"***WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!***"
Daisuke Tsuruga trembles, cowering from the flames of Kughra's enraged glare. The lifeless cyborg bodies of Kyooko and Beryl lay still on their beds, unresponsive to the dark princess' commands for the last hour. "I don't understand it, Mistress!" the scientist shakes his head. "Their systems are operating perfectly! It's just that their minds...their minds are gone!"
Wheeling away, Kughra growls as she storms back into her chambers, muttering a litany of choice oaths in her native tongue. She should've guessed that someone, perhaps Sailor Hades, knew about Kyooko and Beryl, then saw two Nendo-kata come to Earth to absorb their spirits and perform their bizarre transformation-unification ritual. Slumping on her throne, she gazes at the image of Earth in a scrying glass. Very soon.
Very soon...
* * *
Water explodes!
Two lithe forms leap out from the ground floor pool at the Twins' apartment, escaping the birthing sacs that had, over the last twenty-four hours, gestated new bodies for the air-breathers known as Kyooko Tsuruga and Beryl. Gasping for air, the two drift to the shallow end, stepping out of the pool in a robotic haze, then slumping on a bench. Behind them, their Nendo-kata forms disintegrate in the chlorine-filled water, surrendering at last to the Cosmic Chain of Life. "Wh-what happened?!" Kyooko spits up some water, then gazes quizzically at Beryl.
"I...I don't know..." the deposed queen of the Dark Kingdom looks confusedly around, then stares at her hands. "Last thing I remember, we were in our room after Kughra..."
She shudders, the revulsion of her enforced submission to the dark princess' private lusts causing her empty stomach to churn nauseously. "Then...where are we?!" Kyooko looks around.
Their eyes then glow. "Welcome to your new life," a voice ventures from nearby.
A tall woman with long black hair dressed in very stylish slacks and shirt appears gazing at them. "Who...who are you?" Kyooko blinks confusedly.
"I'm Clarisse Ike, bard of the Outland school of the Nendo-kata," the pop star smiles. "Welcome to your new life, sisters. Your Nendo-kata halves decided not to wait and asked me to draw your human halves away from their machine shells so that your schoolmates and their friends didn't have to worry about rescuing you when it came time for them to confront Kughra."
Kyooko and Beryl gaze at each other, then jolt as images flood their minds. Thoughts and beliefs capable of overwhelming their very sense of self appear, but instead of conquering their human psyches, merge with them, forming a new psyche that drew strength from the best parts of both halves. In a minute, they regain their sense of self, gazing at each other. "We're free..." the former smiles, then embraces the latter. "We're free!"
"Yes, we are," Beryl sighs. "Forgive me, Kyooko-chan. I am not...used to being this way. Everything a Nendo-kata is stands square against everything I once fought for."
"Hush, Beryl-chan," Kyooko smiles. "You paid for your past misdeeds against the Unity when Sailor Moon condemned you to the Cosmic Chain of Life some years ago. There is no need to apologize for your discomfort. You cannot fight what you are now."
Beryl accepts an offered towel from Clarisse. "No, I can't. But those who once swore loyalty to me would find it ironic that the one who led them would destroy them without hesitation for their crimes against the Universal School...were they alive."
"It's alright, Beryl," Clarisse grins. "It took me a while to adjust to a Nendo-kata's way of thinking. Take your time. But, in the meantime," she turns to the pool, her eyes glowing.
The ashes that once were the Nendo-kata who had created the new Beryl and Kyooko vanish in a flash of energy. With that, Clarisse picks up two shopping bags and hands them to the newly Crossed Over members of the Cold Flat Mound school. "I bought some clothes for you two," she smiles. "Get dressed so I can take you out and get something to eat."
The two nod...
* * *
"Sailor Twins"
a tale of the Sailor Senshi
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
**** **** ****
Based on "Sailor Moon," created by Naoko Takeuchi
**** **** ****
PART FOUR - FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS
"Hello, Papa, Mama."
Setsuna closes her eyes as Yuki places the roses on the simple grave marker located in the hills some distance from Iwaki, then kneels to pray. "Papa, Mama, I'm alright now. I'm human again," the guardian of Eternity smiles. "This is Setsuna Meiou, the woman I told you about, the one who once guarded Time for the Silver Millennium. I adopted her as my sister. I hope you like her."
"Hello, Mr. Tetsujo, Mrs. Tetsujo," Setsuna bows, then kneels beside Yuki to join her in prayer.
A few minutes later, the two walk back to Yuki's car. "Does Sakebu-chan know how old you really are?" Setsuna wonders.
"Oh, yes," Yuki smiles. "She's always been into history, so it really made her happy to find out that her life-mate was born when the black ships first visited Edo. I think Papa and Mama like you very much, Setsuna-chan."
"I'm glad," Setsuna feels her cheeks heat.
It seemed strange to say that of two people who died before the turn of the century, but given their powers atop Yuki's Nendo-kata beliefs, the concept of spirits laying where their mortal remains were interred was sacred to the guardian of Eternity. Setsuna knew that when they sensed their own demise, Nendo-kata would seek out the place where their parents and ancestors had themselves gone for their eternal rest. Usually, it was a trench kilometres below the lowermost limit Nendo-kata could survive on their homeworld, hence the term "Black Ocean" for their concept of the afterlife. Whenever Nendo-kata schools came to pay homage to their kin, they always gathered in an undersea plateau close to those trenches for a period of meditation, of communion with the souls of the departed. Yuki COULD speak to her parents and did, more so now than before when she just had the *te'a's* Power...
* * *
"So, you turned to the Nendo-kata to get help in dealing with this creep, eh?!" Kooan smiles as she passes out tea. "That was smart. Prince Demand wouldn't DREAM of locking horns with them. They're so powerful, even Wiseman was scared."
"Makes me wonder what'll happen to the Twins in the future," Minako nods as she takes her cup, gazing at Junko.
"Whatever the Cosmic Chain of Life directs, Minako-chan," Junko smiles. "Even we must answer to That Power in the end."
The Black Moon sisters blink as they gaze on Makoto's twin. Everyone was now relaxing in the apartment the four refugees from the thirtieth century had purchased for themselves in the wake of their conversion. "Near as I can remember, there was this big fight between Sailor Diana and Queen Serenity that caused a split between the Senshi and the Twins," Beruche hums. "But I could be wrong; our memories of the future are vanishing the more time we spend in this period."
"It's best you say no more, Beruche-chan," Junko sighs. "To know one's fate is one thing even the Nendo-kata shouldn't be privy to. Our biggest character fault...if that...is our overwhelming drive to stamp out disUnity wherever we find it, regardless of personal consequences. It has seen many of the Great School cast into the Black Ocean. Believe me, I welcome the chance to be at peace and get to know the adopted members of my school better before we confront the sub-creature now in orbit over this world."
"Especially Minako-chan, right?" Kooan smiles knowingly.
"Eh?!" Minako blinks, then flushes. "Oh, c'mon, Kooan! Junko-chan and I're just friends!!"
"You know Nendo-kata can only reproduce with other females through parthenogenesis, Minako-chan," Beruche grins. "Sooner or later, Junko-chan'll answer the call of Nature...and by the looks of things, you've been picked to help her when that time comes."
Minako's cheeks redden at that idea. Was she a...? No! Impossible! Nothing intimate happened between her and Junko while the latter was still a cyborg, even though she made it clear that she found Minako attractive and very desirable. They had gone on one date to the theatre to watch a movie, but things went crazy with the massed attack of daemons that saw Junko become a Nendo-kata. She did know of that race's peculiar reproductive abilities from the Senshi's brief meeting with Nokoko Moroboshi's school, but never once thought that a Nendo-kata would come after her!
They gaze at each other. "You...really like me?" Minako asks.
"Hai," Junko nods. "In my eyes, you would be the perfect mate whenever I desire to have a child. But since my race no longer has the pressing need to procreate within six months of a Crossing Over, I can wait. And if you choose not to, there are many others I could chose from," she gazes at the Black Moon sisters.
They jerk, BIG sweat drops appearing on their heads. "Not us!!!" Kooan cries. "We already have boyfriends!! Lay off, huh?!"
"Pity," Junko muses.
Minako then looks around, noting one of the sisters missing. "Hey, guys, by the way, where's Pattsu? Is she working at the boutique?"
Downcast looks respond. "She...wants to be alone right now," Karabekasu sighs. "Today's the anniversary of Saphil's..."
Clapping her hand against her forehead, Minako groans. "Oh, jeez, I forgot!"
* * *
"How interesting?!" Kughra gazes at the images of the Black Moon sisters, then lays back. "Well, the energy from that fight still lingers in Tokyo. Time for a little reunion or two...!"
With that, she spreads her hands, blinding energy forming an arc between her palms. The bolts then lash out into nothingness. A second later, three bolts of energy strike the floor before the dark princess. They morph into the forms of three people, the black upside-down crescent on their foreheads proclaiming their allegiance to something that wouldn't exist for a thousand years.
Kughra relaxes as the first recovers, gazing confusedly around the dark room. "Where am I...who are you?!" Rubius snarls as he takes a defensive stance.
"You're Rubius, aren't you?" Kughra smiles. "What's the last thing you remember before coming here?"
Rubius blinks, then snarls. "I was fighting the Sailor Senshi and the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity struck me down...and now I'm here, wherever here is!" he looks around. "And who are you?!"
"You're on a planetoid in orbit over Earth back in what the Terrans call the twentieth century, some three years after your Black Moon Clan tried to destroy Crystal Tokyo long before it was born," Kughra smiles. "A good plan that would have worked had you properly understood the power you faced and prepared for it. I warped you away from that battle in the last nano-second to prevent your being lost to Eternity. As for who I am..." she pauses dramatically. "I am Kughra. Consider me your new employer."
Rubius blinks, then relaxes. "Well, anyone who can pull a feat like that deserves my respect. So why am I here?"
"Let's just say that I've collected you and your two clansmen to harass the Sailor Senshi and the Senshi Twins until I've gathered enough energy to complete the task you were sent back in time to perform," Kughra hums. "I do not want you to destroy them; there are now twenty of the little beasts...and I don't like seeing good people wasted on foolish missions."
Rubius blinks. "The Twins?! Twenty of them?! That means that Terra, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn are amongst them now! In the time of Crystal Tokyo, we only had to deal with the Inner Senshi and Pluto! That was by sheer luck!"
"Luck shouldn't be ignored," Kughra muses, then notices the other two from the Black Moon rising. "Welcome back, Esmerald, Saphil. I trust you survived your 'resurrection' well."
The two blink surprisedly, then gaze at Rubius. "What's going on here?!!" Esmerald snarls. "Last thing I remember, that back-stabbing Wiseman was trying to banish me into the Dark...!"
"It's a long story," Rubius shrugs.
Following a quick explanation, the two new arrivals nod. "Well, since you did save our lives, I suppose we could repay the favour," Esmerald hums. "What happens if one of the Senshi dies?"
"That is the fortunes of battle, my dear," Kughra hums, then fires a warning gaze at them. "And in case you think of something stupid, don't. What I can give, I can easily take away."
Esmerald sighs. "I understand."
"What of you, Saphil?" the dark princess turns to gaze on the quite handsome raven-haired man in the black uniform, the wounds received from fighting Prince Demand healed.
"Much that I do appreciate being saved, I've many other things on my mind now," Saphil tenses, knowing his words could be the end of him. "You might as well kill me now and be done with it."
Esmerald and Rubius gape in disbelief at their clansman's defiance. Kughra laughs. "I do admire honesty!!" she sips her wine, then stares at him. "No, I won't kill you, Saphil. You are useful even if you won't serve me as your clansmen now do. You still have your own purposes. Now, go!"
A flash later, the Black Moon warriors vanish. Tsuruga then emerges from the shadows. "Mistress, are you sure you need them? They couldn't stand up to the Sailor Senshi when they were but six. How do you expect them to stand up to twenty of them?!"
"They will be a distraction, Daisuke-kun," Kughra sighs. "They will be so eager to serve, they'll do anything to keep the Sailor Senshi and the Twins busy. And doing so will allow me to observe their tactics and conceive of the right countermeasures. Oh, they'll be done away with; of that, I've no doubt. But the energy needed to bring them here from their fates was minuscule and easily replaced. After all, how can one choose other powers when one can drawn on the power of all of Existence itself?!"
Insane laughter echoes through the hall...
* * *
"Well, this was easy enough to recreate," Esmerald hums as she gazes around the familiar dark trappings of the Black Moon palace that once loomed over Juuban. It was now cloaked in a low geo-synchronous orbit over Tokyo. "There was enough energy laying around here, it surprises me that someone else didn't think about using it for their own purposes."
"You mean Kughra?" Rubius muses.
"You've never heard of her, I take it," Esmerald muses. "Much that I would kill Wiseman for what he did to me, the old fossil had his uses. Every time he talked to Prince Demand or myself of Kughra...the Dark Princess of Newgrange as he knew her...it was always with great respect. She doesn't need our power. The power she welds already is great enough for her purposes."
"So why save our lives?"
Esmerald shrugs. "Search me. Personally, I wouldn't mind a rematch or three with those little bitches. They caused us both enough trouble to last us five lifetimes."
"Yeah, that's true," Rubius smiles. "Besides, in the future, we never got the chance to sink our claws into the likes of Sailor Saturn, Sailor Terra or the Senshi Twins. I always believed their reps were a lot of hot air."
"I don't know," she hums. "Saturn and Terra weren't alive when we attacked Crystal Tokyo...and because of that spat between Serenity and her sister, the Twins wouldn't lift a finger to help. I always wondered why Prince Demand insisted we wait until Crystal Tokyo's defenses were down enough to make our attack work."
"Perhaps you're right," Rubius nods, then looks at Saphil. "What about you? Where do you intend to go?"
"If you want to do this, be my guest," Saphil sighs. "I have my own life to live."
"What about Kughra?"
"Strange as this may sound, she strikes me as someone of her word," Saphil muses. "Besides, she's using both of you for her own purposes, perhaps even me. I don't care. I've someone living here I haven't seen in a while and I intend not to be separated from her anymore. Don't follow me!"
In a flash of energy, he vanishes. "Ungrateful idiot!" Rubius snorts. "Does he want to die?!"
"Forget him," Esmerald muses. "We've work to do."
* * *
"It's a pleasure to have you all come to Hikawa Jinja," Rei's grandfather smiles as the Dokai family and Ayako Maida approach. "So what brings you up from Tokushima?"
Matsuri's parents were Shinto clerics, her father the chief priest of Shikoku, her mother a shrine priestess in their hometown. Matsuri herself had been training as a priestess when she had come into contact with a doctor who had contracted Ebola while working with the World Health Organization in Zaire. Because of her religious training, Matsuri had bonded together with the sage of the Cold Flat Mound school when she Crossed Over. "We came up here to ask you a favour concerning our daughter," her father smiles.
Rei's grandfather gazes at Matsuri, then looks at his own grandchild. "Well, I'll be. Except for the hair, you two could be twin sisters! Isn't this a coincidence?!"
Rei and Matsuri nearly fall over in a spasm of coughing. "Y-yeah, it's a coincidence alright!" the former laughs, then smiles. "Nice to see you again, Matsuri-san!" she bows.
"Nice to see you too, Rei-san," Matsuri returns the greeting.
"You know each other?!" Rei's grandfather blinks surprisedly.
"Matsuri-chan was down with a terrible flu over the last while," Mrs. Dokai moves in to save the fire twins from their near-gaffe. "She was convalescing with some friends here when she met your granddaughter...and they hit it off right away!"
"Wonderful!! Why don't you come in for a while?!" the elder priest smiles as he escorts them inside.
"Nice slip of the tongue, Rei-chan," Ayako mutters.
"Sorry!" Rei hisses.
"I'll stay out here while you get things arranged," Ayako kisses her life-mate on the cheek, then her eyes glow. "Hey, there's Minako-chan and Junko-chan! Who're their friends?"
"Oh, gods, I forgot that Pattsu's here visiting Saphil's memorial!" Rei gasps as Minako, Junko and the other Black Moon sisters come up the stairs. "Hi, everyone!!"
"Hi, Rei!" Kooan blinks on seeing Matsuri and Ayako. "Boy, this is really getting confusing, seeing you all together!"
"Pattsu's by the memorial," Rei points. "Matsuri-chan and I have to be with our families right now. We'll talk later."
"Okay!" everyone nods as Rei and Matsuri head inside.
The others walk around the shrine to a private grove. There, Pattsu kneels before a simple stone marker, the kana for SAPHIL written on it over a laminated picture of her beloved. Incense and a bouquet of roses lay at her feet. Silently, the other sisters and Minako kneel beside Pattsu, Junko and Ayako hanging back.
"I'm glad you're here," Pattsu smiles.
"We should've come with you today," Beruche places a hand on her sister's shoulder. "He was our friend, too."
"I know," Pattsu sighs. "I just wish...I just wish I could have had the chance to say good-bye to him."
Silence falls as the Black Moon sisters engage in a group hug. "They weep over an empty grave," Junko quietly muses. "What use is there trying to touch those in the Cosmic Chain of Life when they are not there to be touched?"
"Leave them be, Junko-chan," Ayako sighs, then blinks, her eyes glowing. "But it seems the dead can come back to life!!"
"Eh?!" Junko's eyes then glow, looking into the skies. "Blessed Mother Ocean, what...?!"
Everyone looks up to see a dark shape appear over Juuban, looking like it would swallow all of Tokyo whole. In the middle of this morass is a geometric shape that seems an ebony perversion of Nicole McTavish's crystal palace. "The Black Moon...?!" Minako gapes. "Impossible!!! They're all dead!!"
"That doesn't look dead to me!!" Kooan hisses.
Communicators urgently begin beeping...
* * *
"We're down to less than half-strength!!" Sailor Terra hisses as the Senshi still in Tokyo muster together by Juuban High School. "This is not good!! Not good at all!!"
Sailor Moon looks at the eight other Senshi with her. Terra, Diana, Chronos, Zeus, Mars, Ares, Aphrodite and Venus. Pluto and Hades were on their way. Mercury, Hermes and Poseidon were down in Okinawa. Sunaru and Jupiter were with the former's family. Gaia was with her relatives in Nagano while Uranus, Neptune and Saturn were up in Oshika visiting the Nendo-kata. "Who are we up against, Sailor Moon?! Any ideas?!" Mars wonders.
"No, not yet...LOOK OUT!!!!!!"
Everyone scatters as bolts of black energy lance down from the Black Moon citadel, morphing into several familiar monsters. "It's so good to be back!!!" Atsugessho cackles, make-up applicators at the ready. "Time for a make-over!!"
"No thanks, just got one!!!" Aphrodite pops a handful of black hearts. "***HEART MIRROR SHOCK!!!!!!***" she fires.
The bolts race at the monsters like homing missiles as the other Senshi scatter into better fighting positions. The Black Moon soldiers evade save for the ice warrior Nipos, who gets nailed by two! Screaming, she drops dazedly to the ground, unable to summon the energy to resist as Aphrodite approaches her. "Can't fight..." she gasps. "How can...this be...?"
"Why fight?!" Aphrodite coos, turning the ice warrior's head so Nipos could gaze into her eyes. "When you can make love?"
A pink heart slams into Nipos next, filling her with the most alien emotion the ice warrior has ever encountered. "Such warmth!" she gasps, collapsing into Aphrodite's arms. "Oh, this warmth is so delicious!! How could I have never experienced it?!"
The other Senshi exchange confused looks. "What is that shameless flirt doing?!!" Ares snarls, jealous flames in her eyes. "Don't I make love to her enough to satisfy her?!!"
The others faint! "Actually, this could be a chance to distract the others while Aphrodite plays matchmaker!!" Chronos draws the Time Reaper. "***TIME SUSPENSION!!!!!!***"
A null-time bubble catches the others before they could evade. "Got them! Now what?!" Moon wonders.
"Let Ayako-chan do her magic!" Diana smiles.
Aphrodite then guides Nipos into gazing at the seven other Black Moon monsters. "Now, we have seven nice ladies here all for your picking! Which one is it?! C'mon, c'mon, make a choice!"
Nipos gazes at them, then points. "Her!!!"
She points at the single-horned Akumuudee. "Nice choice, Nipos-chan!!" Aphrodite grins. "Let that one go, Chronos!!"
"Hai!!" Chronos twists the Time Reaper.
Akumuudee drops to the ground, then snarls. "DIE!!!!!!"
"NOT!!!!!!" Aphrodite giggles, then winds up. "***MIXED PASSION ATTACK!!!!!!***" she fires another storm.
The unicorn-like monster is zapped by a storm of hearts that causes her to drop to her knees. Aphrodite steps aside as Nipos races at the dazed Akumuudee, swamping her with an overwhelming glomp as the two stumble away. "That'll keep them busy for the next bit!!" the passion mistress laughs, then gazes at the other monsters still trapped by Chronos. "Okay, who's next?!!"
* * *
"***WHAT IS THAT WOMAN DOING?!?!?!***"
Esmerald and Rubius watch the bizarre proceedings at Juuban High School from their sanctum sanctorum aboard the citadel. Right now, Aphrodite was "introducing" Atsugessho and Uderingu, the first monster to appear after Esmerald took over trying to capture Chibi-usa from her clansman. "I'd say playing matchmaker!" Rubius blinks, unused to seeing THIS sort of behaviour from a Sailor Senshi. "So that's Sailor Aphrodite! Her reputation's not only deserved, it's understated!!"
"OooooooooooooOOOHHHH!!!!" Esmerald shakes her head, her eyes ablaze. "How DARE that love-sick trollop do that to MY warriors?!! I'll go down there myself and give that bitch a piece of my mind!!"
She vanishes from the citadel. "This really isn't what I had in mind when we started this!" Rubius mutters before following...
* * *
By now, the "introductions" are made and the monsters are now getting "acquainted" with each other. "Awww, isn't that cute?!!" Aphrodite sighs drunkenly as her senses lap up the passion around her, ignoring the BIG sweat drops on everyone else's heads.
"I never thought fighting in the Sailor Senshi would entail this!!" Terra hangs her head. "What is that girl thinking?!!"
"Hmpth!!" Ares looks even more jealous, crossing her arms as she looks away. "Chasing after other people while she's got me willing to do anything for her!! Some relationship!!!"
"Having you girls around is definitely going to make things loads of fun in the future!!" Venus sighs, then blinks as she sees a point of dark light appearing above her sister. "Uh-oh!!!"
A bolt slams into the ground centimetres from the passion mistress, knocking Aphrodite on her face!! Esmerald appears, then glares at her soldiers whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears instead of trashing Senshi. "***YOU IDIOTS!!!!! GET BACK ON THE JOB AND KILL THESE FOOLS!!!!!!***"
The sticky warrior Jaamanen looks up from some mouth-to-mouth with Abogaatra. "We're busy! Go away!!"
"Jaa-chan!" the shopping demon draws her back down.
"'GO AWAY?!?!?!'" Esmerald explodes with anger. "YOU tell ME to GO AWAY?!?!?! Do you remember who CREATED you?!!"
"Obviously someone who hasn't had a little love herself for the past bit!!!" a voice muses. "***AEGIS ENTRAPMENT!!!!!!***"
Esmerald screams helplessly as Zeus' suspension bubble snares her, elevating her as Aphrodite dusts herself off. "Of course, you know this means war!" she snarls, spinning around. "Okay, honey, you want to play party crasher with me, I'll oblige you!!" the passion mistress growls, then notices someone else floating in mid-air over the school. "Why, who's tall, red-haired and handsome over yonder?!" she hums, drawing the Truth Chain from her waist.
"RUBIUS?!?!?!" Moon cries on recognizing Esmerald's clansman. "Boy, this is old home week, isn't it?!!"
"C'mon down here, son!!" Aphrodite fires her chain.
Rubius dodges the chain of hearts only to fall into Ares' sights. "***FIRE PHOENIX!!!!!!***" the fire mistress launches a bird of flame at the Black Moon warrior.
"YEOWCH!!!!!!" he screams, dodging down...
...right into the grasp of the Truth Chain! "I gotta bite!!" Aphrodite reels him in. "C'mere, handsome!!!"
Rubius crash-lands beside the floating Esmerald, his body quaking from Aphrodite's power. "So, who brought you two back?!" Venus wonders as the veterans of the Black Moon war walk up.
"Someone who wants to see you die!" Rubius hisses.
Everyone exchanges looks. "Kughra!" the Senshi sigh.
"So what do we do with these two trouble-makers?!" Terra hums, drawing the soulsword from her body. "Let their minds drift in little pieces across the cosmos for the rest of Eternity?!"
"How about letting Chronos there use her Time Acceleration and really make Esmerald look old?!" Mars snickers.
"NO!!!!" Esmerald screams. "Anything but THAT!!!!"
"Still vain after all these years," Venus laughs.
"There's an easier way!"
Everyone turns to see Kooan, Beruche and Karabekasu walk up. "What way, Kooan-chan?" Aphrodite muses.
"Well, you don't know something about Rubius," Beruche smiles.
Rubius pales. "No, Beruche!!! Don't tell her THAT!!!!"
"Tell me what?!!" Aphrodite glares at him.
He shudders, the power of the Truth Chain overwhelming all his defenses. "That...I...love...Esmerald-...chan...!"
Everyone blinks. "Is that a fact?!" Aphrodite savagely grins as she draws fingers to lips and arms up.
"Wh-wh-what are y-y-you going t-t-to do?!" Esmerald stammers.
Aphrodite fires. "***MIXED PASSION ATTACK!!!!!!***"
Zeus drops her shield as Esmerald screams on the impact of the storm of energy hearts drain her dark thoughts from her soul and re-fill them with thoughts of love. Another blast nails Rubius as the passion mistress draws off the Truth Chain. As soon as the smoke clears, Rubius and Esmerald gaze at each other, both unable to fight off the lustful storm in their hearts. "Rubius-kun..."
"Esmerald-chan..."
Guess what happens.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?!" Terra beams as the newly bonded couple begin to devour the other's lips.
"Um, I hate to put a damper on this, but what about them?!" Zeus points to the monsters Esmerald and Rubius created to attack the Senshi, still busy taking delight in each other's company. "I mean, if Sailor Moon uses the Imperial Silver Crystal on them when she heals Rubius and Esmerald, they'll die!"
"Not necessarily!" Aphrodite muses, then holds out her hand to Moon. "Can I see the Crystal, Usagi-chan?"
"Um, sure," Moon passes the staff over.
As the passion mistress examines the device, a burst of energy warps in Sailor Pluto and Sailor Hades. "We're just in time!" the time guardian smiles. "I see everyone else is holding up well."
"Ayako-chan handled most of it," Moon beams.
"Um...excuse me," Esmerald lustily pants, allowing Rubius to kiss her neck as she looks at the Black Moon sisters. "Before I let my lovely Rubi-chan seduce me, is Pattsu about?"
"Why?!" Beruche wonders.
"Everyone, look!" Karabekasu points.
Eyes turn to see Pattsu now in Saphil's arms under a cherry blossom tree, both kissing madly as tears of relief sparkle on their cheeks. "Another couple reunited!" Moon swoons, then laughs. "Well, we all say we fight for love and happiness!! I'd say this is one day we really proved it!"
"Okay, I got it!!" Aphrodite announces.
"Got what?" Chronos wonders.
"How to make sure everyone can have happy lives," the passion mistress lifts the Crystal into the air.
It then glows as a blaze of energy forms around Aphrodite, the passion mistress spinning around like a top as the power builds to saturation point. "Ayako, no!!!" Ares cries out, realizing what her life-mate had in mind. "Not the...!!"
"***HEART...PASSION...NOVA!!!!!!***"
A burst of pure love races from her to encompass all of Juuban!! The energy destroys the reconstructed Black Moon citadel; cleanses Rubius, Esmerald and Saphil of the dark energy that they had served for so long; transforms the Black Moon monsters into human doubles of their fighting forms...not to mention putting all sorts of VERY intimate thoughts into every adult in the district!
As the flash fades, Aphrodite exhales. "Ah, that feels MUCH better! Here you go, Usagi-chan...!" she hands the Imperium Silver Crystal over to Sailor Moon...who isn't there! "Usagi?!"
"Muffin!!!" the retreating scream of the Senshi leader is heard as she makes a bee-line for Mamoru's apartment. "Muffin!!! Your odango's coming home for some fun!!!"
Aphrodite blinks, then notices everyone else heading off. "Maybe we should get more better acquainted, ne, Junko-chan?!" Venus purrs as she drags Zeus to her apartment.
"I'll agree to that!!" Zeus growls playfully.
In a second, all who remain on the grounds of Juuban High School is Aphrodite, Ares and the ex-Black Moon monsters. "Geez, I never thought I was THIS effective!!" the passion mistress laughs as she transforms back into Ayako, stowing the Imperium Silver Crystal into warpspace for the time she could give it back to a more cognizant Usagi. "Damn, I such a stinker!"
"Yeah, you're a stinker, alright!!" Ares transforms back to Matsuri, then leans up against her. "But you're MY stinker!!"
"Aw, Matsu-chan!" Ayako sighs.
"Um, excuse us," a quiet cough is heard.
The two turn to see the ex-Black Moon monsters smiling at them. "Pardon us for interrupting, Ayako-sama, but would you and Matsuri-sama be willing to...um, teach us a few things about expressing our love for each other?" Nipos, now resembling a normal woman in a kimono, hugs Akumuudee's arm, the latter now with normal skin, without a horn and dressed in stylish civilians.
Ayako and Matsuri exchange looks. "Can we handle them all?!" the former hums.
"The bed'll break!" the latter warns.
"Who says we have to do it in a bed? After all, Kyooko-oba-chan and Beryl've Crossed Over. The pool's just as good."
"Why, Ayako-chan, that's so romantic!"
"Hai, hai," Ayako laughs...
* * *
In orbit, Kughra is also laughing. "I can't for the life of me see what's so funny!" Tsuruga sighs.
"Relax, Professor!" the dark princess snickers. "I learn more from a defeat than in any ten victories!! Now, I know how to keep Sailor Aphrodite busy; just let her try to warp people's hearts to her will and she'll be too distracted to help the others! Of the Twins, she is by far the deadliest since her attacks always focus on one's heart!! A little more observation, then I'll know all their strengths and weaknesses...and then, the fun begins!!"
She sits back on her throne, purring in anticipation...
* * *
"I can't understand what happened to me!" Mr. Tsukino sighs as he and his wife relax in their living room some hours later. "All I felt was this mad desire to have you in every way possible!!"
"I didn't mind!" Usagi's mother coos as she leans into her husband's side. "It was just like our wedding night!!"
Nearby, Artemis and Luna rest. "That was too much!" the former muses quietly, gently nibbling on the latter's ear. "We've got to talk to Ayako about using her powers like that!!"
"Oh, if we try to stop her, we'll just make her worse!" Luna purrs contently, then blinks as the doorbell is heard. "Now, who could that be?" she wonders.
Mrs. Tsukino walks to the door, opening it to see two women standing there. "Hello!" the first smiles, bowing gracefully. "Are you Usagi's mother?"
"Yes, I am," she nods. "Has she done something wrong?"
"Oh, no, no, no!" Kyooko laughs. "I'm Nona's mother."
"You're...!!" Mrs. Tsukino gasps, then beams. "Oh, my! But Nona-chan said that you had been captured..."
"We were freed in the same way as my daughter and the others were," Kyooko explains, then waves to her companion. "Oh, this is Midori Ryokuchuuseki. She was another victim of that creature."
"A pleasure. Please, come in!"
*'Midori Ryokuchuuseki?!'* Luna's eyes widen on seeing the woman beside Kyooko Tsuruga. Though her ears were round, her eyes no longer bloodshot red and she didn't have the bony protrusions sticking out from her shoulders, her other features sang "Beryl" to the feline herald of the Silver Millennium. Then, much to Luna's total surprise, she feels a sense of serene calm from the deposed queen of the Dark Kingdom, as if she had come to accept that her place in this universe had changed. If so, how would she react when Usagi walked through the front door?
Tea is quickly served, then conversation begins. Luna and Artemis gaze at Midori/Beryl, wondering what to do. Every once in a while, the woman's eyes would fall on them for a brief moment. Each time, both cats feel the gentle touch of peace and happiness. Could even Beryl, who was once seen by Luna and Artemis as the very personification of evil, be turned by the Nendo-kata so totally? Were miracles actually possible? What were they to do?
The door then opens, revealing a very happy Usagi, Nona and Chooko behind her. "Mom, Dad, we're home...oh, we have guests?!" the former calls out on noticing the extra people.
"MOM?!?!?!" Nona gasps.
"Nona-chan!!!" Kyooko rises as her daughter flies into her arms. "Oh, sweetie, there you are!!"
They fiercely embrace each other, happy tears streaming down their cheeks. "Mom, I sensed something happen...but how?!!" Nona stares at Kyooko. "Surely the others in the school couldn't've..."
"With help, they did," Kyooko assures her. "One of Nokoko's school, the school bard, has only very recently mated. She created a space-warp by which our android selves were quickly drawn to the pool in your apartment, thus allowing Midori-chan and I to Cross Over, then the bodies were replaced without Kughra being the wiser. We've been up and around for several hours, in fact."
"Oh, thank you!" Nona smiles, then kisses her mother's cheek. "It's so good to be with you again, Mom!!"
"And with you, sweetie," Kyooko smiles.
Usagi blinks, then stares in shock at Midori, her brain clicking in to tell her who this really is. Not wanting to shout out and scare her parents, she walks over, hand out. "Well, we're glad you're safe. We were all afraid that we'd have to storm a fortress to get you down from there."
"It's the thought that counts," Midori shakes her hand. We have to talk, Sailor Moon.
Upstairs, later, Usagi replies.
"So!" Kyooko turns to Chooko, returning to their seat. "I see my daughter has found herself quite the catch. Why don't you introduce yourself, young lady."
"I'm Chooko Nori, ma'am," she bows. "Pleased to meet you..."
* * *
"You are quiet."
Usagi blinks, staring at the reborn woman now sitting on her bed. Nona and Chooko were asleep in the guest room, allowing the day's fatigue to catch up to them. Downstairs, Kyooko and the Tsukinos were preparing a beautiful dinner in celebration of the former's reunion with her daughter. Thus, two former enemies could finally have a chance to put their animosities to rest. "What do you expect me to do?" she gazes at her guest. "Besides, what do I call you now? Midori or Beryl?"
"I suppose 'Midori' would do better. Like you, I am reborn from someone who died sometime ago...at your hand, admittedly. I possess Beryl's memories, but I possess the memories of another; they are merging together as we speak. Becoming a Nendo-kata can be disorientating as Clarisse warned us."
"Alright, Midori it is," Usagi sighs. "To that end, we should strive to try not to spark a new fight between us. As far as I'm concerned, the Dark Kingdom War is done and over with."
"You really desire that, do you?" Midori muses.
"Hai, I do," Usagi sits at her desk. "When Jeddite returned and tried to start the whole darned thing anew, I learned that the last parts of Beryl's former Seifukusu Imperial House were dying because of their prolonged exposure to Metallia's realm. They were all driven in there as a way of killing off that House with minimal cost and thus sparing the Dominion a protracted civil war."
"That is correct," Midori nods. "After the Silver Millennium was destroyed, two dozen Houses banded together to force my...force Beryl's House out of this plane of existence into Metallia's realm. It was quite a fight, lasting over several decades as Terrans tell time...but it was a fight that was eventually won."
"Death by slow genocide," Usagi frowns. "What was worse, by our choking off the necessary life-force energy for the denizens of the Dark Kingdom to survive, we contributed to the deaths of many thousands, especially in that final fight in the Arctic. Only very recently did I come to see what I nearly did to them. Thanks the gods we stopped it before it was really too late."
"You were led by incomplete information," Midori reminds her.
"And a thousand year old dream that even now I sometimes wish I never became a part of," Usagi muses. "After Beryl, there were a whole slew of monsters who came to take us on. We've been pretty busy doing things far and beyond cleaning up the mess left behind a millennia ago. I said it to Luna and Mamo-chan shortly after meeting Nona-chan. I'm not Princess Serenity anymore, just as much as you're not Queen Beryl now. We're two different people from two different time periods...and I want it to remain that way. In the future, I might become the queen of something called Crystal Tokyo, calling myself Neo-Queen Serenity...but that's the future. Right now, I am Usagi Tsukino as well as Sailor Moon. And I like it."
"As I like being what I am now," Midori smiles. "Were I just only of Beryl's mind, I'd be revolted by being this, being stripped of everything that meant something to me. Humiliated by Kughra like I was, rendered totally powerless, without a single denizen to fight for me. But when I was born of the Crossing Over, I realized I couldn't be Beryl anymore. Beryl is for all intents and purposes in the Cosmic Chain of Life...and there she will remain."
"So what happens now?"
"Nothing much, other than discovering something with Kyooko-chan and forging an understanding with Nona-chan," Midori sighs. "Very soon, you will have to deal with Kughra and Daisuke Tsuruga. They're just sitting up there waiting for the chance to come down and destroy you. That whole business with Rubius and Esmerald was designed to keep you busy, show how you operate so Kughra could discover weaknesses and destroy you. She wants the Imperium Silver Crystal, Usagi-chan...for what, I don't know. All Kughra said to me was that she understands the power you weld and because she does understand that, she stands a better chance of defeating you than Beryl or everyone who came after her did. Something tells me she may be right. There is a...calm within her. She is patient beyond belief as well as long-lived. She could wait for years until she knows everything about you, then she'll strike."
Usagi tenses, then looks down. "We have to strike now."
"Exactly," Midori sighs. "Strike swift, strike hard...and go for the throat. No mercy."
"How many are up there?"
Midori blinks. "What do you mean?"
"How many daemons are up there? If Kughra's base was formed from Beryl's planetoid, then there might be survivors of the Dark Kingdom up there, people missed when we fought Jeddite."
"Some...at most a hundred," Midori sighs. "The rest were all purpose-created by Kughra, so they wouldn't count."
Usagi looks down. "Damn..."
"What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking," the leader of the Senshi looks up at the heavens, tears brimming in her eyes. "How much more of my life must be written in the blood of others?"
"Do you think we enjoy killing, even those who are committed to the destruction of Unity?" Midori wonders.
Usagi blinks surprisedly. "I am a Nendo-kata, born to serve and protect the Unity, the bond between all living things in the Universal School," Midori intones, as if swearing an oath. "I will kill in Unity's name when there's no other option or when innocents will suffer. But even I cannot stand being party to a massacre."
They stare at each other, then Usagi smiles. "I'm glad I'm not alone anymore," she nods, then rises. "Alright. We go as soon as we can get everyone together..."
The door to her bedroom opens, revealing Luna. "Usagi."
"What is it, Luna?" Usagi wonders.
"We just received a call from Haruka in Oshika," Luna smiles. "Nokoko's school, Nicole and Mujanba have just given birth to their daughters. We're invited to come up and celebrate."
Usagi blinks, then beams. "Great!!"
* * *
To be concluded...
Daisuke Tsuruga trembles, cowering from the flames of Kughra's enraged glare. The lifeless cyborg bodies of Kyooko and Beryl lay still on their beds, unresponsive to the dark princess' commands for the last hour. "I don't understand it, Mistress!" the scientist shakes his head. "Their systems are operating perfectly! It's just that their minds...their minds are gone!"
Wheeling away, Kughra growls as she storms back into her chambers, muttering a litany of choice oaths in her native tongue. She should've guessed that someone, perhaps Sailor Hades, knew about Kyooko and Beryl, then saw two Nendo-kata come to Earth to absorb their spirits and perform their bizarre transformation-unification ritual. Slumping on her throne, she gazes at the image of Earth in a scrying glass. Very soon.
Very soon...
* * *
Water explodes!
Two lithe forms leap out from the ground floor pool at the Twins' apartment, escaping the birthing sacs that had, over the last twenty-four hours, gestated new bodies for the air-breathers known as Kyooko Tsuruga and Beryl. Gasping for air, the two drift to the shallow end, stepping out of the pool in a robotic haze, then slumping on a bench. Behind them, their Nendo-kata forms disintegrate in the chlorine-filled water, surrendering at last to the Cosmic Chain of Life. "Wh-what happened?!" Kyooko spits up some water, then gazes quizzically at Beryl.
"I...I don't know..." the deposed queen of the Dark Kingdom looks confusedly around, then stares at her hands. "Last thing I remember, we were in our room after Kughra..."
She shudders, the revulsion of her enforced submission to the dark princess' private lusts causing her empty stomach to churn nauseously. "Then...where are we?!" Kyooko looks around.
Their eyes then glow. "Welcome to your new life," a voice ventures from nearby.
A tall woman with long black hair dressed in very stylish slacks and shirt appears gazing at them. "Who...who are you?" Kyooko blinks confusedly.
"I'm Clarisse Ike, bard of the Outland school of the Nendo-kata," the pop star smiles. "Welcome to your new life, sisters. Your Nendo-kata halves decided not to wait and asked me to draw your human halves away from their machine shells so that your schoolmates and their friends didn't have to worry about rescuing you when it came time for them to confront Kughra."
Kyooko and Beryl gaze at each other, then jolt as images flood their minds. Thoughts and beliefs capable of overwhelming their very sense of self appear, but instead of conquering their human psyches, merge with them, forming a new psyche that drew strength from the best parts of both halves. In a minute, they regain their sense of self, gazing at each other. "We're free..." the former smiles, then embraces the latter. "We're free!"
"Yes, we are," Beryl sighs. "Forgive me, Kyooko-chan. I am not...used to being this way. Everything a Nendo-kata is stands square against everything I once fought for."
"Hush, Beryl-chan," Kyooko smiles. "You paid for your past misdeeds against the Unity when Sailor Moon condemned you to the Cosmic Chain of Life some years ago. There is no need to apologize for your discomfort. You cannot fight what you are now."
Beryl accepts an offered towel from Clarisse. "No, I can't. But those who once swore loyalty to me would find it ironic that the one who led them would destroy them without hesitation for their crimes against the Universal School...were they alive."
"It's alright, Beryl," Clarisse grins. "It took me a while to adjust to a Nendo-kata's way of thinking. Take your time. But, in the meantime," she turns to the pool, her eyes glowing.
The ashes that once were the Nendo-kata who had created the new Beryl and Kyooko vanish in a flash of energy. With that, Clarisse picks up two shopping bags and hands them to the newly Crossed Over members of the Cold Flat Mound school. "I bought some clothes for you two," she smiles. "Get dressed so I can take you out and get something to eat."
The two nod...
* * *
"Sailor Twins"
a tale of the Sailor Senshi
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
**** **** ****
Based on "Sailor Moon," created by Naoko Takeuchi
**** **** ****
PART FOUR - FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS
"Hello, Papa, Mama."
Setsuna closes her eyes as Yuki places the roses on the simple grave marker located in the hills some distance from Iwaki, then kneels to pray. "Papa, Mama, I'm alright now. I'm human again," the guardian of Eternity smiles. "This is Setsuna Meiou, the woman I told you about, the one who once guarded Time for the Silver Millennium. I adopted her as my sister. I hope you like her."
"Hello, Mr. Tetsujo, Mrs. Tetsujo," Setsuna bows, then kneels beside Yuki to join her in prayer.
A few minutes later, the two walk back to Yuki's car. "Does Sakebu-chan know how old you really are?" Setsuna wonders.
"Oh, yes," Yuki smiles. "She's always been into history, so it really made her happy to find out that her life-mate was born when the black ships first visited Edo. I think Papa and Mama like you very much, Setsuna-chan."
"I'm glad," Setsuna feels her cheeks heat.
It seemed strange to say that of two people who died before the turn of the century, but given their powers atop Yuki's Nendo-kata beliefs, the concept of spirits laying where their mortal remains were interred was sacred to the guardian of Eternity. Setsuna knew that when they sensed their own demise, Nendo-kata would seek out the place where their parents and ancestors had themselves gone for their eternal rest. Usually, it was a trench kilometres below the lowermost limit Nendo-kata could survive on their homeworld, hence the term "Black Ocean" for their concept of the afterlife. Whenever Nendo-kata schools came to pay homage to their kin, they always gathered in an undersea plateau close to those trenches for a period of meditation, of communion with the souls of the departed. Yuki COULD speak to her parents and did, more so now than before when she just had the *te'a's* Power...
* * *
"So, you turned to the Nendo-kata to get help in dealing with this creep, eh?!" Kooan smiles as she passes out tea. "That was smart. Prince Demand wouldn't DREAM of locking horns with them. They're so powerful, even Wiseman was scared."
"Makes me wonder what'll happen to the Twins in the future," Minako nods as she takes her cup, gazing at Junko.
"Whatever the Cosmic Chain of Life directs, Minako-chan," Junko smiles. "Even we must answer to That Power in the end."
The Black Moon sisters blink as they gaze on Makoto's twin. Everyone was now relaxing in the apartment the four refugees from the thirtieth century had purchased for themselves in the wake of their conversion. "Near as I can remember, there was this big fight between Sailor Diana and Queen Serenity that caused a split between the Senshi and the Twins," Beruche hums. "But I could be wrong; our memories of the future are vanishing the more time we spend in this period."
"It's best you say no more, Beruche-chan," Junko sighs. "To know one's fate is one thing even the Nendo-kata shouldn't be privy to. Our biggest character fault...if that...is our overwhelming drive to stamp out disUnity wherever we find it, regardless of personal consequences. It has seen many of the Great School cast into the Black Ocean. Believe me, I welcome the chance to be at peace and get to know the adopted members of my school better before we confront the sub-creature now in orbit over this world."
"Especially Minako-chan, right?" Kooan smiles knowingly.
"Eh?!" Minako blinks, then flushes. "Oh, c'mon, Kooan! Junko-chan and I're just friends!!"
"You know Nendo-kata can only reproduce with other females through parthenogenesis, Minako-chan," Beruche grins. "Sooner or later, Junko-chan'll answer the call of Nature...and by the looks of things, you've been picked to help her when that time comes."
Minako's cheeks redden at that idea. Was she a...? No! Impossible! Nothing intimate happened between her and Junko while the latter was still a cyborg, even though she made it clear that she found Minako attractive and very desirable. They had gone on one date to the theatre to watch a movie, but things went crazy with the massed attack of daemons that saw Junko become a Nendo-kata. She did know of that race's peculiar reproductive abilities from the Senshi's brief meeting with Nokoko Moroboshi's school, but never once thought that a Nendo-kata would come after her!
They gaze at each other. "You...really like me?" Minako asks.
"Hai," Junko nods. "In my eyes, you would be the perfect mate whenever I desire to have a child. But since my race no longer has the pressing need to procreate within six months of a Crossing Over, I can wait. And if you choose not to, there are many others I could chose from," she gazes at the Black Moon sisters.
They jerk, BIG sweat drops appearing on their heads. "Not us!!!" Kooan cries. "We already have boyfriends!! Lay off, huh?!"
"Pity," Junko muses.
Minako then looks around, noting one of the sisters missing. "Hey, guys, by the way, where's Pattsu? Is she working at the boutique?"
Downcast looks respond. "She...wants to be alone right now," Karabekasu sighs. "Today's the anniversary of Saphil's..."
Clapping her hand against her forehead, Minako groans. "Oh, jeez, I forgot!"
* * *
"How interesting?!" Kughra gazes at the images of the Black Moon sisters, then lays back. "Well, the energy from that fight still lingers in Tokyo. Time for a little reunion or two...!"
With that, she spreads her hands, blinding energy forming an arc between her palms. The bolts then lash out into nothingness. A second later, three bolts of energy strike the floor before the dark princess. They morph into the forms of three people, the black upside-down crescent on their foreheads proclaiming their allegiance to something that wouldn't exist for a thousand years.
Kughra relaxes as the first recovers, gazing confusedly around the dark room. "Where am I...who are you?!" Rubius snarls as he takes a defensive stance.
"You're Rubius, aren't you?" Kughra smiles. "What's the last thing you remember before coming here?"
Rubius blinks, then snarls. "I was fighting the Sailor Senshi and the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity struck me down...and now I'm here, wherever here is!" he looks around. "And who are you?!"
"You're on a planetoid in orbit over Earth back in what the Terrans call the twentieth century, some three years after your Black Moon Clan tried to destroy Crystal Tokyo long before it was born," Kughra smiles. "A good plan that would have worked had you properly understood the power you faced and prepared for it. I warped you away from that battle in the last nano-second to prevent your being lost to Eternity. As for who I am..." she pauses dramatically. "I am Kughra. Consider me your new employer."
Rubius blinks, then relaxes. "Well, anyone who can pull a feat like that deserves my respect. So why am I here?"
"Let's just say that I've collected you and your two clansmen to harass the Sailor Senshi and the Senshi Twins until I've gathered enough energy to complete the task you were sent back in time to perform," Kughra hums. "I do not want you to destroy them; there are now twenty of the little beasts...and I don't like seeing good people wasted on foolish missions."
Rubius blinks. "The Twins?! Twenty of them?! That means that Terra, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn are amongst them now! In the time of Crystal Tokyo, we only had to deal with the Inner Senshi and Pluto! That was by sheer luck!"
"Luck shouldn't be ignored," Kughra muses, then notices the other two from the Black Moon rising. "Welcome back, Esmerald, Saphil. I trust you survived your 'resurrection' well."
The two blink surprisedly, then gaze at Rubius. "What's going on here?!!" Esmerald snarls. "Last thing I remember, that back-stabbing Wiseman was trying to banish me into the Dark...!"
"It's a long story," Rubius shrugs.
Following a quick explanation, the two new arrivals nod. "Well, since you did save our lives, I suppose we could repay the favour," Esmerald hums. "What happens if one of the Senshi dies?"
"That is the fortunes of battle, my dear," Kughra hums, then fires a warning gaze at them. "And in case you think of something stupid, don't. What I can give, I can easily take away."
Esmerald sighs. "I understand."
"What of you, Saphil?" the dark princess turns to gaze on the quite handsome raven-haired man in the black uniform, the wounds received from fighting Prince Demand healed.
"Much that I do appreciate being saved, I've many other things on my mind now," Saphil tenses, knowing his words could be the end of him. "You might as well kill me now and be done with it."
Esmerald and Rubius gape in disbelief at their clansman's defiance. Kughra laughs. "I do admire honesty!!" she sips her wine, then stares at him. "No, I won't kill you, Saphil. You are useful even if you won't serve me as your clansmen now do. You still have your own purposes. Now, go!"
A flash later, the Black Moon warriors vanish. Tsuruga then emerges from the shadows. "Mistress, are you sure you need them? They couldn't stand up to the Sailor Senshi when they were but six. How do you expect them to stand up to twenty of them?!"
"They will be a distraction, Daisuke-kun," Kughra sighs. "They will be so eager to serve, they'll do anything to keep the Sailor Senshi and the Twins busy. And doing so will allow me to observe their tactics and conceive of the right countermeasures. Oh, they'll be done away with; of that, I've no doubt. But the energy needed to bring them here from their fates was minuscule and easily replaced. After all, how can one choose other powers when one can drawn on the power of all of Existence itself?!"
Insane laughter echoes through the hall...
* * *
"Well, this was easy enough to recreate," Esmerald hums as she gazes around the familiar dark trappings of the Black Moon palace that once loomed over Juuban. It was now cloaked in a low geo-synchronous orbit over Tokyo. "There was enough energy laying around here, it surprises me that someone else didn't think about using it for their own purposes."
"You mean Kughra?" Rubius muses.
"You've never heard of her, I take it," Esmerald muses. "Much that I would kill Wiseman for what he did to me, the old fossil had his uses. Every time he talked to Prince Demand or myself of Kughra...the Dark Princess of Newgrange as he knew her...it was always with great respect. She doesn't need our power. The power she welds already is great enough for her purposes."
"So why save our lives?"
Esmerald shrugs. "Search me. Personally, I wouldn't mind a rematch or three with those little bitches. They caused us both enough trouble to last us five lifetimes."
"Yeah, that's true," Rubius smiles. "Besides, in the future, we never got the chance to sink our claws into the likes of Sailor Saturn, Sailor Terra or the Senshi Twins. I always believed their reps were a lot of hot air."
"I don't know," she hums. "Saturn and Terra weren't alive when we attacked Crystal Tokyo...and because of that spat between Serenity and her sister, the Twins wouldn't lift a finger to help. I always wondered why Prince Demand insisted we wait until Crystal Tokyo's defenses were down enough to make our attack work."
"Perhaps you're right," Rubius nods, then looks at Saphil. "What about you? Where do you intend to go?"
"If you want to do this, be my guest," Saphil sighs. "I have my own life to live."
"What about Kughra?"
"Strange as this may sound, she strikes me as someone of her word," Saphil muses. "Besides, she's using both of you for her own purposes, perhaps even me. I don't care. I've someone living here I haven't seen in a while and I intend not to be separated from her anymore. Don't follow me!"
In a flash of energy, he vanishes. "Ungrateful idiot!" Rubius snorts. "Does he want to die?!"
"Forget him," Esmerald muses. "We've work to do."
* * *
"It's a pleasure to have you all come to Hikawa Jinja," Rei's grandfather smiles as the Dokai family and Ayako Maida approach. "So what brings you up from Tokushima?"
Matsuri's parents were Shinto clerics, her father the chief priest of Shikoku, her mother a shrine priestess in their hometown. Matsuri herself had been training as a priestess when she had come into contact with a doctor who had contracted Ebola while working with the World Health Organization in Zaire. Because of her religious training, Matsuri had bonded together with the sage of the Cold Flat Mound school when she Crossed Over. "We came up here to ask you a favour concerning our daughter," her father smiles.
Rei's grandfather gazes at Matsuri, then looks at his own grandchild. "Well, I'll be. Except for the hair, you two could be twin sisters! Isn't this a coincidence?!"
Rei and Matsuri nearly fall over in a spasm of coughing. "Y-yeah, it's a coincidence alright!" the former laughs, then smiles. "Nice to see you again, Matsuri-san!" she bows.
"Nice to see you too, Rei-san," Matsuri returns the greeting.
"You know each other?!" Rei's grandfather blinks surprisedly.
"Matsuri-chan was down with a terrible flu over the last while," Mrs. Dokai moves in to save the fire twins from their near-gaffe. "She was convalescing with some friends here when she met your granddaughter...and they hit it off right away!"
"Wonderful!! Why don't you come in for a while?!" the elder priest smiles as he escorts them inside.
"Nice slip of the tongue, Rei-chan," Ayako mutters.
"Sorry!" Rei hisses.
"I'll stay out here while you get things arranged," Ayako kisses her life-mate on the cheek, then her eyes glow. "Hey, there's Minako-chan and Junko-chan! Who're their friends?"
"Oh, gods, I forgot that Pattsu's here visiting Saphil's memorial!" Rei gasps as Minako, Junko and the other Black Moon sisters come up the stairs. "Hi, everyone!!"
"Hi, Rei!" Kooan blinks on seeing Matsuri and Ayako. "Boy, this is really getting confusing, seeing you all together!"
"Pattsu's by the memorial," Rei points. "Matsuri-chan and I have to be with our families right now. We'll talk later."
"Okay!" everyone nods as Rei and Matsuri head inside.
The others walk around the shrine to a private grove. There, Pattsu kneels before a simple stone marker, the kana for SAPHIL written on it over a laminated picture of her beloved. Incense and a bouquet of roses lay at her feet. Silently, the other sisters and Minako kneel beside Pattsu, Junko and Ayako hanging back.
"I'm glad you're here," Pattsu smiles.
"We should've come with you today," Beruche places a hand on her sister's shoulder. "He was our friend, too."
"I know," Pattsu sighs. "I just wish...I just wish I could have had the chance to say good-bye to him."
Silence falls as the Black Moon sisters engage in a group hug. "They weep over an empty grave," Junko quietly muses. "What use is there trying to touch those in the Cosmic Chain of Life when they are not there to be touched?"
"Leave them be, Junko-chan," Ayako sighs, then blinks, her eyes glowing. "But it seems the dead can come back to life!!"
"Eh?!" Junko's eyes then glow, looking into the skies. "Blessed Mother Ocean, what...?!"
Everyone looks up to see a dark shape appear over Juuban, looking like it would swallow all of Tokyo whole. In the middle of this morass is a geometric shape that seems an ebony perversion of Nicole McTavish's crystal palace. "The Black Moon...?!" Minako gapes. "Impossible!!! They're all dead!!"
"That doesn't look dead to me!!" Kooan hisses.
Communicators urgently begin beeping...
* * *
"We're down to less than half-strength!!" Sailor Terra hisses as the Senshi still in Tokyo muster together by Juuban High School. "This is not good!! Not good at all!!"
Sailor Moon looks at the eight other Senshi with her. Terra, Diana, Chronos, Zeus, Mars, Ares, Aphrodite and Venus. Pluto and Hades were on their way. Mercury, Hermes and Poseidon were down in Okinawa. Sunaru and Jupiter were with the former's family. Gaia was with her relatives in Nagano while Uranus, Neptune and Saturn were up in Oshika visiting the Nendo-kata. "Who are we up against, Sailor Moon?! Any ideas?!" Mars wonders.
"No, not yet...LOOK OUT!!!!!!"
Everyone scatters as bolts of black energy lance down from the Black Moon citadel, morphing into several familiar monsters. "It's so good to be back!!!" Atsugessho cackles, make-up applicators at the ready. "Time for a make-over!!"
"No thanks, just got one!!!" Aphrodite pops a handful of black hearts. "***HEART MIRROR SHOCK!!!!!!***" she fires.
The bolts race at the monsters like homing missiles as the other Senshi scatter into better fighting positions. The Black Moon soldiers evade save for the ice warrior Nipos, who gets nailed by two! Screaming, she drops dazedly to the ground, unable to summon the energy to resist as Aphrodite approaches her. "Can't fight..." she gasps. "How can...this be...?"
"Why fight?!" Aphrodite coos, turning the ice warrior's head so Nipos could gaze into her eyes. "When you can make love?"
A pink heart slams into Nipos next, filling her with the most alien emotion the ice warrior has ever encountered. "Such warmth!" she gasps, collapsing into Aphrodite's arms. "Oh, this warmth is so delicious!! How could I have never experienced it?!"
The other Senshi exchange confused looks. "What is that shameless flirt doing?!!" Ares snarls, jealous flames in her eyes. "Don't I make love to her enough to satisfy her?!!"
The others faint! "Actually, this could be a chance to distract the others while Aphrodite plays matchmaker!!" Chronos draws the Time Reaper. "***TIME SUSPENSION!!!!!!***"
A null-time bubble catches the others before they could evade. "Got them! Now what?!" Moon wonders.
"Let Ayako-chan do her magic!" Diana smiles.
Aphrodite then guides Nipos into gazing at the seven other Black Moon monsters. "Now, we have seven nice ladies here all for your picking! Which one is it?! C'mon, c'mon, make a choice!"
Nipos gazes at them, then points. "Her!!!"
She points at the single-horned Akumuudee. "Nice choice, Nipos-chan!!" Aphrodite grins. "Let that one go, Chronos!!"
"Hai!!" Chronos twists the Time Reaper.
Akumuudee drops to the ground, then snarls. "DIE!!!!!!"
"NOT!!!!!!" Aphrodite giggles, then winds up. "***MIXED PASSION ATTACK!!!!!!***" she fires another storm.
The unicorn-like monster is zapped by a storm of hearts that causes her to drop to her knees. Aphrodite steps aside as Nipos races at the dazed Akumuudee, swamping her with an overwhelming glomp as the two stumble away. "That'll keep them busy for the next bit!!" the passion mistress laughs, then gazes at the other monsters still trapped by Chronos. "Okay, who's next?!!"
* * *
"***WHAT IS THAT WOMAN DOING?!?!?!***"
Esmerald and Rubius watch the bizarre proceedings at Juuban High School from their sanctum sanctorum aboard the citadel. Right now, Aphrodite was "introducing" Atsugessho and Uderingu, the first monster to appear after Esmerald took over trying to capture Chibi-usa from her clansman. "I'd say playing matchmaker!" Rubius blinks, unused to seeing THIS sort of behaviour from a Sailor Senshi. "So that's Sailor Aphrodite! Her reputation's not only deserved, it's understated!!"
"OooooooooooooOOOHHHH!!!!" Esmerald shakes her head, her eyes ablaze. "How DARE that love-sick trollop do that to MY warriors?!! I'll go down there myself and give that bitch a piece of my mind!!"
She vanishes from the citadel. "This really isn't what I had in mind when we started this!" Rubius mutters before following...
* * *
By now, the "introductions" are made and the monsters are now getting "acquainted" with each other. "Awww, isn't that cute?!!" Aphrodite sighs drunkenly as her senses lap up the passion around her, ignoring the BIG sweat drops on everyone else's heads.
"I never thought fighting in the Sailor Senshi would entail this!!" Terra hangs her head. "What is that girl thinking?!!"
"Hmpth!!" Ares looks even more jealous, crossing her arms as she looks away. "Chasing after other people while she's got me willing to do anything for her!! Some relationship!!!"
"Having you girls around is definitely going to make things loads of fun in the future!!" Venus sighs, then blinks as she sees a point of dark light appearing above her sister. "Uh-oh!!!"
A bolt slams into the ground centimetres from the passion mistress, knocking Aphrodite on her face!! Esmerald appears, then glares at her soldiers whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears instead of trashing Senshi. "***YOU IDIOTS!!!!! GET BACK ON THE JOB AND KILL THESE FOOLS!!!!!!***"
The sticky warrior Jaamanen looks up from some mouth-to-mouth with Abogaatra. "We're busy! Go away!!"
"Jaa-chan!" the shopping demon draws her back down.
"'GO AWAY?!?!?!'" Esmerald explodes with anger. "YOU tell ME to GO AWAY?!?!?! Do you remember who CREATED you?!!"
"Obviously someone who hasn't had a little love herself for the past bit!!!" a voice muses. "***AEGIS ENTRAPMENT!!!!!!***"
Esmerald screams helplessly as Zeus' suspension bubble snares her, elevating her as Aphrodite dusts herself off. "Of course, you know this means war!" she snarls, spinning around. "Okay, honey, you want to play party crasher with me, I'll oblige you!!" the passion mistress growls, then notices someone else floating in mid-air over the school. "Why, who's tall, red-haired and handsome over yonder?!" she hums, drawing the Truth Chain from her waist.
"RUBIUS?!?!?!" Moon cries on recognizing Esmerald's clansman. "Boy, this is old home week, isn't it?!!"
"C'mon down here, son!!" Aphrodite fires her chain.
Rubius dodges the chain of hearts only to fall into Ares' sights. "***FIRE PHOENIX!!!!!!***" the fire mistress launches a bird of flame at the Black Moon warrior.
"YEOWCH!!!!!!" he screams, dodging down...
...right into the grasp of the Truth Chain! "I gotta bite!!" Aphrodite reels him in. "C'mere, handsome!!!"
Rubius crash-lands beside the floating Esmerald, his body quaking from Aphrodite's power. "So, who brought you two back?!" Venus wonders as the veterans of the Black Moon war walk up.
"Someone who wants to see you die!" Rubius hisses.
Everyone exchanges looks. "Kughra!" the Senshi sigh.
"So what do we do with these two trouble-makers?!" Terra hums, drawing the soulsword from her body. "Let their minds drift in little pieces across the cosmos for the rest of Eternity?!"
"How about letting Chronos there use her Time Acceleration and really make Esmerald look old?!" Mars snickers.
"NO!!!!" Esmerald screams. "Anything but THAT!!!!"
"Still vain after all these years," Venus laughs.
"There's an easier way!"
Everyone turns to see Kooan, Beruche and Karabekasu walk up. "What way, Kooan-chan?" Aphrodite muses.
"Well, you don't know something about Rubius," Beruche smiles.
Rubius pales. "No, Beruche!!! Don't tell her THAT!!!!"
"Tell me what?!!" Aphrodite glares at him.
He shudders, the power of the Truth Chain overwhelming all his defenses. "That...I...love...Esmerald-...chan...!"
Everyone blinks. "Is that a fact?!" Aphrodite savagely grins as she draws fingers to lips and arms up.
"Wh-wh-what are y-y-you going t-t-to do?!" Esmerald stammers.
Aphrodite fires. "***MIXED PASSION ATTACK!!!!!!***"
Zeus drops her shield as Esmerald screams on the impact of the storm of energy hearts drain her dark thoughts from her soul and re-fill them with thoughts of love. Another blast nails Rubius as the passion mistress draws off the Truth Chain. As soon as the smoke clears, Rubius and Esmerald gaze at each other, both unable to fight off the lustful storm in their hearts. "Rubius-kun..."
"Esmerald-chan..."
Guess what happens.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?!" Terra beams as the newly bonded couple begin to devour the other's lips.
"Um, I hate to put a damper on this, but what about them?!" Zeus points to the monsters Esmerald and Rubius created to attack the Senshi, still busy taking delight in each other's company. "I mean, if Sailor Moon uses the Imperial Silver Crystal on them when she heals Rubius and Esmerald, they'll die!"
"Not necessarily!" Aphrodite muses, then holds out her hand to Moon. "Can I see the Crystal, Usagi-chan?"
"Um, sure," Moon passes the staff over.
As the passion mistress examines the device, a burst of energy warps in Sailor Pluto and Sailor Hades. "We're just in time!" the time guardian smiles. "I see everyone else is holding up well."
"Ayako-chan handled most of it," Moon beams.
"Um...excuse me," Esmerald lustily pants, allowing Rubius to kiss her neck as she looks at the Black Moon sisters. "Before I let my lovely Rubi-chan seduce me, is Pattsu about?"
"Why?!" Beruche wonders.
"Everyone, look!" Karabekasu points.
Eyes turn to see Pattsu now in Saphil's arms under a cherry blossom tree, both kissing madly as tears of relief sparkle on their cheeks. "Another couple reunited!" Moon swoons, then laughs. "Well, we all say we fight for love and happiness!! I'd say this is one day we really proved it!"
"Okay, I got it!!" Aphrodite announces.
"Got what?" Chronos wonders.
"How to make sure everyone can have happy lives," the passion mistress lifts the Crystal into the air.
It then glows as a blaze of energy forms around Aphrodite, the passion mistress spinning around like a top as the power builds to saturation point. "Ayako, no!!!" Ares cries out, realizing what her life-mate had in mind. "Not the...!!"
"***HEART...PASSION...NOVA!!!!!!***"
A burst of pure love races from her to encompass all of Juuban!! The energy destroys the reconstructed Black Moon citadel; cleanses Rubius, Esmerald and Saphil of the dark energy that they had served for so long; transforms the Black Moon monsters into human doubles of their fighting forms...not to mention putting all sorts of VERY intimate thoughts into every adult in the district!
As the flash fades, Aphrodite exhales. "Ah, that feels MUCH better! Here you go, Usagi-chan...!" she hands the Imperium Silver Crystal over to Sailor Moon...who isn't there! "Usagi?!"
"Muffin!!!" the retreating scream of the Senshi leader is heard as she makes a bee-line for Mamoru's apartment. "Muffin!!! Your odango's coming home for some fun!!!"
Aphrodite blinks, then notices everyone else heading off. "Maybe we should get more better acquainted, ne, Junko-chan?!" Venus purrs as she drags Zeus to her apartment.
"I'll agree to that!!" Zeus growls playfully.
In a second, all who remain on the grounds of Juuban High School is Aphrodite, Ares and the ex-Black Moon monsters. "Geez, I never thought I was THIS effective!!" the passion mistress laughs as she transforms back into Ayako, stowing the Imperium Silver Crystal into warpspace for the time she could give it back to a more cognizant Usagi. "Damn, I such a stinker!"
"Yeah, you're a stinker, alright!!" Ares transforms back to Matsuri, then leans up against her. "But you're MY stinker!!"
"Aw, Matsu-chan!" Ayako sighs.
"Um, excuse us," a quiet cough is heard.
The two turn to see the ex-Black Moon monsters smiling at them. "Pardon us for interrupting, Ayako-sama, but would you and Matsuri-sama be willing to...um, teach us a few things about expressing our love for each other?" Nipos, now resembling a normal woman in a kimono, hugs Akumuudee's arm, the latter now with normal skin, without a horn and dressed in stylish civilians.
Ayako and Matsuri exchange looks. "Can we handle them all?!" the former hums.
"The bed'll break!" the latter warns.
"Who says we have to do it in a bed? After all, Kyooko-oba-chan and Beryl've Crossed Over. The pool's just as good."
"Why, Ayako-chan, that's so romantic!"
"Hai, hai," Ayako laughs...
* * *
In orbit, Kughra is also laughing. "I can't for the life of me see what's so funny!" Tsuruga sighs.
"Relax, Professor!" the dark princess snickers. "I learn more from a defeat than in any ten victories!! Now, I know how to keep Sailor Aphrodite busy; just let her try to warp people's hearts to her will and she'll be too distracted to help the others! Of the Twins, she is by far the deadliest since her attacks always focus on one's heart!! A little more observation, then I'll know all their strengths and weaknesses...and then, the fun begins!!"
She sits back on her throne, purring in anticipation...
* * *
"I can't understand what happened to me!" Mr. Tsukino sighs as he and his wife relax in their living room some hours later. "All I felt was this mad desire to have you in every way possible!!"
"I didn't mind!" Usagi's mother coos as she leans into her husband's side. "It was just like our wedding night!!"
Nearby, Artemis and Luna rest. "That was too much!" the former muses quietly, gently nibbling on the latter's ear. "We've got to talk to Ayako about using her powers like that!!"
"Oh, if we try to stop her, we'll just make her worse!" Luna purrs contently, then blinks as the doorbell is heard. "Now, who could that be?" she wonders.
Mrs. Tsukino walks to the door, opening it to see two women standing there. "Hello!" the first smiles, bowing gracefully. "Are you Usagi's mother?"
"Yes, I am," she nods. "Has she done something wrong?"
"Oh, no, no, no!" Kyooko laughs. "I'm Nona's mother."
"You're...!!" Mrs. Tsukino gasps, then beams. "Oh, my! But Nona-chan said that you had been captured..."
"We were freed in the same way as my daughter and the others were," Kyooko explains, then waves to her companion. "Oh, this is Midori Ryokuchuuseki. She was another victim of that creature."
"A pleasure. Please, come in!"
*'Midori Ryokuchuuseki?!'* Luna's eyes widen on seeing the woman beside Kyooko Tsuruga. Though her ears were round, her eyes no longer bloodshot red and she didn't have the bony protrusions sticking out from her shoulders, her other features sang "Beryl" to the feline herald of the Silver Millennium. Then, much to Luna's total surprise, she feels a sense of serene calm from the deposed queen of the Dark Kingdom, as if she had come to accept that her place in this universe had changed. If so, how would she react when Usagi walked through the front door?
Tea is quickly served, then conversation begins. Luna and Artemis gaze at Midori/Beryl, wondering what to do. Every once in a while, the woman's eyes would fall on them for a brief moment. Each time, both cats feel the gentle touch of peace and happiness. Could even Beryl, who was once seen by Luna and Artemis as the very personification of evil, be turned by the Nendo-kata so totally? Were miracles actually possible? What were they to do?
The door then opens, revealing a very happy Usagi, Nona and Chooko behind her. "Mom, Dad, we're home...oh, we have guests?!" the former calls out on noticing the extra people.
"MOM?!?!?!" Nona gasps.
"Nona-chan!!!" Kyooko rises as her daughter flies into her arms. "Oh, sweetie, there you are!!"
They fiercely embrace each other, happy tears streaming down their cheeks. "Mom, I sensed something happen...but how?!!" Nona stares at Kyooko. "Surely the others in the school couldn't've..."
"With help, they did," Kyooko assures her. "One of Nokoko's school, the school bard, has only very recently mated. She created a space-warp by which our android selves were quickly drawn to the pool in your apartment, thus allowing Midori-chan and I to Cross Over, then the bodies were replaced without Kughra being the wiser. We've been up and around for several hours, in fact."
"Oh, thank you!" Nona smiles, then kisses her mother's cheek. "It's so good to be with you again, Mom!!"
"And with you, sweetie," Kyooko smiles.
Usagi blinks, then stares in shock at Midori, her brain clicking in to tell her who this really is. Not wanting to shout out and scare her parents, she walks over, hand out. "Well, we're glad you're safe. We were all afraid that we'd have to storm a fortress to get you down from there."
"It's the thought that counts," Midori shakes her hand. We have to talk, Sailor Moon.
Upstairs, later, Usagi replies.
"So!" Kyooko turns to Chooko, returning to their seat. "I see my daughter has found herself quite the catch. Why don't you introduce yourself, young lady."
"I'm Chooko Nori, ma'am," she bows. "Pleased to meet you..."
* * *
"You are quiet."
Usagi blinks, staring at the reborn woman now sitting on her bed. Nona and Chooko were asleep in the guest room, allowing the day's fatigue to catch up to them. Downstairs, Kyooko and the Tsukinos were preparing a beautiful dinner in celebration of the former's reunion with her daughter. Thus, two former enemies could finally have a chance to put their animosities to rest. "What do you expect me to do?" she gazes at her guest. "Besides, what do I call you now? Midori or Beryl?"
"I suppose 'Midori' would do better. Like you, I am reborn from someone who died sometime ago...at your hand, admittedly. I possess Beryl's memories, but I possess the memories of another; they are merging together as we speak. Becoming a Nendo-kata can be disorientating as Clarisse warned us."
"Alright, Midori it is," Usagi sighs. "To that end, we should strive to try not to spark a new fight between us. As far as I'm concerned, the Dark Kingdom War is done and over with."
"You really desire that, do you?" Midori muses.
"Hai, I do," Usagi sits at her desk. "When Jeddite returned and tried to start the whole darned thing anew, I learned that the last parts of Beryl's former Seifukusu Imperial House were dying because of their prolonged exposure to Metallia's realm. They were all driven in there as a way of killing off that House with minimal cost and thus sparing the Dominion a protracted civil war."
"That is correct," Midori nods. "After the Silver Millennium was destroyed, two dozen Houses banded together to force my...force Beryl's House out of this plane of existence into Metallia's realm. It was quite a fight, lasting over several decades as Terrans tell time...but it was a fight that was eventually won."
"Death by slow genocide," Usagi frowns. "What was worse, by our choking off the necessary life-force energy for the denizens of the Dark Kingdom to survive, we contributed to the deaths of many thousands, especially in that final fight in the Arctic. Only very recently did I come to see what I nearly did to them. Thanks the gods we stopped it before it was really too late."
"You were led by incomplete information," Midori reminds her.
"And a thousand year old dream that even now I sometimes wish I never became a part of," Usagi muses. "After Beryl, there were a whole slew of monsters who came to take us on. We've been pretty busy doing things far and beyond cleaning up the mess left behind a millennia ago. I said it to Luna and Mamo-chan shortly after meeting Nona-chan. I'm not Princess Serenity anymore, just as much as you're not Queen Beryl now. We're two different people from two different time periods...and I want it to remain that way. In the future, I might become the queen of something called Crystal Tokyo, calling myself Neo-Queen Serenity...but that's the future. Right now, I am Usagi Tsukino as well as Sailor Moon. And I like it."
"As I like being what I am now," Midori smiles. "Were I just only of Beryl's mind, I'd be revolted by being this, being stripped of everything that meant something to me. Humiliated by Kughra like I was, rendered totally powerless, without a single denizen to fight for me. But when I was born of the Crossing Over, I realized I couldn't be Beryl anymore. Beryl is for all intents and purposes in the Cosmic Chain of Life...and there she will remain."
"So what happens now?"
"Nothing much, other than discovering something with Kyooko-chan and forging an understanding with Nona-chan," Midori sighs. "Very soon, you will have to deal with Kughra and Daisuke Tsuruga. They're just sitting up there waiting for the chance to come down and destroy you. That whole business with Rubius and Esmerald was designed to keep you busy, show how you operate so Kughra could discover weaknesses and destroy you. She wants the Imperium Silver Crystal, Usagi-chan...for what, I don't know. All Kughra said to me was that she understands the power you weld and because she does understand that, she stands a better chance of defeating you than Beryl or everyone who came after her did. Something tells me she may be right. There is a...calm within her. She is patient beyond belief as well as long-lived. She could wait for years until she knows everything about you, then she'll strike."
Usagi tenses, then looks down. "We have to strike now."
"Exactly," Midori sighs. "Strike swift, strike hard...and go for the throat. No mercy."
"How many are up there?"
Midori blinks. "What do you mean?"
"How many daemons are up there? If Kughra's base was formed from Beryl's planetoid, then there might be survivors of the Dark Kingdom up there, people missed when we fought Jeddite."
"Some...at most a hundred," Midori sighs. "The rest were all purpose-created by Kughra, so they wouldn't count."
Usagi looks down. "Damn..."
"What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking," the leader of the Senshi looks up at the heavens, tears brimming in her eyes. "How much more of my life must be written in the blood of others?"
"Do you think we enjoy killing, even those who are committed to the destruction of Unity?" Midori wonders.
Usagi blinks surprisedly. "I am a Nendo-kata, born to serve and protect the Unity, the bond between all living things in the Universal School," Midori intones, as if swearing an oath. "I will kill in Unity's name when there's no other option or when innocents will suffer. But even I cannot stand being party to a massacre."
They stare at each other, then Usagi smiles. "I'm glad I'm not alone anymore," she nods, then rises. "Alright. We go as soon as we can get everyone together..."
The door to her bedroom opens, revealing Luna. "Usagi."
"What is it, Luna?" Usagi wonders.
"We just received a call from Haruka in Oshika," Luna smiles. "Nokoko's school, Nicole and Mujanba have just given birth to their daughters. We're invited to come up and celebrate."
Usagi blinks, then beams. "Great!!"
* * *
To be concluded...
