Chapter 11
Battle of the Four Fiends
(If you do catch that reference, then you can thank me later)
In the meditation chamber of Hikawa Shrine, all thirteen Guardians of Kingdom Hearts, and the ten Sailor Goddesses were now gathered together for the first time.
"Well, now we're all fully assembled together," said Ami.
"Yeah," replied Sora.
But we still can't get complacent just yet. Our adversaries still seem to be changing Destiny in the past," said Luna.
"Destiny Changing Destiny," pondered Minako.
"Do you think that tragic events are what caused the Silver Millennium to collapse?" asked Roxas.
"If we were able to change what happened in the past, then it could be possible for us to become people who lived on the moon again, 'cause if we did that," said Minako.
Usagi sighed, until Makoto suddenly became angry.
"You stupid fool, do you have any idea what you're saying?" she asked, as she walked up to her.
"Mako, calm down," gasped Usagi.
But Makoto grabbed Minako by the front of her shirt and slammed her against the wall.
"The bad guys are changing this world's Destiny for their own selfish desires!" she snapped.
"Mako!" called Rei.
"DO ANY OF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE LIVING IN THE WORLD WE DO NOW!? DO YOU HATE EVERYONE AS THEY ARE NOW!?" she shouted.
Mako, STOP IT!" screamed Sora, as he brandished his keyblade.
Makoto turned sharply to see Sora giving her a firm glare, then she slowly relented, let go of Minako, and turned slowly to face everyone.
"I'm sorry. But I refused to let that pass," she said.
"We understand, Makoto. But whatever we do now, we have to understand that if we tried to alter their Destiny in the past, we'd incur the wrath of the Keepers of Fate, and they tell us that this new destiny we created is not a pleasant one," said Terra.
"It's true. It would be foolish of us not to take up our duty, and return the Destiny of this world to what it should be," agreed Michiru.
"The opposite would be a bleak future. You know that we must never just change what we want. We'd have to use great force to alter Destiny, for better or for worse, to what it was back then," warned Haruka.
"And we mustn't rewrite our histories to try and cover up our own weaknesses, and insecurities," added Hotaru.
"Take what I say for example, if you changed Destiny so that you could get someone you truly love, it wouldn't be considered an act of true love," said Rei.
"Right, I violated an ancient Taboo of Nature when I used the Power of Waking to avert a Destiny that was meant to happen, when we went to confront Xehanort. There was a prophecy that had been written in something called 'the Book of the Stone' that read, 'on all lands under one destined sky, shall darkness prevail, and light expire.' But when Riku found me in Quadratum, he was able to bring me back home to my friends. But in order to do that, he had to bring Quadratum to our reality. And after that, we defeated Superbia and his apprentices, Luxu, Invi, Aced, Gula, Ira, and Ava, who were planning to destroy both light and darkness. We fought them all in a great and final battle, and eventually, I was named Keyblade Master without retaking the Mark of Mastery exam by Master Yen Sid," piped in Sora.
"Sora is correct, Rei Hino," a voice said from behind them.
Everyone turned around to see Master Yen Sid standing beside them.
"The words that both you and Rei have spoken are the truth. Trying to rewrite Destiny, is to repeat Master Xehanort's past sins. However, Makoto Kino, due to your impulsive behaviour, you caused a great deal of injury to Minako Aino, and nearly succumbed to the darkness that still lingers in your heart. You would be well advised not to do a thing like that ever again," said the former keyblade master.
"I agree, Master Yen Sid. It seems that these dark forces are changing Destiny without caring about the unforeseen consequences it might have in our time. That is a serious violation that cannot be permitted any longer. However, if we were to stop them from altering Destiny, in an emergency you have to do what is necessary to prevent them from opening the door," replied Setsuna Meioh.
The others nodded and murmured in agreement at what they had just heard from Setsuna. Then Ami looked at Usagi.
"Is there one more thing you want to say to Mamoru?" she asked.
Usagi seemed hesitant, but Sora gently placed his hand upon her shoulder.
"It's okay, Usagi. I know it's difficult for you, but we need to be strong, or everything we've gone through will be for nothing," he said.
"You're right, I do want to talk to Mamo just one more time, but I want to know where the city of the Sea of Serenity is first," replied Usagi.
"Hold on a moment, I'll try to look up on my computer," said Ami.
She began keying the sequence of what Usagi had said, until her device made a slight bleep.
"Sorry, I wasn't able to find it. There's not much information about the Moon," she sighed.
"In that case, Sora and I will go to the bookstore and check it out," declared Usagi.
"If we find something useful, we'll bring it to you guys, right away," added Sora.
Then the two friends raced to the bookstore, and met up with the shopkeeper.
"Are you two looking for something?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're looking for a book about the Moon," replied Usagi.
"Give me a minute, I might have something for you," said the shopkeeper.
He walked out from behind his desk, and led them towards a bookshelf near the front of the store, then another bookshelf, until he stopped suddenly and went towards a shelf at the back.
"Ah, here we are. The book that you were looking for," he said.
Sora turned towards Usagi.
"This is it. The book we've been searching for," he whispered.
"This book costs around a million munny," said the shopkeeper.
Luckily for Sora, he produced a pouch containing all the munny he acquired from all the odd jobs he performed at Twilight Town with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.
"Here you go," he said to the shopkeeper.
"Actually, you two look like a cute couple, so I'll lower the prince down to 300 munny," replied the shopkeeper.
Sora was a bit surprised, but he nodded and took out some munny he had on his person, and gave it to the shopkeeper.
"Thank you," he said.
"Oh you're most welcome," the shopkeeper replied as he bowed his head to them.
But Usagi decided to do a victory dance.
"Bum bum bum bum bum, bum bum, bum bum bum!" she sang, making Sora and the shopkeeper laugh.
"But why would two people like you want a book like this? Do you want to become astronauts when you grow up? You look like you could be a Moon Princess, and her knight in shining armor, I think there could be some kind of connection," he said to them.
"Okay, gotta go now," Sora said as he took Usagi's hand and led her away.
"Please come again!" called the shopkeeper, as he watched them go.
"We will!" replied Sora and Usagi.
They went back to Hikawa Shrine, and entered the Chamber of Meditation.
"Good news guys, we found a book on the Moon!" Usagi said as she presented it to them.
"Can you show us?" asked Ami.
"Okay, sure," replied Sora.
He carefully handed it to her.
"Thanks, Sora. Now I can calculate stuff about the Sea of Serenity in this book," she said.
She began typing the information it had into her little computer, while everyone stood back so as not to crowd her.
"Bingo!" Ami said triumphantly.
"What've you found?" Riku asked earnestly.
"It's in Harumi, Tokyo," replied Ami.
"How can it be in Harumi, Ami?" asked Sora.
"It's where the Moon Castle's located," said the bluette.
"So the Moon castle existed in the Sea of Serenity on the Moon," remarked Axel.
"That's right, Axel. 'Sea of Serenity,' means a clear ocean," said Ami.
"And Harumi is a clear ocean," added Sora.
Aqua then stepped up with a look of determination in her eyes.
"If we head to Harumi, Setsuna can take us to the past through the Time-Space Door," she said to everyone.
"Okay everyone, let's mosey on up to Harumi!" Sora and Usagi said to everyone.
When they arrived at Harumi, it was rather quiet, save for the sound of waves crashing upon the docks, where the ships were anchored.
"It's quiet, almost too quiet," murmured Sora.
"Yeah, I guess no one's here today," added Minako.
And there's no show here either right now," said Rei.
"Here in Harumi, there's always a show for us to put on," smirked Usagi.
"I wonder if the voice actors have decided to take a vacation. It could be considered bad luck," said Sora.
"Maybe you're right, taking it slow is much better, if we don't wanna get anything done!" snapped Rei.
"Remember what Sora said about darkness being patient, Rei," warned Roxas.
Rei nodded, still haunted by the warning that Master Yen Sid had given her and Usagi.
"Okay, let's keep looking for the world's Sea of Serenity for Mamoru," she said.
But before they could press on, they heard the sound of an engine rumbling.
"Did you guys hear some kind of sound just now?" she asked.
"Now that you mention it, it did sound like a starship just now," replied Riku.
"Oh no!" gasped Ami, and she raced ahead to see what was happening.
The others followed as well, and saw that the sound they heard came from high above.
"A Black Moon Battleship," Sora said with a dark cold hatred in his eyes.
"But how? Has the Black Moon Clan's fate been altered so they could be resurrected?" asked Rei.
"Then that means, Koan, Berthier, Petz, and Calaveras must have been leading happy lives," said Usagi.
"Only one way to find out. Everybody attain your Sailor Goddess forms! We're gonna board that ship, and destroy it!" Sora said furiously.
Everyone nodded, and changed into their Sailor Goddess attire. Just as they were about to board the ship, Sailor Uranus placed her hand on Sora's shoulder and stopped him.
"Hold on, Sora! If we all get onto the ship, none of us will be able to find the Sea of Serenity. While you're on the ship, history could have some serious changes," she told him.
Sora nodded at her, then glanced back at his friends.
"Okay, let's split up into separate groups. Sailor Moon, we'll take Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter With us. Aqua, Terra, Roxas, and Axel will also go with us as well. The rest of you will stay with Sailor Chibi Moon and the outer Goddess so that you can locate the Sea of Serenity," he said.
Everyone nodded and decided to go with the plan, but suddenly Sailor Saturn hugged Sora tightly making everyone surprised.
"Good luck, Sora, and be safe," she said sweetly to him.
"Thank you," replied Sora, and hugged her back.
Then he rejoined Sailor Moon and their compatriots, and readied his keyblade. A beam of light soon shot upwards to the Black Moon Battleship that was hovering above them, then it opened a gateway inside the ship.
"Let's do this, guys," Sora said to them.
Instantly they were surrounded by light and were now aboard the Black Moon Clan's battleship which was filled with heartless and Droids. Luckily they had a few demolition charges that could be used to reduce the ship to nothing but teeny-tiny fragments that would float harmlessly away from the world's orbit, or burn up in its atmosphere. It was all in part due to the time Sora visited another world that had plenty of demolition charges for them to destroy the ship's reactor. When they heartless and droids spotted them, they were instantly dispatched by their combined strength, without a second thought.
"The four spectre sisters should be just up ahead," Sora said to them, as they martialed their way through the ship's corridors.
At last they arrived in a central chamber where Rubeus and the Spectre sisters met to discuss what to do in case one of their missions had gone awry.
"We've been waiting for you, heroes of light," Petz said.
"Petz!" gasped Usagi.
"Why do you want to face us in battle again?" asked Sora.
"It's because Saphir forced us back when he was reborn from the darkness. And now, my sisters have also gotten themselves mixed up in this mess. If you beat us, then we will all be brought back to our true Destiny. So please, you have to defeat us," replied Petz.
"Tell me, Koan, do you feel true love?" asked Rei.
"I do, Sailor Mars, but I don't want to fight you. Our life of fun won't change back while we're locked in our Destiny of fighting you to the death," Koan replied in a somber tone.
"What say you, Berthier? If I defeat you, will you still feel acknowledgement, even if you're unable to choose what kind of Destiny you want?" asked Ami.
"Of course I do, Sailor Mercury. But running away by myself, would only fill me with shame. I ask you to defeat us, so that we can no longer allow this bloodshed to continue. Especially, in front of Sora, the bravest but super cute Keyblade Master," replied Berthier.
"And what of you Petz? Weren't you happy before?" asked Makoto.
"Yes, and I am sorry we were foolish people, Sailor Jupiter. We wish to return to that happy Destiny!" cried Petz as she felt the tears pour down her cheeks.
"I know there's still love in your heart, Calaveras! You were able to embrace that love, and that turned into light," called Minako.
"I can feel it. The strength of my love with my own sisters is the very bond that ties us together, but we regrettably choose this Destiny. I'm begging you, you have to defeat us!" cried Calaveras.
"I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive us, Heroes of Light! Even you Sora and Sailor Moon," Petz said to them in desperation.
But then they felt themselves crying out in agony as the darkness took hold of them, and began making them lunge at their respected rivals in a blind rage.
(Play the Black Mages version of Battle with the Four Fiends from Final Fantasy 4 for this battle)
All four spectre sisters lunged at them in a feral frenzy, but Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and their respective partners engaged them furiously, in a deadly brawl that left the conference room ring with the clashing of weapons, and the barrage of attacks. Sora and Sailor Moon knew that they had to defeat the four spectre sisters, but then they noticed that they had replicas of the Gazing Eye in their hands and had to act fast, to protect their friends.
"Burn to cinders!" shouted Koan.
"Drawn in icy waters!" roared Berthier.
"Submit to hatred!" shrieked Calaveras.
"Feel the Storm!" cried Petz.
Their attacks surged towards them, but Sora quickly burst through it and emerged relatively unscathed on the other side, and clashed furiously with them. Then he jumped back and concentrated hard on the connection he had with his friends.
"D-Links! Cloud Strife, Guardian of the Lifestream! GIVE ME STRENGTH!" he called to the heavens.
Instantly he was surrounded in light as he felt Cloud's spirit inside of him.
"Show me the power of SOLDIER!" Cloud's voice said in his head.
"I will embrace my dreams!" replied Sora.
Instantly his keyblade was now radiating with power as he charged at the Specter Sisters who were now together.
"Oh no!" they cried out in fear.
"OMNISLASH!" shouted Sora.
He struck furiously with all his strength and the Spectre Sisters were all being battered and beaten by the overwhelming onslaught of Sora's attack, when they landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, they closed their eyes ready for the finishing blow.
"There's not a thing we don't cherish!" Sora said to them.
Then he struck them all down with a mighty blow that resulted in the ship shuddering around them.
"Well done, Sora," Petz said as she and her sisters faded away into nothingness.
"I'm sorry girls. I know that Usagi swore not to hurt or worse kill anyone she held most dear to her own heart, but you left us with no choice but to beat you in this conference room. Right now, as time goes by, the lives of different people could be ruined, like your own. And right now, Sailor Moon really hates fighting those who have darkness in their hearts without a reason to help them, no matter how much they try to deny a chance at redemption. But this time will be different. I swear, no one else has to die for the Destiny we decide for ourselves. That's why Sin and her friends will pay with their lives," Sora said, clenching his fist in anger and frustration.
But Usagi slowly walked up to him, and pulled him into a comforting, but gentle hug.
"I know, Sora. But, we still remember the lesson you taught me and Rei about how we can't let our social differences define us for who and what we are. And that in turn is what made Luna and Artemis acknowledge you and your friends as trustworthy allies," she said in a comforting tone, that made the rest of her friends smile sympathetically at him.
Suddenly they heard a beeping sound, and Usagi knew that Luna was trying to contact her.
"Sailor Moon, Sora!" the violet cat's voice said to them.
"What's up Luna?" asked the brunette keyblader.
"We've found where the Sea of Serenity is!" replied Luna.
"We've just managed to finish things on this ship," said Usagi.
"We'll see you down below. Oh, by the way, inside this room over there is a doorway which leads to the ground You can return through there," informed the violet cat.
"Right, see you then," replied Sora and Usagi.
Then they raced through the doorway, and landed in a crouch in front of LUna, except for Usagi who was carried in Terra's arms. Slowly but carefully they slowly stood up, while Terra gently set Usagi down on the ground.
"Thank you, Terra," she said to him.
Then she turned to Luna.
"Did you, Artemis, and the rest of our friends find the location of the Sea of Serenity?" asked the taller brunette keyblader.
"We have, Terra," replied Luna.
"Okay, lead the way, Luna," said Sora.
She nodded and guided them to where Artemis and the others were waiting for them.
"It's here," she said.
"Good work, Luna. Now, let's go to the past," remarked Usagi.
Sora nodded at her, then he stood beside her.
"Everybody, help us out," he said to the others.
Setsuna nodded at him, as the others readied their keyblades, and other weapons.
"Everyone, combine your power with everyone else," she told them.
As the Sailor Goddesses began calling on the power of the worlds they came from, the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts pointed their keyblades high into the sky.
"Hear our call, Kingdom Hearts, open the doorway to the past!" Sora called to the heavens above.
A brilliant burst of azure light surrounded everyone, pulsed around them, and then a flash of blinding light engulfed them all. When it faded away, all that remained was a single orb of light that raced up into the sky above.
In her citadel, Apsu sat on her throne and was disappointed by what had happened. She suddenly clutched at her chest, and began breathing erratically.
"My chest hurts… even in this life, that accursed rock that profanes everything I desire continues to haunt me," she hissed through gritted teeth.
Behind her, Maleficent and Pete were both feeling furious about what was happening.
"Well, you don't need to worry, Miss Apsu. That Silver Crystal you hate with pure unadulterated vengeance will be nothing ground to dust under your boot," said Pete.
"Indeed, I'm sure you can find a way to prevent the reformation of the Silver Crystal," agreed Maleficent.
Apsu turned her head and nodded at her two allies, then she clicked her fingers.
"Anshar," she said.
A dark corridor appeared before her, and Anshar stepped forward. He bowed to her in response.
"What is thy will, my master?" he asked.
"Lord Dimande of the Black Moon Clan has traversed to the past with the Rose Crystal in hand," replied Apsu.
Anshar looked up at her with a puzzled look on his face.
"Lord Dimande has the Rose Crystal?" he asked in shock.
"Furthermore, both the Sailor Goddesses and the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts are also travelling back into the past. If by any chance they manage to get their hands on the Rose Crystal, we won't be able to rewrite Destiny," said Apsu.
Anshar nodded once.
"Is there any way we can prevent that?" he asked.
"We don't have to get back the Silver Crystal, so you can meet up with Small Lady," replied Apsu.
"That's right kiddo. That pretty little trinket of Sailor Moon's is both powerful and unstoppable," added Pete.
"And in due time, Sin and her friends have also traveled to the past 1000 years ago. That is when the Silver Crystal was separated into seven shards, by Queen Serenity's hand after she defeated Metallia and Beryl. These seven pieces are called the Rainbow Crystals. If you manage to get one of those and hold it close to your heart, Destiny will most certainly be rewritten on a massive scale," finished Maleficent.
"With 7 pieces the Crystal will be restored, but with six pieces, we can prevent it's restoration," said Apsu.
"And its power would become weak," replied Apsu.
"Indeed Anshar, and thus the social differences between you and that girl called Chibiusa would fade from memory, and you would have a new future where you can have many girls flocking to your side, just like how Sora has many girls that love him," said Sephiroth who smirked with pride.
"I understand. I will inform my sister about the 7 Rainbow Crystals," replied Anshar.
But as he turned to leave he began to have second thoughts.
"But why would Mistress Apsu resurrect things like the Black Moon Clan?" he asked himself.
He shook his head dismissively.
"No, It'll be fine. I'm certain Dimande is more than a match for Sin and her friends," Anshar said quietly.
Then he saw the wicked fairy stepping towards him.
"Now, I'll grant you a marvelous gift. The power to command the Heartless," Maleficent said.
Then Anshar's body was surrounded by a dark aura that made him smirk.
"But fear not, No harm will come to you. That child will be no match for your power," she said.
"My power?" asked Anshar.
"Yes, the untapped power that lies within you. Now, child, it's time you awakened that power and realized your full potential," replied Maleficent.
Then Anshar's body began to radiate with power making him look like a dark spectre.
"Use that power wisely, Anshar," warned Apsu.
"As you wish, my master. With the power used to revive you, Mistress Apsu, the past Destiny will never return," replied Anshar who bowed and left.
"However, I don't have the power to traverse time. You are the only one to become a portal. Through you, I am now able to see the destiny of the past," she said to him.
Suddenly she began coughing furiously, making Apsu worried.
"Master! Are you alright?" asked Anshar.
"Do not concern yourself with me. Once I have acquired the Silver Crystal, this pain will fade away," replied Apsu.
Anshar nodded then turned slowly away.
"I understand, I will head to the past," he said.
As he left, Sephiroth smirked sadistically, and turned to Apsu.
"If you hadn't found that boy, you wouldn't have thought so as to defy Destiny, as I have," said the One-Winged Angel.
Then he turned and followed Apsu into the dark corridor. It closed behind him, as Apsu sat upon her throne and began contemplating her ideal world.
Outside on the streets of Crystal Tokyo, the Black Moon Clan began ravaging the innocent citizens of the city, either destroying them, or turning them into heartless to serve their purpose. While the people ran, Sin and Anshar stood a safe distance from the massacre that was occurring as several Black Moon battleships began bearing down on the defenseless city.
"Why did our parents have to perish?" sobbed Anshar.
Why? Why didn't the Sailor Goddesses and the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts come and help us!? They had the power to fight the Black Moon, and now there are none left!" snapped Sin.
"Sin, can you hear my voice?" asked a mysterious being from within her mind.
Sin gasped.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"I am Shaman Apsu. I can see that this is a rather distressing incident. Do you despise the Black Moon, Sin?" asked Apsu.
"I certainly do. More than even you can imagine," replied Sin.
"But I sense that there is more to your hatred than I realized. You also harbor a deep seated hatred towards the Sailor Goddesses and the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts," mused Apsu.
"The Sailor Goddesses and the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts?" Sin asked in bewilderment.
Then she nodded.
"Yes! Why didn't they come to our rescue? If they had helped, then both mine and Anshar's parents would still be…" she hissed.
"What do you think they're doing right now? They're protecting the Silver Crystal. But it seems that their duty to the Crystal is far more important than your lives," said Apsu.
"Are the lives of the people in this city as unimportant as the Silver Crystal!?" demanded Sin.
There was a brief silence.
"Well, Sin, Do you believe that it's allowable?" asked Apsu.
Sin was confused.
"No one could allow that, but the Heroes of Light allowed it," continued Apsu.
"Yes, they've abandoned us to the darkness! And I will never forgive them for it! If I had a power like that, I wouldn't have allowed my parents to be killed!" snapped Sin.
"I can give you power, power that is very much like those fools wield," replied Apsu.
Suddenly, Sin felt herself being lifted off the ground, and began to feel a great darkness surrounding her body.
"What-what's this?" she asked in shock.
"Ahh, yes. This is the power that those cursed fools have," replied Apsu.
"Oh, it's beautiful," mused Sin.
"How is it, Sin? Will you join me in my crusade against the light of Destiny? Will you be able to avenge your parents who didn't get a sliver of help from those who abandoned you to darkness?" asked Apsu.
"Yes," replied Sin.
"However, it appears that the source of this battle is that cursed rock," said Apsu.
"Yes," Sin replied almost instantly.
"Very good, you have chosen your path, now follow it to the end," Apsu said in an authoritative but calming tone.
"Mommy! Daddy!" wailed Anshar from behind.
"But, I have one condition. Anshar must come with me as well," said Sin.
"That is something I can permit," replied Apsu.
Then Sin and Apsu slowly floated upwards and were thus swallowed up by the dark corridor.
"Ah, I see now, this boy's power is most intriguing," Apsu said to herself.
Back in her throne room, Apsu snapped out of her train of thought.
"Hmmm… was that incident Destiny as well? What should I do about such passion? Whatever I do… Surely, my downfall was only averted thanks to your presence, Anshar," she mused to herself.
She suddenly coughed more furiously than before.
"I ask for the Crystal, before my life comes to an end," she said.