Aoi
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Author's Notes
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I dedicate this story to Amara for her wonderful comments
which encouraged me to keep writing this thing and to stop
being so lazy and just finally post it. ^_^

For those who might have come across this story before, it's
been completely revised. Not the prologue so much as the
rest of it. (chapters one and up). Hopefully for the better =P

Disclaimer -- Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me, but to the
wonderful and talented Naoko Takeuchi.
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The noise was starting to give me a headache.
The laughs, the cheers, the dancing, and wild singing caused a
relentless pounding. My dearest friend and companion, Sailor
Cleoa, had promised and assured me that we would stay clear
from the overwhelming crowds in the street and partiers that
swarmed the main palace halls and ball room. But as we watched
from the highest balcony where no one would pay us any heed,
I noticed the all too familiar sparkle in her eyes and knew that
she had completely fallen pray to the ongoing excitement. And I
knew I was already doomed to follow her out of the shadows.

It's not that I don't have a backbone; believe me, I do. Hell,
you'd have to have one if you had been playing both sides of
the line like I had for the past twenty years of this stupid war.
It's just that... well... it was always hard for me to turn down her
cheery temperament and that irritating, yet oh so charming plea
on her face that almost made you want to choke because you
knew that simple little word, "no", would never make it out of
your mouth. It was a quality I was surprised to see she still had
after all the blood we had shed.

But it really didn't matter. In the end she would have dragged
my butt down there anyways. She was never one who could
stay a few steps behind from the everyday world of society.
There always needed to be a time or place where she could
hide away from duty, to join in and just... be. Pretending to be
someone untouched by destiny and duty I suppose.

I grimaced as a dark haired man overcome by drunken laughter
spilt a jug full of some blue, bubbly and utterly foul smelling liquid
all over me. He gasped and then fell back into hysterical giggling.
"Sorry sweetie. Didn't see you there".

I could only wave off his clumsiness and apologetic reply. He
didn't know what he was doing and he would no doubt wake
up without an ounce of memory and not to mention with one
hell of a headache as well. "Hey, ain't you of those ancient
warrior type people?" another man overlooking the accident
spoke up. "I love you", another cried out, holding up his drink
in a clumsy salute, "To the one who showed the Faronians the
meaning of a good ass kicking". He then promptly keeled over
in his chair, eyes glazed over and trying to figure out why it
was he was now an inch away from kissing the floor.

"Have a little respect you numbskull. This is a peace promoting
party, remember?", a young boyish girl shook her head a
pulled the dazed man to his feet. I smiled at her gratefully and
turned away from their crowd. Although the noise was
beginning to get to me, it was no comparison to the bloody
shrill screams that had plagued our two kingdoms for so long.
No, even the overwhelming noises of the party were better
than that. Now if only the rivals could keep it this way.

Her majesty had taken the first step by allowing the people
from all the lands to celebrate in her kingdom, and by the looks
of it she was going easy. She was going to have one hell of a
cleanup job the next day, if the party ended by then. I searched
the room of people for a long time, before coming across
Cleoa's energetic form cheering on a friendly competition of
arm wrestling between a Faronian and a Pearon. Instinctively
she turned around at my presence and grinned. "Hey Cleois.
I'm challenging the winner", she gestured to the red-faced man
and woman. "Stay and bask in my glory".

She laughed in a sudden
frenzy that easily blended in with our surroundings and hugged me.
"You hate being down here, don't you?" she said. Somehow I
managed to smile down at her, and shake my head. "No..." I said
slowly, "My head is just really starting to bother me. Maybe I'll
just go outside, and find some place to clear it." She nodded and
pulled away, giving me a sane, honest smile. "Thanks for letting
me drag you into this huge mess of normal people". I shrugged
and looked around for the entrance where I could make my
escape, before pushing my way through the crowds.

* * *

Clear air and silence does the mind wonders. As soon as the
noises of the celebration faded away, the harsh pounding
ceased and finally I was left alone with only my conscience and
my surroundings. And I guess the stinging pain that sharp pupoe
plant had left me. I collapsed slowly to the spongy ground
and sprawled among the thick carpet of wild weeds. Peace
was among this planet tonight, the one thing the people of this
planet had been fighting for, for as long as I could remember.
Yet, I couldn't help but entertain the words that ran through
my head over and over again. How long would it last? Watching
the stars that never faded in the sky, I drifted off, dreamily
wondering what all they had seen over time…

"Everlasting light brings never ending darkness"

A truth so easily ignored; yet that cannot be denied. For
without darkness, the light does not exist, and without the light..."
An empty ache filled my chest, for what purpose did a senshi
have if we could not banish the darkness, or prevent it? All
we fought for, would it not be meaningless? The hollow
whispering voice was taunting me, feeding hungrily upon my
fears. "Leave me be", I told it bravely.

And it did.

It left me alone, standing in a world of destruction. It was my
world, the world I had fought near death for. Against the fire,
the slaughter, the accusations, the terrorists, the cold racist
hearts. There was none of that here now, but rubble of once
standing cities drowning beneath a polluted sky. I wondered
for a moment if this was my home, for the pattern of the stars
had changed drastically. Many of them didn't seem to exist
anymore, and few gave light. I stepped carefully through the
crumbled pieces of buildings and held my nose at the smell
of blood and flesh, which sickly hang heavy in the air.
Everything was overcome by silence. Except for one small
noise which overcame it in a single burst of emotion, the
sound of sobbing.

Without much hesitation I was running towards it, feeling her
pain immensely strong and familiar. I choked as I practically
tripped over her weeping form, kneeling in the spoiled dirt.
Her fiery red hair fell in filthy tangles around her body and her
senshi uniform hung in mangled rags. "Cleoa", I whispered in
agony. I fell to the ground beside her, as my hands reached out
for her shoulders, clinging to them.

After what felt like eternity, she slowly lifted her head from her
bruised hands and looked into my eyes, which terrified me
more than anything had ever done before. I had seen much
sorrow in my life, but not nearly as deep or as dark as those
two pools of blue did then. Reaching out slowly, she grabbed
my arms, her own hands shaking wildly, yet still strong enough
to bruise my own. She drew closer and struggled to keep her
tears under control, taking ragged breaths. "Run", she spoke,
"don't let them get you...".

I couldn't speak. There was nothing I could say; my voice had
forgotten me. I just sat there staring at her eyes while my arms
went numb in her cold grip. All of a sudden her whole body
tensed, and for one fleeting moment, was bathed in rays of
brilliant light. She let out a surprised yelp before falling forward,
limp at my knees.

I wasn't even allowed to scream, although my whole being
demanded it. I watched, horrified, as a small flower-like crystal
appeared from her chest, replacing her body, which dissolved
gradually as dust. Her ashes scattered aimlessly among the
rubble, blending in with the rest of the destruction.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, hugging myself with the cold
at my back, while bathing in the only light that gave me little
comfort. The feel of her presence kept me huddled in that spot,
unmoving. It was then, that awareness and instinct that only
comes while dreaming flooded my senses.

Breathing heavily I looked up. Fear was no longer an enemy.
A creature of the shadows, or possibly the dead, walked
slowly towards me with icy blue eyes staring coldly and hungrily.
Courage was on my side. I sat still, staring it down as it crept
closer. It stopped before it reached me, and in one swift motion,
reached out and snatched the crystal, my only warmth, friend,
and light. It smiled as I whimpered in surprise and circled me
like prey. I watched it carefully as it walked around me in a full
circle before stopping in front of my shaking knees. The world
around me suddenly went black, as it's menacing hand reached
out for me...


Music weaved its way through the darkness, light but sad, the
sound of awakening. It joined me easily in the sorrow I was
feeling, understanding my emotions and calling out to them. Its
rhythm pulsated through me, and finally convinced me to open
up my eyes and return to the real world. The familiar sea of
stars greeted me warmly. All of them dancing and shining boldly,
not one out of place. My breathing slowly calmed and relaxed.
Just a dream, my conscience assured me. Nothing more than a
dream. My thoughts played absentmindedly with images I was
already trying hard to forget. Finally they stilled and concentrated
solely on the music instead.

Every note spoke to me with gentle sympathy, calling me by
name. For one brief moment the stars stilled, and so did I.
Slowly I stood up and felt the rhythm fill my body. It was softly
pulling me, and I allowed it. My mind was clouded, with its tune
dancing through my brain, and blindly, I explored my surroundings.
Searching, until I stepped into a clearing with a figure holding
an instrument.

She sat surrounded by the grasses and bushes on the clearing
edge, holding it rigidly. Stupidly I watched her nimble fingers
dance in a complicated pattern upon the air holes. I was
unfocused, and demanded myself to make sense of my surroundings.
The player abruptly stopped, and opened her eyes.

Instantly I became aware of how far I had wandered away
from the city and the person watching me with her familiar
bluish green eyes. "Layra", I whispered. Relief drowned out
the panicked awareness and my heart slowed down its normal
speed. It was only Layra, a victim She and Cleoa had saved
two years ago from death when her family had been taken
hostage. "I didn't know you could play".

She briefly glanced down at the instrument.
"Neither did I".

I looked around at the wild brambles, and the tall wild weeds
that surrounded us. "What are you doing so close to the
outskirts?" I asked her.

She was slow to make her reply.
"I wanted to be away from the celebrations" she spoke softly.
"It's just too painful and sad. They're all so blind. They don't
see that what they celebrate won't last". She paused. "Is that
why you've wandered away as well, Fara?"
A strange pang of fear shot through me sending my senses into
a heightened awareness.

"Destiny is cruel, isn't it?" she continued. "It will give you
everything you ever dreamed of, and at the same time destroy
everything you ever hoped to accomplish. It bounds you to
chains for eternity, until you realize one day that you are no
more than a toy". Layra tore her eyes away from mine to stare
up into the universe. "It called me. After so many years it's still
alive. Whether it's bounds to the fates or not, it's still alive".
She paused once more. "I'd apologize but then again, like you,
I am bound.

"Layra?" I whispered uncertain. But before I could say anything
more, she sharply turned her gaze back towards me.

"It begins"

Nothing could prepare me for the pain as the silver instrument,
in only a mere instant, found it's way deep into my chest. I gasped
and choked, my vision focusing once more on that desolate
world where the stars had lost their shine and the memories
of existence lost as dust on the wind.

"Cleoa..." I quietly cried, before my body surrendered to
nothingness…

* * * *

Thud... Thud... Thud...

Vibrant green eyes opened in shock at the sudden pulse of
energy racing through her head.

Thud... Thud... Thud...

"Seiya... Can you feel that?"

The black haired senshi jumped up onto the crumbled
remains of a building left behind in older times and stared
out over the horizon. "No", she spoke sharply, "I can see it".
The silver haired woman ignored the silent messages racing
through her mind, and looked up to see a light pulsing through
brush lands that outlined the city of Cercis.

"And it's spreading",
Maker came up from behind them. Sure enough, with every
pulse Healer could feel, the light grew outwards, slowly but
noticeably. Without another moment of hesitation, Sailor Star
Fighter jumped away from her spot and started to run towards
it, causing Healer and Maker to follow closely behind her.

As they got closer the pulses turned into many voices, chattering
at once in a language Healer could not understand. They're
not from this planet, she thought in wonder, stopping with other
two in front of their destination. Uprooted grass and plants
blew past her feet and she had to quickly dodge a branch that
fell quietly from above. "It's an outsider" she spoke with
certainty. Maker shook her head. "That's impossible. We would
have surely been able to sense it, never mind see it invade our
atmosphere"

"But it can't be from this planet Maker", Healer insisted, taking
a step back as the light reached out for her feet. "Its energy is
foreign... and yet...", she squinted, as memories and visions flashed
before her. "I think it's been here before..."

Fighter's eyes grew wide, "It's not...it can't be the..." she shook
her head and clutched her hands to her face briefly, to force the
images that Healer saw away. Maker stepped closer, reaching
out to touch the surface. A shiver ran through her at contact,
and she qucikly retracted her hand. "There's only one way were
going to find out". She looked back towards them, and they nodded.

Healer watched her comrades disappear as they stepped into
the light. The voices were now chanting. "Hold on", she
whispered.

She gasped at the sudden coldness on her skin, everything was
white, and she slowly reached out, hoping to come in contact
with Maker or Fighter. But her fingers grasped nothing. The
center, I have to find the center, she thought, and continued
to walk blindly forward, towards the sounds that grew louder
with every step she took.

"Soldier..." they started to laugh, "come find us..." Healer
grunted in surprise as she came into contact with something,
realizing with a start that it was a tree. She grasped its smooth
trunk and looked out. Not into an endless world of white,
but instead a galaxy. Their galaxy. Healer blinked, and slowly
let her hands slide away. Watching wisps of energy play and
float among beds of stars. "Can you find me soldier?" A light
drifted more softly among they sky as it's form changed into
one similar to hers. It floated towards her grasping her fingers,
causing Healer to pull them protectively away.

"What is your business here on this planet?"

The chanting and the laughing all stopped at once, causing a
dizzy silence to fill her head. A woman's clear voice rang out
from the sky. "No different than yours soldier." she smiled.
"Were as old as the first prick of energy that lit this galaxy..."

Then all of a sudden the galaxy appeared to expand. The
faceless form of energy tilted its head to one side and raised
it's arm to it's side, as if in beckoning. The galaxy stopped
expanding and began to retract and then stop. It exploded a
great burst of energy, sending waves of light to wash over
her that burned like fire on her skin. She screamed, and felt
her body hit the ground of the forest floor.

Just as she thought she would lose conscience, the lights faded
away just as suddenly as they had come.

"Healer!"

Cold hands gripped her shoulders and she slightly trembled
as she looked up into Maker's eyes. "What happened?" Maker's
eyes looked away and opened her mouth as if to say something,
but quickly closed it at loss for words. Healer sat upright
quickly, reality slowly creeping back to her senses. She looked
around. "What the hell was that…Where the hell is Seiya?!"

"I don't know, she..." Maker trailed off as the sun's rays that
had managed to seep through the trees reflected off a pointed
edge buried among the piles of leaves and moss. "Healer", she
pointed. Healer stood up and walked towards it, gently lifting
the object off the ground.

In her hand was Fighter's transformation pendant.

She swiveled around anxiously looking for any sign of black
leather slumped on the ground. "Fighter!" holding her hands
around her mouth she yelled. Nothing.

"Healer, she's probably still unconscious somewhere… What
do you think it was that was here?" Maker jumped up into
one of the trees, but still couldn't see any sign of their companion.

Healer fidgeted in frustration. "I don't know. I really don't.
Only the princess might know". She took a deep breath
and yelled as loud as her lungs would allow.
"Fighter you jackass!!"

Still no reply.

As they searched through the forest grove for the third time
that hour they realized Fighter wasn't going to be responding
to their calls anytime soon.

* * * *

End of Prologue