Chapter 6
Dark Legend Revealed
An invisible force shook the earth ever so slightly. The church, left
unguarded by Helios, slowly began to be filled with a black mist. With
in the mist a form appeared. A tall boy in black clothing. He walked to
the room that held Chibi-usa's crystal bell. The boy's blue eye quickly
glanced around the room until he saw what he was looking for. He strode
over to a shelf in the room. On the shelf was a small box, it's lid
locked and sealed. A smirk appeared on his scarred face. He picked up
the box and studied it. With a simple wave of his hand, the sealed
locked broke. He opened the lid to it. A look of shock and surprise
overcame his face at the sight of what was in it. Nothing. The boy
cursed as he threw the box into the hall, breaking it.
"That stupid priest!!" he raged. Though he had to credit the
priest for thinking ahead of time. After a moment of standing there, he
turned towards the stand that held the black crystal bell.
----------
Bump-bump.
Bump-bump.
Bump-bump.
Makoto tried to open
her eyes, but they wouldn't. She couldn't exactly remember what
happened. Just that Aries and Hermes, along with the youma that had
tried to kidnap Chibi-usa, had attacked. Makoto had driven them out of
Rei and Ami using a new attack. Hermes was able to stab her in the
shoulder with a poisonous knife. Rei and Ami were able to activate their
crystals and turn into Crystal Warriors like she had and defeat Aires
and Hermes. After that, things were a little fuzzy. she thought,
feeling her strength starting to return along with her memory, I was
attacked by the youma, Venus helped me, Adonis returned the youma once
again to human, then I collapsed from the poison. What happened after
that? Where am I now?
She forced her eyes to open. She saw a hand hovering over her
eyes. Behind the hand she saw a light. She blinked a few times.
"Is she okay?" Makoto hear Serenity's voice ask.
"I don't know," Adonis replied.
Makoto groaned as she felt pain from her shoulder.
"Stay still!" Adonis told her. She realized it was Adonis's hand
over her eyes.
The white sign reappeared on Adonis's forehead. A white light
suddenly surrounded his hand.
Serenity watched as the light from around Adonis's hand went to
Makoto. The light concentrated on the wound, which was still bleeding
profoundly. The Queen nervously wrung her hands. The blade had been
poisonous, just like with her daughter. Chibi-usa was still unconscious
from the blow. Will Makoto be the same?
The light slowly began to die down and the sign on the boy's
forehead disappeared. "She'll be fine in a while," Adonis said to the
Queen and the others. "I couldn't remove the poison that had already
entered her body from the wound, but I stopped more from coming out of
it." To Makoto, he said, "You'll feel weak for a while, but your
strength should return when you natural body defenses kill off the
remainder of the poison."
Makoto nodded as she carefully and slowly sat up. Ami and Rei
supported her. She saw that they were still in the throne room. Makoto
looked around and asked, "Where's Hermes and Aires?"
Minako shrugged, "Dunno. They disappeared. As far as we can tell
they've gone back to their headquarters or something."
"Minako-chan," Serenity said cautiously. "How were you able to
turn into a Crystal Warrior?"
The Queen's question caught her off guard. "Uh--" Minako tried to
form the right words, "You see--I mean--um--that is to say--uh--oh,
boy."
"I believe I am the one to explain, Your Highness."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
Setsuna stepped out of the shadows. "Forgive me for not explaining
clearly like I should have before," she continued. "But I did not
realize that the situation had grown this serious. Everyone," her voice
grew stronger and more powerful, a purplish-red aura surrounded her as
she continued, "I shall show you what you need to know as it happened in
the Silver Millenium."
She raised her staff. A purple and maroon crystal appeared from
Setsuna's left hand and floated up above her as she whispered softly,
"Pluto Time Crystal! Activate! MAKE!! UP!!" She transformed into Crystal
Pluto. Her wings were tinted with a cross between purple and red, her
hair was light purple as where her eyes. The crystal fused into the
Garnet on her staff and floated inside it.
"Everyone close your eyes and concentrate on my voice and my voice
alone, " Pluto told them. They nodded and did as she said. She also
closed her purple eyes and said, "Pluto Time Crystal! I command you!
Show us the start of the Dark Legend!" Purple and maroon light flashed
out from the Crystal and surrounded the nine people and they
disappeared.
----------
Chibi-usa opened her eyes. She looked around and saw that she was
floating in space. Below her was the Earth and above her was the Moon.
She was still dressed in her pajamas.
"What happened?" she thought. She searched her memory for the
answer. "That girl," she said to herself. "She attacked me. I was
stabbed in the chest--" she stopped and looked down at her chest. No
wound. Not even a scar. "But how--?"
Just then, a soft voice said, "Chibi-usa..."
The pink haired girl looked around for the source of the voice.
"Chibi-usa..." the voice continued. Then a form appeared before
her. It was a boy, about twelve or so.
When she saw him clearly, she gasped. "Adonis??"
The boy shook his head sadly, "No. That is not my name."
She noticed that he didn't have a scar across his eye like the
other boy did. But they looked alike in every other way. "Who are you?"
she asked.
The boy smiled, "I'm not surprised they didn't tell you about me.
Mom probably felt that you would have blamed yourself for what happened
to me."
"What are you talking about? And what do you mean 'mom'?"
The boy laughed. The sound of his laughter almost made Chibi-usa
want to laugh too. After he stopped laughing he replied, "Sorry." Then
he face grew serious. "Right now," he said gently, "you're really at the
palace, in a coma. The knife you were stabbed with was laced with
poison. Ami was able to stop it from spreading any further, but it had
already affected enough of your body to make it 'shut down', so to say."
Chibi-usa grew scared. "Am I," she asked, "d-dying?"
The boy shrugged, "I don't know. This 'you' you see now is a
projection. You need to see something important." He began to slowly
dissolve into a white light. As he spoke, his voice also began to fade,
"I'll be back--" he smiled sadly, "--my dear, little sister."
Even though the boy had vanished, his voice stayed in Chibi-usa's
mind. "Sister'?" she said in confusion.
----------
Adonis and the others found themselves standing on the surface of a
strange, yet peaceful place. There were large structures all around made
of white marble. The structures were buildings.
It was then that Serenity realized that this was the courtyard of
the Moon Palace. She turned to Pluto who was standing nearby. "What is
this?" the Queen asked.
Crystal Pluto turned her head towards the others as she said,
"This is the Moon Palace during the Silver Millenium. As I said, I will
show you the start of the Dark Legend."
Suddenly they all were lifted into the air. A light red
transparent ball surrounded them all.
"It began," Pluto said, her eyes gazing below them, "A few months
before you were born, Serenity. As always, the Moon was peaceful, and
there were no threats towards the Lunarians. But that changed."
As Pluto talked Adonis sensed something behind him. He turned and
saw nothing. Yet he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone else was
there.
----------
"Adonis! Mom! Dad! Pu! Guys! Can't you see me?!" Chibi-usa shouted.
She'd seen them appeared on the surface and flew to them. Adonis had
turned towards her, but made no indication he saw her. "What's the
deal?! Why can't they see me?!" Then the boy's words came back to her.
"I'm just a projection. Oh, duh! That's why!" She sighed. She scanned
the small group in front of her as Pluto talked when her red eyes fell
on someone she'd missed earlier. "Helios?!?" she gasped. "What's he
doing here?!"
Just then, something Pluto said caught her attention. "The Earth
was overtaken by a strange force. It had the power to posses and control
anyone it touched. Its name is Nemesis. No one, not even I know what
it's true from is. Whenever it appears it's in the form of a black could
or mist."
"But couldn't you find out what it is by looking into the Gates of
Time?" Edymion asked.
Pluto shook her head. "I've tried. Currently I cannot enter the
Gates. Nemesis has taken over the Gates. It now can see into the future
and see what might happen."
"That's bad, right?" Adonis asked.
"Extremely." Pluto pointed her staff down at the Moon. A black
cloud filled the courtyards and outer edges of the Palace. It quickly
made it's way towards the center of the Palace. They flew down and enter
the center room. The throne room.
"Nemesis tried to take control of the Moon Palace, thinking that
if it controlled it, it could rule the solar system. Luckily, Queen
Serenity prepared for it."
At the center of the throne room, a figure stood. Queen Serenity.
She hands were raised above her head, the Ginzuisho between them
glowing.
"Mother..." Neo Serenity said when she saw her.
Serenity was surrounded by the cloud and it was making its way
closer to her. Suddenly the Ginzuisho flared brilliantly, forcing the
cloud back. She spoke in a loud voice, "I call upon the Great Power of
the Ginzuisho and the Moon, help me seal this demon so that it cannot
harm anyone again!" The room was filled with white light. A scream came
from all directions. Through the light, they could see the cloud being
gathered up into a large ball. The light then concentrated on the ball,
covering it with a crystal substance. When it was finished, the ball was
now a huge crystal.
"That's--!!" Rei started.
Minako nodded. "That crystal was once the center of the Crystal
Palace."
The crystal was lifted up by an invisible source. A black hole
opened behind it and it slowly began to enter the hole. A chilling
laughter sounded, followed by a wicked voice saying, "You may have won
this battle, Serenity. But I'll be back. When a descendant of your line
touches this crystal case, I'll be free again to reek havoc on your
daughter's kingdom. This I swear!" It was gone.
The room wavered before turning back into the throne room in the
Crystal palace.
"The crystal," Pluto said, "some how found it's way here and the
Palace was build around it. It stayed dormant until--"
"--Terry touched it, thus fulfilling what Nemesis said, freeing
it," Serenity finished. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her
forehead. She let out a sigh. "I should've known."
"It is my fault for not telling you beforehand, my Queen," Pluto
said. "If I had, none of this might have happened."
After a moment of silence, Edymion said, "There's more isn't
there?"
Minako stepped foreword and said, "Serenity knew this would
happen, so she made a back-up plan. The Ginzuisho held powers beyond any
one's imagination. You thought of it, the Ginzuisho could do it. So
Serenity 'programmed' the crystal to where if an agent of Nemesis held
it for a certain amount of time, then it would separate. When the
crystal separated, a piece immediately flew to a Senshi, who absorbed
it. The crystal would then reshaped itself and changed colors, depending
on the Senshi, when the time was right." She paused. Minako raised her
right hand and touched her left shoulder. A soft orange glow came from
it. She held out her hand. In it was an orange and yellow heart-shaped
crystal. "This is my crystal, the Venus Love Crystal. They replace our
wands and activate our transformations, turing us into Crystal Warriors,
possibly our most powerful forms. When Mako-chan first transformed, that
was the beginning stage. When she did it for the second time, it went to
the second stage. As far as we know, they are the only two. Ami-chan and
Rei-chan skipped the first stage." Her crystal disappeared. "The Outers
and myself have had our crystals since Zeus caused the Ginzuisho to
separate.
"The Outers knew about Nemesis. When Terry first came close to the
crystal, Pluto thought it was best I know also. The reason they knew was
in case Nemesis appeared earlier, was that their main job is defending
the Moon Kingdom from threats."
----------
Chibi-usa stood staring at the group below her. She was still absorbing
this information she was hearing. But one question ran through her mind:
Suddenly she
felt herself disappearing. Slowly her vision began to fade also. She was
returning to her body. And she hoped she would wake up soon.
----------
"This is taking too long!!" Zeus exclaimed to Aphrodite. "How long does
it take him to heal them?! We don't have the time!!"
"Patience, Zeus. Patience," Aphrodite said with a smile.
"What are you yelling about now, Zeus?"
She jerked at the sound of the voice. She turned to see the one-
eyed boy walking out of the room behind her. "Nothing, Master," she said
as she bowed.
"At ease," he said as if he was a drill sergeant. "Any new
information?"
"No, sir. But we found out that Pluto has told them about Nemesis.
This could get critical, sir."
He nodded. A smile appeared on his scarred face. "But we have the
trump card." He held out his hand. In it was the black crystal bell he'd
taken from Helios. "This bell is connected with Small Lady. With this,
we cannot fail. If they get the upper hand..."
"We'll crush their precious princess to dust," Aphrodite finished
as she punched her palm.
"Correct."
"I take it they stopped the poison," Zeus said, somewhat
disappointed.
"A minor set back," the boy said. "But it was enough to make her
go into a coma."
"Master."
The three turned to the voice. Four girls stood a few feet away.
Setsuna, Haurka, Michiru, and Hotaru (their doubles of course).
"What is it, Poseidon?" the boy asked.
The light green haired girl said, "Things seemed to have gotten
complicated."
"How so?"
The purple-haired girl stepped foreword. "Remember our 'prisoner',
sir? She has escaped."
"Are you sure, Titan?" The news of this escape was not good.
Titan nodded. "I checked this morning. She's gone. Sir," her
darkly purple eyes narrowed as she said, "I detected a presence earlier,
right before I checked on her. And I don't think you'll like who it
was."
----------
A girl lay on her back. Darkness surrounded her. A small voice
penetrated into her mind. "Zukamori*..."
the girl responded with her mind.
"Zukamori...you are needed. The Dark Legend has begun to unfold.
The others need you."
"Go to the Crystal palace. All will be explained in time...."
Zukamori jerked awake. Dazed, she slowly sat up. She had blond
hair that fell past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were clouded with
confusion.
she thought as she slowly stood up. Then, that
question became the least of her problems as more questions surfaced.
she thought, knowing she didn't have that answer. She
pressed a hand against her forehead, trying to sort out what little she
remembered. The only thing she knew of was that she was needed to go to
the Crystal Palace. "But why--" she tried to say.
She stopped when she realized she didn't hear any sound coming
from her mouth. She tried again. Same thing. I can't speak?! she
yelled in her mind.
She heard the same voice as before in her mind, "Go to the Crystal
Palace....All will be explained in time...."
Zukamori looked around her, seeing that she was between two tall
buildings. It was night. She looked down at herself. She seemed to be
all right except for a few scratches and bruises on her bare arms. She
was clothed in simple attire of beeches, boots, and a sleeveless shirt.
Cautiously, she made her way to the front of the alley she was in.
No one was there. She looked up and saw a massive structure made of
crystal in the distance. The name of it came to mind: the Crystal
Palace.
she thought as she walked out of the
alley.
----------
Adonis sat on the windowsill in one of the halls of the Palace, staring
at the object Helios had given him after Pluto's explanation of the Dark
Legend. It was a large, circular blue crystal that filled his hand.
Heilos' word came back to him as the moonlight reflected off the
crystal's blue surface, "Adonis, keep this crystal with you at all
times. And never let anyone else touch it. It be of some use to you."
Adonis wondered.
----------
Zukamori had only walked about two blocks when she saw three dark
figures in the street in front of her. She swallowed nervously, then
kept going.
One of the three saw her coming up and motioned towards her to his
buddies. The other two chuckled.
Zukamori looked past them, keeping her eyes on the Palace.
"Hey, girl," the leader of the three said, stepping in front of
her. "What's yer price?" The other two laughed at the comment they knew
he really didn't mean. They had other business with her.
Not being able to speak, Zukamori moved to walk around him. He
moved to block her. She went the other way. So did he. She glared at him
with a look that said, "Get out of my way."
"Whassa matter?" he sneered. He pushed her back roughly. "Cat got
yer tongue, girlie?" The other two appeared behind her.
"Come on," one said as he took a step closer to her. "Say
somethin'."
Zukamori looked at each one around her as they closed in. I have
to get out of here, she thought.
The leader reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "You ain't goin'
nowhere 'cept with us."
His grip tightened. Zukamori winced at the pain as it erupted in
her arm. Her eyes closed. Then, without warning, they flew open,
revealing white glowing pupils. She grabbed his arm holding her with her
free arm and flung him over her, colliding with a nearby wall.
"Why you--!!" one of the others said as he pulled out a gun and
aimed to shoot her chest. He fired. She stepped out of the way in time.
He tried again. She jumped to dodge that one. While in the air she
turned and brought her legs down on the gunman's head, hard. The blow
sent him to the ground. She landed on top of his back, knocking the wind
out of him, then jumped off.
The third lunged at her upon reflex. She ducked down to avoid him
while bringing her leg up and striking him in the stomach. Using his
momentum, she pushed him backwards. He fell on top of the other one on
the ground.
"You freak!!" the leader said as he shoved himself off the ground
and stood. He whipped out a small blade and dove to stab her. She leaned
to her right to dodge it. At the same time, she grabbed his arm and
forced it to bend behind his back. Her free hand took hold of his wrist
that held the blade. When the other two stood, they saw Zukamori holding
the blade against the guy's throat. Still not being able to talk, she
glared at the other two, trying to get her point across.
"I-I think," the one she was holding hostage said, careful not to
get his throat slashed, "s-s-she wants to go."
Zakamori nodded.
"O-o-okay," the guy said, "first, let go of me." She released him,
but kept the blade, it might come in handy. The guy ran to the other
two.
She blinked. Her eyes turned back to hazel. She looked at the
three surprised guys in front of her then at the knife in her hand.
she thought. She took a step back, then turned and
ran towards the Palace.
One of the three grumbled, "She's better than we were told."
"It was just luck," another said.
"Shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"Both of you, can it!" the leader ordered. He looked at Zukamori
as she disappeared from sight. "We have to report this to Nemesis.
Pronto."
----------
"Adonis."
The boy looked up to see Queen Serenity beside him. He quickly put
the crystal he was still holding in his pocket. "Yes?" he said.
"There's something I have to ask you," the Queen said. Adonis
noticed a slight hint of nervousness in her voice along with something
he couldn't decipher clearly.
Serenity took a few small breaths, trying to calm herself. "Adonis, I'm
sure you know that soon Nemesis will attack us."
He nodded, wondering what this was leading to.
"Well, the Senshi and myself will more than likely have our hands
full in the meantime. I...just wanted to know if you stay here and help
us."
"Help in what way?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Adonis
regretted it. The look on Serenity's face turned sad and pained. "I'm
sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean--"
"It's all right," she interrupted. She sat down gracefully at the
edge of the sill. Her sky blue eyes gazed down at the city below. she told herself. "Adonis, I want you to help watch Chibi-usa.
Nemesis tried to kidnap her and have her killed. We don't know why
though. It's possible that he want Chibi-usa for some reason. And if he
can't get her, then he wants her dead." She turned to him, her eyes
silently pleaded with him, for reasons she wouldn't let him know. "The
Senshi might not be enough, but we don't know. I fear for my daughter's
safety. Please, Adonis. Please. Protect my daughter."
Adonis stared at her while she spoke. Something inside him
stirred. He saw the Queen's face, twisted with pain and agony as he hear
her screaming, "TERRY!!!!!!" Not realizing it, he said solemnly, "I
will, Queen Serenity. I swear to you, I will protect Chibi-usa even if
it costs my life. I won't let Nemesis or anyone else bring harm to her
or to you."
Serenity had to smile, for she knew he would keep his promise and
much more.
----------
"Darkness swallows light. Light swallows darkness. It has been that way
since Time began. Battle after battle. Eons after Eons. Who will be the
one to take a stand? Which one will be the first to break the eternal
circle?"
Helios looked at Chibi-usa. She was still unconscious, as the
others had said; yet she could speak. She was different than she was the
last time he saw her.
She was much stronger now. He had felt it.
Helios brushed a few strands of her pink hair away from her
forehead. His fingers gently slid down to her cheek. "Maiden..." he said
softly. Chibi-usa stirred slightly at the sound of his voice. He smiled
as he bent down and kissed her forehead. "I've missed you...." he
whispered into her ear.
----------
Zukamori looked up at the huge building in front of her, catching her
breath. she thought, She looked around for a door. She stepped foreword and
one suddenly appeared before her. Taking a deep breath, she reached out
to open it.
-----------
Rei snapped her head up. Someone had entered the Palace. Someone strong.
she thought as she quickly rushed towards the
main entrance.
----------
Ami felt it too. she thought. She pulled out her
Mercury computer and began to scan the energy she had sensed. Whatever
it was, it was powerful. Snapping the computer shut, she stood from her
desk and made her way to the entrance.
----------
"Hold it, Mako-chan!" Minako said, bringing their training to a halt.
"What?" Makoto asked. That was when she was hit with a wave of
energy also. "What was that?" she said looking around.
Hotaru suddenly appeared beside the two. "Minako," she said. "She
has arrived."
"About time," the blonde sighed.
"Huh?" Makoto said.
"We'll explain in a minute," Minako said as she began to exit the room.
Hotaru and Makoto right behind her.
----------
Zukamori looked around her as she slowly walked through the entryway to
the Palace.
Footsteps reached her ears. They came from all directions. She
tensed, expecting some guards to show up or something. Instead she saw
five girls appear.
"Who are you?" Rei demanded as they all came to a halt.
Zukamori moaned inwardly.
"What's your name?" Makoto said next.
Zakamori pointed to her throat and mouthed, "I can't talk!"
They all looked at her weirdly as she did it again.
"Uh--" Minako said, "um--is your name, by any chance, Zukamori?"
Zukamori nodded her head, a little surprised that the blonde knew
her name. She pointed back to her throat and mouthed again, more slowly
this time, "I-CAN'T-TALK!"
"I think she can't talk," Ami said.
Again, Zukamori nodded.
Minako sighed. This would take a while
----------
NEXT: The Senshi are faced with a problem: Nemesis has started its
attack on Crystal Tokyo. Now they are stuck with a mute girl somehow
connected with what's happening. Who is she? What is she doing at the
Palace? Can she turn the tide of the Battle that is looming ever closer?
----------
*The name 'Zukamori' I took from a series named 'X/1999'(the creators
are called CLAMP, in no way related to Naoko-san). For those not
familiar with X, there's a character in it who is called, 'Sakura
Zukamori', which means 'Guardian of the Cherry Blossom Burial Mound'.
Since 'Sakura' means 'Cherry Blossoms,' I guess 'Zukamori' means
'Guardian of the Burial Mound' or something like that. Hmmm. Now why
would I give someone a name like that? Can we say, 'foreshadowing' ^_-?
__________
Dark Legend Revealed
An invisible force shook the earth ever so slightly. The church, left
unguarded by Helios, slowly began to be filled with a black mist. With
in the mist a form appeared. A tall boy in black clothing. He walked to
the room that held Chibi-usa's crystal bell. The boy's blue eye quickly
glanced around the room until he saw what he was looking for. He strode
over to a shelf in the room. On the shelf was a small box, it's lid
locked and sealed. A smirk appeared on his scarred face. He picked up
the box and studied it. With a simple wave of his hand, the sealed
locked broke. He opened the lid to it. A look of shock and surprise
overcame his face at the sight of what was in it. Nothing. The boy
cursed as he threw the box into the hall, breaking it.
"That stupid priest!!" he raged. Though he had to credit the
priest for thinking ahead of time. After a moment of standing there, he
turned towards the stand that held the black crystal bell.
----------
Bump-bump.
Bump-bump.
Bump-bump.
Makoto tried to open
her eyes, but they wouldn't. She couldn't exactly remember what
happened. Just that Aries and Hermes, along with the youma that had
tried to kidnap Chibi-usa, had attacked. Makoto had driven them out of
Rei and Ami using a new attack. Hermes was able to stab her in the
shoulder with a poisonous knife. Rei and Ami were able to activate their
crystals and turn into Crystal Warriors like she had and defeat Aires
and Hermes. After that, things were a little fuzzy. she thought,
feeling her strength starting to return along with her memory, I was
attacked by the youma, Venus helped me, Adonis returned the youma once
again to human, then I collapsed from the poison. What happened after
that? Where am I now?
She forced her eyes to open. She saw a hand hovering over her
eyes. Behind the hand she saw a light. She blinked a few times.
"Is she okay?" Makoto hear Serenity's voice ask.
"I don't know," Adonis replied.
Makoto groaned as she felt pain from her shoulder.
"Stay still!" Adonis told her. She realized it was Adonis's hand
over her eyes.
The white sign reappeared on Adonis's forehead. A white light
suddenly surrounded his hand.
Serenity watched as the light from around Adonis's hand went to
Makoto. The light concentrated on the wound, which was still bleeding
profoundly. The Queen nervously wrung her hands. The blade had been
poisonous, just like with her daughter. Chibi-usa was still unconscious
from the blow. Will Makoto be the same?
The light slowly began to die down and the sign on the boy's
forehead disappeared. "She'll be fine in a while," Adonis said to the
Queen and the others. "I couldn't remove the poison that had already
entered her body from the wound, but I stopped more from coming out of
it." To Makoto, he said, "You'll feel weak for a while, but your
strength should return when you natural body defenses kill off the
remainder of the poison."
Makoto nodded as she carefully and slowly sat up. Ami and Rei
supported her. She saw that they were still in the throne room. Makoto
looked around and asked, "Where's Hermes and Aires?"
Minako shrugged, "Dunno. They disappeared. As far as we can tell
they've gone back to their headquarters or something."
"Minako-chan," Serenity said cautiously. "How were you able to
turn into a Crystal Warrior?"
The Queen's question caught her off guard. "Uh--" Minako tried to
form the right words, "You see--I mean--um--that is to say--uh--oh,
boy."
"I believe I am the one to explain, Your Highness."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
Setsuna stepped out of the shadows. "Forgive me for not explaining
clearly like I should have before," she continued. "But I did not
realize that the situation had grown this serious. Everyone," her voice
grew stronger and more powerful, a purplish-red aura surrounded her as
she continued, "I shall show you what you need to know as it happened in
the Silver Millenium."
She raised her staff. A purple and maroon crystal appeared from
Setsuna's left hand and floated up above her as she whispered softly,
"Pluto Time Crystal! Activate! MAKE!! UP!!" She transformed into Crystal
Pluto. Her wings were tinted with a cross between purple and red, her
hair was light purple as where her eyes. The crystal fused into the
Garnet on her staff and floated inside it.
"Everyone close your eyes and concentrate on my voice and my voice
alone, " Pluto told them. They nodded and did as she said. She also
closed her purple eyes and said, "Pluto Time Crystal! I command you!
Show us the start of the Dark Legend!" Purple and maroon light flashed
out from the Crystal and surrounded the nine people and they
disappeared.
----------
Chibi-usa opened her eyes. She looked around and saw that she was
floating in space. Below her was the Earth and above her was the Moon.
She was still dressed in her pajamas.
"What happened?" she thought. She searched her memory for the
answer. "That girl," she said to herself. "She attacked me. I was
stabbed in the chest--" she stopped and looked down at her chest. No
wound. Not even a scar. "But how--?"
Just then, a soft voice said, "Chibi-usa..."
The pink haired girl looked around for the source of the voice.
"Chibi-usa..." the voice continued. Then a form appeared before
her. It was a boy, about twelve or so.
When she saw him clearly, she gasped. "Adonis??"
The boy shook his head sadly, "No. That is not my name."
She noticed that he didn't have a scar across his eye like the
other boy did. But they looked alike in every other way. "Who are you?"
she asked.
The boy smiled, "I'm not surprised they didn't tell you about me.
Mom probably felt that you would have blamed yourself for what happened
to me."
"What are you talking about? And what do you mean 'mom'?"
The boy laughed. The sound of his laughter almost made Chibi-usa
want to laugh too. After he stopped laughing he replied, "Sorry." Then
he face grew serious. "Right now," he said gently, "you're really at the
palace, in a coma. The knife you were stabbed with was laced with
poison. Ami was able to stop it from spreading any further, but it had
already affected enough of your body to make it 'shut down', so to say."
Chibi-usa grew scared. "Am I," she asked, "d-dying?"
The boy shrugged, "I don't know. This 'you' you see now is a
projection. You need to see something important." He began to slowly
dissolve into a white light. As he spoke, his voice also began to fade,
"I'll be back--" he smiled sadly, "--my dear, little sister."
Even though the boy had vanished, his voice stayed in Chibi-usa's
mind. "Sister'?" she said in confusion.
----------
Adonis and the others found themselves standing on the surface of a
strange, yet peaceful place. There were large structures all around made
of white marble. The structures were buildings.
It was then that Serenity realized that this was the courtyard of
the Moon Palace. She turned to Pluto who was standing nearby. "What is
this?" the Queen asked.
Crystal Pluto turned her head towards the others as she said,
"This is the Moon Palace during the Silver Millenium. As I said, I will
show you the start of the Dark Legend."
Suddenly they all were lifted into the air. A light red
transparent ball surrounded them all.
"It began," Pluto said, her eyes gazing below them, "A few months
before you were born, Serenity. As always, the Moon was peaceful, and
there were no threats towards the Lunarians. But that changed."
As Pluto talked Adonis sensed something behind him. He turned and
saw nothing. Yet he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone else was
there.
----------
"Adonis! Mom! Dad! Pu! Guys! Can't you see me?!" Chibi-usa shouted.
She'd seen them appeared on the surface and flew to them. Adonis had
turned towards her, but made no indication he saw her. "What's the
deal?! Why can't they see me?!" Then the boy's words came back to her.
"I'm just a projection. Oh, duh! That's why!" She sighed. She scanned
the small group in front of her as Pluto talked when her red eyes fell
on someone she'd missed earlier. "Helios?!?" she gasped. "What's he
doing here?!"
Just then, something Pluto said caught her attention. "The Earth
was overtaken by a strange force. It had the power to posses and control
anyone it touched. Its name is Nemesis. No one, not even I know what
it's true from is. Whenever it appears it's in the form of a black could
or mist."
"But couldn't you find out what it is by looking into the Gates of
Time?" Edymion asked.
Pluto shook her head. "I've tried. Currently I cannot enter the
Gates. Nemesis has taken over the Gates. It now can see into the future
and see what might happen."
"That's bad, right?" Adonis asked.
"Extremely." Pluto pointed her staff down at the Moon. A black
cloud filled the courtyards and outer edges of the Palace. It quickly
made it's way towards the center of the Palace. They flew down and enter
the center room. The throne room.
"Nemesis tried to take control of the Moon Palace, thinking that
if it controlled it, it could rule the solar system. Luckily, Queen
Serenity prepared for it."
At the center of the throne room, a figure stood. Queen Serenity.
She hands were raised above her head, the Ginzuisho between them
glowing.
"Mother..." Neo Serenity said when she saw her.
Serenity was surrounded by the cloud and it was making its way
closer to her. Suddenly the Ginzuisho flared brilliantly, forcing the
cloud back. She spoke in a loud voice, "I call upon the Great Power of
the Ginzuisho and the Moon, help me seal this demon so that it cannot
harm anyone again!" The room was filled with white light. A scream came
from all directions. Through the light, they could see the cloud being
gathered up into a large ball. The light then concentrated on the ball,
covering it with a crystal substance. When it was finished, the ball was
now a huge crystal.
"That's--!!" Rei started.
Minako nodded. "That crystal was once the center of the Crystal
Palace."
The crystal was lifted up by an invisible source. A black hole
opened behind it and it slowly began to enter the hole. A chilling
laughter sounded, followed by a wicked voice saying, "You may have won
this battle, Serenity. But I'll be back. When a descendant of your line
touches this crystal case, I'll be free again to reek havoc on your
daughter's kingdom. This I swear!" It was gone.
The room wavered before turning back into the throne room in the
Crystal palace.
"The crystal," Pluto said, "some how found it's way here and the
Palace was build around it. It stayed dormant until--"
"--Terry touched it, thus fulfilling what Nemesis said, freeing
it," Serenity finished. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her
forehead. She let out a sigh. "I should've known."
"It is my fault for not telling you beforehand, my Queen," Pluto
said. "If I had, none of this might have happened."
After a moment of silence, Edymion said, "There's more isn't
there?"
Minako stepped foreword and said, "Serenity knew this would
happen, so she made a back-up plan. The Ginzuisho held powers beyond any
one's imagination. You thought of it, the Ginzuisho could do it. So
Serenity 'programmed' the crystal to where if an agent of Nemesis held
it for a certain amount of time, then it would separate. When the
crystal separated, a piece immediately flew to a Senshi, who absorbed
it. The crystal would then reshaped itself and changed colors, depending
on the Senshi, when the time was right." She paused. Minako raised her
right hand and touched her left shoulder. A soft orange glow came from
it. She held out her hand. In it was an orange and yellow heart-shaped
crystal. "This is my crystal, the Venus Love Crystal. They replace our
wands and activate our transformations, turing us into Crystal Warriors,
possibly our most powerful forms. When Mako-chan first transformed, that
was the beginning stage. When she did it for the second time, it went to
the second stage. As far as we know, they are the only two. Ami-chan and
Rei-chan skipped the first stage." Her crystal disappeared. "The Outers
and myself have had our crystals since Zeus caused the Ginzuisho to
separate.
"The Outers knew about Nemesis. When Terry first came close to the
crystal, Pluto thought it was best I know also. The reason they knew was
in case Nemesis appeared earlier, was that their main job is defending
the Moon Kingdom from threats."
----------
Chibi-usa stood staring at the group below her. She was still absorbing
this information she was hearing. But one question ran through her mind:
Suddenly she
felt herself disappearing. Slowly her vision began to fade also. She was
returning to her body. And she hoped she would wake up soon.
----------
"This is taking too long!!" Zeus exclaimed to Aphrodite. "How long does
it take him to heal them?! We don't have the time!!"
"Patience, Zeus. Patience," Aphrodite said with a smile.
"What are you yelling about now, Zeus?"
She jerked at the sound of the voice. She turned to see the one-
eyed boy walking out of the room behind her. "Nothing, Master," she said
as she bowed.
"At ease," he said as if he was a drill sergeant. "Any new
information?"
"No, sir. But we found out that Pluto has told them about Nemesis.
This could get critical, sir."
He nodded. A smile appeared on his scarred face. "But we have the
trump card." He held out his hand. In it was the black crystal bell he'd
taken from Helios. "This bell is connected with Small Lady. With this,
we cannot fail. If they get the upper hand..."
"We'll crush their precious princess to dust," Aphrodite finished
as she punched her palm.
"Correct."
"I take it they stopped the poison," Zeus said, somewhat
disappointed.
"A minor set back," the boy said. "But it was enough to make her
go into a coma."
"Master."
The three turned to the voice. Four girls stood a few feet away.
Setsuna, Haurka, Michiru, and Hotaru (their doubles of course).
"What is it, Poseidon?" the boy asked.
The light green haired girl said, "Things seemed to have gotten
complicated."
"How so?"
The purple-haired girl stepped foreword. "Remember our 'prisoner',
sir? She has escaped."
"Are you sure, Titan?" The news of this escape was not good.
Titan nodded. "I checked this morning. She's gone. Sir," her
darkly purple eyes narrowed as she said, "I detected a presence earlier,
right before I checked on her. And I don't think you'll like who it
was."
----------
A girl lay on her back. Darkness surrounded her. A small voice
penetrated into her mind. "Zukamori*..."
the girl responded with her mind.
"Zukamori...you are needed. The Dark Legend has begun to unfold.
The others need you."
"Go to the Crystal palace. All will be explained in time...."
Zukamori jerked awake. Dazed, she slowly sat up. She had blond
hair that fell past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were clouded with
confusion.
she thought as she slowly stood up. Then, that
question became the least of her problems as more questions surfaced.
she thought, knowing she didn't have that answer. She
pressed a hand against her forehead, trying to sort out what little she
remembered. The only thing she knew of was that she was needed to go to
the Crystal Palace. "But why--" she tried to say.
She stopped when she realized she didn't hear any sound coming
from her mouth. She tried again. Same thing. I can't speak?! she
yelled in her mind.
She heard the same voice as before in her mind, "Go to the Crystal
Palace....All will be explained in time...."
Zukamori looked around her, seeing that she was between two tall
buildings. It was night. She looked down at herself. She seemed to be
all right except for a few scratches and bruises on her bare arms. She
was clothed in simple attire of beeches, boots, and a sleeveless shirt.
Cautiously, she made her way to the front of the alley she was in.
No one was there. She looked up and saw a massive structure made of
crystal in the distance. The name of it came to mind: the Crystal
Palace.
she thought as she walked out of the
alley.
----------
Adonis sat on the windowsill in one of the halls of the Palace, staring
at the object Helios had given him after Pluto's explanation of the Dark
Legend. It was a large, circular blue crystal that filled his hand.
Heilos' word came back to him as the moonlight reflected off the
crystal's blue surface, "Adonis, keep this crystal with you at all
times. And never let anyone else touch it. It be of some use to you."
Adonis wondered.
----------
Zukamori had only walked about two blocks when she saw three dark
figures in the street in front of her. She swallowed nervously, then
kept going.
One of the three saw her coming up and motioned towards her to his
buddies. The other two chuckled.
Zukamori looked past them, keeping her eyes on the Palace.
"Hey, girl," the leader of the three said, stepping in front of
her. "What's yer price?" The other two laughed at the comment they knew
he really didn't mean. They had other business with her.
Not being able to speak, Zukamori moved to walk around him. He
moved to block her. She went the other way. So did he. She glared at him
with a look that said, "Get out of my way."
"Whassa matter?" he sneered. He pushed her back roughly. "Cat got
yer tongue, girlie?" The other two appeared behind her.
"Come on," one said as he took a step closer to her. "Say
somethin'."
Zukamori looked at each one around her as they closed in. I have
to get out of here, she thought.
The leader reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "You ain't goin'
nowhere 'cept with us."
His grip tightened. Zukamori winced at the pain as it erupted in
her arm. Her eyes closed. Then, without warning, they flew open,
revealing white glowing pupils. She grabbed his arm holding her with her
free arm and flung him over her, colliding with a nearby wall.
"Why you--!!" one of the others said as he pulled out a gun and
aimed to shoot her chest. He fired. She stepped out of the way in time.
He tried again. She jumped to dodge that one. While in the air she
turned and brought her legs down on the gunman's head, hard. The blow
sent him to the ground. She landed on top of his back, knocking the wind
out of him, then jumped off.
The third lunged at her upon reflex. She ducked down to avoid him
while bringing her leg up and striking him in the stomach. Using his
momentum, she pushed him backwards. He fell on top of the other one on
the ground.
"You freak!!" the leader said as he shoved himself off the ground
and stood. He whipped out a small blade and dove to stab her. She leaned
to her right to dodge it. At the same time, she grabbed his arm and
forced it to bend behind his back. Her free hand took hold of his wrist
that held the blade. When the other two stood, they saw Zukamori holding
the blade against the guy's throat. Still not being able to talk, she
glared at the other two, trying to get her point across.
"I-I think," the one she was holding hostage said, careful not to
get his throat slashed, "s-s-she wants to go."
Zakamori nodded.
"O-o-okay," the guy said, "first, let go of me." She released him,
but kept the blade, it might come in handy. The guy ran to the other
two.
She blinked. Her eyes turned back to hazel. She looked at the
three surprised guys in front of her then at the knife in her hand.
she thought. She took a step back, then turned and
ran towards the Palace.
One of the three grumbled, "She's better than we were told."
"It was just luck," another said.
"Shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"Both of you, can it!" the leader ordered. He looked at Zukamori
as she disappeared from sight. "We have to report this to Nemesis.
Pronto."
----------
"Adonis."
The boy looked up to see Queen Serenity beside him. He quickly put
the crystal he was still holding in his pocket. "Yes?" he said.
"There's something I have to ask you," the Queen said. Adonis
noticed a slight hint of nervousness in her voice along with something
he couldn't decipher clearly.
Serenity took a few small breaths, trying to calm herself. "Adonis, I'm
sure you know that soon Nemesis will attack us."
He nodded, wondering what this was leading to.
"Well, the Senshi and myself will more than likely have our hands
full in the meantime. I...just wanted to know if you stay here and help
us."
"Help in what way?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Adonis
regretted it. The look on Serenity's face turned sad and pained. "I'm
sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean--"
"It's all right," she interrupted. She sat down gracefully at the
edge of the sill. Her sky blue eyes gazed down at the city below. she told herself. "Adonis, I want you to help watch Chibi-usa.
Nemesis tried to kidnap her and have her killed. We don't know why
though. It's possible that he want Chibi-usa for some reason. And if he
can't get her, then he wants her dead." She turned to him, her eyes
silently pleaded with him, for reasons she wouldn't let him know. "The
Senshi might not be enough, but we don't know. I fear for my daughter's
safety. Please, Adonis. Please. Protect my daughter."
Adonis stared at her while she spoke. Something inside him
stirred. He saw the Queen's face, twisted with pain and agony as he hear
her screaming, "TERRY!!!!!!" Not realizing it, he said solemnly, "I
will, Queen Serenity. I swear to you, I will protect Chibi-usa even if
it costs my life. I won't let Nemesis or anyone else bring harm to her
or to you."
Serenity had to smile, for she knew he would keep his promise and
much more.
----------
"Darkness swallows light. Light swallows darkness. It has been that way
since Time began. Battle after battle. Eons after Eons. Who will be the
one to take a stand? Which one will be the first to break the eternal
circle?"
Helios looked at Chibi-usa. She was still unconscious, as the
others had said; yet she could speak. She was different than she was the
last time he saw her.
She was much stronger now. He had felt it.
Helios brushed a few strands of her pink hair away from her
forehead. His fingers gently slid down to her cheek. "Maiden..." he said
softly. Chibi-usa stirred slightly at the sound of his voice. He smiled
as he bent down and kissed her forehead. "I've missed you...." he
whispered into her ear.
----------
Zukamori looked up at the huge building in front of her, catching her
breath. she thought, She looked around for a door. She stepped foreword and
one suddenly appeared before her. Taking a deep breath, she reached out
to open it.
-----------
Rei snapped her head up. Someone had entered the Palace. Someone strong.
she thought as she quickly rushed towards the
main entrance.
----------
Ami felt it too. she thought. She pulled out her
Mercury computer and began to scan the energy she had sensed. Whatever
it was, it was powerful. Snapping the computer shut, she stood from her
desk and made her way to the entrance.
----------
"Hold it, Mako-chan!" Minako said, bringing their training to a halt.
"What?" Makoto asked. That was when she was hit with a wave of
energy also. "What was that?" she said looking around.
Hotaru suddenly appeared beside the two. "Minako," she said. "She
has arrived."
"About time," the blonde sighed.
"Huh?" Makoto said.
"We'll explain in a minute," Minako said as she began to exit the room.
Hotaru and Makoto right behind her.
----------
Zukamori looked around her as she slowly walked through the entryway to
the Palace.
Footsteps reached her ears. They came from all directions. She
tensed, expecting some guards to show up or something. Instead she saw
five girls appear.
"Who are you?" Rei demanded as they all came to a halt.
Zukamori moaned inwardly.
"What's your name?" Makoto said next.
Zakamori pointed to her throat and mouthed, "I can't talk!"
They all looked at her weirdly as she did it again.
"Uh--" Minako said, "um--is your name, by any chance, Zukamori?"
Zukamori nodded her head, a little surprised that the blonde knew
her name. She pointed back to her throat and mouthed again, more slowly
this time, "I-CAN'T-TALK!"
"I think she can't talk," Ami said.
Again, Zukamori nodded.
Minako sighed. This would take a while
----------
NEXT: The Senshi are faced with a problem: Nemesis has started its
attack on Crystal Tokyo. Now they are stuck with a mute girl somehow
connected with what's happening. Who is she? What is she doing at the
Palace? Can she turn the tide of the Battle that is looming ever closer?
----------
*The name 'Zukamori' I took from a series named 'X/1999'(the creators
are called CLAMP, in no way related to Naoko-san). For those not
familiar with X, there's a character in it who is called, 'Sakura
Zukamori', which means 'Guardian of the Cherry Blossom Burial Mound'.
Since 'Sakura' means 'Cherry Blossoms,' I guess 'Zukamori' means
'Guardian of the Burial Mound' or something like that. Hmmm. Now why
would I give someone a name like that? Can we say, 'foreshadowing' ^_-?
__________