Part Seventeen: Senshi stand together! Into the Mouth of Evil
The grumbling engine silenced
as the key was turned, and the rider used one foot on the kickstand in order
to rest the bike in an upright position. Her gloved hands came up to her
face as she pulled the heavy helmet from her head, all the while keeping
her eyes fastened on the black altar before her. Haruka immediately noticed
that the rupture in space was much bigger than it had been the last time
she'd seen it; it was now almost as tall as she was. The racer hooked the
strap of her helmet around one of the bike's handlebars, and started to pull
the leather riding gloves from her fingers. She could feel her henshin pen
pressing into her ribs beneath the biker's jacket she wore, and she smiled
grimly to herself. Soon. Very soon. She stuffed the gloves inside the helmet,
and swung one leg over the seat, standing to her feet. Her eyes narrowed
as she surveyed the eight-foot altar, and walked purposefully over to it,
leaving deep footprints in the unbroken snow covering the field.
Haruka ran a bare hand over
the cold stone, unable to suppress an involuntary shiver at the bone-chilling,
unnatural frigidity of it. The snow at her feet was warm in comparison, and
she had to pull her fingers away as the freezing surface stung them bitterly.
She let her eyes trail over the intricate carvings that decorated the Altar
of Tears. Many of them she found too ancient and foreign for her to understand,
but there were a few images and characters she recognized; the most noticeable
being the small Orion symbol engraved into the very center, surrounded by
a vine of some sort. The other Senshi symbols were there as well, encircling
the Orion symbol. Haruka picked out the symbol of Uranus precisely at the
bottom of the circle, facing Orion's. She frowned, feeling an absurd sort
of resentment that her crest would be carved here as well. She didn't want
to have anything to do with Orion especially since the Sacrificial
Soldier had such a creepy effect on her. And it WAS creepy, the way she couldn't
control her feelings. Haruka closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the
way that she'd slapped Michiru's hand away from her when they were talking
about Orion.
Never, in the years
that they had been partners, had Haruka ever raised her hand to Michiru.
Even when they were just playing around and being silly, Haruka had always
been extra cautious that she didn't hurt her friend, because her unusual
strength was easy to forget about. She would never forgive herself for hurting
Michiru, even if it was an accident. Michiru was no wimp herself, but her
strength and agility were more like a willow, flexible and limber and durable,
and Haruka's powerful strength resembled the cars she loved to drive; hard,
fast and solid. If she wasn't careful, she could let her power get out of
control and cause a lot of pain before she was even aware of it. And that
was what was eating at her. For the very first time, she'd dropped her guard,
and Michiru had been hurt. Not much, thank heaven, but it shouldn't have
happened at all. These uncontrollable feelings of rage around Sailor Orion
were beginning to infiltrate her personal life as well, and that was a very
bad sign. If she'd lost control once, it could happen again and what
if next time Michiru or Usagi or one of the others got much more badly injured?
Haruka wouldn't be able to live with herself.
She wondered if Michiru
was all right. Haruka knew that her partner probably wasn't mad at her for
what had happened, but she didn't understand the full implications of that
simple little hand-slap. Michiru had no idea what it really meant; that it
was a sign that Haruka was losing control. Haruka knew her friend was probably
worried about her, and she didn't know what to do about it. She could hardly
comfort her when she didn't even know herself what was wrong. Her eyes opened
again, and they were burning a bit from the glare of the snow or from
her own frustration she wasn't sure. But there was no use in puzzling over
such things now. It was time for a little retribution.
As Haruka scanned
the altar for a way up, she was startled by the screech of tires behind her.
She spun around, and to her surprise, her own yellow convertible was pulling
to the side of the road next to her bike. She frowned as she recognized Michiru
in the driver's seat, calmly unbuckling her seatbelt. As her partner stepped
out of the car, Haruka crossed her arms, and lifted an eyebrow.
"I believe I asked
you to stay behind and guard the Princess," she reprimanded, her low tones
full of reproach, though she wasn't exactly surprised. Michiru met her eyes
without hesitation, and Haruka was taken off guard for a moment at the stony
determination in her friend's face.
"You're not doing
this alone, Haruka. I won't allow it." The aqua-haired girl crossed the snowy
expanse between them, until she was face to face with the tomboyish racer.
She stared defiantly into Haruka's eyes. "We're partners, Haruka. I won't
let you fight without me."
Haruka sighed and
ran a hand through her short sandy hair. She'd learned from experience that
when Michiru was wearing that expression, there was no use arguing with her.
Besides, in a way it was almost a relief to see her again. "All right," she
agreed. "We'll fight together. Okay?"
A slight smile curved
Michiru's lips. She raised a hand and lightly touched Haruka's cheek. "Asking
me to stay behind," she murmured with an amused shake of her head. "Didn't
you know that I'd never let you face something like this without me?"
Haruka had to smile
in return, and she put one hand up to cover Michiru's. "I guess I did know.
I was just hoping to keep you out of this." A shadow entered her crystalline
gray eyes. "This is the most dangerous thing we've ever done, Michiru. We're
talking about entering the mouth of darkness itself. I don't want anything
to happen to you."
The violinist squeezed
her partner's fingers gently. "I don't care what happens to me, Haruka, as
long as you and I are together." Haruka nodded with understanding, and Michiru's
smile slowly faded. "All right. Old rules are back in place, hmm? The goal
is the destruction of Narcissus and that Soul Dissolver thing. We will sacrifice
anything, including our own lives or each other's lives, to achieve that
goal."
Haruka nodded again.
"Agreed. If one of us is killed, it is up to the other to finish the mission.
The odds are better that at least one of us will survive to find Narcissus."
The two girls gazed
into one another's eyes for a moment longer, still gripping hands between
them. And then, slowly and simultaneously, they let go. Their hands separated
from each other with a finality that was felt by both of them, and in a fluid
motion went to their jackets, where two henshin pens were produced.
"Uranus Planet Power!
Makeup!"
"Neptune Planet Power!
Makeup!"
The smooth, sparkling
snow reflected in teal and gold as the two Sailor Senshi underwent their
transformations, the power swirling and glowing in pulsing waves all around
them. Two fukus appeared, and the glittering energy kissed two pairs
of lips with a shiny gloss. Uranus flung the short, wispy bangs out of her
eyes; Neptune's aquamarine waves flowed around her face. In a moment, the
two Sailor Soldiers were ready to go.
"All right, how do
we get up there?" Neptune wanted to know as the two of them turned to face
the Altar of Tears.
"Well, I for one
prefer the direct approach," Sailor Uranus responded with a hint of amusement
in her voice. She stepped back a few paces, took a breath, and made a running,
flying leap. The enhanced powers of her Senshi form kicked in right away,
carrying her into the air almost ten feet, so that she landed on top of the
cold black stone quite easily. She turned and grinned at Neptune. "Well,
come on. What are you waiting for?"
Neptune smiled back,
and in a moment she had joined her partner on the top of the Altar. She scuffed
at something with her foot, and looked down. "Uranus, look," she said, kneeling
down to inspect the small stone manacles projecting from the Altar's surface.
"This must be where Orion" as she touched the freezing stone, a sudden
vision filled her mind. A girl, dressed all in white, lying on her back on
the altar, her hands and feet securely fastened. A glowing globe. The sound
of sobbing. A golden robed, white-haired young man with tears in his eyes,
kneeling beside her. The glint of a knife "Oh!" Sailor Neptune snatched
her hand away, feeling sick to her stomach.
Uranus bent over
in concern. "Neptune, are you all right?"
The Elegant Soldier
nodded, though her eyes were still squeezed shut and she looked as if she
was going to be ill. Sailor Uranus helped her rise to her feet, and she turned
to look at her partner with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Uranus, it's so
horrible what happens here It's" She couldn't even finish.
Uranus looked down
at the black manacles herself. She had to admit that they were rather foreboding,
and she could understand how Neptune would be disturbed by them. But there
was no time for sentiment now, and she was not inclined to feel much pity
for Sailor Orion, manacles or no. "We have to go," she said to Neptune firmly.
"We have something more immediate to deal with."
Sailor Neptune nodded,
and blinked the tears away. Her expression hardened. "You're right. Let's
do this." The two Sailor Senshi turned to look at the rift in the air in
front of them. Experimentally, Neptune put a white-gloved hand out and into
the tear. She pulled it back out and looked at it. It seemed normal enough.
The girls looked at one another and nodded. Uranus held out her hand, and
Neptune took it firmly. Then both of them stepped forward, into the Doomsday
Gate and were swallowed up into the infinite blackness beyond.
"Are they crazy?!!" Makoto
demanded, spinning around. Ami tugged at the agitated girl's sleeve.
"Sit down, Mako-chan.
You're wearing tracks in the carpet with all that pacing," the blue-haired
girl admonished gently. "Besides, you're starting to make me nervous."
Makoto took a seat
next to Ami on the floor, but the next moment she'd sprung to her feet again,
unable to sit still when there was such a crisis at hand. "What are they
thinking?" she demanded again. "Running off to face Narcissus themselves!
It's insane!"
"They are trying
to protect all of you," Setsuna reminded them quietly. "Uranus and Neptune
know their duty as Sailor Senshi, and they will do whatever it takes to see
that they do not fail in their duty." There was a pause as the group of girls
considered her words. Setsuna's garnet eyes were grave. "I would join them,
but I promised Neptune to stay behind and watch over you here."
"Well, you don't
have to worry about that, Setsuna-san. We're going after them."
All eyes in the room
turned to Usagi. She hadn't spoken, not once, to any of them since the meeting
had begun and Setsuna had explained the situation to everyone. But now she
was sitting very calmly at the head of table. She rose to her feet, and her
expression was more serious, more authoritative, than any of them had ever
seen before. She surveyed her friends with a serene determination. "I'm not
going to demand that any of you come with me," she declared softly. "You
are all aware, I'm sure, how dangerous this is. But I'm not going to let
Uranus and Neptune take on the Negaverse alone. Besides, I have a score to
settle with Narcissus." Her blue eyes rested momentarily on the figure of
her future daughter, sitting at the table. "I'm going. The rest of you may
choose to come or to stay I won't think any less of you if you want
to stay here."
"You're kidding,
right?" This was from Rei, whose violet eyes were beginning to spark. "Of
course we're coming with you. We're Sailor Senshi. We stand together." The
other girls at the table all nodded in agreement.
"You got that right,"
Minako asserted firmly. "We're all going."
Usagi looked at the
faces of her friends, and nodded. "Then it's settled. We all go."
"Yeah!" Chibiusa
bounced to her feet, her pink ponytails bobbing enthusiastically. "We're
gonna show that fancy-pants Negaverse pirate just what the Senshi are made
of!"
Usagi turned to gaze
at the little girl. "You're staying here, Chibiusa-chan."
"What?" The child
turned to stare at her future mother. "No way! I'm a Sailor Senshi too, remember?
And you heard what Rei said. We stand together."
The petite Sailor
leader shook her head. "No." Her expression was full of regret. "I'm sorry,
Chibiusa. But you may not come with us. I won't permit it. You've already
been placed in too much danger, and it will not happen again. You're staying
behind."
"You can't make
me!"
"I will lock you
in Rei's room if I have to. You're not coming."
Chibiusa's face began
to turn as pink as her hair. "You wouldn't dare."
"Watch me."
Setsuna chose this
moment to interrupt. "Small Lady, Usagi-chan is right. You must stay here
and out of danger. If something were to happen to Sailor Moon, the protection
of the earth would be your responsibility."
"Puu!" Chibiusa turned
to stare at Setsuna, her russet eyes full of rebuke.
"I have to agree,
Chibiusa-chan," Ami nodded. "I think it will be better for you to stay
behind."
The little girl spun
towards Ami and the other girls, who were all nodding in agreement. "I don't
believe it," she cried. "All of you you all want to just leave me here?
You can't do this, it's not fair!"
"Look, Chibiusa-chan,
we already lost you once to Narcissus. We can't take the chance of it happening
again," Makoto said soothingly, coming over to place a hand on the child's
head. Chibiusa slapped it away.
"Don't touch me!"
she shrieked furiously, glaring around the room as if she were trying to
decide which of them had betrayed her the most. She finally settled on Usagi,
and her eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you'd do this, Usagi. You're so mean.
All of you are just so MEAN!!!" Her small chest heaved with every syllable.
"I hate you. I hate all of you. I hope you all die!" And with that, the youngest
of the Senshi turned and fled from the room with tears running down her
face.
Usagi took a step
towards the door as her future daughter ran out. Then she paused. She didn't
want to leave like this, with Chibiusa mad at her. But then again, it was
really no more than she deserved. She was a bad mother, after all and
Chibiusa had every right to hate her for it. She'd already made the mistake
once, letting Chibiusa get too close to the battle, and it wasn't going to
happen again. That much at least she could be sure of. With a sigh, Usagi
turned back to her friends.
"She'll be all right,
Usagi-chan," Minako tried to console her. "She's just upset."
Usagi nodded. "I
know. And there's no time to deal with it now. I'll just have to talk to
her if" she rethought her words, " we get back." She
straightened then, and the queenlike determination returned to her face.
"Let's go."
The other girls looked
at one another, and then followed their leader out of the Hikawa Shrine.
It was time for battle and they were ready for it.
"Uranus? Are you there?"
Sailor Neptune could feel her partner's hand in her own, but she couldn't
see anything. It was as if her vision had suddenly been taken from her, and
the absolute blackness that surrounded them was almost painful to her eyes.
It was the most disconcerting feeling, to hear Uranus' voice only about two
feet away from her, and yet be completely unable to see her.
"Yes, I'm here,"
came the response.
"Well, what do we
do now? Where do we go?"
"I don't know," the
Magnificent Soldier replied a bit uncertainly. "I guess we just walk
forward until we find something."
"Or fall off the
edge of a cliff in this darkness."
Uranus chuckled in
her rich, throaty tones. "Oh, that's what I love about you, Neptune. Always
looking on the bright side." But Neptune noted with amusement that her partner
seemed to be taking careful caution as the two of them began to step forward.
They'd only taken a few steps when suddenly Uranus paused, and Neptune turned
towards her even though she couldn't see her. "Do you see that?" Sailor Uranus
wanted to know.
The Elegant Soldier
looked ahead of them, squinting through the impenetrable blackness that enveloped
them. Sure enough, she did see something but she wasn't sure what it
was. A sort of light, except that it wasn't like any light she was accustomed
to. It wasn't so much a light as it was simply a space where it was less
dark than everywhere else. "Yes, I see it. I don't know what it is, but
I see it."
"Well, I'm guessing
that's where we should be heading. Careful now." Uranus began to move forward
again, and Neptune, still holding tightly to her partner's hand, followed.
As they approached, the 'less dark ' space seemed to be expanding, as if
it were moving towards them rather than the other way around. Their focal
point slowly seemed to be getting less and less black, until finally it was
a definite gray color. Neptune still had no idea where they were going or
what they were heading for, but she had the creepiest feeling that someone
was watching them.
"Uranus, stop a minute."
She felt her partner come to a halt. "I'm going to pull out my Mirror. Maybe
its light will help us figure out where we're going."
"That's probably
a good idea," Sailor Uranus responded in the darkness. Neptune let go of
her friend's hand in order to summon the talisman from her body. She felt,
though she could not see, the handle of her Mirror materialize in her hands.
She concentrated on the power of the talisman for a moment, willing the surface
to begin shedding its familiar glow. But nothing happened. Neptune wasn't
sure if the Mirror had lost its power in this place of evil, or if the blackness
was simply so complete that it was swallowing up even the glow of her Mirror.
She sighed.
"I don't think it's
working, Uranus," she declared. "The darkness here must just be too strong."
There was a moment of silence. Neptune suddenly felt a chill on her neck.
"Uranus?" There was no reply. "Uranus, where are you?" Sailor Neptune extended
a hand before her, feeling blindly in the dark for any sign of her partner.
There was no one there. "Uranus!!" Neptune called out as loudly as she could.
She heard her own voice echoing around her ears, but the echoes faded and
there was no answer. The chill crept into her heart now, and her mouth went
suddenly dry. Her partner was gone. Neptune didn't know where or what exactly
had happened, but she was alone now in the blackness. "No," she whispered,
more to herself than anyone else. "No, don't leave me by myself here. Please."
She felt those eyes on her again that evil presence that seemed to
be all around her. Neptune felt her blood begin to heat. "All right, Narcissus,
I know you're here somewhere!" she cried, the echo of her words coming back
to her through the impossible blackness as if it was mocking her. "Where
is she? What did you do? You'd better show yourself right now!!"
"Or else what?" Neptune
spun around, squinting into the darkness in an attempt to locate the source
of the icy voice. There was a derisive laugh that reverberated all around
her, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms. "Foolish girl. You're in my
world now. Your puny powers have no strength here. I want to thank you and
your little friend for making my job so much easier; you've saved me the
trouble of having to come and look for you."
"Where is Uranus?"
Neptune demanded of the bodiless voice.
There was another
laugh. "Would you like to join her?"
"What did you do
to her?"
"Why don't you just
go find out?" Narcissus chuckled again, and suddenly Sailor Neptune felt
the ground beneath her feet giving way. She was falling, so suddenly that
she didn't have time to scream, and then just as suddenly she landed, hard,
on a cold stone floor. The evil laughter was echoing around her head. "Don't
get too comfy, girls," Lord Narcissus advised. "I'll be there in a moment
to put both of you out of your misery permanently." The laughter faded
away.
"Neptune, are you
all right?"
Neptune looked up
in relief at the sound of Uranus' voice. "Oh, Uranus, thank heaven. I didn't
know what had happened to you." She could finally see her partner's face;
there appeared to be torches of some kind fixed to the walls around them,
and at last the maddening blackness was gone. Uranus reached down and offered
her a hand up.
As Neptune regained
her feet, she looked around her. "We seem to be in a dungeon of some kind,"
she observed, noting the chains hanging from the wall nearby and the bars
that blocked off one end of the small room. "I wonder what Narcissus wants
with us here?"
"He's going to kill
us, of course," Uranus answered flatly, her stony eyes also taking in their
surroundings. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I led us right into a trap."
She shook her head, and ran a hand though her short hair. "This is going
to be the shortest mission in the history of the Senshi."
Neptune sighed,
and laid a hand on her partner's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Uranus," she said
quietly. "I should have tried a little harder to fight him off, before he
just dumped me in here."
Uranus scowled,
but she covered Neptune's hand with her own. "It's not your fault," she answered
darkly. "Coming here was my idea, after all. I'm beginning to think it wasn't
a very good one. But" she turned and met her friend's eyes. "I'm not
dead yet. And I don't intend to give Narcissus the satisfaction of killing
us without making him work for it first."
"Well, my dear,
I'm afraid I'm not going to give you the opportunity." Both Senshi looked
up to see Lord Narcissus striding towards them from the other side of the
bars, lavender cape billowing around him. He was carrying the Soul Dissolver,
and there was a glint in his eye that neither girl liked very much. "Welcome
to the Doomsday Gate, ladies. I hope you've enjoyed your visit, brief though
it may be." He hoisted the Negaverse weapon to his shoulder. "Any last
words?"
"Not for you," Neptune
snapped. She reached over to take Sailor Uranus' hand, and the partners locked
eyes for a moment. "We're together," she pointed out softly to her friend,
and Uranus nodded.
"That's all I need."
The taller girl entwined her white-gloved fingers firmly with Neptune's.
"Partners even in death," she murmured quietly.
"Well isn't that
just so sweet?" Lord Narcissus interrupted with an affected air of sympathy.
He pretended to wipe a tear from his one good eye. "I'm so sorry to have
to break this up." Then his hand returned to the trigger, and his face settled
into a gleeful grin. "Bye bye, now."
"Well, Narcissus,
I have to commend you. You finally did something right." The two Senshi and
the Negaverse admiral both turned to see a young woman with a venomous, seductive
voice suddenly materialize in the room. She was wearing a very pretty
outfit a white, cropped halter top and leggings, with two soft pink,
sheer skirt panels in the front and back that fell just below her knees.
Her pale, rose-colored hair had been plaited into two very long braids, the
tips of which were actually dragging on the floor a little. She was one of
the most beautiful women that Neptune had ever seen. But there was an almost
overpoweringly evil aura radiating from her every pore, and Neptune could
have sworn there was murder in those sparkling sea green eyes.
Lord Narcissus lowered
the Soul Dissolver as he turned to face the newcomer. "What are you doing
here, Lady Slipper? Come to watch the destruction of two of the Posiverse's
most valuable warriors? Or maybe you just want to steal credit for their
deaths yourself."
The woman known
as Lady Slipper giggled. "Not at all, my dear Admiral. I have always been
one to give credit where credit is due. And I will admit that you have done
much better than I expected. Attacking the little one first was a wise move
on your part Orion has essentially rendered herself powerless by saving
her. Which means that you can now strike at the Sailor Planets, and Orion
herself, and destroy them all without having to worry about her retribution."
Lady Slipper giggled again, and Neptune felt Uranus' hand form a fist.
"You'll never defeat
Sailor Moon," Uranus announced defiantly. "You can do whatever you want with
the rest of us, but you'll never defeat her."
Lady Slipper turned
those poisonous eyes on the Magnificent Soldier, who was glaring at her.
"Well, well, Uranus. It has been such a long time." She tilted her head to
one side and clucked her tongue condescendingly. "My, my, dear, I don't think
the years have been very kind to you. I mean, really, child, what have you
done to your hair?" Uranus frowned, a bit confused, and put one hand up to
touch her short-shorn locks. She was a bit perplexed; she'd worn her hair
short for as long as she could remember. Lady Slipper sighed and shook her
head. "You know, normally I would agree with you, dear. Sailor Moon's power
is great, even greater than my own. But I don't think we have to worry about
it. Your precious little princess has too many things cluttering up that
pristine little soul of hers, thanks to Narcissus here."
"What are you talking
about?" Neptune demanded.
Lady Slipper's pale
green eyes widened. "Why, my dear girl, where do you think Sailor Moon gets
all her power from? From that perfect pure heart of hers, that's where. And
how much good do you think that heart is going to do her when the emotions
tumbling through it are negative, dark ones?" She began to laugh again. "Our
admiral here did the best thing he could possibly have done with that Soul
Dissolver when he picked off the Sailor Leader's daughter. Your beloved princess
is so full of guilt and fury and confusion over what happened out there that
there's no way her spotless little soul is going to be able to generate the
power that she needs to defeat us. And once we've killed you and the other
Senshi, the pain and guilt will make Sailor Moon pretty much
useless."
Narcissus puffed
out his chest a bit. "That's right," he declared haughtily. "I planned it
that way all along." He raised the Soul Dissolver once more. "And
now"
"Stop right there,
Narcissus." The admiral looked up in confusion at Lady Slipper, and she shook
her head. "You don't want to kill them yet."
"I don't?"
"No, you don't.
Not if you want to get Orion."
Narcissus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lady Slipper rolled
her eyes a little. "Well, let's just say that I know something about her
that you don't know. You want to get Orion here, you have to use that one
for bait." She jerked her thumb towards Sailor Uranus, and Uranus scoffed.
"Look, I don't have
any idea who you are, lady, or what you think you're going to do, but you
should know that there's no love lost between Orion and me. I'd just as soon
kill her as look at her, and I think she knows it. You've got the wrong 'bait'
here."
Lady Slipper turned
to look at Uranus, and her lips curved a little. "Oh, I don't think so, Miss
Uranus. You see, I know something you don't know, either."
Uranus folded her
arms and stared back at her. "All right. Enlighten me."
Lady Slipper tapped
a finger against her cheek contemplatively. "No, I don't think I will. I'd
sure hate to spoil the surprise. I want Orion to be here for this." She moved
towards the bars of the cell, her hips swaying suggestively, and she paused
just out of arm's reach. She winked at the scowling Senshi. "You'll just
have to wait and see with everyone else, I suppose." Then she turned toward
Narcissus, and extended an arm. "Come, my dear Admiral. The other Sailor
Planets are on their way as we speak, and Sailor Delphinus and I have some
interesting plans for entertaining them. We want them to feel
like they're accomplishing their great rescue, now don't we?" As Narcissus
took her arm, Lady Slipper turned towards the imprisoned Senshi. "You were
right about one thing, though, Sailor Uranus. You really don't have any idea
who I am." Her mocking laugh lingered and faded long after the two had left
the dungeon.
Uranus turned to
face Neptune, and the Elegant Soldier sighed. "I have a very bad feeling
about this, Uranus," she admitted to her partner.
"So do I, Neptune."
Uranus sighed, her eyes returning to the door through which Lady Slipper
and Narcissus had disappeared. "So do I."
Neophilus looked up as the
library doors burst open and the young Princess ran into the room. The child
didn't even seem to notice as her street clothes melted into her royal gown,
swirling around her feet in yards of white gossamer. He could sense her agitation
right away, and he rose to his feet.
"Small Lady." The
reverberating, waterfall-like tones of his voice seemed to calm her a bit.
"What is it? You are distressed."
"Oh, you think so?"
the little girl snapped back at him sarcastically. The Guardian's ruby eyes
widened, and the Neo Moon Princess took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry,
it's just that I need to talk to Mamo-chan I mean, Prince Endymion
right away. It's really important."
Guardian Father regarded
her for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well. He is with the Sacred Child
at the moment. I will take you to them." He turned towards the doors.
"Come."
She followed him
out of the library, onto an open balcony. There was just enough time for
her to note that the balcony was open to the sky above, and seemed to look
down into a courtyard of sorts below, before realized that the Guardian was
descending a flight of steps directly in front of him. She followed him down
the steps, and was then standing before a great archway that led into the
courtyard that she'd noticed before. She could hear the faint sound of water
splashing, and caught a glimpse of two large fountains placed on opposite
ends of the courtyard; and then she was following the golden-robed Guardian
again, down another staircase. When they reached the bottom, he led her through
a few stone corridors, past a number of oaken doors set into the wall at
various intervals. Finally they turned a corner, and Neophilus reached out
and opened the door directly in front of them.
"Child?" he called
out softly.
"Come in, Guardian
Father."
He opened the door
farther now, allowing the small pink-haired princess to step in before him,
and then he followed suit, and closed the door. The Sacred Child was lying
in a bed of white satin, just where he'd left her. Prince Endymion was seated
in a small wooden chair by her bedside. The prince looked up as the little
girl came running over to him.
"Chibiusa-chan! What's
the matter?" Endymion inquired at the tearstreaks on his future daughter's
face. The child launched herself into his arms and clung to him, and began
to cry again.
"It's not fair,
Mamo-chan! They're being mean to me they're all being mean, Usagi's
the worst though, and they're going and they won't let me come and they said
I had to stay behind and Usagi said she was gonna lock me in Rei's room
and"
"Whoa, hang on there,
Chibiusa-chan," Endymion protested as the girl's blabbering was lost in the
shoulder of his armor. He gently moved her away from him, getting her to
look him in the eyes. "Now take a deep breath. Good girl. Okay, slow down
and tell me what's going on."
She did her best to calm
her voice, though the tears were still sparkling in her eyes and her chin
was quivering. "Uranus and Neptune went to fight Narcissus all by themselves.
Neptune told Setsuna, and she and Usagi called a Scout meeting. Then Usagi
said she was going to go find Narcissus too, and the other Senshi are going,
and they wouldn't let me come. They were all so mean and they all want to
leave me here while they go off and fight. It's not fair!!"
Shinzui overheard
this exchange, and raised her head a bit. "Small Lady," she said softly.
The Neo Moon Princess turned to look at the pale blind girl in the bed, and
for a moment she was distracted from her indignation.
"Shinzui-san!" the child exclaimed,
relief and wonder in her voice. "You're okay!" She released her grip on her
future father's neck in order to throw her little arms around the girl on
the pillow. Shinzui bit her lip to keep from crying out at the sudden pressure
on her tender, sore body, but she still managed to smile at her.
"Small Lady. Did
you just say that the Princess and the other Senshi are going to face off
with Narcissus?"
"Yeah." The little
girl nodded. "And they left me behind. It was really mean of them. Really
mean." She repeated the last words with emphasis.
The alarm bells were
going off in Shinzui's head. She couldn't believe it of all the stupid
things for Uranus and Neptune to do, going after Narcissus while he was in
possession of the Soul Dissolver was the absolute worst. And now the Princess
was going too and if Narcissus managed to turn the weapon on her, all
was lost. Orion struggled to sit up, despite the knifing, needling pain in
her lungs and muscles, and could not help gasping as the burning agony shot
through her. She was weaker than she'd supposed. Almost immediately, she
felt hands at her shoulders, forcing her to lie back on the bed. She knew
from the contact that it was Neophilus.
"Child, what do you
think you're doing? You're in no shape to be going anywhere."
"Guardian Father,
please. You have to let me go. She can't face Narcissus by herself
she doesn't know what she's doing. I have to help her."
"You're not leaving
this room, Child. Whatever will be, will be. You know that the other Guardians
and myself will even intervene, if necessary, to protect the Sailor Leader
and the Silver Crystal, but you are not going anywhere in the condition you're
in."
Shinzui sighed with
frustration, but Prince Endymion took her hand. "Don't worry, Shinzui-san,"
he assured her quietly. "I'll go. I'll watch over her over all of them.
It will be all right."
The Neo Moon Princess
tugged at her future father's cape. "I get to come too, right?" she wanted
to know, her eyes full of pleading. But Shinzui interrupted before Endymion
could respond.
"Small Lady
if you go with him there will be no one for me to talk to," she smiled, reaching
her other hand out towards the child. "Please don't leave me here all alone.
It gets terribly boring when I can't read and the Guardians won't even let
me out of bed. Won't you please stay and keep me company?" Shinzui knew that
Usagi had very good reason to want to leave the child behind. At least, if
Shinzui couldn't go, she could help watch over Chibiusa while the others
were away.
The small princess
seemed to be considering this. She really wanted to go help the other Senshi
with this battle she wanted to be included as well. But Shinzui had
nearly died in order to save her life. How could she deny a simple request
from the person who'd literally brought her back from the dead? Besides,
it was, in part, Chibiusa's own fault that Shinzui was sick and weak right
now. If she hadn't been so eager to run forward and confront Narcissus, she
never would have been shot with that Soul Dissolver thing, and Shinzui wouldn't
have had to practically kill herself in order to bring her back. The child
nodded slowly. "Okay, Shinzui-san. I'll stay here with you. I can read to
you and stuff, right?"
"I'd really like
that," the blind girl responded sweetly. Then she turned towards Endymion
and squeezed his hand gently. "Go, Prince Endymion. Find the princess and
take care of her. And don't worry things will turn out all right, you'll
see."
The handsome young
man smiled down at her. "Thank you," he said simply. Giving his future daughter
another squeeze, he grinned. "Keep an eye on Shinzui-san," he commanded with
a twinkle in his eye. "Make sure she stays in that bed and gets some rest."
The pink-haired princess
grinned back. "I'll make her be good," she promised. "Don't worry, Mamo-chan."
Endymion nodded, and then with a swirl of black and red, he left the room
to find his Princess.
Shinzui sighed as
she heard the door close. At the moment there was nothing she wanted more
than to get up off this bed and go after him, go after all of them. Battling
Narcissus was no light matter, and the Senshi had no idea what they were
getting themselves into, really. Another wave of guilt swept over her. This
was her fault. It was all her fault. If only she hadn't been what she'd
been. If only there was a way to change the mistakes of the past. If only
she could just take it all back. Of course, there was no use agonizing over
"if only". Even Pluto hadn't been able to change history when it came to
her past. It was just one of those things she was going to have to live with,
like it or not. And after everything that she'd done, she didn't deserve
a magical erasure of past deeds, anyway. She was getting exactly what she
deserved an eternity of retribution and guilt. It was only right that
the light side of her soul labor to right the wrongs of the dark side. The
Soul Dissolver she'd been so certain that it had been destroyed. Shinzui
could have kicked herself for not checking to make sure. How could she have
been so careless? She'd become so absorbed in the details of the Sacred Sacrifice
that she hadn't paid enough attention to the other dangers. Why, oh, why
hadn't she gone after the Soul Dissolver herself, destroyed it herself, scattered
it in fragments over the galaxy so it could never be found and used again?
The cursed weapon was the epitome of her past problems, and she should have
gone to greater lengths to ensure that it had been annihilated.
And what about Uranus?
Shinzui wasn't really surprised that the hot-headed Senshi had gone off to
attack Narcissus herself. But Uranus' power, impressive and enthusiastic
though it may be, would never be a match for the Soul Dissolver. Shinzui
had already caused Uranus enough pain. She'd sworn, millennia ago, that it
would never happen again. And now it felt like history was repeating itself.
She'd die before she let anyone bring harm to Uranus, that was certain. If
anything happened to her, Shinzui knew she'd never be able to live with herself.
It was, after all, Uranus who was her only real reason for existing anyway.
She'd spent the first part of eternity destroying the Magnificent Soldier,
and it was only right that she spend the rest of eternity protecting her.
But how could she manage it when she couldn't even sit up on her own? Shinzui
closed her sightless eyes and felt like crying, though she knew it wouldn't
do any good. She'd spent too many lifetimes in tears, and it had never proven
very helpful. What was done was done. Now there was only the matter of trying
to set things straight again.
She felt the cold
creeping into her veins as she recalled the pompous expression on Lord Narcissus'
face as he brandished the Soul Dissolver at her friends. Narcissus had to
die. That was that. Shinzui could tolerate the insults and the boorish, clumsy
attacks. But she would not tolerate this. And then Shinzui remembered the
flower that Narcissus had brandished at her, that day in the warehouse when
she'd revealed herself to the other Senshi, and she smiled grimly to herself.
Lady Slipper was behind all of this too, Shinzui was certain. And Lady Slipper
would also pay the price. Shinzui was going to find the Soul Dissolver this
time, and it was going to be destroyed once and for all, if it took every
last breath in her body.
"Shinzui-san?"
The blind girl opened
her opaque gray eyes again and tilted her head towards the Neo Moon Princess
with a smile. "Thank you for staying with me, Small Lady."
"Shinzui-san, do
you think Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen-sama and everyone will be all
right?"
Shinzui sighed, and
then nodded. "I have faith in the Princess, Small Lady. Her power is different
from all the other Senshi, because it comes from her soul. And as long as
her soul remains pure and full of love, her power will be undefeatable. Even
Narcissus cannot stand up to it. And you know, I'm not so sure the Soul Dissolver
can, either. If anyone has the ability to win this fight, it will be the
Princess." Shinzui did not mention her new resolve to go take care of it
herself. The Senshi were attacking together that was good. It would
buy her some time to gather her strength, to heal. And the minute she'd regained
enough power to stand on her own and transform, well, the Negaverse had better
just say its prayers, because Sailor Orion had lived over a thousand
lifetimes and she had a very long memory.
"Is this it?" Sailor Moon
wanted to know, staring dubiously at the tall black monument in front of
them. It was about eight feet tall, nearly twice as tall as she was, and
covered in all sorts of intricate carvings and decoration. The blackness
of the stone was menacing, and she felt a chill down her spine as she stared
at it, as if she ought to recognize it from somewhere.
"Yes," Sailor Pluto
responded quietly, stepping up behind them. "This is the Altar of Tears."
Sailor Mercury was
tapping away on her computer, and she frowned as she looked up at Pluto.
"Sailor Pluto, my computer can't analyze the engravings here. The symbols
are unknown to its database. What do they mean?"
Pluto closed her
garnet eyes for a moment, and when she spoke, her melodical, timeless voice
was full of sorrow.
"The blood of one that
here does fall
Will give the strength
to save us all
The Child whose Soul
will seal the Gate
Whose heart will
stay the hand of fate
Here gives her life,
here ends her years
On this, the Altar
of our Tears."
Sailor Venus was staring
at Pluto. "That's so sad," she whispered. "Pluto, who wrote that?"
The Revolutionary
Soldier opened her eyes and looked at the Senshi of Beauty. "You did, Venus.
When this Altar was built." Venus' mouth dropped open, but she couldn't think
of anything to say. Pluto's smile was sad. "I do not remember very much about
that time," she admitted softly. "Unlike Orion, my memory tends to fade as
time goes by. When I am guarding the Time Gate alone, moments, hours, past
and future all seem to blend together until I forget the details of history.
But I remember this. I could never forget this." She turned to look at the
Altar again. "We built this Altar, Venus. You and I and Saturn and Mercury.
We built it together, so that Sailor Orion-- the Sacred Child-- could die."
Pluto shook her head, and her dark green hair billowed gently around her
face. "Of all the things that I have done in my lifetime, this is the one
I am least proud of."
Venus was now looking
at the Altar with a new-found distaste. "Me too," she agreed emphatically.
Sailor Jupiter stepped
forward. "Look, guys, this is really sad and everything, I know. But we've
got more important things to worry about here. Uranus and Neptune are in
there." She pointed up at the rift in space that was dangling, suspended,
above the stone altar. "Don't you think we ought to be going in after
them?"
"Jupiter is right."
Everyone turned to stare at Sailor Moon again. She was glaring up at the
hole in the air as if it were the ugliest enemy she'd ever seen in her life.
The other Senshi had never seen her this way so hard and angry.
"I want that Soul Dissolver destroyed, and I want Narcissus dead."
Sailor Mars' eyes
widened in surprise. "Sailor Moon that doesn't sound like you at
all."
Sailor Moon turned
to look at Mars with fire in her face. "He killed ChibiMoon, Mars. He killed
my daughter. And because of him Sailor Orion nearly killed herself to save
her. I want him to die."
The girls looked
at one another with concern. Sailor Moon wishing death on an enemy? It was
unheard of. But Jupiter laid one hand on the petite blonde's shoulder. "Don't
you worry, Sailor Moon," she said quietly. "We're gonna get him. I
promise."
Sailor Moon turned
to meet Jupiter's eyes, and she nodded with gratitude.
"Well, hello there,
ladies." The Sailor Senshi looked up to see Lord Narcissus perched on the
top of the Altar of Tears, grinning down at them. The Negaverse admiral seemed
terribly pleased with himself. "I assume you've come for your two little
friends."
"What have you done
with them?" Sailor Venus demanded.
"Oh, never fear,
Sailor brats. They're waiting for you inside. But um I'm afraid,
if you want to see them, you're going to have to prove yourselves worthy
to enter the Doomsday Gate. It's a little tradition we have around here."
Lord Narcissus' teeth glittered whitely as he smiled.
"A tradition, huh?"
Sailor Jupiter butted in. "Well, let me introduce you to a little tradition
of mine. It's called get out of the Sailor Scout's way before she fries your
brains into oblivion." The lightning rod on her tiara began to crackle
suggestively.
Narcissus chuckled.
"Amusing, Miss Jupiter. But you might want to save your energy. You're going
to need it." He turned towards the Gate behind him, and called out, "Come
to me, my jaki!"
The Senshi watched
as a drop of the black, sticky liquid fell from the bottommost edge of the
rift. It was followed by another. And another. The liquid continued to fall
as it took on a more solid shape, rising from the smooth black surface of
the altar. It rose and it rose and it rose.
"That thing's got
to be, like, twenty feet high!" Sailor Mars gasped in horror.
"Twenty three point
eight four feet, actually," Mercury corrected as her computerized goggles
analyzed the creature.
Sailor Venus groaned.
"Mercury, I really wish you hadn't said that. I think I was happier with
the estimate."
Lord Narcissus was
chuckling again. "Well, have fun, girls," he said cheerfully. "I've got some
things to do. I'll come back and check on you in a bit, all right?" The
lavender-clad admiral stepped backwards into the Gate and disappeared.
Sailor Jupiter rubbed
her hands together as the monstrous evil spirit continued to solidify. "Well,
Sailor Scouts," she declared with a bitter grin. "This should be a lot of
fun, hmm?"
The others were
not so sure.
Back
to Part Sixteen
On
to Part Eighteen
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