Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Eighty
A pair of blue eyes slowly opened to meet the darkness lurking around like a veil. Safe in a warm cocoon of heavy blankets she specifically asked for since she was always the most susceptible to the cold; Minako lay half-awake and half-asleep. She brought her hands up to her mouth and blew some warm breath to fight the numbness in her joints, silently thanking Rei for never throwing the thick wool blankets out even when they had clearly gone through the wear stages of time as she heard her mention more than one time that she wanted to get rid of them because they itched. And she wasn't wrong, they itched like hell, but also warmed like heaven. Those blankets had been their companion for many years during many camping trips to the mountains and the beach, and while they were uncomfortable and ugly as only they could be, they were the only thing that could somewhat appease the chill in her sassy bones.
It wasn't long after she felt Kunzite moving next to her and heard him letting a long sigh, another one, she thought. "You're awake?" She whispered, knowing for a fact that the doors and walls of the temple were almost paper-thin; Kunzite sighed again, "Yes, I am awake."
"You okay?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well..." Minako frowned and pulled the blanket closer to her face, "It's like the tenth time I hear you sigh that loud and you can't stay still,"
"I am burning up under these blankets..." he moved with a grunt and kicked his leg out of the hot fortress, surprising the blonde, "Aren't you cold?"
"No,"
"Are you insane?"
"I am used to extreme climates, Venus."
"What a strange man you are."
"I grew up poor; I know what living in the cold is like. It helped me during my training later on. I know this weather like the back of my hand, Elysion had rough winters."
Minako sighed, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bring up any sad memories..."
Kunzite shook his head "You didn't. It is what it is, Venus. I'm just glad I can remember it... that way I know for certain I haven't lost my way."
"That doesn't make you any less strange,"
"Still, I know how to survive this..."
The words felt alien to Minako, painful even, she only managed to nod in response. Suddenly thinking about the past pinned her mind to think about the complexities and challenges of their current living situation and it made her feel incredibly vulnerable. Incredibly emotional. Kunzite noticed this shift in her mood and turned his head only to be met by her shivering back. He wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him and share some of that extra body heat he wanted so much to get rid of. His warm lips kissed her shoulder, "Pardon me... I did not mean to wake you," he said, trying his best to keep his deep voice in whispers.
"It's alright..." Minako smiled sadly, "I never really fell asleep..." she rubbed her eyes and turned on her side to be face to face with her handsome lover, "I thought I heard voices in the other room, then quickly realized it was Usagi and Mamoru talking. I woke up the moment I thought I heard her crying... I can't help it, it's like I have an internal alarm that urges me to go to her aid whenever I hear she's in pain," she bit her lower lip and took a deep breath, "I thought I heard her cry,"
"She was..." Kunzite tightened his hold on Minako, "And so was Endymion."
The blonde sighed, "It breaks my heart..."
"I know, it breaks mine too. Something else must have happened, to break both of their spirits that way." He mumbled, his deep voice shaking Minako's promise to keep Usagi's secret safe.
"I won't ask what that is. It is not my place to dig into their personal lives." Kunzite moved closer and pinched the tip of her cold nose, "As difficult it is for us to know she is in pain; she is crying with whom she needs to be crying. Much has happened to her and Endymion is the only one she needs to understand right now. They're finally together but they both will need time to heal."
"I know, but..." Minako sighed, "Just when will that be? Haven't they gone through enough?"
Kunzite reached out and caressed the blonde's cheek and felt the moisture on his fingers; he felt a tug in his chest, feeling sad for his beloved "Venus..."
"I can't help it..." Venus sniffed, "I'm scared Kunzite... I'm so scared... I've been trying to be strong and mimic your ways of handling these sorts of situations under pressure... I've tried so hard to not let my emotions interfere with my duty. I've tried so hard not to break when I am with her and be the support she needs me to be, but I just... I can't help it because I know how she feels... I understand her fear, I understand her insecurities, I understand her pain." Her hands curled on the thin fabric of his navy-blue sweater and took a sharp breath, "This is a nightmare and I want to wake up from it... but I want you to be there when I open my eyes."
"Venus, I—"
"Don't say it," Minako shook her head and snuggled closer, "Please don't say it... Mamoru said it too... and look at all that happened," her breathing sped up; she had finally reached her limit. She was breaking down. Kunzite pulled her shivering body closer into his arms, "Yet, he returned," he kissed her temple, "Remember I am yours... my fate is in your hands."
Minako blinked startled, "What?"
"Those were his words to her before they parted ways in the Underworld." Kunzite rubbed Minako's back slowly, "Endymion surrendered his existence to her, he has done it for thousands of years and he returned because of his deep devotion for Princess Serenity. Endymion doesn't belong to anyone else but her and Princess Serenity doesn't belong to anyone else but him. Even in the deepest of nightmares... they find each other."
Minako pulled her head back to look up into his eyes, Kunzite nodded and wrapped a long strand of golden hair between with his fingers, "I am devoted to you. I give my soul to you because I love you..." he leaned closer, "This is a nightmare, yes, but... I will wake up with you. I will do everything in my power to be right next to you when you open your eyes."
"Kunzite..."
"Venus... after this is over... I—" Kunzite's gray eyes opened wide at the strenuous sound coming from outside making the windows crack and break with the strong tremble of the ground. The general's rapid instinct was to roll over and lay on top of Minako to protect her from the sharp shards of glass and waited for the ongoing rumbling happening outside to stop; he looked down with worry, "Are you all right?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Did you get hurt?"
"No, just freaked out,"
Right after, with the thundering still happening outside, the sound of hurried footsteps joined the hollowing sound, giving the cue to both guardians that something was going on besides a case of bad weather. Kunzite sighed softly and leaned to kiss Venus' forehead, "I suppose this will have to wait for some other time..."
"W-What?" Minako blinked, completely flushed and startled. Kunzite cupped her cheek and gave her a sad smile, "We have one restless royal couple to protect." With that said, the general rolled on his side and helped her get up and joined the others who were now gathered in the living room. Minako quickly went to Rei, who was rubbing the bridge of her nose and looked at her with worry, "Rei-chan? Are you okay?"
"I—" Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "It's so strong... this... ominous energy hovering over us... it hurts... it hurts so much..." Jadeite held her in his arms tight and looked out the window at the unnatural shape of clouds, "What the hell is that?"
"It's sinister..." Michiru looked down at her golden mirror, "There is an ominous presence in this storm, it's so dark... so evil..."
"Their energy is being ripped off," Nephrite closed his eyes and frowned; Makoto turned to him with worry in her face and quickly looked for his hand. "Nephrite?" The general took it and squeezed it gently but the somberness on his face didn't change, "The cosmos is shifting. Stars are dying..." he opened his moss-colored eyes, "Black holes are being created and are devouring everything,"
A strong sound of footsteps caught the senshi and shitennou's attention and turned to see Mamoru walking into the living room holding Usagi's hand; he had transformed into his black tuxedo to speed up the healing process on his wound by accessing a part of his energy, but everyone noticed the mask was not there anymore, proving he was stepping in as the prince he truly is, leaving his masked hero days behind him as a tale of adventure for future stories.
"We need to move, it's here."
Kunzite and Minako acted at the same time and turned to face both royals already prepared to take their stand to guard their every step.
"Wait," Jadeite frowned and turned to look at the prince with confusion, "What is here?"
"Void." Saturn mumbled and brought a shaky hand to cover her face, confused by the strange feeling of desolation, "It's so thick... maddening... not even I, the bringer of death and silence, can fight this sense of devastation..."
Hotaru's words and somber tone to her usual calm and sweet voice shook Megumi's spirit since she knew the levels of knowledge, power, and jurisdiction the young senshi had and couldn't help gasp with fear. Usagi heard her shaky catch of breath and quickly turned to pull her into her arms protectively and kissed her temple, "It's okay, Megumi... we got this, we got this."
Artemis stood next to the princess and maiden and frowned with concern as he tightened his grip on Luna's hand, "This only means..."
Endymion narrowed his deep blue eyes as he looked out the broken window into the dark sky, "This only confirms the Underworld has been taken." He turned to Hotaru, and cupped her cheek lightly, "That's why you can't establish a connection with him and why you feel this sense of abandon. Hades is not the one breaking the fourth dimension, it's Chaos."
A cold chill ran down everyone's body, challenging their peace of mind. Pluto summoned her rod, letting it appear out of thin air and looked at the garnet jewel of her talisman, "The fourth dimension—the continuum is in great danger, let alone all the gates to all realms. I can feel the strong ripples in space..." she turned to the prince, "I need to go there and fight this force, taboos are on the line and cannot be broken by any means!"
Endymion knitted his brows in thought, "Where are the rest of the keys?"
"Secured,"
"The gates?"
"Locked. But the seal cannot hold much longer, it's weakening and it will break soon if I don't travel back there,"
"No,"
Pluto widened her garnet-colored eyes with genuine shock, "W-What? But, Pri—"
"This is our cue," Endymion turned to take the belt holding his sword and dagger from Usagi's hands and slowly started fastening it around his waist, making a slight gesture of discomfort, "Shitennou—take your post." He turned to Zoisite and fixed his stern gaze on Kunzite, "Activating the cardinal points will be necessary. Earth's rate will drop drastically and I need to focus that energy to keep it stabilized. We need to cushion the impact as much as we can so the core cannot be affected. Billions of lives are at stake and we must not let it go active."
"Yes, Master."
Usagi looked over her shoulder at her husband who was still working on his belt to secure it tightly and frowned, "Mamo-chan, you're still hurt, it's going to—" her eyes went wide at the crashing of another maddening thunder. Endymion turned to her and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers in a loving gesture, "Usako..."
Usagi slowly let go and sighed slowly, letting her regal presence show with the moon symbol on her forehead its opalescence gleamed softly with the light of the candles. She sighed again, much with resignation, "I know..."
"It has to be done,"
"I know..." She nodded, "I know... I do. Trust me, I really do, but... I still worry..." Her crystal blue eyes gleamed with tears of concern and felt Megumi's arms let go of her and without paying mind to anyone else or realizing they all have stepped back to give them some little privacy. She launched into her husband's arms and stepped on her tiptoes to be closer to his lips until they were just millimeters apart. She took a shaky breath and slowly let it out with tangible emotion, "I can't help it... I feel like I am risking you again..." her left hand slowly slid down to touch his and traced the sleek metal of his ring and closed her eyes; Endymion put his arm around her waist to keep her steady and kissed her temple, "Hey,"
"Mm?"
"Usa, look at me," Endymion tilted her chin up and waited for her to open her beautiful blue eyes; he held her hand and lifted them to show her his ring, "This means something important, remember?" He tightened his grip on her warm hand, "I know last time was a total disaster, despite my intentions. I know you feel anxious but I'm not going anywhere... remember, always remember... pray, my soul is yours."
"Promise me..."
"I swear,"
Serenity cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes long enough to feel the truth in his words and stepped back to help him tie the belt of his sword around his waist. She clears her throat to lift a little of the tension in the air between them, "You know, Mamo-chan... as a person who worked at a fashion magazine and as a fashion enthusiast... armor and tuxedos don't mix."
"Hmm..." Endymion smiled as he watched his wife tie the clasps tight to keep the belt and weapons in place, "You sure? You don't think it looks cool and suave at the same time?"
Serenity chuckled, this was so them, to joke or flirt at the most random of times. How much she loved these little moments, "No. You look like a madman... it's like you didn't learn anything I taught you. It's the green jacket incident all over again." She pulled his cape and looked up at him with a sad smile, perfectly aware of what was going on, "You're a beautiful weirdo,"
"Okay, in my defense..." Endymion pinched her nose gently, "The tuxedo is lighter than the uniform with armored plates, for now, it's all about functionality." Endymion winked an eye at her; Serenity quirked a brow "And the weirdo part?"
"Ah," Endymion chuckled, "Well, that was pretty much a given from the get-go, and you knew it before you started dating me so that's a risk you decided to take, don't blame me for that..."
"I knew you were a nerd, not a weirdo."
"Well, that too,"
"Dear goodness,"
"I know. Too late to repent."
Serenity sighed softly as she slid her hands over the dark lapels of his black dress coat, "I'll repent if you don't teach them a lesson." She looked up at him more seriously and arched a brow in a very Mamoru-like fashion, "I'll repent if you're not careful,"
"I won't let that happen." Endymion brought her hand to his lips and like a cue to take position, another thunder crashed outside loud enough to shake the ground; Serenity looked at her husband with a determinant glare and tightened the grip on her brooch and raised her hand.
"Silver Moon Crystal Power—Make Up!"
O—o—O
Another raging thunder quickly followed suit breaking all the remaining peace they had left proving heaven had gone mad and hell broke loose. Kunzite and the others had started to prepare and by now, the girls had already transformed and were more than ready.
This was it. The battle to protect the fates and the afterlife.
Sailor Uranus was first to walk outside the shrine and narrowed her deep blue eyes; the wind had gone violent, it was so cold and hostile, it felt like sharp knives were digging into her skin. Sailor Neptune followed with Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto behind "I can feel something—an ominous presence." Neptune looked down at her mirror, "My talisman is reacting,"
"Yes, the space sword too... I can feel it pulsing."
"It's the weaves of madness, they're reacting as a defense..." Pluto said slowly "They're warning us that we might bring them together to call Saturn."
Mars joined them soon after and widened her eyes when she saw the city had fallen into complete darkness; her body felt the strongest of chills when the sky lit up in unceasing ribbons of lightning, "I can feel the poison,"
"I need to go back, I can't stay here and let it come," Pluto tightened her grip on her rod; her eyes widened when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Endymion shaking his head slowly, "Going to the fourth dimension won't stop Chaos from coming, Pluto." He turned to look at her, "I want him to come."
"Why?" Pluto widened her eyes and turned to face him with disbelief, "You know it's madness, a life sentence. This planet will suffer great consequences."
"I'm not alone in this fight." Endymion shook his head, "Look around you, Pluto. We are a team. I do not want to put your life at risk," he patted her shoulder ever so gently, "I don't want you to fight alone, Pluto. Whatever is happening up there cannot be prevented anymore, Chaos is a force of nature—something to be reckoned with."
"You really want Chaos to come?"
"Yes,"
"The sound of it just rattles me to the very core." Pluto frowned; Endymion took a deep breath, "I know how it sounds, but I have specific orders I cannot ignore and to fulfill them, I need him to manifest. I can't afford traveling to the fourth dimension again, I don't have the energy to do it and I don't want to risk my chances," He turned to face her, "Also, don't forget you and I made a deal before I went to the Underworld, you can't go."
Pluto widened her eyes when she remembered the conversation they had before he threw himself into the vortex that would lead him to Hades' realm. True, she silently admitted, they had come to terms with the fact that they were the few ones remaining, if not, the only ones and that it was up to them to lift the fog of stigma off their backs and also, he had asked her and she agreed to not leave the princess behind. Not when she had done the impossible to save their souls, both Saturn's and hers from ever be reborn again.
After so many nights of uncertainty and palpable fear, the earth prince had kept his word and returned to be by the princess' side even though it seemed an impossible task. She still had questions she knew only the prince could answer, but that conversation would have to be left for some other time. With a single nod, Pluto couldn't help to give him a complicit smile, "And it will remain intact if you keep your part of the deal too, she needs you."
"And I need her," Endymion returned the smile, "But she also needs you." He started to walk away and made a quick stop in his tracks, "Ah, and Pluto..." he turned over his shoulder with a frown, "Please, leave the royal thing aside. Come on, Setsuna, it feels like I'm a stranger and I think our friendship is old and strong enough to leave all protocol aside when it's not needed, don't you agree?"
"The Shitennou call you Endymion,"
"They're a different, much stubborn case."
Pluto blinked and cracked a light chuckle, "You're right on that, Mamoru."
"There you go," Endymion smiled, "Much better,"
"Old habits die hard, you know?"
"Yeah, I know..."
"Must be a Titan thing," Pluto shrugged her shoulders and stomped her time staff on the ground, making Endymion smirk with complicity, "It sure must be a Titan thing,"
Both looked up at the sky when another lighting broke across the sky and frowned, "And him?" She asked with a curious tone. Endymion pursed his lips "It won't be long until he gets here," his eyes turned darker, "Once he does, my sole target will be to get to him. Whatever happens, Pluto, do not. Stop. Time."
"And what about my aid?" Pluto sighed and closed her eyes, "As you may recall, I also have a specific task to accomplish,"
"Which none of it involves any sort of sacrifice for my sake." Endymion gave her a side glance, "I don't need to be saved, Pluto; my fate is on Serenity's hands, that's all I need to believe in. That is an order from her and as my Sovereign, I must obey her word. Let her take charge of that, you focus on what we talked about and protect her."
"Definitely," Pluto side-grinned and nodded, "It is a Titan thing."
O—o—O
Sailor Moon saw her husband in the distance talking to Pluto before getting interrupted by Kunzite and Jadeite about some final points of their strategy who oddly enough, preferred to discuss in Latin. Uranus stood by the door along with Neptune and Saturn and she was already aware Venus keeping guard along with Mars while Jupiter aided Nephrite with some plans and Mercury helped Zoisite set him up with an additional communication device to keep track of their whereabouts in case they need to take different ways.
"Princess..." Megumi's sweet voice stopped Serenity's train of thought and turned to look at her stricken face, "Please be very careful,"
Serenity cupped Megumi's cheek with her gloved hand and tilted her head to the side, "Sweet Megumi... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You helped me stay grounded, you helped me stay sane when everything felt like falling apart around me and now that I can stand on my own again, I will do everything in my power to make this a world where you can live in complete peace, much like you did in Elysion. I will fight alongside Endymion to bring back that land of dreams you keep close to your heart." She held the maiden's hand and brought it close to her heart, "Don't leave Artemis and Luna's side. Go with them to the Moon Palace, you will be safe there."
Megumi broke into tears and shook her head with desperation, "I cannot leave you here, Princess! I cannot leave you and my Prince behind!"
"And we cannot risk your safety, Megumi." Serenity looked at her in all seriousness, "I don't want to lose you, I don't even want to think about it—it's not an option, not even a possibility, and I won't yield to that idea." She pulled the maiden into a tight hug, "You have been my guarding angel, Megumi, and now it's my turn to protect you. There are still so many things to do and I want you to be by my side, you're part of this family, Megumi."
Megumi snuggled her head on Serenity's shoulder, "Princess..."
"I want you to feel free in a world you feel you belong to. I want you to be able to call me by my name without feeling like you are disrespecting me. I want you to feel less like a maiden and more like a friend, more like a sister, because that's what you are to us." Serenity tightened her arms around her, "If Serenity is too formal for you, call me Usagi or Usa like everyone else does... let me be your friend and support more than just a Princess. Let Mamo-chan be the brother you wished you've had instead of just a prince. Let us be your friends more than royalty because that's what we are... we are much more than just royalty. We have lives outside those titles, aside from our divine descendance. You are now part of this crazy and unique group of people we proudly love to call a family."
The maiden widened her teary eyes and sniffed with deep emotion; Serenity shook her lightly to get rid of some gloominess off her and pulled back a little and dried the maiden's tears. Megumi took a deep breath and swallowed her tears; she looked at Serenity with hope gleaming in her eyes, "I wish I had some sort of power to give you and my Prince to fight this devil."
"You do," Serenity pinched her cheek gently, "It's called will. You're a fighter too Megumi, that's why you were the only one who could keep Endymion's sword away from enemy's hands; because you were the only one strong enough to keep the weapon and his family's legacy safe. He wouldn't have woken up and remembered his family if it wasn't for you. He wouldn't be able to do this if you hadn't found him. It wasn't Ares, it wasn't even me... it was you. You brought the rightful guardian of this planet back on his feet and you gave him what he had wanted for so many years." Her gloved hands held hers tightly, "Pray for us. We need your will. We need your power."
Megumi felt incredibly moved by the princess' words and determination. She had seen her in her lowest points and now, there she was, a true warrior ready for battle. She had to aid in any way that she could, even if it was just with good wishes and prayers "I will..." She took a deep breath and let it go slowly, "I will pray."
Serenity turned to Luna and Artemis, "The Shitennou will try to clear the ambiance as much as possible so Pluto can open a vortex for you to travel through space, right now, is the only safe way to cross to the divine realm, as soon as you get to the Moon, go straight to the sacred tower. The power of the Silver Crystal will be linked with you and protect you." With her free arm, she held Luna close, "Please be safe, my dear Luna and Artemis."
"We will do this together, Usagi-chan," Luna nodded and pulled back, Artemis bowed his head, "We trust you, Sailor Moon."
"And I trust you," Serenity smiled and slowly let go, "Please, be strong."
O—o—O
A loud rumble shook the ground that even made the soil on the Hikawa Shrine feel it move like quicksand. Sailor Moon was the last one to walk out of the temple; the sharp tap of her high heels crushing the crumbled stone ground alerted the prince, who was now ready to take position, "Portals are breaking, it's time to leave," he turned to offer her his hand that didn't take long for the princess to take and turned to Luna, Artemis, and Megumi before nodding and walking away.
As they went down the stairs, Serenity saw the senshi were prepared to take their respective post; Uranus was the first to notice them coming and went to stand at the end "We checked the area, no civilians around,"
"There must be a way to warn everyone and make them stay inside," Sailor Moon quickly spotted Sailor Mercury waving her hand up and continued working on her miniature supercomputer, "I'm stealing the last of a satellite's signal to send a mass emergency alert, very much like the government would do in case of a natural disaster."
"I feel a dense energy approaching..." Mars frowned and pointed toward the west "It's overwhelming..."
"Natural disaster, well, that is an appropriate way to address this situation," Jadeite sighed and looked up at the dark sky as he walked down the street with the others, "But... how can you fight the nothingness?"
"By filling it with matter," Jupiter cracked her knuckles and frowned at the growling sky, "And later by pounding it to the ground."
Jadeite's lips curved into a complicit smile and couldn't help break his somber character and let his usual playful personality shine through, "That sounds like a plan," he turned to look at her with a wider grin, "Don't forget the soft areas, those really do the trick."
"Or better yet, frying them with lighting," Jupiter snapped her charged fingers, "The stronger, the better." She turned to her usual calm partner with a shy pink tint showing on her cheeks and blinked when she saw Nephrite smiling with peaked interest, "Fine by me,"
Mercury looked up with an unreadable expression, "The satellite's signal has gone dead—" ribbons of smoke and fire lit up the dark sky and broke into hundreds of strings of lighting exploding per second and shaking the ground. Zoisite turned to Mercury and unsheathed for his crystal sword, "Now, Ballerina, I really hope you were meaning to say that message was sent with success..." Mercury activated her goggles and gave her beloved a nod, "Of cou—"
"Get out of the way!" Endymion pushed the blonde general aside and aimed his hands at the long trail of fire coming their way and counter attacked the blast "Smoking Bomber!"
Serenity widened her eyes ran down the last of the steps toward him with panic marking her face "Endymion!"
"Princess!" Kunzite ran after her with Venus quickly following behind, "Keep your distance Serenity! Keep your distance!" She said between hasty breaths as she came closer and widened her eyes when she saw more balls of fire approaching "Heavens..."
"Flamboyance, it is then..." Endymion squinted his eyes and charged his hands with energy again; he turned his head slightly when he felt his wife's hands on his back. Serenity looked up at the sky and didn't need more to tell what was going to happen once the fire from above made contact with the prince's aura but knowing his current state of recovery if he used more energy than he had at the moment it was going to wear him out before Chaos manifests. He had a plan and he had an objective set in his mind Serenity already knew completely of its challenges and risks, so she did what she knew best and took charge like the leader she is and raised her hands to summon her tiare and use her power to aid the prince with enough energy to protect him from the impact, quickly surrounding themselves with its crisp silver light, "Leave it to me, focus on the target, I got your back." She frowned, "I can't let you waste your energy—I will lend you mine, use it as you see best suit. I can't put you at risk when you have a bigger task at hand."
"Sailor Moon—"
"Don't you dare argue with me, Polemarchos,"
"Polemarchos?" Endymion arched a quizzical brow Sailor Moon mirrored the second she looked up at him, "What am I supposed to call you, then? Without the mask and with a sword hanging from your waist, there aren't many options in names."
"Fine." Endymion sighed lightly, "But I can handle this,"
"Feisty as ever..."
"What?"
Sailor Moon frowned with threat, "Do you want me to repent?"
Endymion shook his head as he turned over to focus on the fire ahead with a complicit smile only he could share with her and completely surrendered to the princess' command "Never."
"What the..." Jadeite widened his bluish-gray eyes when he saw more distortions coming in. Endymion turned his head slightly over his shoulder without taking his eyes off the object breaking the atmosphere and the barrier of sound "It's going to cause a reaction! Move! Move! Move!"
"Divide! We will link our connection to locate each other later!" Kunzite stood behind the prince and princess with Venus taking charge as well to serve as a shield for them.
"We can't!" Mars shook her head but widened her eyes when she saw Venus shaking her head, "We have to do this, Mars! Go!"
"But—"
"Go! I will stay by her side!"
"We don't have much time!" Jadeite didn't give the fire senshi much time to argue and quickly pulled her out of the way and ran back when they were caught in a strong explosion that lit up the entire sky and shook the ground mercilessly.
"South route is clear—we will meet there!"
Sailor Uranus was the first to react and widened her eyes when she saw Saturn with her glaive up protecting them but the energy force was becoming too strong for her to stand on her feet for much longer and turned to her comrades when fireballs started to filter through the atmosphere and crash on buildings and the ground leaving them no other option but to part ways and figure out a way to move forward once the debris settled and they found a clear path to follow. Her first instinct was to search for the prince and princess who took the blow full front but another ball of fire crashed on another building nearby rattling the structure and giving them no time to check on the others. Uranus turned and quickly docked another crash and found instant shelter behind a parked bus on the street that had already suffered the effects of the overwhelming heat and falling coal. She felt a sting in her chest when she saw her beloved sea goddess wasn't by her side like she usually did and widened her eyes in panic, this was the first, if not a very rare occasion where she was separated from her partner and it always made her feel uneasy; nobody knew her techniques and moves like her, nobody could read her as she did and it had been years of solid companionship—aside from devoted love—that not being by her side in the most hateful war she's ever been involved in was really unsettling.
Once the gravel and dust settled enough for the sky senshi to finally get a glimpse of her morbid surroundings, she realized there were people coming from underneath the rubble and running for their lives making her think that the message had reached out to them but haven't had enough time to find a safer place to hide. She helped many along the way as she tried to locate the others but the more she looked the more she saw panic had taken over the city. At this point, she wasn't sure how fast Mercury's alert reached everyone or if its intended purpose was actually accomplished with people still out on the streets but for now, she had to start looking for them and help whoever crossed her path to find a safe place to stay until this madness comes to an end.
O—o—O
Loud growling and screaming brought back Mars to consciousness. She opened her eyes and brought a hand to her forehead where she felt a strong pounding, the red stain in her glove later gave the cue for her to understand she had suffered a concussion. The moment the sky broke into a hell of fire meteors and started crashing down in an apocalyptic flair, her first instinct was to go to her friend's aid but in her attempts to fight the strong energy ripples echoing underground she didn't realize when she hit her head enough to knock her out of her senses.
A warm hand wiping a trail of blood from her cheek suddenly startled her, making her turn to Jadeite, who had stayed hidden with her inside a vacant store clearly affected by the events happening outside. Mars' amethyst eyes widened when she heard again the horrifying screeches on the streets and turned to the blonde who sighed lightly, more in relief than exhaustion, "Yes... hell broke loose on Earth."
"Those are..."
"Shadows... demons."
Mars blinked slowly, still trying to process his words; Jadeite helped her sit straight and used his gloved hand to wipe some dirt off her cheek, "The moment those balls of fire made contact with Endymion and the Princess' energy there was an explosion and you lost consciousness when we hit the ground."
"W-Where are we?" Mars frowned once she found her voice found its way out and looked around the destroyed place she soon after figured was a boutique for all the mannequins and burnt clothes destroyed around them, "Where is everyone?"
"The impact forced us to run away. In order to save ourselves from what poured out of the zones of impact, we had to split." Jadeite looked out the broken apparel, "They could be anywhere—they should not be too far away, I can still sense their energy close—the Shitennou, that is." He frowned "Endymion's aura is difficult to track down. The energy from the explosion is still too dense for me to expand my range of search but I am sure he is all right, Princess Serenity as well," he turned to her and cupped her cheek, "Are you still feeling ill?"
"Yes," Mars sighed and rubbed her temple, "But this nauseous feeling won't go away until this is over... the air is poisoned but I can deal with it."
Jadeite nodded, "Can you stand?"
"Yes," Mars stretched her arm and pulled herself up with the blonde general's help and widened her eyes when she heard another scream, "Civilians are in danger,"
"Come on," Jadeite held her hand and quickly checked the surroundings before heading out of the destroyed store. As the priestess had predicted, the shadows have spread on every corner like malicious tar and made the city their playfield, taking over the souls of those civilians who were still trying to run for their lives. Feasting on their fear and hunting their souls to appease their hunger. Wherever she turned, Mars noticed they were surrounded and what was worse, these shadows were not the same that had been facing over the last few months since all this madness started. It was like Jadeite had said—these creatures were straight-up demons all coming from the depths of hell.
Both senshi and general ran the opposite direction of where the explosion happened. Finally, with a better sense of direction, Mars let Jadeite take the lead and tried to track the other shitennou's whereabouts when a strong pull inside her chest made her stop mid-way, catching the blonde's attention with urgency, "Mars?"
Mars looked at him with fear in her beautiful eyes and then another emotion marked her face—pain. Heart wrenching and harrowing pain. She shook her head and let go of his hand, "You need to leave,"
"Mars?"
"You need to leave, Jadeite please... leave..."
"What is going on?!" Jadeite frowned, "Are you insane? I will not leave you here alone!"
"There's no time to explain! I can stop the breach of realms but you need to leave now before it's too late!"
Jadeite walked closer and held Mars' arm with a deep frown on his face, "I am not going without you, Mars." Mars felt her eyes burn with tears for the man and shook her head slowly, "Jadeite... please..."
"You need to tell me what is happening to you,"
A blast of dark energy crossed between them, pulling the couple apart. Jadeite looked past Mars' shoulder and saw a woman wearing long deep plum gown staring down at them with allure and frowned, instantly sensing the danger. There was a familiar flair in the way she moved, the intensity glistening in her amethyst eyes, the raven color of her long hair and the pristine pale color of her skin. There was a familiarity he could not push aside and ignore, but still, Jadeite did not want to set things in stone.
"I knew it," Mars sighed with shame and closed her eyes, "I knew this eerie energy was responsible for this... it was you, isn't it? That one breaking the gates and allowing hell cross into this realm,"
Jadeite frowned, fully shocked and turned to Mars, "What?" He shook his head, "Who the hell is this woman?"
Eris stood high above the ground with her arms crossed, her long nails slowly digging into the thick fabric of her sleeves as she looked down at the general, "Typical of men, trying to impose their alpha selves whenever they can; always wanting to take the lead on everything." Her frown deepened, "How insolent, to question my status—my presence—how dare you?"
Jadeite blinked, letting Mars' previous words and unusual reaction to her presence finally sink in. By the way she was looking at her, it was obvious there was more than meets the eye with them and that it was not, in any case, something close to love. The tension in his beloved's face, the glisten in her always daring gaze, the frown on her lips; it was clear the woman above had an effect on her, she was a weakness in the priestess' mind, a part of the past she didn't feel worthy to accompany her into her future. With an unbreakable determination to stand by her side, Jadeite put his hand over the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes, "I dare to do many things for the people I love and I do not do well with appearances."
Mars widened her eyes and turned to look at the goddess in plum when she heard her cold laughter. Eris shook her head and laced her gaze with the fire senshi, "Is this the man you choose? The man that is supposed to tear all your worries away? The one that is supposed to please you in every way? That is all? An insignificant mortal?" She narrowed her eyes with disdain, "I always had the idea that you would look for someone in the likes of your father," the goddess' eyes turned darker, "Since you always had some sort of infatuation for him."
"Lies," Mars shook her head, "That has never been true,"
Eris pointed her finger at Jadeite and grinned maliciously, "He does not know, am I correct? That I am the one that gave you life, the one you wish you did not have to call mother."
Jadeite widened his eyes with shock and turned to Mars, "Mother?" He cleared his throat. Mars sighed and closed her eyes with evident shame and nodded, "The Goddess of Discord... Eris." She sighed, almost on the verge of tears, "Why do you always have to make everything so complicated? Why do you despise me so much?" Mars opened her amethyst eyes and looked up at her, "What have I ever done to you!?"
Eris batted her long full lashes and pursed her lips with disgust, "Playing the innocent has never worked for me, child. You always tried to steal your father from me, the little I had was gone the moment you were born."
"That is not true," Mars frowned and turned as she watched her mother move in the air, "You are just full of lies,"
"Just when Gaia had finally vanished from our lives and your father had stopped chasing after her, you had to come along and ruin everything." Eris shook her head, "Why do I despise you so much, you ask?" She arched a defiant brow at her daughter, "Because I did not want you to exist—I did not want you to be born. With your conception came misfortune. Ares abandoned me and, in the end, he ended up abandoning you too."
"Father left not because of the past he shared with the Earth Queen or because of my existence... he left because you were obsessed to a point of madness." Mars shook her head, "Because all you did was taint and destroy whatever good we could surround ourselves with. Because you could not stand seeing him smile—like the goddess of discord you are, you could not stand seeing us living in peace."
"And I will not rest until I get rid of you!" Eris frowned and charged her hand with dark energy, Jadeite gaped in shock; his senses quickly picked up and raised a barrier of sand to protect a still very shook Mars from the dark goddess' attack. he shook his head, "Mars!"
"I will get rid of you first, mortal!"
"Fire Soul!" Mars stretched her hand out to Eris to counter-attack her blast of dark energy causing another explosion blast between them, violently pulling them apart "Jadeite!" She looked around frantic. Jadeite was thrown several feet away and rolled on the ground avoiding the other blasts of energy thrown at him; he pulled out his quartz sword and ran toward Mars who was preparing another attack against the goddess and turned when Eris threw him another shot of energy, this time forcing at him to kneel on the ground to recover, "You insignificant fool!" She muttered with disgust, "You really think you can stand against a god? Let alone, against me? I am a Goddess of the Underworld! These shadows follow my command!" Her deep purple eyes now turned darker as they narrowed, "You truly believe you have some sort of power to stand against me?"
"Pardon me, goddess. But yet, you are not mistaken. I am nothing but a mortal who has defied the laws of human nature for years..." Jadeite let out a weak chuckle as he struggled to stand back up and looked at Eris with defiance, "That is a given, I am no match for you—but she is," Jadeite raised his hand and called for his gifted power within him again and created another sand barrier. Eris widened her eyes and turned to the fire senshi standing at her back, "What?!"
Jadeite grinned as he raised his hand along with a sandstorm that engulfed them seconds later, "Mars!"
Mars brought her hands together and started making quick signals with her hands as she muttered each blessed lord for their blessing, "Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen—" she opened her eyes and materialized an ofuda between her fingers and traced a circle that soon caught up on blazing, angry fire aimed at the goddess, "Akuryo—Taisan!"
Eris tried to move but was soon caught in the centrifugal force from the sandstorm as she tried to move away and dodge the senshi's attack; she looked over her shoulder and snapped her fingers loud enough to call for her minions to come to her rescue but the fire also caught up to her quick enough to give her serious punishment for her behavior. As soon as the fire touched the rough grains of sand the general had created, they turned into thousands of shards of glass cutting through her luxe gown and porcelain skin; one close enough to even mark her always immaculate-kept face.
The shadows came soon after to her aid, like tar they spread around them and caught the general off guard as he tried to run to the opposite direction in an almost impeccable attempt to dodge the shadows sharp nails and blasts of dark energy. He looked up and rolled to his side wide-eyed to see the goddess had finally touched the ground and was using her own sharp nails, now, long as blades of ruby stone digging into the ground. Her gown had burned and ripped from the bottom, one of her sleeves have now disappeared exposing her naked arm. With eyes full of anger, Eris turned and stomped her heel on the concrete with rage, smashing it as she took step by step and let the poisonous tar move at her command, taking possession of civilians around and making them work as her puppets, "Discord is more than just a sentiment—" Eris wiggled her fingers to pull the strings attached to the bodies, "Is a reality—a seed planted in every single mind and if exposed, it can be easily manipulated to one's command and I am the embodiment of it." Eris smirked as she stomped on Jadeite's arm, stabbing him with her sharp needle heel, making him grunt with pain, "Mindless creatures... you are all alike."
"Mars—Snake Fire!"
She turned to Mars and widened her eyes when she saw her coming toward her full speed and started throwing her balls of fire, "Burning Mandala!"
Getting hit by her daughter's merciless attacks, Eris lost her balance and stepped back from the general, giving Mars the perfect window to go to Jadeite's side, "Jadeite..." she looked down at his bleeding arm and widened her eyes, "Oh god... oh god..."
"This is nothing," The blonde grunted again and used his right arm to prop himself up enough to meet her face to face, "I am all right,"
"You're hurt!"
"It is all part of—" Jadeite squirmed in pain when Eris pulled on the strings she wrapped around him and tug with force from her position, "You are mine now,"
"Jadeite!" Mars watched Eris pulled the general away from her with panic and tried to run after her when she saw more shadows grouping close and threw them another charge of flames in a desperate attempt to burn and push them away, "Jadeite!"
"Oh dear... you are really attached to this man..." Eris pulled her string harder to pull Jadeite closer to her and looked down at him fighting back to get free, "It's useless—whatever you are trying to do. It has no purpose, no way to end in a victory on your side." She pulled him closer and looked at him in the face, "Beautiful... but nothing more." She wrapped her arm around his neck, the blonde general already feeling the ravages of her strong energy compromising his sight and focus, "Does it hurt you?" Her long nails trailed down his cheek, "Does it make you feel angry? Watching how your beloved is being taken away from you..." Eris turned to face Mars and narrowed her eyes, "First it was Gaia... then it was you... I hate you. I hate what you represent." Eris' eyes darkened, "I hate you!"
"Mars... get away..." Jadeite slowly shook his head, "Get away!"
Eris started laughing and pulled her string again but Jadeite turned and wrapped his leg on it and stepped on it to create tension and shoved his elbow on Eris' shoulder to break the spell, making her stumble and cry in pain. Mars widened her eyes with shock and ran towards the general as he broke free from the goddess' trap. Eris turns over her shoulder and lunged at him to stab him with her sharp long nails, "I am going to kill you!"
"Jadeite!" Mars widened her eyes with panic, "Watch out!"
Jadeite jumped but the shadows had wrapped around his waist and legs and pulled him down and throwing him against the ground with brute force. From the other side of the street they were trapped in, Mars watched in horror as she tried to come closer to him, throwing mandalas of fire to the enemies to break through, "No," Mars mumbled on the verge of tears, "I can't do—"
"You need to go find the Prince and Princess!"
"No! I won't leave you behind!" Mars narrowed her amethyst eyes and charged her hands with fire again, "I won't let you... Burning—"
"It is useless,"
Mars stopped in position and watched Eris walked out of the cloud of smoke and debris with a swarm of shadows all wrapped around the terran general. "It does not matter how many balls of fire you throw at me, you cannot break me. You cannot break what is already broken. You cannot break the force that breaks people's minds—look at this man," she raised her hand, "This mortal man... there is turmoil inside of him too and it will not take long for the shadows to completely take possession of his body."
At the word possession, something in Jadeite snapped. He turned his head with the coldest, most enraged glare he has ever given to anyone, not even in war during the peak of fall of the golden kingdom. He stretched his arm until he was able to get a hold of one of the shadows trying to feast on him, "Sacrum terra tua benedicta virtutem non quaeritur pax ut infantem de medio tolleret tenebris minabatur. Dona mihi opus industria et opera tua iusta custos malitiae perdere—non ego Eques Patientia, et Harmonia, Custos in Occidentem—Jadeite. Legitimum tutorem forti praesidio custos et Terra existentiam agnoscere audire causam nostram apricationem me vis animi!"
(Sacred terra I ask for your blessed power to get rid of the darkness threatening peace. Grant me the energy I need to destroy malice and serve at your rightful guardian—I am the Knight of Patience and Harmony, Guardian of West—Jadeite. Fourth in line to protect the mighty and rightful guardian of Terra, recognize my existence and listen to my plead, bask me with our magnanimous energy!)
In response to his prayer, his body began to shine with a light in the color of his rightful stone, the energy and reason behind his blessed name. Mars watched in awe as the light he summoned took shape of shards of quartz stone around him and pierced through the dark bodies of those keeping him pinned down and under their control. With very agile movements, he grabbed hold of his sword and cut through the heads of the shadows and jumped back before blasting them with another sandstorm attack. This was something Mars had never seen before, not even when they met and fought during the fall of the Moon Kingdom. The way he moved, the way he docked and turned to slash the hundreds of bodies coming after him like hungry beasts proved his training as a military man, and one that had all the right to be a knight in service to guide and protect the terran prince. His face showed no emotion, it was like she was looking into a different man without feeling like she had lost him—she knew it was him, she sensed no corruption on his end, instead, there was a calming aura surrounding him despite being in the middle of a crisis and a battle.
It was admirable, the more Mars watched her beloved moved with impressive grace and ability through the cracks and holes he created to open way for him to go forward and made her realize how despite being tied to mortality and human nature, unlike her who was born with a divine gift, he was a valuable match and companion in battle. Jadeite was not a man that often took out his sword to fight—he had his brain for that, and he relied on it more than he did on a weapon. He had told her many times before and even during the brief time they were enemies and he was under the influence of the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite was sneaky, treacherous, and up to some point cruel. His skills were based on his strategic mind and the way he planted ideas and plans for his other comrades to move through a battlefield but he knew, and this was the better example that whenever extreme situations occurred, he was prepared.
Sailor Mars got so enthralled in his movements and in the pure agony of seeing him fight in a swarm of darkness still far away from her, that she ignored for a brief moment that her mother was coming close with her claws ready to take her life under her control. Jadeite did notice and turned with wide eyes full of panic, "Mars!"
His urgent call snapped her out of her momentane reverie and turned but without much chance to escape; her eyes went wide and her blood ran cold, she never had felt so much rejection for her to feel and swallow. Not even from her mortal father, who was never around and who didn't even care for her mother's passing, not even from Kaidou, her father's assistant, who had broken her heart or Yuuichiro, whom with she almost shared her life with.
A loud almost deafening sound and an invisible force pushed her back to safety; with a light grunt, Mars slowly opened her eyes and turned to find Ares standing between Eris and her, and that he took the attack for her. Worn out and dirty, the god of war looked exhausted; his hair was tangled and loose. His always impeccable armor was scratched, stained and dent; the effects and the strain of battle were severely marked in his face and yet, there it was, standing in between for the sake of his daughter and the future ahead.
This is what made her realize, how her luck had set her fate as Hino Rei went somewhat similar to her life as Mars, and how Ares, despite being an invisible force in her life up until just a few months ago, had tried his best to steer her away from such lonely sentiments. Unlike her mortal father, who she chose to leave behind, he had sent her away so she could find reliance on others, so she could have friends and build a new life with people that cared for her and her happiness. People like Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter, who understood her solitude; people like Serenity, who would always be there for her to offer her shoulder for her to lean on for support and give her a smile to lighten her day. People like Jadeite, who had transcended the laws of time and came back with a promise he swore not to break ever again.
Watching him there, standing for her life shook her uncertainty and it made her realize how far she had gone in life and how much she wanted to move forward. There was a lot at stake and this could not be how things came to be for them—it was not fair, and as a senshi of passion and war, she had to defend that honor. She had to fight for fairness even if it meant to let other things go.
"Why do you always have to meddle in?!" Eris grunted as she forcefully pressed her long sharp nails against Ares' shiny blade, "Is this how you give up the remains of dignity within you, Eris? By selling your soul to Chaos?"
"I did not sell anything to anyone," Eris frowned, eyes dark, "I do what I choose. I warned you I would be back to finish the job I could not in our previous meeting."
Ares pushed his blade and turned with a high kick that force Eris to back out and dig his long sword on the cracked concrete, "I made myself clear, Eris, next time you and I met this would be the end of it." His gray eyes darkened, "You are a shadow, you do not belong to this realm—you do not belong in Olympus,"
"Olympus is nothing but a faint memory now, Ares, with Chaos free—there is nothing left." Eris grinned, "There is nothing left of your honor as God of War."
"I do not care for honor," Ares frowned and kicked his sword out of its still position and held it straight at her, "I do not care if this is the last time I hold a weapon or if this is the last time I see my daughter's face. If I fall, Eris, you will fall with me."
"Oh? There is too much confidence in your words, Ares," Eris narrowed her eyes, "Are those the words of an Olympian? Your voice is the sound of defeat, you are nothing but a shadow of the warrior you used to be, look at you, all covered in blood and ashes..."
"Perhaps I have been defeated... perhaps my time has reached its peak," Ares tightened his grip on his sword, "But I am going to protect the only good thing that was born from me—what is worthy to surpass my existence."
Mars felt her eyes burn with tears, "Father..."
"Worthy? Please..." Eris gave him a cold glare, "Of what? Of your tainted and hateful legacy? A successor of war, blood, and murder? War means pain, it means suffering—it is the deadly result of hatred, it is bloodshed, that is her legacy, Ares. That is what you have inherited her. She was born from hatred and discord—she was born from an act of carnal need." She stopped ad pointed one long finger at her, "That is what you want to protect? She is a spawn of our corrupted nature."
"You never understood the meaning of her birth,"
"I never needed to. I know what it meant—it meant you using me for your benefit."
"You are insane, Eris, you have drowned in your own venom,"
"No, Ares. I just hate you—I hate all of you."
Ares swung his blade, cutting the air through elegant moves as he threw himself at Eris like a rabid beast. The goddess fought back right away, using her claws like sharp razors to defend herself. A brutal exchange of power, unforgiving force and a lot of bottled up feelings. The strain of their relationship was more than evident with each move, with each dodge and hit. The more Eris grunted to gain force and attack Ares, the more visible was her anger and pain became. The more Ares used his sword to block her attack, the more he lost himself in the ravages of his raw nature.
Words were no longer needed to feel the anger, to feel the pain and the sense of abandon on both parts and it came clear for Mars as she watched her parents rise in arms and fight against each other for the first time, that they never held love for each other. The understanding Ares had felt for Eris when he asked her to marry him was no longer there, the companionship he once told Gaia and later to her, was no longer there. There was no respect in the gleam of their eyes, there was not a trace of empathy for one another just pure revenge. Just like the soft scent of Casablanca lilies, melancholic and distant, Mars was brought back to those cold nights when she heard them arguing with Eris' constant bickering and hateful comments towards the shadow and guilt that had followed her father for years. Those endless fights that always ended with vases thrown at Ares as sloppy and raged acts of rebellion against him and against her.
"Being attached to war not necessarily has to be a bad thing, to be happy you have to fight too. Life is a battle itself."
In a battle, Ares had an advantage—massive, he was, after all, the god of war. But this was a battle he could not win because it no longer belonged to him.
"The minute you were born, my life changed, I knew what real love is. I was in love with being a father, I loved to have you in my life. You are my most perfect creation..."
Tears started to pool in Mars' eyes as she heard Ares' words echoing in her mind. The more she saw him move and glide through the air, cursing under his breath and thrusting his sword to cut through Eris' cobwebs she could see he was tired but his will to protect her was stronger than his exhaustion, it was stronger than anger itself.
"You are the good that was never harvested in me when I was created... I had to protect you... even if it was from your own parents. I wanted you to be free, that is why you were brought here. Cherish that freedom and make it worth. Do not follow my steps, my child, be your own kind... stop being afraid."
Mars took a deep breath, and like a breath of fresh air, the memory of her grandfather came to view in her mind. His sweet voice sweetening the bitter taste in the back of her throat,
"Dance, Rei, dance... dance again."
She briefly turned to look over her shoulder at Jadeite still fighting the shadows with excellent reflexes and like and like a silent calling, their gazes met in a second in time to share the confidence both needed to come out of this mess alive, but most importantly, together. This was her family, the ones that fought with her, not at her—the ones that had stayed by her side even when she could not see them. The ones that have given her the freedom to choose, the freedom to be happy.
"Life is a battle... but I will dance, I will dance for those who believed in me when I felt on my lowest point. I will dance for those who love me for who I am, not for what I represent." Mars narrowed her amethyst eyes, "I am a divine spirit born from war, I burn and destroy, but I also rise from the ashes to fight for benevolence and justice. The Senshi of War and Passion—in the name of Mars, I will chastise you." She raised her hands up in the air, "Many treasures unite! Purify the six roots of perception! Sacred Flame, come to me! Phobos, Deimos!"
At her command, the black crows appeared flying around her, as always, her trusty companions and friends—her divine protectors, sent none other by Ares to look out for her. In ribbons of fire, Phobos transformed into a majestic golden bow with golden feathers on the end and Deimos changed into a long flame arrow; without thinking it twice, Mars took position and pulled the arrow to cause tension and aimed at her target.
Eris turned to look at her and arched a brow, "Is this how you repay your mother for carrying you in her womb and granting your life?"
"From this moment I declare my disassociation with you, Eris." Mars stared with threat at Eris who had noticed her stance, "I am a Shinto Priestess, Hino Rei. Ares' daughter, the senshi of war and passion; Mars," her eyes narrowed as she aimed at her mother, "And that is all that's needed to be known. You have done enough. I have had enough. It's time."
Eris' eyes widened, "What?!"
Mars pulled the fire arrow back tight, "Goodbye... Mother."
The Divinity Series is rated M. Violence, gore, cursing and intimacy may occur.
I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.