ILLUSIONS FOR SACRIFICE
Usagi stood in the center of Chaos' throne room, staring blankly. Chaos in the form of the Dark Scout, sat on the raised throne and watched with a smile. The mighty Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice, Heir to the Moon Kingdom, was now nothing more than a puppet of Chaos.
The irony was terrific.
Chaos had manipulated the gentle mind of Tsukino Usagi much the same way as it had Deruku Kami. The two were so very similar, Chaos felt as if it was starting with Kami all over again, yet the delicious power of the Sun was missing and replaced with that of the Moon. Chaos licked its lips in anticipation.
Deep within Chaos, a part of it yet still separate, Mirage watched helplessly. She fought constantly against the rising power of Chaos but was too weak to battle for much longer. She hated that Usagi was being dragged into their eternal struggle - that of Order and Chaos - and hated even more that she could do nothing to help.
Chaos sensed her stir and closed its eyes, inhaling the scent of Sailor Moon's power.
"I know you can taste it," Chaos told Mirage. "You want it as much as I do. Admit it."
Never, Mirage argued. I will fight you with my last ounce of strength.
Chaos laughed, almost gently. "Suit yourself, but your power will be mine. There will be nothing to stop Chaos now."
Mirage pushed Chaos away with a sudden increase in strength and Chaos winced in pain, inhaling sharply. Mirage continued to watch the void face of Usagi, wondering how she could get through to her friend.
Sailor Senshi, Mirage thought, where are you?
*********
Makoto punched a tree in frustration. The tree swayed slightly from the impact and tears came to Makoto's eyes. Cradling her now injured hand, she turned back to the others.
"I don't care what Pluto says," she declared for the millionth time, "we have to go get Usagi now!"
The inner senshi had gathered at the park for a meeting after leaving the Gates of Time. They were all saddened by Usagi's disappearance and angry that they could do nothing.
"We can't," Rei growled. "Don't you think we want to do that to? We have no way of getting to the planet."
"It's my fault," Chibiusa sniffed. "If only I had trained harder, I'd be strong enough to bring us there."
Ami put her arm around Chibiusa's shoulders. "Don't blame yourself. You're still a little girl, and no one expects you to be at your full powers yet."
Chibiusa said nothing and played with the gold ring on her finger. Puu had told her that it was the Key to finding the Cosmic Child, the only way they could save Usagi.
"How can the Cosmic Child save Usagi?" Chibiusa asked. "I thought she could be good or bad."
"We don't know," Minako said with a smile, "but if Sailor Pluto thinks that's the answer, it must be!"
From the shadows of the park, Haruka and Michiru watched. They had avoided the inner senshi after the meeting with Sailor Pluto, thinking they would have a better chance of rescuing Usagi alone.
"What do you think?" Haruka asked her partner.
Michiru closed her eyes. "The sea is restless. Whatever will happen, it will happen soon."
Haruka drew the silver ring from her pocket. It had been glowing with a warm light ever since the senshi had pooled their powers to contact Sailor Mirage. Haruka took it as a sign that their ghostly ally was still with them. She stared at it in her hand and finally realized that she missed Kami's presence.
Michiru smiled, noticing Haruka's changed expression. "You finally realized it?"
Haruka inhaled deeply. "She is missed, in whatever form."
Michiru took Haruka's arm and hugged it. Haruka continued to gaze out at the inner senshi, the ring still in her palm.
"They will find the Child," Michiru said, as if reading Haruka's thoughts.
The blond girl nodded. "I believe that as well."
"We must make sure the Child is first exposed to the Light, not to Chaos," Michiru continued.
Haruka's gaze fell from Michiru to the ring in her hand. A slow smile spread across her face.
"Then we better make sure someone is around to show the Child the Light," Haruka said.
Quietly, like shadows, they left the park.
*********
Ami and Rei walked downtown together. They passed hundreds of children as they went, each one laughing or smiling or crying. Each one could have a double soul, but there was no way to check them all. Rei sighed in frustration once again realizing the sheer enormity of their task. She was sure that Usagi was getting worse under the spell of Chaos and all her friends could do was play guessing games.
Ami noticed her friend's growing agitation and frowned. Rei, like Makoto, would not search for long before pure frustration would make her do something foolish. Ami just hoped they would find the Child before that.
Both girls, clouded in the silence of their own thoughts, kept walking.
*********
Usagi sat motionlessly, her dull unseeing eyes staring straight ahead. The gloved hand of Chaos gently stroked her hair and smiled down on her. Mirage watched, her power over herself slowly fading. She wanted nothing more than to reach Usagi, give her some of her self confidence back, make Chaos' hold less firm, but she could barely keep her own self awareness intact. She vaguely wondered what was keeping the senshi from their princess.
Chaos felt her stirring and paused. It closed its eyes and smiled.
"You're still there," it remarked. "Not for much longer. She is almost mine."
Mirage stayed silent, not wasting her precious energy with empty threats. Chaos laughed.
"Your Sailor Moon was delightfully simple to control," it continued. "Such doubts were in her mind, insecurities about herself. The process is so similar to that of Deruku Kami, I can barely tell it apart."
Mirage tried to ignore Chaos' words, knowing that it spoke to her only to provoke an attack and weaken her further.
"The Child will be just as easy to corrupt," Chaos continued. "With you completely gone, nothing will stand in my way."
Except the Sailor Senshi, Mirage said.
Chaos made a face. "Yes, but they will be no match for me at my full power. Even you have told them that. Why bother fighting me? I have already won."
Chaos looked down at Usagi, forcing Mirage to do the same. The Phantom senshi could tell that Usagi's pure heart was slowly being blackened.
*********
Haruka held the ring tightly in her hand as she stood over the grave of Deruku Kami. Although no remains were buried there, she hoped the marker would serve as a kind of beacon, showing them the way to their princess. They had chosen a night when the moon was nearly gone and the overcast sky blocked out all other light.
Michiru stood to one side, nearly hidden in the darkness. She watched Haruka finally come to terms with Kami, the girl she hated and fears, but later respected. Minutes of silence past before Haruka drew out her transformation pen and looked up at Michiru.
"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!" Haruka cried.
Michiru stepped free of the shadows and held up her own pen.
"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!" she called.
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune smiled grimly at each other. They looked down on the grave of Sailor Sun and silently agreed to their mission. They had known since they had first met that their lives were expendable, as long as their mission was completed. Neither of them expected to face Chaos and survive. If Usagi could be freed to lead the Cosmic Child to the Light, they knew their deaths would be justified.
Uranus drew our her sword, its blade gleaming in the dim moonlight. Neptune clutched her mirror to her breast, its surface reflecting the world around them. Neptune stared out at the busy street that wound its way past the cemetery.
"They will never know," she sighed.
Uranus gently took her partner's hand. "They will, when Neo-Queen Serenity rules."
Neptune smiled. "Yes. Sacrifices must be made."
"It is how it must be done," Uranus agreed.
Neptune's face set in a mask of determination and she nodded. Holding their talismans high, they held each others hands tightly.
"Senshi Teleport!" they called in unison.
Strengthened by the power of their talismans, the two outer senshi disappeared into thin air.
*********
Chibiusa skipped out of the schoolyard, swinging her empty lunch bag as she went. On her hand, her golden ring blinked as it caught the sun's rays. She tried not to think of Usagi, trapped and alone in Chaos' palace, or of Haruka and Michiru, who had disappeared the night before without a trace. As she rounded the corner, she caught site of Ami and Makoto walking home. With a smile, Chibiusa ran to catch up with them.
"Hi!" she exclaimed.
Ami and Makoto turned and their faces brightened.
"Hi," Ami replied. "Are you heading home?"
Chibiusa nodded and fell into step between the two girls as they walked.
"Guess what? I'm going to visit Hotaru tomorrow," she said. "Her father is bringing her to the park, like usual."
"Are you going alone?" Makoto asked.
"Of course not," Chibiusa replied. "Before we go to the park, Rei and Minako are taking me to search for the Child. We're going this afternoon, too."
"That's what we're going to do as well," Ami said. "Today and tomorrow, just like you."
"Ami figured out a computer program that might help us narrow down our search," Makoto said.
Ami blushed as Chibiusa turned her attention to her.
"It's nothing special," Ami said. "I'm just analyzing positive and negative energies through a satellite up-link."
"Wow," Chibiusa breathed. "That's really neat!"
"Thank you," Ami said, her face turning a deeper red.
"What are you doing, Mako-chan?" Chibiusa asked.
Makoto blushed in embarrassment. "Er, I'm making sandwiches."
"And she's helping me if we find anything," Ami added quickly.
Up ahead, Rei and Minako were standing on the corner. Rei saw them and waved. Chibiusa waved back, said goodbye to Ami and Makoto, and ran ahead. As the newly formed trio disappeared, Ami and Makoto headed down a side street to Ami's apartment.
"Have you seen Haruka and Michiru?" Ami asked.
Makoto shook her head. "They never want to help us. They're probably doing their own search."
*********
Uranus and Neptune slipped silently through the deserted hallways of the palace. They crept through the courtyard where Sailor Sun had died and into the corridor leading to the throne room. They stood side by side outside the closed wooden doors and paused. Neptune's hand found its way into Uranus' and she squeezed it reassuringly.
"Save the princess," Uranus whispered, pressing the sun-shaped ring into Neptune's hand.
Fighting back tears, Neptune nodded. Drawing out her sword, Uranus smiled and knocked down the wooden doors.
*********
Chaos was waiting when the two outer senshi arrived. Usagi stood dumbly behind it, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face.
"Welcome," Chaos hissed, "but you are too late!"
Within Chaos, Mirage watched. She could do nothing for Usagi, but she could try to help Uranus and Neptune.
Uranus leapt forward, her sword flashing. Chaos dodged easily, striking out with its own black energy. The energy beam struck Uranus and she grunted in pain. Landing hard, she turned to meet Chaos once more. Chaos met the charge, black eyes gleaming in delight. Uranus noticed her opponent's joy and redoubled her efforts, her determination to rid the world of this creature growing. Retreating a few steps back, Uranus faced Chaos and raised her hand. Chaos paused, smiling.
"World Shaking!" Uranus cried.
The attack hit Chaos but did nothing. Chaos laughed, temporarily blinded by the light of the attack, but thinking itself free of danger. Without warning, Uranus appeared before it and lashed out with her sword. She cut Chaos deeply across the shoulder and black blood-like ooze spilled onto the floor in large droplets. Chaos looked at its wound and turned to Uranus, hatred filling its dead eyes.
"That was unwise," Chaos told Uranus
As Chaos attacked again, Neptune crept unnoticed to where Usagi stood. The pig-tailed girl didn't move as Neptune approached.
"Come on, Usagi-chan," Neptune whispered urgently.
Neptune placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder and the girl turned to face her would-be saviour. Neptune looked into her eyes and gasped. The Usagi she knew was nowhere in the eyes of the person before her. Usagi grabbed Neptune's wrist and threw her across the room with incredible strength. As Neptune landed, her hand touched the black ooze that had pooled on the floor from Chaos' cut. She slid backwards until she struck the wall beside the wooden throne room doors.
Hearing the noise, Chaos released another blast of energy which knocked Uranus to the other side of the throne room. Chaos turned to Neptune with a smirk on its face.
"Surprised?" Chaos asked. "I was going to wait until I found the Child to introduce you to my newest minion, but you beat me to it."
As Uranus fought to get up, Chaos pointed to her and she rose in the air. Neptune leapt to her feet, but Usagi and Chaos stood between her and her partner. With another gesture, Chaos made massive stone spikes appeared directly beneath Uranus.
"Promise not to tell?" Chaos asked. "I'd hate for the others to know my secret, too."
Uranus dipped closer to the spikes. She looked up and her gaze met Neptune. She could see the fear and helplessness in her beloved's eyes.
"Go!" Uranus yelled to Neptune.
Neptune hesitated by the door. She looked from Uranus to Usagi and back again.
"Remember our mission," Uranus called. "Go!"
Chaos laughed as Neptune fled. The last thing she saw was Uranus falling toward the spikes at an alarming speed.
*********
Michiru collapsed on the couch in her apartment. She cried openly, thinking of Haruka and the sacrifice she had made. It was still dark outside and Michiru realize their failed rescue mission had only taken a few hours of the night. She squeezed the sun-shaped ring in her hand, strangely comforted by its warm glow. The ring now represented to her the lost lives of both Kami and her beloved Haruka.
Suddenly, the glow of the ring stopped and a large cloud blocked the moonlight. Michiru looked down at the ring and felt her heart breaking again. They were both gone, destroyed at the hands of Chaos. Kami, Haruka, and even Usagi. She put the ring on the coffee table and sat back, not bothering to turn on any lights in her dark home. Michiru began to cry, feeling the hopelessness of her situation sink in, when abruptly she felt the unmistakable presence of someone else in the room. Thinking Chaos had followed her to finish her off, she turned, transformation pen in hand. To her great relief and utter surprise, a friendly face greeted her.
Thank you, Sailor Mirage said.
The outline of the Phantom senshi was barely visible, even in the black apartment. Michiru wiped her eyes, no longer trusting them to show her the truth. Cautiously, she rose from the couch and headed to where Mirage stood smiling calmly.
"Kami-chan?" Michiru whispered. "Is that really you?"
Mirage's face softened. We've been through this before, Michiru-san. Kami is dead.
"B-but you are Sailor Mirage," Michiru said, the relief evident in her voice. "How did you get here?"
You saved me, Mirage replied. When Sailor Uranus spilt the black blood of Chaos, I hid myself within it and escaped. I was much too weak to leave Chaos' energy until the sun ring passed through the blood. I was able to leave Chaos and re-enter the ring.
Michiru collapsed onto the couch again. Haruka's sacrifice had not been for nothing. Even if their princess was still captive, they had regained the Light. Their mission would not fail.
Mirage drifted over to stand in front of Michiru. She seemed to be growing dimmer with every passing minute.
My time is short, Mirage I have suffered much at the hands of Chaos and I need time to regain my strength. You and the others must find the Child as fast as you can.
"I know," Michiru said. "I've seen Usagi, but now that you're free, you can reach the Child first and Chaos will have no hold on it."
Mirage's ghostly face smiled. Of course, but what can the Child do if the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo is in Chaos' power? You must find the Child and save Usagi. There is no other way.
Mirage began to fade as the dark cloud that had been blocking the full moon moved.
"We will find the Child," Michiru promised.
Mirage dipped her head in acknowledgement and disappeared completely. Her voice rang though Michiru's head a final time.
I will be with you..
Michiru bent to retrieve the ring from the table and slipped it onto her finger. Her heart ached from the loss of Haruka, but she knew their mission would be a success.
*********
The day after Michiru returned home from her nearly futile rescue mission, the inner senshi were continuing their own searches. Chibiusa skipped ahead of Rei and Minako as they headed to the park. The sun was slowly inching into the west, most of the day having already been completed. The trio had searched the city for hours, watching Chibiusa's ring carefully as the pink-haired girl had gone and talked to the children her own age. They had found nothing. Now, as promised, Rei and Minako were taking her to visit her friend Hotaru.
Hotaru's father, Professor Tomoe, had been corrupted by the evil Mistress 9 who had inhabited Hotaru's body and tried to release the dreaded Pharaoh 90 on the Earth. Hotaru as Sailor Saturn had stopped Pharaoh 90 from reaching the Earth at the expense of her own life. However, as the senshi of Death and Rebirth, Hotaru had been able to be reborn as a baby again and was rescued by Super Sailor Moon. Now, she lived with her father again, who had no memory of being possessed.
Rei and Minako waited by the fountain as Chibiusa ran over the hill that separated the busier section of the park from the more quiet area. It was in this quiet place where Professor Tomoe usually brought Hotaru to look at the cherry blossoms on the trees. The professor was nowhere to be seen as Chibiusa headed for the baby cradle under the cherry tree. She looked in and saw Hotaru smiling up at her.
"Hi," Chibiusa said quietly. "How are you, Hotaru?"
The baby laughed and reached up to grab Chibiusa's pigtails. The pink haired girl smiled as the baby played with her hair. On her finger, the golden ring began to glow.
*********
Ami sighed and punched a few more figures into her computer. No matter how many times she reconfigured her satellite up-link, she could not get it to show her the Child. As she worked, she ate another of Makoto's sandwiches. The taller girl had been busy in the kitchen and had cleaned up Ami's apartment while Ami had worked. Now she sat next to Ami, staring at the small map of Tokyo in the bottom corner of the screen.
"What's supposed to happen?" Makoto asked.
"A signal of some sort should appear," Ami replied, fiddling with the controls again.
"Are you sure you have it hooked up right?"
"According to my calculations, we should be picking up something, but we're not," Ami said.
She sat back with a sigh and stared at the screen in frustration. They had been working for two days without any luck at all. Makoto had even slept over. Ami hoped that Rei and Minako were faring better than they were. She also wondered briefly what had happened to Haruka and Michiru.
"What's that?" Makoto asked suddenly.
Ami looked at the screen. A small, pink light had appeared on the Tokyo map. Smiling, Ami typed a few quick commands into her computer, enlarging the map to bring up a precise area.
"That's - " Makoto began.
"The park," Ami finished. "Let's go!"
Abandoning the computer, the two senshi practically ran for the park.
*********
Michiru played her violin in the open air theatre in the center of the park. She played the song she knew Haruka loved and imagined the other girl sitting in the front row, listening to her practice. It had not yet been a day since Haruka had given her life for their mission and the pain of their separation was still deep and raw. The sunlight glinted off the sun-shaped ring on her finger as she pulled her bow back and forth over the strings.
The Child
Michiru stopped her song and stared out over the empty seats of the theatre. She felt the restless stirrings of the sea within her, knowing that something big was happening. Gently placing her violin in its case, she glanced down at the ring on her finger. It glowed dimly in the midday sun but she felt a strange compulsion within her, urging her to move.
Leaving the theatre behind, Michiru followed her instincts to the source of her disturbance.
*********
Chaos opened its eyes and licked its lips. Beside it, Usagi stared with dead, unseeing eyes at the empty throne room. Chaos felt its hold on her was complete, having utterly consumed the pure heart of the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo. Closing its eyes again, Chaos reached out with its senses, following the trail its Lighter half had so carefully tried to conceal. They had been one once, and a part of them would be joined forever. It was this part that led Chaos to its prize.
"The Child," Chaos muttered, its voice echoing off the walls of the throne room.
Chaos stroked Usagi's long blonde pig-tails and thought. The Light was heading for the Child, it knew that for certain. Chaos sat back, bidding its time. The Child would always be susceptible to the Light and the Dark. It need only wait for the opportunity to present itself.
Looking down at Usagi, Chaos knew that opportunity would not be long in coming.