoulders.
"I will carry you if I have to," she threatened, although there was a deadness to her eyes, no real spark. "How can you just carry on –" there was a shriek and a quake that rocked the ground beneath their feet, sending Usagi flying forward into Haruka's arms. A compact appeared out of the black, flung towards Haruka like a Frisbee. She caught it easily, pressing it to her lips for a brief moment of mourning before clipping it to her skirt "When she… when you… you love her," she framed the last words as a statement, not a question. Haruka just gave her a sad smile, cupping Usagi's cheek with one hand.
"I do. More than anything, maybe, except my love for you, for my destiny. Michiru and I knew what we were getting into when we vowed to find you, to join you this time in the fight for the universe, Odango. We said our goodbyes long ago. Our love for each other was always second to something greater – our love for you. You have to remember that," she spoke fiercely now, blue eyes blazing and hands gripping Usagi's shoulders. "Remember that when we've all fallen, Odango. That we would all give our lives for you all over again, every time, and that doing so is the highest honor."
"I wish it didn't have to be that way," she whispered, trying her best not to cry again. To this Haruka simply rolled her eyes, clapping Usagi on the back. "Yeah well it is. Might as well get over it now, Odango. Besides, see that dark scary looking cloud up ahead?" Usagi followed to where Haruka was pointing, biting her lip as she took in the site. Purple lightening split the sky from deep black clouds. The ground was coated in black ice, deadly cold and sinister in the starless sky.
"Hope you weren't expecting something cozier," Haruka teased, taking Usagi's hand in hers. "C'mon, Odango, we'll charge them together."
The next few seconds passed in a haze as they ran forward bracing themselves for – well they weren't exactly sure what but something, anything. The emptiness, the sheer lack of people or monsters was scarier than being attacked.
"Where are they?" Usagi whispered after a moment, staring nervously around them. "Do we have the wrong place?"
"No," Haruka shook her head adamantly, gripping her saber in one hand. "This is definitely the right place, there's a heavy atmosphere of evil coating the air. "They're trying to psych us out, to split us up –"
"No!" Uranus screamed, throwing herself into Usagi's path. The sky cracked open, Usagi barely having a second to dive out of the way while Haruka took the blunt of the attack, her body spasming as the purple lightning coursed through her veins. She fell to the ground, scorch marks covering her body.
"Uranus!" Usagi shrieked, falling to her knees beside her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "Usagi," she grimaced, clutching Usagi's arms. "I… failed you."
"No," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You saved me." Haruka gave her a slight smile, her shoulders shaking violently in Usagi's arms. "My greatest wish would be that we meet again, under better circumstances. That is what I will fight for, Haruka. The chance for us all to be reborn, happy and whole."
"Yes," she murmured, eyelids barely staying open. "That sounds… nice, Odango Atama. Don't let them get to you, Usagi. You have to… fight."
Usagi held her close, Haruka's breaths shallow and labored. Desperation clutched at her as Haruka's eyes began to close, Usagi shaking her desperately as her pulse began to slow. "Haruka! Wait, you can't leave me, please! I need you, I can't do this alone."
Haruka raised a trembling hand to Usagi's cheek, tears filling her own eyes. "Don't be… such a crybaby…" her eyes fell closed, the hand curved around Usagi's cheek falling to the side. She faded away until all that was left were her compact and Neptune's, glittering orbs in Usagi's lap until those too disappeared, balls of yellow and turquoise light into her compact.
"Well?" She screamed at the sky, and the wind, at anyone who was listening. "You got me alone, wasn't that what you wanted?" She shrieked, tears steaming down her cheeks. "Here I am!" She held out her arms desperate for a face, a thing she could take this new rage out on. The anger burned at her, a heavy feeling building in her chest. A tear landed on her glove, twinkling in the light cast by the crescent wand. She placed a hand to her chest and it was as if she could almost grasp something concrete, feel her fingers closing around glittering petals…
So I was right, when I guessed it was within me. It's right here, on the edge, begging for me to release it… The lotus shape hovered above the palm of her hand briefly, fleetingly before flickering and returning to her chest as she gasped for breath. "Well, come on!" She yelled again, forcing herself to her feet. A new strength poured through her, a moment of relief that maybe everything hadn't been in vain.
The woman that appeared out of the air was familiar and foreign all at once, her red eyes and black hair blending in with the dark atmosphere. If Usagi was being entirely truthful with herself she looked just like Queen Selenity, or more correctly a perversion of everything Queen Selenity was. Her black hair was twisted into the same hairstyle her mother fondly wore, the upside down black crescent glaring at Usagi from between her bangs. A black gown clung to every curve of her body, with black, batlike wings extending from her back. In the center of her chest, a green jewel broach glittered menacingly.
I've seen that green gem before…
Usagi laughed, the sound musical and light in the world of darkness she stood in now, shaking her head at the furious woman before her. "I see. So you've stepped up to replace Beryl? I warn you, Metaria's pawns don't last long. We've already gone through… let's see…" she began to tick off the fallen Dark Kingdom assaillants on her fingers, "The four Akayashi sisters, Beryl, and Rubeus. Oh and we turned your four generals back to who they were meant to be, not the twisted version you had forced them to become. That makes eleven. So far."
The woman regarded her carefully, her tongue laced with poison. "Careful, Serenity. Every attack that has been meant for you today was taken by someone else. What will you do now that they've fallen? Who, little princess, is going to save you now?
"We've met before, you know. You were quite young… you probably don't remember. But I do," her red eyes shone bright with centuries of bitterness, a grudge she would never let go. "I don't need to kill you right away, anyway. I prefer to play with my food first, so to speak."
"Moon healing –"
"Ah ah ah," a perfectly aimed beam of purple lightning shattered her crescent wand and sliced across her palm, drawing blood. She fell to her knees as she desperately tried to piece her wand back together, all the while knowing it was futile. "Now," the dark Queen whispered, tilting her head roughly. "I'll agree not to break anymore of your… toys, little princess, and you'll listen to what I have to say, hm?"
The Queen laughed delightedly as Usagi tried to move but found she was unable to, frozen in spot on the ice. "That's a good girl. Now, where to begin? Oh, but first I should introduce you to my newest friend," she flashed her forked tongue as she snapped her fingers, Usagi's heart clenching as her eyes took in a shape that brought simultaneous joy and dread to her.
Endymion.
"Now," she began, running her hand along Endymion's arm playfully. "You see I was quite upset to be the only one your dear mother forgot to invite to your coronation, princess." She began, trailing her fingers through Endymion's hair.
But he's alive… Usagi held onto that tiny glimmer of hope, that small beacon of light in this otherwise dark world.
"Naturally I gave her the benefit of the doubt and assumed she had simply been mistaken but, when I was met with an icy at best reception I knew that had not been the case. And here I was, poor Queen Nehellenia simply trying to bestow a gift upon the crown princess." She smirked, clearly enjoying her method of slow torture. "Now, when I was so rudely cast aside you can image how I felt, surely. So I did the next best thing – I cast a curse that the Moon Kingdom would fall and their precious princess," she spat, her face contorting hideously in rage, "would never reach the throne."
"And I succeeded. The Moon Kingdom fell, you were dead, your senshi had been killed and Metaria was raining down on the Moon Kingdom like the acid rains of Nemesis. Everything was going according to plan and beyond until she pulled out that crystal. And then the world halted. We were shattered, split apart and reborn anew. You were given another chance to succeed, but I knew my curse was not so weak. I knew you would never beat me," she hissed, gripping Usagi's chin painfully between her thumb and forefinger.
"You're wasting my time," Usagi panted, trying to push past Nehellenia's invisible barrier. "I have nothing to say to you, I wish to speak to Metaria."
A hand slapped hard across her cheek, the skin stinging in it's wake. "Arrogant girl," Nehellenia screamed, enraged by Usagi's request. "You do not speak to Metaria, Metaria is not a being you simply walk up to. Metaria, is a state of being, Metaria, you pathetic excuse for a future Queen, is all around us." She leaned forward close enough that her blood red eyes were inches from Usagi's and a long shiver passed down Usagi's spine.
I can see… ropes, black ropes if I focus hard enough. If I focus within… yes I can move them, I can move them out of my way. Then if I just…
Without warning Usagi thrust her head forward, knocking her forehead hard against Nehellenia's as the Queen flew backwards. Usagi used her moment of distraction to jump to her feet, wincing as the shattered crescent wand crunched beneath the soles of her boots.
Goodbye, old friend. Luna will be so pissed –
A wave of melancholy washed over her, and she had to clutch her chest to stop herself from reeling back. Oh Luna, I wish I could see you again one last time. I'm glad you're not here though, at the end of all things. You wouldn't have wanted to see this.
When she glanced up her breath caught in her throat. Nehellenia held a blade to Mamoru's throat, pressed hard enough against the flesh to draw tiny beads of blood. Usagi's triumph from breaking free of her invisible ropes was all but gone as she stared in horror at Nehellenia.
"You can save him, Serenity," she whispered in a devilish voice, eyes shining with the possibility of false promises. "I'll give him to you if you hand over the crystal."
"I would never," Usagi replied shakily, but even she could hear the uncertainty, the lack of confidence on her tongue.
The dark Queen abandoned Endymion's side, stretching out her skeletal hand to Usagi as her red eyes gleamed. Usagi just stared at her blankly, unsure of what to say.
"You'd give him to me, unharmed?" She whispered, afraid of the answer, afraid of her heart taking over for her brain.
"Well, minus a few cuts and scratches," she simpered, face positively glowing despite the darkness. "All you have to do," she continued hands cupped while her face shone with positive greed. "Princess, is hand me the crystal. And Endymion is all yours."
There was a deafening crack that shook the air, suspending everything except Usagi in a state of frost that leeched the color away. Nobody blinked, the winds didn't kiss treacherous whispers against her ears, and chests didn't rise and fall with the soft rhythm of breaths. A swish of jade hair and fearful garnet iris' appeared before Serenity as Pluto kneeled before her and clutched her hand tightly in hers.
"I know what you want to do," she whispered urgently, fear seeping through her tight grasp. "I know and I understand. But you cannot. Earth depends on you." She spoke the next words with the trained indifference of a soldier who had stood aside while humans ripped each other apart, while people she had grown fond of from afar died, of someone who carried out her lives in the mists of the time dimension and knew nothing more. "You must let him die."
