Chapter 9
Anshar's Betrayal
Once they had come back, Hotaru was now resting in Usagi's bed so that she could overcome her ordeal of saving her father from the darkness that had overtaken him again.
"Hotaru's resting for now," said Sora.
"Do you or Usagi have any idea what that spirit was?" asked Luna.
"I don't know," muttered Usagi who was still a bit rattled after seeing her friend's dark side from before.
"I do, it must have come from Sin who was using it to turn her father into a puppet, so that he could bring back all those Daimons we fought in the past," said Xion.
"Even after all that sorrow had been sealed away," added Sora.
But, Professor Tomoe had returned to what he once was," said Luna.
"That's enough!" snapped Usagi.
"It's best if we never speak about it anymore. After all, Sin and her cohorts were behind the alteration of Professor Tomoe's fate. And to tell you the truth Luna, I hate them with every fiber of my being. No matter how heart wrenching it is to ignore what happened to Hotaru and her father in the past, We have to move on," Sora said in a serious tone.
"But what if we went back to the lab and looked for some clues that could help us?" asked Xion.
"Right, the facility has now been purged of darkness thanks to the Crystal! Now that the darkness can't take it over again, we can investigate it once again without those pesky daimons running interference," said Luna.
Usagi hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded her approval.
"Okay, let's go," she said.
But as they were about to leave, they heard a slight moan from Hotaru, who had awakened from her peaceful slumber.
"Hey Hotaru, good to see you've woken up," smiled Sora.
"Me too. If it's all right, I'd like to go with you," said Hotaru.
Usagi was about to protest, when Xion placed her hand in front of her.
"It'll be fine Usagi. We may have tried to help her father, and even though we failed, she couldn't bring herself to hate us. So, please, let her go with us," she said firmly.
"She's right, Usagi. I went astray once, but no more. I want to do my best, and help Chibiusa!" added Hotaru.
"All right, then let's go, Hotaru," said Sora as he gently pulled her up and out of Usagi's bed.
Then the four friends raced back to Professor Tomoe's research lab at Mugen Infinity Academy. A few minutes later, they saw Haruka and Michiru, dressed in the Sailor Goddess outfits. But to their surprise they saw Kairi standing with them.
"Hey you guys," she said.
"Hey Kairi, sorry we're a bit late," said Sora.
"Well, at least we forgive you," smiled Michiru.
"Yeah, now let's go and find Riku and Chibiusa," added Haruka.
"But, we have no idea where she is," replied Usagi.
"We've been able to locate their base of operations, and have also sensed that she and Riku are there as well," said Haruka.
"Well, at least she's happy to have her big brother protecting her," Sora said as he placed his hands behind his head.
Haruka nodded once, but she knew this was no laughing matter.
"We'll use Sailor Teleport to find her," she said.
When Usagi and Hotaru changed into Sailors Moon and Saturn, Sora, Kairi, and Xion all decided to join them and readied their keyblades.
"Here we go," he said.
In an instant, they were transported to where they sensed both Chibiusa and Riku's hearts resonating. They landed in a forested area, but Usagi wanted to ask the two Outer Sailor Goddesses something.
"How'd you know that Chibiusa and Riku are here?" she asked.
"Remember the connection we all have with each other? We were able to use it to find our adversaries while we were infiltrating their base, and detected a mixture of both homesickness and darkness," said Haruka.
"Thanks to that, we knew that Chibiusa and Riku had to be somewhere in this location," added Michiru.
"Hmm… makes sense, considering you're both pretty serious about your duty as heroes of light. But, even if we have no idea where they are, we'll find them, especially since you guys brought us here, thanks to Sailor Teleport," said Sora.
"But I do see something just up ahead, it looks like smoke," piped in Xion.
"Where?" asked Hotaru.
"There's smoke coming from that location!" said Usagi who saw it as well.
They quickly rushed to the location of where the smoke was coming from, and found Chibiusa, Riku, and Anshar at what looked like a makeshift campsite.
"Hey Chibiusa," Usagi called to her.
"About time," said Riku, as he stood up from his seat.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," replied Sora.
"It's okay, Sora. Big Brother Riku was with me so that he'd keep me safe from the bad guys," giggled Chibiusa.
"Well, I'm just glad you two are okay. Except, I'm relieved that you had Riku with you," smiled Usagi.
They all laughed a bit, until Sora noticed Anshar.
"Who's this guy?" asked Sora.
"He's called Anshar. He saved Chibiusa's life, but he took a serious beating from his own sister before we ended up here," replied Riku.
"He was also able to get Momo back to the safety of her own home, but the three of us came here when he flew into the sky," added Chibiusa.
"Huh, not bad for your first knight in shining armor," said Haruka.
Riku laughed at what he heard.
"Yeah, well, that's somewhat true. He was able to take out some of the heartless Sin had summoned and get us to safety," he replied.
"I wonder what he is?" murmured Michiru.
But neither of them noticed Anshar's smirk.
"If the Princess is set free from my sister's influence, then it's finished," he said to himself.
"Well, at least he saved both Chibiusa and Riku's lives, Michiru. So I don't see any reason to be suspicious about him," said Kairi.
"I suppose you're right, Kairi," replied Michiru.
"When he wakes up, we'll thank him for protecting Chibiusa," said Sora.
"Okay, Chibiusa, since we'll trust your judgement, you can leave the task of beating whoever's in this place to us," said Usagi.
"Actually, I'll go too," replied Chibiusa.
"It may be dangerous, but she is your future daughter, Usagi. However, she's also like Sora when her heart and mind are both made up. So wherever you go, she'll also be there for you. " said Riku.
"Riku's right, Sailor Moon. if we gave up hope, the darkness would win. And since the Rose Crystal must've reacted to Chibiusa's Silver Crystal, It's best that we let her go with us," agreed Haruka.
"Don't you know how dangerous it'd be if we refused to let her go with us?" asked Hotaru.
"Hmm… I guess you're right. Okay Chibiusa, you win. You can come along with us," said Usagi.
"Really?" asked Chibiusa.
"Yeah, just follow our lead, and we'll keep you safe from harm," agreed Sora.
Then Chibiusa wrapped her arms around Sora's neck, and hugged him.
"Thank you, everyone," she said.
When she stepped back, she pulled off her compact and held high above her head.
"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" she chanted.
In a brilliant flash of light, she had now become Sailor Chibi Moon. Then they carefully picked up Anshar who was feigning unconsciousness, and went into the cave.
"This all seems awfully familiar. It's just like D-Point back at the North Pole," said Usagi as she looked around.
"If Queen Beryl's back, we'd better be ready for her." warned Sora.
"Okay, let's go," agreed Kairi.
As they continued on through the cavern, Haruka was a bit surprised.
"We've seen a lot of these guys in here before," she said.
"Then that means Queen Beryl's five Youma are waiting for us," said Sora.
"Isn't she the one who reduced both the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millenium to ashes?" asked Haruka.
"Yep. The DD girls that beat Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako are here, which means she's not far off," replied Xion.
"It was back when Sora and Usagi went to free Mamoru from her grip, and used both the Silver Crystal and the X-blade to defeat her. But after she was beaten, the Crystal granted Usagi's wish to live her life the way she wanted to from the beginning," said Riku.
"But this time, I'm going to prove that I'm not the same Sailor Moon who let my friends sacrifice themselves for my sake, and take her out without any hesitations," Usagi said as she looked at them with a fierce determination.
"Tell me Sailor Goddess, and you too, Guardians of Kingdom Hearts. What is the source of your power? And the Silver Crystal? If you have that, then why have you come here?" Anshar asked in a silent whisper.
Then he remembered something.
"Of course. The Princess' Silver Crystal is reacting to the Rose Crystal. Is it possible that it happened while I was unconscious?" he asked himself again.
They pressed on again, when the first of the DD Girls challenged them. But it did not expect to see Sailors Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Chibi Moon with Usagi, Sora, and some of his friends. It was defeated within seconds, which actually surprised them. The Second of the DD Girls tried to stop them but she too fell to their combined strength just as the first one did. When they met the third, they were able to best her as well. The fourth DD Girl was also defeated as well, but the fifth DD Girl tried desperately to stop them, only to be felled by Sora who managed to destroy her with Ragnarok.
"So the DD Girls who ambushed us and hurt Usagi's friends did come back, thanks to Sin using her powers to bring them back from the darkness," said Sora.
"Then that means Queen Beryl's back," replied Haruka.
"Why is this happening?" asked Michiru.
"I don't know, Michiru. But I'm sure that the answers we seek in this cave will reveal a secret we need," said Kairi.
As they continued onwards through the cave, Chibiusa stopped and looked at the cave wall.
"The Rose Crystal's reaction must be coming from here," she said.
"What are you talking about? It's a dead end," protested Usagi.
"Maybe it's a hidden passage behind this wall," said Riku.
"Or maybe someone's trying to trick us with this imitation," added Michiru.
"We gotta place our faith in Chibiusa's crystal," said Hotaru.
Everyone nodded at once, but right as Usagi was about to lose patience, Riku stepped up beside her and summoned his Braveheart Keyblade to his hand.
"Unless of course there was nothing here at all, what would be the point of coming in here?" he asked rhetorically.
He tapped the wall once, and it vanished into nothingness, which made Usagi jump back into Sora's arms.
"Holy cow, how did-?" she was about to ask, when Sora gently pushed her aside.
"I knew it," he said, when he saw a familiar face he knew from before.
He marched forward and glared at the woman before him.
"So, Queen Beryl. We meet again, face to face," Sora said in a serious tone.
"Yes, I too have been waiting for both you, your friends and the Princess, Sora," replied the wicked ruler of the Dark Kingdom.
She then noticed everyone walking into the room as well, and were shocked to see Queen Beryl standing before them.
"No way. How can you be back?" asked Usagi.
Even Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Chibiusa were surprised, but Riku, Kairi, and Xion glared at her.
"I was defeated by you once. But now, I stand before all of you, because of the Destiny where I was beaten by you has now been altered. And now, the time has come to claim my revenge, by destroying you all!" said Beryl, who smirked at them.
(For this battle, play Squirming Evil from Kingdom Hearts 1)
Everyone stood prepared for battle as Queen Beryl waved her scepter in her hand, and began channeling the darkness through her. She summoned two Defender Heartless to protect her, but Sora ignored them and lunged at her. He struck at her with everything he had, then jumped away when she tried to strike at him with her scepter. Sailors Uranus and Neptune decided to use both their World Shaking and Deep Submerge attacks against her which caused massive damage to her and even managed to defeat the Heartless that were protecting her. Beryl shrugged it off, and retaliated with the power of darkness to bring them down, but Riku counterattacked with a Dark Firaga at point-blank range, making her scream in fury. Kairi and Xion charged at her as well with a combined strike raid.
"Meddlesome fools!" she snapped.
But Sailor Chibi Moon managed to catch her off guard with a Pink Sugar Heart Attack that managed to send her scepter flying from her hands. This temporary distraction allowed Sailor Moon to use her Moon Spiral Heart Attack. At the same time, Sailors Uranus and Neptune used Space Sword Blaster and Submarine Reflection to increase the damage output on Beryl which made her stagger back in pain, just as Sailor Saturn's Death Ribbon Revolution engulfed her completely. But Queen Beryl was not one to give up that easily.
"Of course, I can't best you as I am now, Sailor Moon and Sora," she said.
"Yeah, we know. We already know that you were waiting for us at D-Point, which means that the last remnants of Metallia's powers are located at Mt. Fuji, which a lot of people consider to be magnetic radiation when they passed it," replied Sora.
"You are correct, Sora. And if the last remnants of these powers all come together, I shall change as well, with the true power of darkness!" said Beryl.
Then she changed into the form she had attained after Merging with Metallia and unleashed a powerful burst of dark lightning upon them, that sent everyone landing in a crumpled heap. But Sora had managed to jump clear of the blast and land near his friends.
"I will say this about you Beryl, you are much more powerful in that form. But we've got two Silver Crystals that can seal you away again," he said.
Both Usagi and Chibiusa were surprised by this, but they both nodded in agreement and used the Silver Crystals against Beryl. But to their great shock, Beryl still remained standing.
"Doesn't the Crystal work?" she asked.
"It did once, but something's preventing it from sealing Beryl away!" said Xion.
"Very Observant of you Xion. There's no way the power of two Silver Crystals can work on me. I've escaped from my Destiny of being beaten by that accursed rock!" replied Beryl.
"Ha! Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines, while her nobody flunkies did most of the fighting," Sora said with a smirk.
"You tell her, Sora!" cheered Kairi.
(Now go and play The Deep End for this battle)
Everyone else agreed that it was time to settle their score with the servant of Metallia, as Sora remembered something important.
"Think you and Chibiusa can use the sacred Chalice to attain your super form, Sailor Moon?" asked Sora.
"Only one way to find out," replied Usagi.
"We'll buy you and Sailor Chibi Moon time, that way you can use the Chalice to attain your super form," said Haruka, as she sent a Space Sword Blaster at Metallia Beryl.
While they fought Beryl with everything they had, Usagi and Chibiusa concentrated hard on the chalice that was used to give Sailor Moon a power boost. They materialized in their hands and raised them high overhead.
"CRISIS, MAKE UP!" they said together.
There was a brilliant flash of light that blinded Beryl, but when it subsided there stood Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon. Sailor Neptune then used Submarine Reflection against Beryl just as Riku used Dark Aura to seriously wound her. Kairi then used Seven wishes against Beryl who felt searing pain from the attack, which was then followed by Heart of a Princess that made the wicked queen of the Dark Kingdom scream like a banshee. Then Sora and Kairi combined their powers into one overwhelming force, and surged towards Queen Beryl, with their wings of light slashing at her with an overwhelming surge of power.
"Sailors Moon and Chibi Moon, let's finish this!" he said.
The mother and future daughter duo then readied their wands and placed their hands on Sora's shoulders as he pointed his Keyblade at Beryl.
"RAINBOW MOON RAGNAROK!" they cried out in unison.
Instantly several rainbow beams of light with hearts in front of them surged towards Beryl and collided against her with a splash of color. The explosion then sent Beryl flying back making her collide against the wall, and collapse to the ground as she reverted back to her original form.
"I regret this. I've been defeated by you again…" she said as she tried to stand back up.
"No matter how much you try to deny it, you know that you can't win against those who we have a strong connection with. You may have been brought back from the darkness, and now, you shall return to the darkness from whence you came," remarked Sora who slowly approached her.
"But what of Endymion?" asked Beryl.
"He's done with you," answered Usagi.
Because the only person you've ever loved, is yourself," added Sora.
Then, he finished her off with a beam of light that erupted from his keyblade, instantly destroying her. When there was nothing left of Queen Beryl, Sora could now breathe a sigh of relief as Sailor Moon walked up to him.
"You guys okay?" he asked.
They all nodded at once.
"I may have used up all of my strength, but I do appreciate the elixir you gave me Kairi," said Haruka.
The others agreed with her statement.
"Well, what matters is that nobody's lost. And we even took out Queen Beryl again," said Riku.
"But it's not over yet, Riku. We still need to locate the Rose Crystal," replied Luna.
"And once we've got it, Mamoru will be himself again," agreed Hotaru.
They soon walked up to a grove of crystals and looked around.
"Now we need to figure out which one is the real Rose Crystal," said Xion.
"Don't worry, guys. I've got this!" remarked Chibiusa.
They all watched as Chibiusa slowly stepped towards one of the gemstones that made the Silver Crystal in her compact shimmer rapidly.
"Ah, this is it!" she cried.
But as she reached for it, Anshar suddenly appeared before them, and took the Rose Crystal.
"So sorry, but that's not for you to have, Lady Serenity," he said in a different tone.
"It was a trick all along," hissed Riku, as he readied his keyblade.
"Anshar, please, give me the Rose Crystal!" begged Chibiusa.
"If I gave it to you, Tuxedo Mask would be brought back to his normal state and you and I would have to fight to the death. That's something that must never come to pass!" replied Anshar, who had a cruel smirk on his face.
Then another dark corridor appeared and Sin stepped forward.
"At last you see clearly, Anshar," she said.
"So what!?" snapped Riku, who charged at them.
But Sin stopped his attack once again and pushed him back.
"Stubborn fool," she said.
"I agree, Opposite Sin," remarked Anshar.
Everyone else prepared themselves but Sin just laughed.
"Well done Anshar," she said.
"And as for you, Chibiusa. Nothing would make me more happy than to have us band together, but you let your kindness cloud your judgement," sneered Sin's brother.
Then they fled into the dark corridor.
"Tch! I should have known he'd betray us, Chibiusa. He used you, me, and Momoko to get the Rose Crystal. That's why he pretended to be your friend, just so that he'd get the item you sought out," seethed Riku.
"Riku, come on, man. Don't be too hard on her," said Sora.
"Yeah, everything's gonna be fine, Chibiusa. You can't blame yourself for your failure," agreed Usagi.
"Even though it couldn't be helped, Anshar was pretending to be on our side by playing on your feelings," admitted Michiru.
"In the meantime, we should head back to Juuban. The rest of our friends should have returned by now," said Luna.
"It's gonna be okay, Chibiusa," smiled Hotaru.
Chibiusa looked up and smiled back at everyone.
"You're right. There's still a chance we can get the Rose Crystal back," she said.
So they all returned back to Juuban to discuss how they could get the Rose Crystal back.