SailorStar9: You ladies wanted this chapter, so here goes. This is Chapter 37 of this fic, so please be a dear and review.
Disclaimers: I do not own the animes. But I do own the pairing, I hope.
Chapter 37: Wiseman's Evil Hand! Chibi-Usa Disappears
In the Black Moon clan's headquarters...
"Sapphir, turn the maximum output of the Evil Black Crystal onto the Crystal Palace on Earth." Demando instructed. "As soon as everything is ready, we will descend to Earth once again.
"Nii-san!" Sapphir protested. "Neo-Queen Adeline has refused to kneel before you now, even as she did in the past."
"Sapphir." Demando growled.
"You have forgotten the ultimate objective of the Dark Moon Clan." Sapphir pressed. "The bitter grudge that our ancestors who had no choice but to leave the beautiful Earth and to come to live here on Nemesis. I have not forgotten our plan to avenge them by altering Earth's history."
"Prince Demando!" Esmeraude gasped when Demando blasted Sapphir against a pillar.
"If you have time to lecture me, hurry up and start adjusting the reactor for the Evil Black Crystal." Demando snapped.
"Nii-san..." Sapphir winced.
"Neo-Queen Adeline..." Demando gazed at the hologram. "I will make her mine, no matter what."
In the Crystal Palace...
"So, this is the Crystal Palace." Jupiter noted. "It's almost frighteningly quiet here. Was every last person in this palace really killed?"
"But if this palace is protected by the legendary Ginzuishou, this place should not have been damaged so easily." Luna pointed out.
"I wonder what the hell happened to the Ginzuishou in this world?" Artemis wondered.
"Small Lady, what's the matter?" Eos asked, picking up Luna-P which had dropped onto the ground.
"I wonder if Dragon Solaris and Mercury are all right?" Luna mused.
"Now, let's go save them." Mars suggested.
"Mars." Venus stopped her. "King Endymion!"
"Look, Sailor Senshi." Endymion activated the mainframe.
"Mercury!" the girls beamed, seeing the couple hurrying back to the palace.
"Mom!" Aurora and Eos greeted their mother.
"Everyone!" Mercury smiled as the girls gathered in front of her. "I'm so glad to see you again."
"Group hug!" Venus declared, the reunited Senshi engulfed each other in a group hug.
"This person..." Moon blinked, seeing her future self asleep in the crystal case.
"She is the Queen who governs Crystal Tokyo, Neo-Queen Serenity." Endymion supplied. "She is my wife."
"Mom." Chibi-Usa ran towards the crystal. "I brought Moon and her friends from the world of the past. Mom, please open your eyes."
"King, why did the Queen become like this?" Tuxedo Kaman inquired.
"Is she still alive?" Dragon Venus asked.
"I do not know." Endymion admitted. "If only we had not lose the legendary Ginzuishou, we would have had one last hope, but..."
"The Ginzuishou was lost?" Dragon Venus echoed. "How?"
"I do not know that either." Endymion replied. "I can only think that it was taken somehow, just before the Dark Moon clan began to attack."
"But, if it's the Ginzuishou, Moon has one too." Dragon Mars reminded.
"Will I be able to wake up the Queen with my Ginzuishou?" Moon wondered, grasping her brooch.
"Give it a try." Luna suggested.
"Moon!" Artemis agreed.
"Have confidence in yourself, Moon." Tuxedo Kaman advised.
"Yes." Moon nodded. "Moon Crystal Power!"
"She didn't respond at all." Dragon Solaris remarked, after the light wave vanished.
"So, she can't..." Chibi-Usa was stunned. "Even Moon can't save my mom."
"Chibi-Usa!" Moon gasped as the child ran out.
"Small Lady!" Aurora and Eos exclaimed.
"Let her be herself for now." Tuxedo Kaman stopped the girls.
"She will be safe as long as she is inside this palace." Dragon Solaris told his daughters.
Outside the Crystal Palace...
"Mom..." Chibi-Usa sobbed and sat on a swing. "Mom, what should I do?"
"Who's there?" she demanded, hearing Wiseman's chuckle.
"I foresee the star of my fate is at its most ideal." Wiseman manifested before her. "That is to say, the capture of the Rabbit."
"I can't move..." Chibi-Usa was stunned in place when she tried to flee.
"It is no use." Wiseman chuckled. "This place is already within our territory. I see it, the terror lurking in your heart." he delved into her memories. "Abandoned in a corner of your mind, wrapped up in a veil of oblivion, your memory of the legendary Ginzuishou..."
"No..." Chibi-Usa dropped Luna-P as Wiseman forced her to reopen her memories. "No!"
Chibi-Usa's memory sequence
"My wonderful mom." Chibi-Usa recalled."A great queen loved by all."
"Small Lady, you were up to no good again, weren't you?" Uranus chided when Chibi-Usa broke a vase.
"If you keep acting like that, you'll never become a fine lady." Neptune scolded.
"Ha, I will too!" Chibi-Usa retorted.
"Small Lady!" Neptune rebuked.
"I want to hurry up and become a lady too." Chibi-Usa ran to the stand where her mother kept the Ginzuishou. "Hurry up and... hurry up and become a real lady. Just like Mom! Just for a little while... I'll only borrow it for a bit. Because if I hold the legendary Ginzuishou, I'll get to be like my wonderful Mom."
"No!" she screamed when the crystal burst into full light between her hands. "Oh, the Ginzuishou... no! Please don't disappear!" she begged as the crystal vanished into her body.
"Small Lady!" Neo-Queen Serenity called to her daughter as the Black Moon began their assault.
"Mom!" Chibi-Usa wailed as the Dragons encased the Queen inside the crystal case before the Dark Moon energy beam hit her.
"Dad!" Chibi-Usa ran into the control room. "No!" she cried when her father shielded her from the assault. Dad! Mom!"
"I see." Wiseman noted. "So, the Ginzuishou vanished. And fearful of the crime you had committed, you erased the incident from your own memory."
"No!" Chibi-Usa protested. "It wasn't my fault."
"Well, let's see what they have to say about it then." Wiseman taunted.
"What?" Chibi-Usa opened her eyes.
"It's all your fault, Small Lady!" Sailor Aurora scolded.
"It's because you lost the Ginzuishou." Sailor Eos accused.
"The Queen went outside the Crystal Palace in search of you." Sailor Chibi Mars retorted.
"That's why she was attacked." Sailor Chibi Jupiter added.
"It's all your fault." Sailor Chibi Venus rebuked.
"No!" Chibi-Usa wailed. "No!"
"It's all your fault!" the second generation Senshi accused in unison. "It's all your fault!"
"I did nothing wrong!" Chibi-Usa insisted. "I just touched the Ginzuishou for a second! It's not my fault!"
"It's all your fault!" the second generation Senshi chorused.
"Small Lady." Sailor Aurora started.
"No!" Chibi-Usa wailed, as the recollection of the Dragons encasing the Queen within the crystal appeared again. "It's not my fault!"
"That is right, Rabbit." Wiseman droned. "You are correct. And you must assert your innocence by force."
"I can do that?" Chibi-Usa asked. "I can get everyone to understand me?"
"You can make them understand that you are correct." Wiseman replied. "Now, take my hand."
In the Black Moon clan's headquarters...
"My, I wonder if the reactor for the Evil Black Crystal trembling with the excitement to do battle as well?" Esmeraude wondered as the crystal glowed brightly when Chibi-Usa took Wiseman's hand.
"It is the same as if we were holding a bomb." Sapphir noted.
"What?" Esmeraude blinked.
"My brother does not understand just how dangerous the Evil Black Crystal's power is." Sapphir explained. "We have followed the guidance of that questionable sorcerer, Wiseman, but perhaps that path has been mistaken."
"Who would ever trust that Wiseman?" Esmeraude laughed. "I'm sure even Prince Demando is well aware of that."
"Sapphir, have you finished preparing the reactor yet?" Demando asked.
"Prince Demando, there is no need for you to use the Evil Black Crystal so wastefully." Esmeraude voiced. "Please allow Esmeraude to handle this. Oh, Prince Demando!" she gasped when the 'White Prince' vanished from sight.
"Nii-san is allowing his emotions to rule him." Sapphir concluded. "If he had never fallen in love with Neo-Queen Adeline, we would have killed Moon and accomplished our goal by now."
"What are you saying?" Esmeraude fumed, throwing her fan to the ground. "It's ridiculous! What's the big deal about the Queen? If Wiseman is using us, that's fine by me! I don't know what his goals are, but I will be the one to use him in the end! In order to make Prince Demando's wish come true, the woman who will establish the future with Prince Demando will not be Neo-Queen Adeline. It will be me!"
"Wiseman, where are you?" she stormed into the sorcerer's chamber. "Show yourself! Who's there?" she demanded, hearing a series of laughter. "There shouldn't be any more Droids left at this base. Who are you?"
"Wiseman." she looked at the sorcerer who had manifested in front of her.
"The dead say 'Anger comes from within and gives you strength.'" Wiseman quoted. "'A double-edged sword that bewitches what you hear and what you think.'"
"Are you saying that I imagined hearing that?" Esmeraude retorted. "Well, never mind that. Wiseman, I need your help. I will be personally taking charge of attacking the Crystal Palace. And to do that, I will need a power greater than anything else. I am sure you will be able to give me that."
"Is this an order from the Prince?" Wiseman asked.
"No, but if I can settle this conflict, this shouldn't be a bad deal for you." Esmeraude replied.
"I foresee the image of the Queen reigning over the coming future." Wiseman prophesized. "That is Queen Esmeraude."
Queen? Esmeraude's eyes widened at the image of her being Queen.
"The difference in power that sets you apart from Neo-Queen Adeline is exceedingly slight." Wiseman added. "In short, with the power of the Evil Black Crystal, you will surpass the Queen."
I will be Queen... Esmeraude realized her biggest dream was about to come true. "I don't want you to think that I can be lured to take the bait so easily." she added, the black crystal crown that manifested from Wiseman's crystal ball floated over to her. "But if it's to win Prince Demando's heart, I will even make a deal with the Devil himself."
Taking crown, she screamed as the power flowed through her body, before she was turned into Queen Esmeraude. "This power brimming within my body! I am indeed the Queen of the future! The ruler who will govern the world together with Prince Demando."
"Are you certain of that?" Wiseman taunted.
"What?" Esmeraude snapped, before the Evil Black Crystal's power begun to engulf her body. "What is this?"
"Did you think someone like you could handle the true power of the Evil Black Crystal?" Wiseman mocked. "You shall sacrifice your life for me."
"Damn you, Wiseman." Esmeraude cursed as she fell to the ground, the Evil Black Crystal's power overtaking her. "Prince Demando, I wanted to rule the country of the future with you..."
"Foolish woman." Wiseman chuckled as Esmeraude turned into a giant black dragon. Bursting out of the wall, she teleported towards the Crystal Palace.
In the Crystal Palace...
"Oh no!" Moon wailed, shielding her head as the roof threatened the crumble.
"What is this?" Venus complained as the group entered the control room.
"What?" Moon gasped at the large dragon.
"You're kidding me, right?" Mars was stunned. "We're going to fight that thing?"
"Wait, do not panic, my friends." Endymion replied.
"This is..." Tuxedo Kaman blinked as the blueprints come on screen.
"What a fantastic technological facility." Mercury gushed.
"Look." Endymion started. "You must not be deceived by its appearance. You must have keen sight to ascertain its true form. That dragon is formed by amplified life energy. In other words, the energy of a person's heart."
"A person's heart?" Mars echoed.
"What kind of heart would create a monster like that?" Moon whined.
"At this rate, it's going to break through the barrier." Dragon Solaris remarked as the palace shook.
"We have no choice." Dragon Venus stated. "But to go outside and draw the dragon's attention away."
I knew it... Moon sweatdropped.
"Anyway, let's do whatever we can." Dragon Mars noted. "Because that's what we came to the future for."
"Yes." everyone else nodded.
"King, please take care of Chibi-Usa..." Tuxedo Kaman requested. "No, I mean, Small Lady."
Endymion nodded and Tuxedo Kaman took off after the group.
"Be strong, brave ones." Endymion prayed.
Outside the Crystal Palace...
"Oh!" Moon cried in horror as the dragon attacked the barrier over and over. "Seeing it up close like this, it's just as big as I thought."
"We'll lose if we're frightened, Moon." Mercury advised.
"But how should we fight it?" Mars wondered, the dragon flying towards them, the group blown off by the downdraft.
"Well, we just have to take a chance." Venus decided. "Venus Love Me Chain!"
"Wisp Ray!"
"Sunshine!" Dragon Venus hurried to his female counterpart's side when the dragon knocked her off her feet by the downdraft, their combined attack barely scratching the beast.
In the Crystal Palace...
"Did they do it?" Artemis wondered in the control room. "No good..." he noted as the wound closed.
"No, they clearly inflicted some damage." Luna corrected, looking closely at the data.
"Everyone, go for it!" they encouraged.
"Serenity, if you can hear me, please give those brave ones your strength." Endymion approached his comatose wife. "Small Lady..." he blinked when Luna-P rolled in.
Outside the Crystal Palace...
"It's coming." Jupiter warned, the group flung apart by the tail.
"Are you all right, Moon?" Dragon Venus asked.
"Yeah..." Moon replied.
"Shoot!" Jupiter cursed. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she electrocuted the dragon, causing it to fall the ground. "Did I do it?"
"Yay!" Moon whooped. "That's our Jupiter!"
"She did it!" she ran towards the crater. "She did it! She did it!"
"It's still dangerous!" Tuxedo Kaman warned. "Don't go near it, Moon!"
"Oh, it's fine." Moon waved his concerns aside. "Don't worry." before screaming in fear when the dragon emerged from the smoke. "Tuxedo Kaman..." she muttered after the tuxedo-clad hero jumped in to take her away.
"Let's do it." Mars stated.
"Okay!" Mercury nodded.
"Burning Mandala!"
"Fire Spikes!"
"Aqua Mirage!"
"It's no use." Dragon Mars remarked, after the dragon scattered the ice on its tail and blew its three attackers to the ground. "There's no end to it."
"Are we just not powerful enough to beat it?" Mercury wondered.
"Don't give up." Dragon Solaris cut in.
"Remember what the King said." Dragon Venus added. "Ascertain it's true form, and believe in the power of justice."
"Ascertain it's true form?" Mercury echoed.
"That dragon's true form is..." Jupiter blinked.
"A person's heart." Moon realized.
"Watch out!" Tuxedo Kaman shielded Moon from the dragon's flames.
"Let's do it then." Dragon Solaris looked at his female counterpart.
"Yes." Mercury nodded and Tuxedo Kaman and the Dragons sprung into action.
Dodging its fire, the males released their attacks directly onto the dragon's tiara gem.
"Now!" Dragon Venus called. "Don't hesitate!"
"Yes!" the girls nodded and readied their attacks.
"Please, Moon Scepter." Moon pleaded with her weapon. "Moon Princess Halation!"
"Freezing Storm!"
"Burning Mandala!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Crescent Storm!"
The array of attacks washed over the dragon, revealing its original form, Esmeraude.
"Esmeraude..." Moon blinked at the image as the image vanished, along with the crown.
In the Black Moon clan's headquarters...
Prince Demando... Esmeraude passed her last thoughts to the Prince.
"Esmeraude..." Demando muttered.
In the Crystal Palace...
"They did it!" Artemis beamed. "They did it, Luna!"
"King?" Luna looked over at Endymion.
"Small Lady is disappeared." Endymion informed. "There is no sign of her anywhere in the Crystal Palace."
"What?" Artemis, Luna, Aurora and Eos gasped.
In the Black Moon clan's headquarters...
"So, Esmeraude has fallen." Wiseman noted. "Well, that is all right. My true objective is not the victory of the Black Moon, the Dark Moon Clan. Both Sapphir and Prince Demando will eventually end up sacrificing their lives for a greater purpose. The power which I truly desire is already in my hands."
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review. In the next chapter, Wiseman turns Chibi-Usa into Black Lady by altering her memories. He makes her believe that nobody ever loved her, least of all her parents. He also makes her believe that if King Solaris is her father, everyone will love her. He takes her back into the past to complete the Dark Gate. Sailor Pluto alerts the Senshi to the change in Chibi-Usa and send them back into the past as well. They return to find Demando and Black Lady working together to spread the dark energy throughout the city. Black Lady attacks Mercury, who refuses to return fire as she will not harm Chibi-Usa. Moon uses the power of the Silver Crystal to restore Black Lady's memories. She starts to become Chibi-Usa again, but Wiseman interferes and uses his power to taint her memories. She becomes Black Lady once again and vanishes after threatening to fill the world with darkness.