Part Twenty-Four: The eternal curse of love! The goddess of love under attack
Minako suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, staring into the window of the adjacent shop. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes began to swim with stars as she read the sign posted there. The other girls, noticing that she'd paused, turned to find out what was going on.
"Hey, whatcha reading, Minako-chan?" Chibiusa demanded, marching over to where Minako was frozen on the sidewalk. The little girl looked into the store window, taking note of the large, colorful sign displayed there. "Grand Opening of the New York Look Beauty Academy tomorrow," she read out loud. "Free makeovers for the first hundred customers. Modeling agents will be on hand, looking for new talent. The New York Look will make your dreams come true."
"Modeling?" Rei exclaimed, immediately coming over to read the sign for herself.
"Free makeovers?" Usagi chimed in, also drawing closer to the shop window. Makoto and Ami looked at one another, then shrugged, and moved in to join the others at staring at the sign.
"The New York Look Beauty Academy is one of the most well-known beauty schools and agencies in the United States," Minako declared dreamily. "And they're opening up a branch here! I'm going to be a famous American model!"
Chibiusa scowled. "Minako-chan!" she grumbled warningly. "You haven't even gotten the makeover yet. It's a little early to be making that sort of comment, isn't it?" But Minako was too lost in daydreams to even notice.
"It says they open at eight in the morning tomorrow," the blond girl said happily, turning towards her friends. "Come on, I'm going to get my sleeping bag!"
"What for?" Makoto wanted to know, and Minako rolled her eyes.
"Camping out here tonight, of course," she responded impatiently. "I'm going to be the first one to get that makeover tomorrow and the first one that those agents are going to see! I'll stun them all with my beauty and grace and become a famous international idol!!" Minako waved her arms in the air dramatically, and shouted the last sentence so loudly that other people on the street paused to look at them. The other girls all blushed, chagrined. Ami shook her head.
"Minako-chan, it's not safe. Have you forgotten about Lady Slipper? You can't just stay out here alone all night," the blue-haired girl gently reminded.
"I know that," Minako answered, a mischievous gleam in her eye. "That's why all of you will be camping out here with me. We'll all get makeovers tomorrow. It'll be fun!" The others looked at one another uncertainly, and Minako's face fell. "Oh, come on, guys. Please? I really want to do this."
"I'll have to ask my parents," Usagi began, and Chibiusa nodded enthusiastically.
"And I've got to make sure that everything's been set up for the festival at the Shrine," Rei added.
Makoto scratched her head. "I'd have to cancel my karate class tomorrow morning"
"Well, I have an organic chemistry exam next week," Ami announced determinedly. But, seeing the crestfallen look on her friend's face, she sighed. "Which, I suppose, I could study for out here with all of you."
At this, Minako's eyes lit up and she threw her arms around Ami in a big hug. "Oh, thank you, Ami-chan! Thank all of you. This is going to be so much fun!!"
Ami flushed a little, but nodded as Minako pulled away. "Well, all right then, if we're going to do this then I need to go get my things together," she said quietly.
The other girls nodded. "Okay," Makoto said, checking her watch. "It's almost five o'clock. Let's all go see if we can make arrangements, and get our stuff. We'll meet back here in an hour, all right?"
As the girls dispersed towards their separate homes, a pair of sea green eyes was watching them from behind a pair of dark sunglasses. There was a light giggle, and Lady Slipper raised the cup of tea to her lips slowly, savoring the light, sweet taste. "I recognize the brunette," she mused to herself as she observed Makoto walking away from the scene. "The one I poisoned curse Orion and that Sphere of hers. She completely ruined the perfection of my work." Lady Slipper slammed the cup down on the table before her in frustration, but after a moment was smiling again. "Stillif she's Sailor Jupiter, then it's almost certain that those girls she's with are the other Sailor Senshi. One of them has got to be Venus. Why else would they be staying for those makeovers tomorrow? Little Miss Venus always did have a vain streak. If those girls are camping out here tonight, then tonight shall be when I come after them." Lady Slipper picked up the cup again, and her smile became a little less pleasant. "I'm going to get that Silver Dagger, Orion. And you're going to be mine againwhether you know it or not." With that last sentiment, Lady Slipper took another sip of her tea, then rose to her feet. She had things to do.
"What is it, Shinzui?" Centauri asked, looking up at his blind mistress as she sighed for the eighth time that morning. Shinzui shook her head, a small, melancholic smile floating on her delicate features as she set down the book she'd been trying, unsuccessfully, to concentrate on. It was an expression that Centauri recognized all too well, and it was his turn to sigh. "Don't, Shinzui. Don't think about it."
"How can I not think about it?" the blind girl replied, her voice full of quiet despair. "The Curse is a part of me, Centauri. You know that. It's as much a part of my destiny as the Eternal Sacrifice is."
The golden retriever nuzzled her hand softly. "I know. But dwelling on it isn't going to help."
"Nothing is ever going to help." She rubbed her temples wearily. "Don't ever fall in love, Centauri. It's terrible."
"You don't mean that," her companion admonished softly.
There was another sad smile. "You're right, I don't. Love is wonderfulfor everybody else."
"Shinzui"
"No." Shinzui shook her head. "I brought this on myself, Centauri. I committed myself to this years ago, and I am not going to run away from the consequences. After what I didI deserve it."
"That's not true," Centauri argued stubbornly. "That wasn't you, Shinzui. The Prince of Darkness is not you, anymore. You can't be held responsible for what he did. It's not fair."
"It's more than fair." Shinzui reached out to stroke his fur gently. Even now, she could still see the flames, black and horrible, and hear the screaming "The Prince is still in me, Centauri. I fight him down, hold him back, but he's still there. I feel him when I'm fighting. I feel the old thrill rising up again, and sometimes it's so hard to control, and to remember who I am now. Sometimes, at night, I dream about it. But the thing that frightens me is that the memories don't always disgust me. Sometimes I just feel satisfied and triumphant, like I did thenand that's the truly disgusting thing." Her tinkling voice broke. "I'm a monster, Centauri. I might change form or even allegiance, but I'm a monster. And I deserve every bit of the loneliness and hurt of the Curse."
The golden retriever shook his head. "I don't believe that. I'll never believe that. I've watched over you for too many lifetimes, Shinzui. I've watched you go through thousands of years of pain and sorrow because of the Curse and the Sacrifice. I think you've by far paid your dues."
The sightless dove colored eyes closed, and a single crystal tear slid down her cheek. "What I owe can never be paid," she declared in a tone so soft he could barely hear her. "I killed them, Centauri. I tortured them to death. All in the name of a love that I didn't understand. How could I ever repay such a thing?"
Centauri lifted a shaggy, golden eyebrow. "I'd say that over a thousand lifetimes of unrequited love is punishment enough, Shinzui. When you were purified, the Guardians told you there'd be a consequence for your past actions. But I don't think they knew, then, what a cruelty those consequences would be. The Eternal Curse of unrequited love is far more devastating than any death."
"That's why the Sacrifice is a blessing, in a way." A bitter smile touched her lips. "By the time it comes I'm always looking forward to it. At least in death I don't have to feel so lonely." Her pet looked up at her with compassion and hopelessness in his eyes. How he wished there was something he could do some way of soothing his mistress' pain. It cut him deeply to see her so heartbroken. He'd told the Guardians from the very beginning that he thought the Curse was too much for her. But they hadn't been able to help. Guardian Friend said that Shinzui had placed the Curse on herself, because of her actions in the past. And because she'd put it on herself, they couldn't lift it. Only forgiveness would do that. And Centauri knew, despite his comforting words to Shinzui, that there were some things that were just unforgivable.
"I thought I loved her then, Centauri. I thought we would be the perfect team." Shinzui gave a grim chuckle. "But I didn't even know what love meant. No one in the Negaverse did. By the time the Princess saved me from myself, the damage had already been done." The blind girl rose to her feet then. "I need to get out of here," she said listlessly. "Go someplace. Just walk. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can leave my destiny behind me for a few hours." Centauri also stood, but Shinzui held up a hand. "Not this time, old friend. I need to go alone." She reached out, fumbling for the white tipped cane that she always kept in the umbrella stand by the door. Grasping the smooth wood in her hand, she withdrew the cane, tapped it a few times experimentally on the floor, and then offered a final, wistful smile towards her companion. "I'll be back," she promised quietly. His liquid brown eyes watched her with pity and concern as she left the apartment. Centauri waited a few minutes, and then rose to his feet and went to the door. Putting his paws up on the doorknob, he managed to get the knob to turn, and let himself out. Checking to make sure the door swung shut behind him, he turned and headed for the stairway. Perhaps Shinzui did want to be alonebut she was too important, and too dear a friend, to leave her unprotected. Especially in her current state of mind.
Centauri didn't like the way this was going. This lifetime was, somehow, different than all the others that they had shared. There was a strange sense of motionthe wind itself seemed to be whispering of coming change, and he knew that something vital was going to happen this time around. Whether it was for good or evil, he couldn't tell. But he wasn't about to allow Shinzui to face it alone. There was already so much that she was forced to carry by herself. Privately, Centauri resolved that whatever destiny awaited them in the wind's prophecies, he would be standing by his mistress' side to the very end. After all, she'd proven more than once that she would do the same. Such a noble heart did not deserve to fight in loneliness.
Lady Slipper watched as the blind girl left the apartment. What luck! That annoying canine companion of hers wasn't with her. She observed with sense of disgust as Shinzui, tapping her cane, slowly made her way down the crowded sidewalk. The other people milling about parted respectfully in deference to the young blind woman's handicap. Lady Slipper shook her head. Here was the great Prince of the Negaverse, a living legend, a person feared by anyone unlucky enough to have gotten in his way reduced to this. He was now nothing more than a weak, stumbling, feeble slip of a girl, and a handicapped girl at that! It was a crime. And yet, as she kept her eyes on Shinzui, there was no denying the dignity in the shoulders, the nobility in the face. She was royalty, through and through, and Lady Slipper took some comfort in that. Besides, she'd seen Sailor Orion fight. Even in this new form, she hadn't lost all of her warrior spirit. Of that Lady Slipper was certain.
The Negaverse woman began to follow Shinzui down the sidewalk. She could sense, even from this far away, that something was wrong with her former partner. And she had a fairly good inkling of what it was. A cruel smile curved her lips. She couldn't have picked a better time to approach Shinzui, while she was wallowing in self-pity over the results from her betrayal of the Negaverse. Her new human sensibilities made her vulnerable to attacks of emotion, and Lady Slipper giggled. This was going to be just perfect.
Shinzui sensed the venomous eyes watching her the minute she stepped out of the building, and immediately regretted leaving Centauri behind. Without him she'd be unable to transform, and unable to fight Lady Slipper. She hesitated for a moment, considering returning inside, but as she stretched her awareness out, she got a clearer impression and realized that there was no malice in the presence of her former partner. It was Lady Slipper, all right, and she certainly had some sort of agenda in mind, but Shinzui knew that there was nothing threatening in it. Half curious, she stepped out on the sidewalk, and began to move away from the apartments. After a moment or two she knew that Lady Slipper was following her. The blind girl sighed heavily. It seemed like her past was always following her, in some form or other. And even though she knew that she could never escape it, and even though she didn't believe she even deserved an escape, it still hurt.
She continued down the sidewalk, finally turning into a narrow alley between two tall brick buildings. She made her way to the back of the alley, where a heavy metal door sat propped open on the left. Extending her cane and tapping both sides of the doorframe to establish its location, she then stepped through, into the cool darkness of the room beyond. It was nearly pitch black in the old music studio, but the darkness didn't bother Shinzui, who wasn't even aware of it. Instead, she used her cane to guide her to the stage at the front of the room, and stepped up on it. There, on the stage, was what she was looking for the large golden saxophone lying in front of the center chair, right where she'd left it from her last visit. Setting her cane down beneath the chair, Shinzui sat down and picked up the instrument, lovingly caressing the smooth, shiny surface. After a moment she brought it to her lips, and began to play.
This was her medicine. It was the only expression available to her for venting the sorrow that so often welled up in her soul. She played the sad melody, pouring all her emotions into it, letting the loneliness and sorrow flow from her into the room, causing the very walls to swell just to contain the feelings. In the street outside, a few people stopped to listen, wondering where the exquisite music was coming from and trying very hard to hold back tears as the hopelessness and hurt in the melody penetrated into their hearts.
Shinzui had no idea of how long she played. She was aware when Lady Slipper entered the music studio, even though she could not see her. But after a few minutes, when Lady Slipper did not interrupt her, she forgot about everything but the music and the sadness. Her fingers moved of their own accord along the length of the instrument, drawing the sound out and infusing it with everything that was running through her soul. The melody took over, and instead of Shinzui playing, it was playing herbathing her, surrounding her inside and out, drawing out her pain as a poultice draws infection from a wound. And the pain went into the song, and spread through the room and spilled out into the streets, leaving behind a peace and a quiet calm. Though it could by no means be called happiness, it was at least contentment, and finally, exhausted, Shinzui ended the piece of music with one final, long, mournful note. She lowered the saxophone.
"Very pretty, Orion. Music was always your forte."
Shinzui gently wiped the mouthpiece of the saxophone with the fabric of her skirt. "Hello, Lady Slipper."
Lady Slipper stepped closer, her sea-green eyes piercing through the darkness with the ease of one who has lived in darkness for an eternity. She could make out the tearstains on Shinzui's pretty face, and she smiled. "Still dreaming, Orion? Tell me, is it worth it? All this suffering you put yourself through, lifetime after lifetimeand no one ever knows but you."
Shinzui sighed. "I have nothing to offer you anymore, Lady Slipper. I know you're not here for vengance and you're not here to spy, so what do you want from me?"
"Nothing." The rose-haired woman came up to the edge of the stage, her voice surprisingly gentle. "I'm not here to take anything from you, Orion."
"Then what do you want?"
Lady Slipper slid herself onto the stage so that she was sitting at Shinzui's feet, looking up at her. "You," she said quietly, her eyes keen. "I just want you."
A bitter smile touched the blind girl's lips, and she shook her head. "You want my power, Lady Slipper. You want my allegiance and you want my strength. But you don't want meyou don't even know who I am."
Lady Slipper shook her head, even though Shinzui could not see it. "That's not true," she answered. "You and I were wonderful together. It wasn't just the victories and the battle-glory, Orion, and you know it. We were partners. Soulmates. And I've never been complete since you left." Shinzui did not respond, but Lady Slipper knew her words were taking effect, and she rose to her knees next to the other girl's chair, capturing Shinzui's hands in her own and looking into her face intently. Shinzui was so startled she didn't notice that Lady Slipper had some sort of lotion on her hands, and that as she spoke she was subtly rubbing it into Shinzui's skin. "I want you to come back to me," Lady Slipper declared intensely. "I want you to fight by my side again. I want to be the one you devote your energy to, not that weak Princess who could never, ever understand you. What do you think your precious Princess would think of you if she knew how you really feel about the battles you fight? I know the blood-lust still runs in your veins, Orion. I've seen it there. I know the thrill that surges through you with each victory. I know the satisfaction that lies in pain, in a hard fight well won, and in making your enemies suffer for their impudence. It's there, Orion, inside you. You may have changed everything else, but that part of you is still there. And you can't defeat it, can you?" Shinzui did not answer, but she could feel Lady Slipper's words creeping under her skin despite her determination to ignore them. She'd just been discussing that same issue with Centauri. It was true that she couldn't always control the sadistic glee within her, especially when she was facing an enemy. That glee had released the darkness within her. That glee had transformed her into the identity she longed to free herself fromand that glee had cost Narcissus his life. Lady Slipper had a point. What would the Princess think, if she knew how much Sailor Orion had enjoyed the kill? What would she say if she realized how much Orion had reveled in the fear on Narcissus' face? While Shinzui knew that the Princess would forgive her anything, she also knew how much sorrow and confusion her actions would cause.
Lady Slipper could see fresh tears sparkling in the sightless eyes, and knew she'd struck home. Gently she reached out and laid a hand on Shinzui's cheek, caressing the blind girl's face softly. "So beautiful," she murmured. "You were always the most beautiful person I've ever known, Orion. It doesn't matter how you change. The fire, the passion, the determination and daring that I love in you can never die. We were more than battle partners. I was your wife, remember? I was your closest friend. And I miss that, Orion. I really do. I want you back."
"My wife" Shinzui repeated numbly. There was a fog forming in her mind, a rose-colored fog that seemed to be penetrating her very thoughts and spreading with every word that Lady Slipper spoke. "And my friend. Yes, you were both those things, insofar as those things have meaning in the Negaverse." She reached up and took Lady Slipper's hand away from her face, pushing the fog back stubbornly. "But you, even you, who claim to be closest to me, betrayed me along with all the others when it suited your fancy."
"Must I remind you that it was you who betrayed us first?" Lady Slipper responded, with a hint of sharpness in her tone. "Your fascination with that human girl, and with the Posiverse concept of love, cost us all dearly. You forfeited battles we could have won. You made foolish tactical decisions. You showed mercy." Shinzui knew she should have spoken then, and told Lady Slipper that mercy was important, that it was humane, that it was a lesson she'd been learning from the Posiverse humans and found value in. But she couldn't argue. Lady Slipper was making more sense than she wanted to admit. She realized how ridiculous her obsession had been, now. She was a creature of the Negaverse. She was evil. How could she have presumed to understand anything in the Posiverse? She'd been dreaming of becoming something that she was not. Lady Slipper stroked Shinzui's fingers as she continued. "Do you think I didn't know what you were planning? I was fully aware that you wanted to replace me with that humanto make her your queen instead of me. And I was jealous that anyone else should capture your attention so. Can you blame me, then, for abandoning you to your desires instead of trying to hold on to something I'd already lost?" She sighed. "And so we left you there, to face the consequences of your foolishness. That little Moon Princess showed up and gave you exactly what you were looking for. The ability to love just like the humans. So let me ask youwas it worth it?" Shinzui blinked her vacant eyes, and a tear spilled over. Lady Slipper reached out and wiped it away with her thumb. "You told me once that love would make you happy. That only love could bring real happiness. And you keep saying that I don't understand it, that I don't know what it is and so I can't see how wonderful and important it is. Well, Orion, here you are in the Posiverse, and you've learned the wonderful, important secret of love. So tell me, has it made you happy?" Another tear followed the first, but Lady Slipper did not stop. "Because a minute ago, when you were playing that instrument, you didn't sound very happy to me." Shinzui gave a small, muffled sob then. The pink fog had settled itself completely in her head, curling around all her arguments and making them seem small and inconsequential. Lady Slipper's voice was hypnotic, alluring. "What is it that you're looking for with these humans, Orion? What can their love offer you that mine can't? Do you want companionship? I can give you that. Support and strength? I can give you that. Devotion and loyalty? I can give you that. Pleasure?" She ran a finger down the palm of Shinzui's hand, with a touch as light as silk. "I can give you anything you want. Don't you see it yet? Your happiness is with me. It always has been. Stop wasting yourself on these ungrateful humans. Stop wasting yourself on someone who will never love you in return. Come back to me."
The blind girl's face was now streaming with tears. Her mind felt sluggish, with everything fading into a blur. Lady Slipper's voice, the tender touch of her hands, and the light, rosy scent of her hair were consuming her senses with crystal clarity, so that she could scarcely think of anything else. There was suddenly nothing she wanted more than to go back, to assume her former state and be with her wife once again. Her hands were tingling and warm as Lady Slipper continued to stroke them gently. Then, slowly, one last shard of reasoning thought pierced the fog in her brain, and Shinzui gasped, snatching her hands away. "What what have you done to me?" she breathed, rising to her feet and backing up a couple of steps unsteadily. She could feel it now, on her hands the slightly oily, greasy feel of the lotion that Lady Slipper had been unobtrusively massaging into her skin during their entire conversation. "What did you put on my hands?" she asked, though it was getting harder for her to concentrate.
"Shhdon't fight it, Orion. It's just a little something I call 'Love Potion Lotion.' Silly name, I know. But accurate."
"Aphrodisiac," Shinzui realized, as the mind-numbing fog continued to battle for control of her senses and she recognized the loss of control and the sudden, irresistable attraction that was pulling her to her former wife.
Lady Slipper nodded with a somewhat satisfied smile. "With a little extra painkiller and mood elevator thrown in," she responded. Her voice was getting harder and harder to resist. "It's a beneficial thing, this human lovevery easy to manipulate if you know how."
"You you witch," Shinzui gasped, putting her hands to her head.
She was having a hard time maintaining her balance, and she backed up a couple more steps, trying to get away. But the aphrodisiac lotion was taking over and her non-sight senses, usually heightened, were dull. The blind girl tripped over the leg of a music stand and fell backwards on the stage, scratching her forehead on the sharp metal edge of the stand. As the pain slowly asserted itself on her conciousness, she could feel that old darkness inside welling up, cackling with glee. Lady Slipper giggled and rose to her feet, watching the struggling girl. "It's no use, Orion. You're mine. You've always been mine. I'm not going to share you with anyone else any longer. I'm taking you back where you belong." The Negaverse woman's words were irresistably seductive, and Shinzui knew then that she was fighting a losing battle. Desparately she tried recalling the things that were important to herthe faces of the Princess, of her friends. The Guardians. Centauri. The safety of the Posiverse. But the harder she tried, the harder it was for her to remember why any of those things were ever so important. The only thing she could hear, the only thing she could feel, the only thing that she wanted, was Lady Slipper. And she couldn't see anything except the roiling blackness, the awakening demon inside herself.
"No!" she screamed out. "No, go awaystay away from me" But her voice was changing now, as the shadows emerged. It was getting deeper, more cruel. The voice of a monster. She was becoming her past again. "Get out of my head!" she hissed at it, but the darkness only laughed at her. I am you, he declared with wicked amusment. I have always been you Lady Slipper observed this display with a smug smile. Soon, the Prince of Darkness would return to her. He would be hers again. And wouldn't the Avatar be pleased? To have both the restoration of his son and an end to the Eternal Sacrifice all in one swoop. She should have thought of this lifetimes ago. She could see the words forming on Shinzui's lips, and knew what she wanted to do.
"Say it, Orion. Just say it, and everything will be all right again."
The last vestiges of Shinzui's purified soul were still fighting like mad. But the darkness was stronger, and Lady Slipper's mesmerizing voice was impossible to defy. "Orion" she panted, the strain contorting her face. "O Orion"
But she was interrupted at last by a very welcome and very familiar voice. "Orion Constellation Power, Make Up!" Centauri bounded into the darkened room, shouting at the top of his lungs. At his cry, the pure, peach colored energy streamed from his eyes, striking Shinzui's Opal bracelet. The girl was lifted up from the stage and set upright as the strong, righteous power swirled around her, covering her with protection and giving her strength to fight back against the creature inside.
"No!" Lady Slipper cried in disappointment and rage, watching helplessly as Sailor Orion took her new form in front of her. She'd been so close if Orion had only called out that phrase herself, she would have had the old Sailor Orion back. But she still had a chance. The lotion she'd put on Orion's hands might still be working, and if she could get her to drop her guard Sailor Orion dropped to the stage in her lunging position, and her eyes opened. Even in the darkness of the old music studio Lady Slipper could see the terrible flashing of those piercing silver eyes. Slowly and deliberately, Orion drew herself up. She was breathing hard, and Lady Slipper smiled to herself, knowing that her aphrodisiac was still working. As the pretty woman advanced on her, Orion found herself wondering if transforming had been a mistake. As Shinzui, the Love Potion Lotion had only been able to affect her senses of hearing and touch and smell; but now it was affecting her sight as well. Lady Slipper seemed to glow with an exquisite rosy light as she moved towards her, and Orion had never believed anyone to be so beautiful in all her lifetimes. She had the sudden urge to rush forward and take the Negaverse woman in her arms, and never let go. But she fought it, forcing herself to blink several times in an attempt to clear the pink fogginess from her vision. Lady Slipper smiled sweetly, and Orion thought her heart might stop. The rosy haired woman reached out and laid a hand on Orion's arm with a touch that felt like fire. "You can't fight your own heart, Orion," she declared musically, bringing her face within a few inches of Sailor Orion's. "You want me too. I know you dowhy bother struggling?" Orion's eyes were fastened on the full, sensuous lips as they moved with seductive power, and she swallowed hard. Lady Slipper nodded in understanding and put one hand behind the taller girl's head. "I love you, Orion," she whispered, and tilted her chin up for a kiss.
But it was those last words that gave Orion the jolt she needed to resist, and the Sacrificial Soldier pulled away from Lady Slipper, who stared at her in surprise. "But I love someone else." Closing her eyes, Orion summoned her Music Sphere. The glowing peach orb materialized in front of her, hovering above her hands as it began to play an achingly soft, mournful melody. Lady Slipper recognized it as the music that Shinzui had been playing on the saxophone only a few minutes before, and she was spellbound by the pain in the music that even she could feel. Sailor Orion gazed into the Music Sphere for a moment, gathering her strength, and when she looked up the anguish in those silver eyes nearly took Lady Slipper's breath away. Orion took a breath, and began to sing.
"I will not deny there is darkness inside
I cannot fight the truth of what I'd like to hide
Love used to be such a mystery
Something that I could not see
But wanted in a way I can't describe
You were supposed to be
The one who shared that love with me
Still I can't demand
Feelings you don't understand
Love is a gift, not a mystery
I needed a Princess to show this to me
I have learned that power can easily be lost
Love will last forever and for me it's worth the cost
I believed I could capture love and make it mine
I destroyed a heart because I could not see the line
I murdered everything I touched
Unaware what I wanted so much
Was on the other side of time
I found what I was looking for
In someone whose heart was pure
Now you say you want me back
Now can you offer me what you used to lack
Love is a gift, not a mystery
You don't even know what the word means
I have learned that power can easily be lost
Love will last forever and for me it's worth the cost
I give up all my power, all my ambition too
I give them up so take them, they now belong to you
The boundary of dark and light I have already crossed
And no matter what I must give up, I find it worth the cost
I find it worth the cost
Love is worth the cost."
As the music soared through the room, Orion could feel the honesty and purity of it cleansing away the effects of the aphrodisiac. All the tension and heartbreak that had been colliding inside of her transferred itself into the music, filling her with a resigned, gentle sort of peace. And Lady Slipper, who could now feel the sorrow and longing that Orion had been holding inside, was overwhelmed by the soft wave of emotion that the music was enveloping her in. As the last notes faded away, sea-green eyes met silver ones; and simultaneously a tear trickled down the cheeks of both women. Lady Slipper drew a ragged breath and stepped back unsteadily as the music released her from its spell, and she shook her head defiantly. "I WILL get you back, Orion," she declared breathlessly. "You're too special to be wasted here." Then, composing herself, she turned away. "But I have a schedule to keep. We'll have to continue this conversation later." And the Negaverse woman disappeared.
Sailor Orion watched her go, a new strength straightening her shoulders. She turned to Centauri. "Thank you, old friend," she said quietly, her musical tones ringing through the now silent studio. "You saved my soul." The golden retriever came up to her and nuzzled her hand.
"Are you going to be all right, Sailor Orion?" he asked with concern.
A small smile curved her lips. "Yes. Everything's going to be fine." She ruffled the silky golden fur of his ears. "Eternal Curse or no Eternal Curse. I'll survive, Centauri. It's what I'm good at."
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Minako exclaimed happily as she plopped her duffel bag down on the sidewalk and surveyed the sign in the window once again. "I'm so glad you could all come."
Usagi nodded, setting her backpack down next to Minako's, and Chibiusa put her little rabbit knapsack beside it. "I'm glad Mom gave us permission," the petite blond enthused.
Chibiusa scowled at her. "She almost didn't. Ikuko-mommy only let you come because you promised to study with Ami-chan, remember? After that awful grade you got on your last algebra testmmmph." The little girl was cut off as Usagi clapped her hand over her future daughter's mouth.
"Leave me alone. Algebra is just too hard for a pretty girl like me. I'm going to be a queen someday, remember? What do I need algebra for?"
"So that your people will have respect for you, for one thing," Ami chimed in, looking up from her chemistry book and pushing her glasses back up on her nose. "No one will want to follow an uneducated monarch." She pulled her blue backpack from her shoulders and laid it on the sidewalk next to the others. "So come over here and let's get started. I'm going to give you twenty problems and I want them all worked out before we go to sleep."
Usagi moaned piteously as Rei shoved her towards the sidewalk where Ami was taking a seat. Rei grinned wickedly and turned to their blue-haired friend. "Don't worry, Ami-chan. I'll make sure she gets them all done," she assured her. Usagi glared up at the raven-haired priestess and stuck out her tongue before reluctantly settling down beside Ami.
"We all will," Makoto affirmed teasingly, dropping her own gym bag on the pile. She looked up at the sky. "The weatherman said it's not supposed to snow tonight," she said, "but it's still gonna get pretty cold. I think I'm going to go for a little run and warm up. Anyone want to come with me?"
Minako gazed at their brunette friend. Even though it was about forty degrees outside, Makoto was only wearing a t-shirt and workout leggings. Everyone else was bundled up in coats and jeans. "I don't know how you do that, Mako-chan," she commented dryly. "It's February and it's freezing, and you're not even cold."
Makoto shrugged. "Guess I'm just hot-blooded," she responded.
"That reminds me," Ami spoke up. "Do any of you realize how close the vernal equinox is?"
Usagi frowned. "Why would we care?"
Chibiusa smacked the top of her future mother's head. "Baka-Usagi. Shinzui-san told us she has to die on the vernal equinox. Remember?" Usagi scowled at her and rubbed her smarting scalp.
"That's right," Rei recalled, sitting on the pavement across from Ami. "When is it, Ami-chan?"
Ami's brow crinkled. "March 20th," she responded, and Makoto gasped, sitting down hard on the cement and forgetting all about her run.
"That's only about a month away," she pointed out unnecessarily, and Ami nodded.
"What are we going to do?" Minako asked, joining them.
Ami shook her head. "Shinzui said the Guardians have been looking for an alternative to the sacrifice. Something that could seal the gate without having to take a life. I'm going to find that alternative." She pulled her mini-computer out of her backpack. "I've been running formulas and simulations through the database for the last few days, and still haven't come up with anything. I've been using the readings I scanned from the Doomsday Gate the last time we were there, trying to calculate how much energy it would take to seal it."
Usagi peered over the blue-haired girl's shoulder, but the numbers and symbols flying up the screen just made her dizzy. "We can do it," she declared firmly, scrunching up her nose as she tried to make sense of the fleeting algorithms. "We defeated Queen Beryl. We defeated the Black Moon family and Wiseman. We defeated Pharoah 90. We've saved the world from evil flowers and dream holes. Surely we can seal a Gate, if we all work together."
"It might not be that simple," Ami sighed. "All the enemies from the Negaverse that we've faced in the past have been escapees from the Doomsday Gate. Metallia and Beryl both broke through, according to my calculations, during Sailor Orion's previous sacrifice a thousand years ago, and that's when they attacked the Silver Millenium. Pharoah 90 came a long time before thatmy computer can't even calculate how long ago it was that he escaped. And the Black Moon family, from what I can tell, drew its power from the Doomsday Gate of the future. Fiore's Kisenian Flower and the Black Dream Hole were both products of the negative energy that leaked from the Gate. The Gate isn't just another enemy, guysit's the source of all our enemies. Orion wasn't lying when she said that the Posiverse would be annihilated if the Gate were opened. The Negaforce energy on the other side is far more powerful than the Posiforce on our side."
Minako looked a little scared. "But we can't just let her die, Ami-chan. We have to help her."
Chibiusa nodded determinedly. "I believe in you, Ami-chan. You can do it."
Ami looked up at the little girl gratefully. "Arigatou, Chibiusa-chan."
"Hello, girls. Lovely evening, isn't it?" The six girls on the sidewalk leapt to their feet as soon as they recognized the speaker.
"You!" Makoto growled, glaring at Lady Slipper.
The Negaverse woman smiled unpleasantly. "I'm not interested in you this evening, Jupiter." She turned to the other girls. "Now, which one of you ladies is Sailor Venus?"
Rei seized Minako's hand and squeezed it warningly before responding. "None of your business."
Lady Slipper clucked her tongue condescendingly. "Now, now, that's not very polite."
Ami glared at her. "We don't have to be polite to someone who is attacking our friends."
The sea-green eyes narrowed. "Well, let me put it another way. Whichever one of you is Venus had better come with me this instantOr I might just start randomly hurting things. Or people." She jerked her head towards the sidewalk, where the girls could see more people with campout gear beginning to form a line to the Beauty Academy, all wanting to take part in the free makeovers promised the next day. Minako's eyes widened as she realized that there were a lot of small children in the group, and shuddered as she remembered what Lady Slipper had almost done to baby Hotaru. Resolve entered her eyes, and ignoring her friends' protests, she stepped forward.
"It's me," she said calmly. "I'm Sailor Venus, champion of love and beauty. And in the name of Venus, I'm not going to let you hurt anyone."
Ami stepped forward. "No, I'm Sailor Venus," she declared, lying so smoothly that the others looked at her in shock. Rei, however, quickly caught on and stepped forward herself.
"No. I am."
Chibiusa elbowed her way between them. "That's not true. You know perfectly well that I'm Venus." And then even Usagi marched up.
"You're all lying. It's me."
Makoto looked at all of her friends proudly, wishing that she could help. But Lady Slipper already knew it wasn't her, so she just turned to look at the Negaverse woman, wondering what she'd do now. Lady Slipper's eyes never flinched from Minako's face. Those strong blue eyesshe recognized them now. Venus had always been the Senshi leader of the Moon Princess' entourage, and there was no mistaking the authority and passion there. Surely this one would carry the Silver Dagger in her veins. Ignoring the others, she extended a hand to Minako. "Let's go, Sailor Venus."
"No! Minako-chan!" Usagi exclaimed, but as her blond friend moved to stand beside Lady Slipper, the rose-haired woman pulled out her little knife and held it up in warning.
"You. Be silent." She tapped the blade of the knife with her finger, and a drop of black liquid formed at the tip. The liquid fell to the sidewalk, and as the jaki began to form, Lady Slipper cocked an eyebrow. "Just a little something to keep you all busy until we're through," she smirked, and then pointed the knife at Minako. "Move."
The others watched helplessly as Minako was led away by the evil woman. Their way was blocked by the steadily developing jaki in their path. Rei sighed. "Come on, everyone. We'd better transform."
Lady Slipper forced Minako to cross the street, leading her to a public restroom about a block away. With the knifepoint at her back, Minako had no choice but to enter the vacant bathroom. Lady Slipper followed behind, then turned and locked the door so Minako would not escape and no one would interrupt them. "Now," Lady Slipper said, a cold smile crossing her features. "Let's just retrieve that Dagger, shall we? Give me your arm." Minako swallowed hard, but bravely held out her arm. She gave a little cry as the cold blade parted the skin of her forearm with stinging pain. She stared down at the narrow line of blood. Lady Slipper reached down and picked up her little fire opal, which she'd mounted to a chain at her waist for easy access, and waved the stone over Minako's arm eagerly. Minako felt a little surge of triumph at the disappointment on Lady Slipper's face as her blood gave no reaction to the opal at all. Of course, she'd known there wouldn't beShinzui had already tested her earlier. But it was amusing to see how the evil woman's face fell.
"Guess it's not me, huh?" she grinned, pulling her arm back.
Lady Slipper frowned. "Maybe not. But you're still a Sailor Senshi. And your death will make my mission much easier." She lifted the knife with a wild glee in her eyes. Minako dodged as the knife came down, missing her by scarcely a centimeter.
"You're not playing fair, Lady Slipper," she mocked. "Let me even the playing field first. Venus Star Power, Makeup!" The whirling golden hearts streamed around her body as she transformed. "Venus Power Kick!" she cried, executing a spinning, flying kick that any martial arts master would have appreciated. Her foot connected with the door of the bathroom, splintering the wood and breaking the lock. Lady Slipper followed Venus out into the street.
"Foolish girl," she sneered. "You think we're even now?" She extended one hand, and a cloud of venomous green gas billowed out to surround Sailor Venus. As the golden-haired Senshi began to choke, Lady Slipper smiled cruelly. "I have more power in my pinky finger than you've ever had since the dawn of time. You really think you can defeat me?"
"I can try," Venus gasped out, despite the burning, noxious gas. She lifted one arm. "Crescent Beam!" The gold energy streamed from her fingertip towards the Negaverse woman, who didn't bother to move out of the way. The two crescent moons got within a foot of Lady Slipper's face, and dissipated harmlessly in a shower of sparks. Lady Slipper snorted derisively.
"Pitiful. Really." She rolled her eyes and held up her hand again, this time causing a blast of evil energy to slam into Venus' body, knocking the Senshi thirty feet across the pavement. Lady Slipper cocked a rosy eyebrow. "I can destroy you with one hand tied behind my back."
"I won't let that happen." Lady Slipper turned to see Sailor Mercury standing defiantly in her way. Over Mercury's shoulder she could also see that Sailor Orion had showed up. Orion and Sailor Moon were busy combining their powers to get rid of her jaki, and she knew she was running out of time. Her gaze returned to Mercury as the small blue soldier powered her attack. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Lady Slipper didn't dodge this attack either, confident that her powers were greatly superior to this little upstart. So it was with great surprise that the rose-haired woman found herself doused with icy water and positive energy all at once in a liquid silver rush. How did she do that? Lady Slipper marveled in shock, shaking the water from her bangs. She shouldn't have been able to touch me. This little one is more powerful than I'd thought. I wonder But she kept the smile on her face.
"Impressive, Miss Mercury. But I could take all of you Sailor Planets without breaking a sweat."
"Yes, but can you stand against a Sailor Constellation?" Sailor Orion came striding up behind Mercury, her massive height causing the smaller soldier to look almost like a child. She gave a brief, encouraging squeeze to Mercury's shoulders, then strode over to where Venus was lying on the pavement and helped her to stand up. Turning to face Lady Slipper, Orion lifted an eyebrow. "You want to try picking on someone from your own side of the universe?" Lady Slipper grinned at the familiar old challenge, and in response sent her most powerful blast of energy towards her former partner. The blast crashed into Orion, causing her to fly backwards through the plate glass window of the shop on the other side of the street. Sailor Moon screamed, but a moment later Orion came striding back through the window seemingly unscathed other than a bloody lip. She too was grinning sadistically. "My turn," she growled, the Orion Music Sphere floating up over her shoulder. "Get down!" she yelled to the other Senshi, who instantly dove for cover. "Orion Mini-Sphere Detonation!" The tiny sphere budded off from the Music Sphere, and in one smooth motion Sailor Orion seized it in her hand and hurled it at Lady Slipper. In a flash of light an an explosion that rocked the ground, the mini-sphere detonated; and Lady Slipper was gone.
"Did you kill her?" Sailor Moon asked, scratching her head as she gazed out at the spot where Lady Slipper had been standing.
"No." Orion stared into the empty street with a strange expression. "She'll be coming back. You can count on it." She lifted her bracelet, pressing the peach Opal.
"But, Sailor Orion" It was too late. Orion had vanished into thin air. Sailor Moon sighed and turned to her friends. "I don't get it. What's going on?"
Mars blinked. Just then, she'd sensed somethingsome sort of dark cloud that she didn't understand, hanging over their tall friend. She shook her head slowly. "You know something, Sailor Moon? I don't think we really want to know."