"Well I wish I could kill you
Savor the sight
Get into my car
Drive into the night
Then lie as I scream to the Heavens above
That I was the last one
You've ever loved"
--Better than Ezra, "Porcelain"
Requiem for a Soldier
Part VI: Lux Aeterna
Author: Ai
E-mail: tennyo@attbi.com
--Oh but that you could see above!
--See what? Nothing but stars and darkness.
--Little one, do you not see how each of those stars shines solely for
you? That each one stretches across inconceivable expanses to bring
you warmth and pleasure, to receive the most treasured joy of caressing
your skin?
--It's rough skin, cracked and dry.
--Let the stars shine over it.
--I will not. They will not touch me.
--I see little one. So you have made a decision?
--What decision? I just don't want their pretentious light on my face.
--You have been given a gift from Above.
--Then I spit on Above.
--How far you've fallen! Were you always like this, or did your love
bring this change about you?
--What do you mean?
--Once you reveled in the soft delights of angels and demigods. Have
you traded it away for carnal lust?
--Not lust. Love. There's a difference.
--There isn't one in Hell.
--You lie.
--Do I?
--I don't know anymore.
--Do you really love him so?
--With every breath of my being.
--Then why do you shun him, dearest child of Heaven?
--He is a killer. There is blood on his hands. I must not let him
sully me.
--The only blood on his hands is what he took on your behalf. Sure
your hands are clean, but your soul is red and flows like wine.
--No! That is a lie!
--Is it!
--I am not unclean!
--Did you want him to do it?
--What?
--To choke the life out of that child? Did it give you pleasure? Were
you aroused by his power and your power over him?
--Well . . .
--Do you want him now, even after all the sins he has committed in your
name? Lustful creature. Shameful. Dirty. You chase the stars away.
--Please! I never meant it to come to this!
--He can yet be spared.
--How? I'll do anything necessary!
--ANYTHING?!
--Of course! I owe him that. He is my love and my life. What I do
for him I do for myself.
--Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?
--To die?
--Fool. You know little of suffering. No, we speak of far more
heinous acts today. Walk on coals. Slit a throat. Burn for eternity.
--What?
--To save your love, you must take the plunge.
--Plunge?
--Get your hands dirty?
--Burn?
--To save him you too must fall. You must commit the ultimate
atrocity. Are you prepared to do that?
--The ULTIMATE atrocity?
--Well?
--Now?
--Now or never, flight or fight.
--There isn't any more time, is there?
--No, there isn't.
--And you can't help me?
--No one can, little one. To save him is to lose yourself. Before you
were afraid. Look at the heartache you caused! You will take your
snowy angel wings and break them off your back. You will take up the
sword. Blood will run. There is nothing but action, and all action is
suffering.
--Because he did it for me . . . because he deserves that kind of love.
--The question is: will you give it to him?
--Maybe the question should be: will he want it afterwards?
--Only you and he can answer that. Little one, for whom the stars
shine, make your choice and go on. This is ground zero. Choose
wisely; there will be no returning here and no regrets.
* * * * * * * *
"Rei?"
Sure enough, the smooth raven tresses and rich violet eyes (which
seemed oddly cold today) shined in the dim firelight. Dressed in her
traditional Priestess robes, Mamoru noticed her only ornamentation was
a large, intricate brass key hanging from her neck.
"Hello, Endymion-sama." She bowed but kept the torch high.
"What are you doing here?" he blurted out. He suddenly noticed he was
now wearing the garb of the Earth Prince. The armor clacked as he
stepped forward.
"Are you surprised to see me here, my lord?" she murmured. "Think
carefully about where we are."
He stroked his chin. "I never realized."
"Most people don't think about it this way," she admitted.
"I never imagined you would be the one wandering around Usa-ko's
heart."
"Why not?" she shrugged. "I am, after all, the one she keeps closest
to it--after you, of course, but then again, you are here, ne? Had you
not been one Usagi-chan loves so dearly, you never would've come this
far into her heart."
"Why are you here?" he asked suddenly, growing suspicious.
She smiled knowingly. "I am to lead you to the deepest part. Come."
Beckoning, she turned and walked down the stairwell. Mamoru followed
unthinkingly.
* * * * * * * *
"Michiru," Uranus whispered, genuinely horrified. She reached out a
pathetic hand. Suddenly her brave talk to Mamoru was fleeing.
The creature tangled in the net of power screamed like a banshee. "You
are too late, weakling!" a raspy, detached voice called out. "There is
no Michiru here. Michiru has ceased to exist."
Tears fell from her eyes. "Michiru," Uranus whispered. "I'm sorry, I
really am."
"Too late!" the creature shrieked again. "No more chances. No
regrets!"
"Michiru . . . "
"Too late! Too late!"
Uranus looked desperately at Michiru. "Please," she begged softly,
dropping to her knees. "I-I need you, love. It's so hard . . . I'm so
tired, I can't even think straight. All I know is that I want you
back." She sighed heavily, the weight of her words seeping into her.
To her surprise, little tendrils of power curled out and wiped at her
cheeks. "Poor child," the blank voice rasped, "sleep now. There will
be no pain that way."
And Uranus felt her eyes begin to close . . .
* * * * * * * *
If this really was Usagi's heart, Mamoru reflected darkly, then Usagi
was a far different person than he believed her to be. The dark,
Spartan conditions were something he expected in the recessed chambers
of his own innards.
"Most of the heart does not look like this," Rei said, as if reading
his mind. "Just the deepest chambers. That's why I'm here to lead
you. Otherwise you could be lost forever."
"Rei," he asked suddenly, "did you ever love me?"
Why did he think he would receive an honest answer here? This place
was made up of Usagi, after all. Even this Rei was the image she gave
Usagi, as deeply as she had penetrated.
Rei, surprisingly, applied herself to the question, bowing her dark
head for a while. "I made myself believe it so," she answered
carefully. "And for a long time I held onto that. But no, deep inside
I knew you were always destined for Usagi-chan, no matter how hard you
tried to deny it. Not much gets past me." He could feel her smile in
the darkness.
They walked a while longer until Mamoru sensed Rei stop. She turned,
removed the key from her neck, and handed it to him.
"We're here," she murmured. "I can go no further."
He turned to her, staring into sad, wistful depths. "Why is that?"
"You are the only one allowed to go on. You'd better draw your sword
now, my Lord."
Thin, fair arms squeezed him abruptly. "Please don't lose," she begged
in his ear. Then she--and the key in his hand--disappeared.
He sensed the atmosphere change, grow . . . round. Like an arena,
illuminated by darkness rather than light.
Mamoru gulped, unsheathed his sword, which began to glow with a slight
golden tinge, and stepped forward.
"Good day, Endymion."
And there She stood.
"Welcome to your gravesite."
* * * * * * * *
It was so warm here. Uranus floated in an endless sea of nothingness,
simply drifting mindlessly through. No pain, no fear, no doubt. Just
warm. And she could feel a familiar essence, something gentle, like
someone once well known . . .
Like love.
She sighed happily and closed her eyes, letting the tide pull her down.
Uranus didn't even notice her transformation undo.
"Do you like this?"
She nodded.
"Do you wish to stay this way forever, Sailoruranus?"
Who was Sailoruranus? Her memories had washed away with the tide, but
she didn't care. All there was was the delicious warmth, bringing her
down to the murky depths.
But such easily given warmth came at a price, though Uranus could not
acknowledge that in her hazy state. Slowly, bit by bit, an icy hand
reached forward, sentencing her to the same bleak eternity her lover
would suffer.
* * * * * * * *
Mamoru raised his sword and watched as the Wraith laughed. "You will
not leave this place," She called lazily. "How fitting that you die
here."
He took a ferocious, desperate swing, forgetting the previous life's
careful training and instruction. The Wraith dodged easily, laughing
haughtily all the while. Again, he swung blindly, his eyes and head
burning. He was tired, and felt as if were being dragged into an ocean
of warmth.
The Wraith wrapped itself around his body, carefully twisting and
molding around every module of him.
"Does this feel familiar?"
The sleepiness that claimed him whenever his basest impulses were about
to explode set in.
"Is it warm?"
He nodded.
"Are you happy?"
The sword clattered.
"You will be with your love soon."
* * * * * * * *
"You will be with your love soon."
The words echoed across time and space. Hazily, as if awakening from a
dream, she began to become conscious of a body, some entity that *was*
her. Who was she? What was she doing here?
"Sleep now."
But the Wraith had undone its own work. At the word 'love,' her victim
had perked up, frantically trying to get her mind around a concept,
something tangible, something very, very important that she had
forgotten.
"Will you forsake this?"
What else was there but this?
Surely something, a tiny corner of her being cried. There is something
better.
And then it hit her.
*Libera me.*
"Michiru."
* * * * * * * *
"Usa-ko."
Mamoru wrenched his eyes open and reached a trembling hand down, trying
to grab his sword.
The Wraith was still trying to seduce him with honeyed promises of
warmth and love. The only warmth, Mamoru now suspected, was that which
lay in the 'honeyed' pits of Hell. With a massive effort, he wrenched
his arm away and took back his sword.
"Fool!" it hissed hoarsely. "Eternity near belonged to you. It was a
gift!"
"I'm not buying," he sneered as he set himself to the task of removing
himself from the Wraith's unholy grip.
* * * * * * * *
Oh Lord in Heaven, how could she have forgotten? Memory rushed back
into her, consuming her with guilt and shame, but she really had no
time to ponder either emotion.
She had lost time, yes, but the demon had not succeeded and WOULD not
if she had anything to do with it.
Though her hands quivered, she concentrated, clenching the two
appendages into little balls as she cut through the thick wall of black
energy surrounding her. No wonder it was so seductive. Energy that
pure, no matter the color, was invigorating.
"Uranus . . . crystal . . . power . . . "
Little glimmers of power started to stream through her nerve endings,
coming to a nexus in her chest. She took a deep breath and tried
again.
"Uranus crystal power . . . "
"Silly," She slithered, laughing darkly, "you cannot escape me! I am
the blood that flows in your veins!"
"We'll see," Uranus gritted through clenched teeth. With a scowl, she
summoned up her final current and knew if she didn't strike now, the
Wraith would gain strength over her.
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!!!"
Sailoruranus stepped through the smoke and locked eyes directly with
her possessed lover.
* * * * * * * *
There was a clatter.
The Wraith had temporarily weakened, giving him the advantage. He
snatched up his sword and lashed out.
Blood flowed freely from the shadow, an oily black substance that
sizzled into the atmosphere moments after touching the ground.
The arena, he noticed, was perfectly circular. No corners to back
anyone into, no helpful hints, nothing to guide him. It vaguely
occurred to him that perhaps, just as Usagi had illuminated his inner
being, perhaps he was expected to reciprocate somehow?
Never mind that. The Wraith charged, holding a long, thin stream of
smoke that looked sharp and very dangerous. He raised his weapon, and
before he knew it, all he heard was the clatter of swords and a distant
echo from a damned soul.
* * * * * * * *
Her aqua cobwebs and blank eyes were deathly still, frightening Uranus
not a little. Yet she not only held her ground; she advanced slowly in
the process. How hard it was! But she remembered Michiru's eyes only
earlier that night, their normal deep navy, desperate and woeful.
*Libera Me.*
Free me.
At least that's what she thought it meant.
The not-Michiru smiled thinly. "The song continues," She murmured.
"It stops here."
"When it stops, your Princess will take her last breath. Aren't you
worried about her?"
"The only thing I'm worried about," Uranus gritted as she summoned her
sword, "is making sure Michiru warms my bed tonight.
"Space sword blaster!"
* * * * * * * *
"Ha!" She screamed aloud, crying with delight.
Mamoru instinctually clutched his searing arm, sending his sword
flying. The Wraith again yelled out with joyous triumph. She struck,
narrowly missing Mamoru's side.
He, meanwhile, tried to drag himself where his sword laid. His legs
ached from too many fast maneuvers, and he felt his energy be sucked
away.
But he would not fail. He couldn't.
* * * * * * * *
When the smoke cleared, the demon Michiru stood, lips curled into a
bloodless smile.
"My turn," she rasped. Closing Her terrible eyes, She summoned a ball
of blue energy and let it go, sending Uranus back to the wall.
While her head and back tried to recover from the shock, Uranus noticed
Pluto stir.
"Haru . . . ka?" Pluto mumbled.
"Setsuna-san?" Uranus cried. "Are you all right?"
"Her hand," she thought she heard Pluto say.
"What did you say?"
The air was turning a cloudy shade of burnt orange. Though the haze
made it hard to see anything but the contrasting cobwebs of teal,
Uranus squinted and reached out, stroking Pluto's face.
"Take her hand," Pluto said through labored breaths, "and lead her
away." Pluto's eyes began to close.
Desperate for the elder senshi's advice, Uranus slapped Pluto's cheek.
"Stay awake!" she snarled furiously, glaring at the blank magenta eyes.
The senshi suddenly snapped up and looked Uranus straight in the eye.
She curled her lips into a weak smile. "I'll see you again . . . I
swear I will."
Pluto's head dropped slightly. Uranus felt her pulse grow faint, but
she had no time to attend to the senshi.
"Are you hiding from me over there, Uranus?" the demon Michiru called.
She was horrified at what she saw when she turned. Michiru's skin was
gray and seemed to fall off her bones, cracked and dying. The woman
was nonexistent, and the Wraith was all that remained.
Uranus wept.
Then she screwed up her courage and reached out for Michiru.
* * * * * * * *
"Do you enjoy this?" the Wraith purred menacingly as the smoky hands
wrapped around Mamoru's neck.
So this was what it felt like. In another moment, he would die.
"Shall I snap your neck as you did mine?"
He stilled. "What?" he choked.
"I wanted her body, one way or another. Thanks to you I had to do it
the hard way," the Wraith snickered.
And then it hit him. "It was you," he said, staring at the Wraith.
"You were the boy in the park. But . . . "
Did the fact it had not been a real human he had killed negate his
culpability? The thought echoed through his mind, but it meant nothing
now. He was still here; it would change nothing.
"But I thank you, Endymion. This is so much more--"
That was it. With all his strength, the power of the Golden Crystal
imploded inside him and the Wraith fled into the atmosphere. Mamoru
stood, proud, strong, and once again took his sword up.
"No more games."
* * * * * * * *
The second time she was swept in by the Wraith, her eyes were open.
The sea was cold and harsh, but she was still Ten'oh Haruka,
Sailoruranus, and planned to keep it that way. Furious swipes of her
arms actually got her somewhere.
She had a mission. She had a love. No floating. She had to be
definitive, to take a stand.
"MICHIRU!!!" The scream ripped from her almost involuntarily, taking
on its own will as it searched out its ladylove.
It was almost inaudible, but Uranus was so desperate to hear she caught
it.
"Ha-ru-ka?"
* * * * * * * *
The arena was brighter. He was standing on a marble floor, white
with streaks of gold and silver--the real thing? Maybe.
Above him, a blood-red sun shone, casting an eerie red light on
the ring. He sensed his own thirst for blood, though black and not red
this time, that reddened the sky so.
This place reflected him. All he had to do was hope, and hunger, and
it would give him all he needed.
"Come out, Demon!" he taunted. "I'm not finished with you!"
* * * * * * * *
"MICHIRU!!!"
"Haruka! Oh, Gods, help me!"
Uranus frantically swam towards the sound, praying her strength would
hold out. Every once and a while she stopped and yelled out again,
then redirected appropriately, but restarting was so torturous she had
to cut down the number of times she did it.
Finally, a hazy red tower blazed in the distance. The sky and air were
smoky, probably because of it. Fire. Death by fire. Uranus shook the
thought off abruptly.
But the tower grew closer, and brighter, centered on a little island.
Land. Uranus sighed in relief and swam faster.
Before she knew it she had washed onto the shores, desperately gasping
for air. Her limbs burned; how could she possibly move another step?
Because she had to, that was how. Uranus forced herself up, and what
she beheld was the image so carefully burned into her retina, the one
that had haunted her days and tormented her nights.
Michiru screamed as the fire slowly devoured her.
* * * * * * * *
For the first time, Mamoru realized that this could be a fair fight
yet.
Once he realized he controlled the domain, he had applied himself to
the task of fighting off his enemy, who seemed weaker as he used his
power to seep into the shadowy armor around Her.
He could not lose. He WOULD not.
But he was wearing. The Wraith, physically, had a lot farther to fall
than he. Maybe he controlled everything else, but Mamoru was still at
his body's mercy. The drugs, combined with the intense physical
activity of trying to kill something without a body and using the
Golden Crystal, was pulling him down.
And no matter how he felt about it, sooner or later his body would win.
* * * * * * * *
"Haruka," the firestorm called, "save me!"
"Space sword blaster!"
Hoping the wind-based attack would calm the flames, she let it fly,
only to realize the fires burned even higher now.
"More," the Wraith begged from deep within the fire. "More energy!"
There was almost no power left in her, Uranus realized grimly. Not
that it mattered. Her thin reserves would have to be enough.
Michiru reached out for her, her face contorting in tormented agony.
Uranus grabbed for it and focused.
"Uranus . . . crystal . . . power . . . "
* * * * * * * *
That's when it hit him.
If he controlled the Wraith's power, couldn't he control its form as
well?
With a body, it would be easy to kill. Summoning the last of his
power, Mamoru plunged his sword into the Wraith's vicinity and
concentrated.
Vast amounts of golden energy surged out of him and into the Wraith.
She cried out at the unbearable torture, but sure enough, something
began to crystallize.
A woman, he realized in amazement. Young, even pretty. He noticed a
waterfall of wavy raven hair grow and a frail, tiny form. She seemed
almost familiar.
She cried out, and he saw tears drop into the ground. "Oh my lord,"
she sobbed to him, "what have I done, my Prince? What have I done?"
The terrified girl stood up, gazed at him for a moment from watery
blue-violet eyes, bowed her head, hiding the trembling lip and cheek,
and clasped her hands.
"I beg of you, my lord, kill me."
Beryl.
* * * * * * * *
The power surged again and again, ferociously battering at the wall of
defense the Wraith had constructed.
--Michiru.
--Haruka-chan?
--It's all right, Michiru. I'm here now.
--I'm so sorry, Haruka-chan. I love you.
--Don't! Don't tell me goodbye. I WILL save you.
--I'm so lost . . .
--Love, no matter how far you wander, I will find you.
--Really?
--Wouldn't you do the same for me?
Then no more. Haruka felt her connection with Michiru break. Panting
heavily, she thrust her power onto the 'wall' one last time, but it
would not break. She sighed and felt herself 'slump' against it. How
would she save Michiru now?
* * * * * * * *
"Lady Beryl?"
"This is my fault, Endymion-sama," she cried quietly, her voice
quivering heavily. "I let my love for you become corrupted. I have
brought great suffering. For this you must kill me. If you don't act
quickly, your Princess will die."
She would sacrifice herself for them? For the first time new memories
of Beryl flowed through his mind: memories of a gentler girl, a girl
too naive to understand the desperate love she held in her heart.
His sword rose. What a pity. He must save Usagi.
Must he this way?
The question rose in his mind as his sword had. Now he lowered his
arms.
What *would* Usagi want? She once said she would rather die than take
an innocent life. She believed in the good of everyone. If he killed
this poor girl, he would be the killer Usagi hated so. He would be the
killer HE hated so.
There must be another way. Maybe it wasn't the ginzuishou, but he
swore to release this wretched girl--and his love--from the threat of
Wraith without bloodshed, unless it was to be his own.
He summoned the crystal to his hands while Beryl watched in wide-eyed
wonder. Closing his eyes, he gave the last of his energy and prayed
for pity.
Golden light exploded, consuming his entirety in a massive rage of
fantastic and terrible sensation.
A soft cry somehow found its way into his consciousness, though . . .
Then he knew nothing.
* * * * * * * *
Just as Uranus was about to despair, something caught her eye.
Gold. Where was it coming from?
She didn't know, but suddenly golden light burst from all around her,
smashing the wall to smithereens. Everything burst; a colossal
cacophony of light and sound overloaded her senses until she could bear
no more.
Uranus finally opened her eyes again. She was back in her living room,
and Michiru lay on the floor, naked and broken. Her eyes were shut and
she was bleeding in a number of areas, but she looked peaceful, like an
angel that had just survived a great battle of a war in Heaven.
"Love?"
Michiru cracked her eyelids. "Haruka?" she squeaked, her voice weak as
a kitten's.
"Aisuru," Uranus whispered, picking up Michiru. Her poor, dear lover
wept softly, cradled in her arms. Uranus held her close, whispering
sweet words in the aqua tresses.
"Haruka . . . I was so lost, so scared . . . "
"Hush love," Uranus soothed, rubbing her cheek against Michiru's, "it's
all right now. The battle's over."
The room was frighteningly normal inside, save for the dazed-looking
Pluto and still-unconscious Saturn. But she wasn't paying much
attention to these two. The war was not yet won.
Immediately the Inners streamed in, having sensed the lifting of the
malevolent presence. Jupiter eyed the area, stunned.
"Is everyone all right?" Mercury called from behind Jupiter.
"Not quite," Uranus replied, gesturing to the fallen Outers.
Mercury started fiddling with the system while Venus and Mars rushed to
Pluto. Jupiter lifted up Hotaru, cradling her gently.
Mars and Venus were staring at Pluto. They exchanged glances. Mercury
stepped forward, carefully examining the fallen senshi.
All three turned white, but Haruka was too focused on Michiru to
notice.
For her part, Mercury reached a trembling hand out to find Pluto's
pulse.
"Is she all right?" Michiru's voice was so weak Haruka barely heard
her, yet all three senshi jumped at the sound.
Venus swallowed and turned back. "We'll deal with her," she said
stiffly. "You need to save the Princess, Uranus-san."
"Right," Uranus nodded. "Bring them along. We have one last stop to
make."
Uranus saw the deep circles under the girls' eyes. Holding down the
fort like that must've been exhausting for them. "Where are we going?"
Jupiter asked, but her gaze was on her three friends.
"The hospital." Michiru was still sobbing in her arms as she ran.
But the three Inners stayed. Mars stared mournfully at Pluto. "I
don't know what to say, minna-chan."
"She knew the consequences of donning that uniform better than any of
us did," Venus said in an unnaturally strong voice. Moving forward,
she closed Setsuna's glassy eyes.
"Rei-chan?" Venus whispered in a little half-voice.
"Yes, Mina-chan?"
"Was this what they meant when they say people die for love?"
* * * * * * * *
When the fantastic spectacle calmed and all grew dark, he forced
himself to open his eyes.
The air smelled . . . metallic . . . and yet organic at the same time.
Blood. Even in his half-cataleptic state he could recognize the sickly
smell of life flowing away.
Was it his own? He didn't know. Everything was hazy and dull, but
somehow he forced his eyes open.
It wasn't, though. Beryl laid on the ground, soaked in blood, eyes
glassy and dull. She was dead. From the looks of it, she'd taken a
sword to the gut. The blood gushed forth, painting the floor with its
cold red sheen. He closed his eyes, fighting a wave of nausea. It
wasn't hard; the drugs in his system were beckoning him and he
desperately wanted to follow now.
Then he felt it. Warmth, fingers on his face. Smeared liquid. Soft
lips on his own. He groaned in pleasure and agony.
"Open your eyes."
He obeyed, and just as his mind shuddered into nothingness, he saw
Usagi, sword in hand, coated in blood and with the biggest smile on her
face.
* * * * * * * *
Savor the sight
Get into my car
Drive into the night
Then lie as I scream to the Heavens above
That I was the last one
You've ever loved"
--Better than Ezra, "Porcelain"
Requiem for a Soldier
Part VI: Lux Aeterna
Author: Ai
E-mail: tennyo@attbi.com
--Oh but that you could see above!
--See what? Nothing but stars and darkness.
--Little one, do you not see how each of those stars shines solely for
you? That each one stretches across inconceivable expanses to bring
you warmth and pleasure, to receive the most treasured joy of caressing
your skin?
--It's rough skin, cracked and dry.
--Let the stars shine over it.
--I will not. They will not touch me.
--I see little one. So you have made a decision?
--What decision? I just don't want their pretentious light on my face.
--You have been given a gift from Above.
--Then I spit on Above.
--How far you've fallen! Were you always like this, or did your love
bring this change about you?
--What do you mean?
--Once you reveled in the soft delights of angels and demigods. Have
you traded it away for carnal lust?
--Not lust. Love. There's a difference.
--There isn't one in Hell.
--You lie.
--Do I?
--I don't know anymore.
--Do you really love him so?
--With every breath of my being.
--Then why do you shun him, dearest child of Heaven?
--He is a killer. There is blood on his hands. I must not let him
sully me.
--The only blood on his hands is what he took on your behalf. Sure
your hands are clean, but your soul is red and flows like wine.
--No! That is a lie!
--Is it!
--I am not unclean!
--Did you want him to do it?
--What?
--To choke the life out of that child? Did it give you pleasure? Were
you aroused by his power and your power over him?
--Well . . .
--Do you want him now, even after all the sins he has committed in your
name? Lustful creature. Shameful. Dirty. You chase the stars away.
--Please! I never meant it to come to this!
--He can yet be spared.
--How? I'll do anything necessary!
--ANYTHING?!
--Of course! I owe him that. He is my love and my life. What I do
for him I do for myself.
--Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?
--To die?
--Fool. You know little of suffering. No, we speak of far more
heinous acts today. Walk on coals. Slit a throat. Burn for eternity.
--What?
--To save your love, you must take the plunge.
--Plunge?
--Get your hands dirty?
--Burn?
--To save him you too must fall. You must commit the ultimate
atrocity. Are you prepared to do that?
--The ULTIMATE atrocity?
--Well?
--Now?
--Now or never, flight or fight.
--There isn't any more time, is there?
--No, there isn't.
--And you can't help me?
--No one can, little one. To save him is to lose yourself. Before you
were afraid. Look at the heartache you caused! You will take your
snowy angel wings and break them off your back. You will take up the
sword. Blood will run. There is nothing but action, and all action is
suffering.
--Because he did it for me . . . because he deserves that kind of love.
--The question is: will you give it to him?
--Maybe the question should be: will he want it afterwards?
--Only you and he can answer that. Little one, for whom the stars
shine, make your choice and go on. This is ground zero. Choose
wisely; there will be no returning here and no regrets.
* * * * * * * *
"Rei?"
Sure enough, the smooth raven tresses and rich violet eyes (which
seemed oddly cold today) shined in the dim firelight. Dressed in her
traditional Priestess robes, Mamoru noticed her only ornamentation was
a large, intricate brass key hanging from her neck.
"Hello, Endymion-sama." She bowed but kept the torch high.
"What are you doing here?" he blurted out. He suddenly noticed he was
now wearing the garb of the Earth Prince. The armor clacked as he
stepped forward.
"Are you surprised to see me here, my lord?" she murmured. "Think
carefully about where we are."
He stroked his chin. "I never realized."
"Most people don't think about it this way," she admitted.
"I never imagined you would be the one wandering around Usa-ko's
heart."
"Why not?" she shrugged. "I am, after all, the one she keeps closest
to it--after you, of course, but then again, you are here, ne? Had you
not been one Usagi-chan loves so dearly, you never would've come this
far into her heart."
"Why are you here?" he asked suddenly, growing suspicious.
She smiled knowingly. "I am to lead you to the deepest part. Come."
Beckoning, she turned and walked down the stairwell. Mamoru followed
unthinkingly.
* * * * * * * *
"Michiru," Uranus whispered, genuinely horrified. She reached out a
pathetic hand. Suddenly her brave talk to Mamoru was fleeing.
The creature tangled in the net of power screamed like a banshee. "You
are too late, weakling!" a raspy, detached voice called out. "There is
no Michiru here. Michiru has ceased to exist."
Tears fell from her eyes. "Michiru," Uranus whispered. "I'm sorry, I
really am."
"Too late!" the creature shrieked again. "No more chances. No
regrets!"
"Michiru . . . "
"Too late! Too late!"
Uranus looked desperately at Michiru. "Please," she begged softly,
dropping to her knees. "I-I need you, love. It's so hard . . . I'm so
tired, I can't even think straight. All I know is that I want you
back." She sighed heavily, the weight of her words seeping into her.
To her surprise, little tendrils of power curled out and wiped at her
cheeks. "Poor child," the blank voice rasped, "sleep now. There will
be no pain that way."
And Uranus felt her eyes begin to close . . .
* * * * * * * *
If this really was Usagi's heart, Mamoru reflected darkly, then Usagi
was a far different person than he believed her to be. The dark,
Spartan conditions were something he expected in the recessed chambers
of his own innards.
"Most of the heart does not look like this," Rei said, as if reading
his mind. "Just the deepest chambers. That's why I'm here to lead
you. Otherwise you could be lost forever."
"Rei," he asked suddenly, "did you ever love me?"
Why did he think he would receive an honest answer here? This place
was made up of Usagi, after all. Even this Rei was the image she gave
Usagi, as deeply as she had penetrated.
Rei, surprisingly, applied herself to the question, bowing her dark
head for a while. "I made myself believe it so," she answered
carefully. "And for a long time I held onto that. But no, deep inside
I knew you were always destined for Usagi-chan, no matter how hard you
tried to deny it. Not much gets past me." He could feel her smile in
the darkness.
They walked a while longer until Mamoru sensed Rei stop. She turned,
removed the key from her neck, and handed it to him.
"We're here," she murmured. "I can go no further."
He turned to her, staring into sad, wistful depths. "Why is that?"
"You are the only one allowed to go on. You'd better draw your sword
now, my Lord."
Thin, fair arms squeezed him abruptly. "Please don't lose," she begged
in his ear. Then she--and the key in his hand--disappeared.
He sensed the atmosphere change, grow . . . round. Like an arena,
illuminated by darkness rather than light.
Mamoru gulped, unsheathed his sword, which began to glow with a slight
golden tinge, and stepped forward.
"Good day, Endymion."
And there She stood.
"Welcome to your gravesite."
* * * * * * * *
It was so warm here. Uranus floated in an endless sea of nothingness,
simply drifting mindlessly through. No pain, no fear, no doubt. Just
warm. And she could feel a familiar essence, something gentle, like
someone once well known . . .
Like love.
She sighed happily and closed her eyes, letting the tide pull her down.
Uranus didn't even notice her transformation undo.
"Do you like this?"
She nodded.
"Do you wish to stay this way forever, Sailoruranus?"
Who was Sailoruranus? Her memories had washed away with the tide, but
she didn't care. All there was was the delicious warmth, bringing her
down to the murky depths.
But such easily given warmth came at a price, though Uranus could not
acknowledge that in her hazy state. Slowly, bit by bit, an icy hand
reached forward, sentencing her to the same bleak eternity her lover
would suffer.
* * * * * * * *
Mamoru raised his sword and watched as the Wraith laughed. "You will
not leave this place," She called lazily. "How fitting that you die
here."
He took a ferocious, desperate swing, forgetting the previous life's
careful training and instruction. The Wraith dodged easily, laughing
haughtily all the while. Again, he swung blindly, his eyes and head
burning. He was tired, and felt as if were being dragged into an ocean
of warmth.
The Wraith wrapped itself around his body, carefully twisting and
molding around every module of him.
"Does this feel familiar?"
The sleepiness that claimed him whenever his basest impulses were about
to explode set in.
"Is it warm?"
He nodded.
"Are you happy?"
The sword clattered.
"You will be with your love soon."
* * * * * * * *
"You will be with your love soon."
The words echoed across time and space. Hazily, as if awakening from a
dream, she began to become conscious of a body, some entity that *was*
her. Who was she? What was she doing here?
"Sleep now."
But the Wraith had undone its own work. At the word 'love,' her victim
had perked up, frantically trying to get her mind around a concept,
something tangible, something very, very important that she had
forgotten.
"Will you forsake this?"
What else was there but this?
Surely something, a tiny corner of her being cried. There is something
better.
And then it hit her.
*Libera me.*
"Michiru."
* * * * * * * *
"Usa-ko."
Mamoru wrenched his eyes open and reached a trembling hand down, trying
to grab his sword.
The Wraith was still trying to seduce him with honeyed promises of
warmth and love. The only warmth, Mamoru now suspected, was that which
lay in the 'honeyed' pits of Hell. With a massive effort, he wrenched
his arm away and took back his sword.
"Fool!" it hissed hoarsely. "Eternity near belonged to you. It was a
gift!"
"I'm not buying," he sneered as he set himself to the task of removing
himself from the Wraith's unholy grip.
* * * * * * * *
Oh Lord in Heaven, how could she have forgotten? Memory rushed back
into her, consuming her with guilt and shame, but she really had no
time to ponder either emotion.
She had lost time, yes, but the demon had not succeeded and WOULD not
if she had anything to do with it.
Though her hands quivered, she concentrated, clenching the two
appendages into little balls as she cut through the thick wall of black
energy surrounding her. No wonder it was so seductive. Energy that
pure, no matter the color, was invigorating.
"Uranus . . . crystal . . . power . . . "
Little glimmers of power started to stream through her nerve endings,
coming to a nexus in her chest. She took a deep breath and tried
again.
"Uranus crystal power . . . "
"Silly," She slithered, laughing darkly, "you cannot escape me! I am
the blood that flows in your veins!"
"We'll see," Uranus gritted through clenched teeth. With a scowl, she
summoned up her final current and knew if she didn't strike now, the
Wraith would gain strength over her.
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!!!"
Sailoruranus stepped through the smoke and locked eyes directly with
her possessed lover.
* * * * * * * *
There was a clatter.
The Wraith had temporarily weakened, giving him the advantage. He
snatched up his sword and lashed out.
Blood flowed freely from the shadow, an oily black substance that
sizzled into the atmosphere moments after touching the ground.
The arena, he noticed, was perfectly circular. No corners to back
anyone into, no helpful hints, nothing to guide him. It vaguely
occurred to him that perhaps, just as Usagi had illuminated his inner
being, perhaps he was expected to reciprocate somehow?
Never mind that. The Wraith charged, holding a long, thin stream of
smoke that looked sharp and very dangerous. He raised his weapon, and
before he knew it, all he heard was the clatter of swords and a distant
echo from a damned soul.
* * * * * * * *
Her aqua cobwebs and blank eyes were deathly still, frightening Uranus
not a little. Yet she not only held her ground; she advanced slowly in
the process. How hard it was! But she remembered Michiru's eyes only
earlier that night, their normal deep navy, desperate and woeful.
*Libera Me.*
Free me.
At least that's what she thought it meant.
The not-Michiru smiled thinly. "The song continues," She murmured.
"It stops here."
"When it stops, your Princess will take her last breath. Aren't you
worried about her?"
"The only thing I'm worried about," Uranus gritted as she summoned her
sword, "is making sure Michiru warms my bed tonight.
"Space sword blaster!"
* * * * * * * *
"Ha!" She screamed aloud, crying with delight.
Mamoru instinctually clutched his searing arm, sending his sword
flying. The Wraith again yelled out with joyous triumph. She struck,
narrowly missing Mamoru's side.
He, meanwhile, tried to drag himself where his sword laid. His legs
ached from too many fast maneuvers, and he felt his energy be sucked
away.
But he would not fail. He couldn't.
* * * * * * * *
When the smoke cleared, the demon Michiru stood, lips curled into a
bloodless smile.
"My turn," she rasped. Closing Her terrible eyes, She summoned a ball
of blue energy and let it go, sending Uranus back to the wall.
While her head and back tried to recover from the shock, Uranus noticed
Pluto stir.
"Haru . . . ka?" Pluto mumbled.
"Setsuna-san?" Uranus cried. "Are you all right?"
"Her hand," she thought she heard Pluto say.
"What did you say?"
The air was turning a cloudy shade of burnt orange. Though the haze
made it hard to see anything but the contrasting cobwebs of teal,
Uranus squinted and reached out, stroking Pluto's face.
"Take her hand," Pluto said through labored breaths, "and lead her
away." Pluto's eyes began to close.
Desperate for the elder senshi's advice, Uranus slapped Pluto's cheek.
"Stay awake!" she snarled furiously, glaring at the blank magenta eyes.
The senshi suddenly snapped up and looked Uranus straight in the eye.
She curled her lips into a weak smile. "I'll see you again . . . I
swear I will."
Pluto's head dropped slightly. Uranus felt her pulse grow faint, but
she had no time to attend to the senshi.
"Are you hiding from me over there, Uranus?" the demon Michiru called.
She was horrified at what she saw when she turned. Michiru's skin was
gray and seemed to fall off her bones, cracked and dying. The woman
was nonexistent, and the Wraith was all that remained.
Uranus wept.
Then she screwed up her courage and reached out for Michiru.
* * * * * * * *
"Do you enjoy this?" the Wraith purred menacingly as the smoky hands
wrapped around Mamoru's neck.
So this was what it felt like. In another moment, he would die.
"Shall I snap your neck as you did mine?"
He stilled. "What?" he choked.
"I wanted her body, one way or another. Thanks to you I had to do it
the hard way," the Wraith snickered.
And then it hit him. "It was you," he said, staring at the Wraith.
"You were the boy in the park. But . . . "
Did the fact it had not been a real human he had killed negate his
culpability? The thought echoed through his mind, but it meant nothing
now. He was still here; it would change nothing.
"But I thank you, Endymion. This is so much more--"
That was it. With all his strength, the power of the Golden Crystal
imploded inside him and the Wraith fled into the atmosphere. Mamoru
stood, proud, strong, and once again took his sword up.
"No more games."
* * * * * * * *
The second time she was swept in by the Wraith, her eyes were open.
The sea was cold and harsh, but she was still Ten'oh Haruka,
Sailoruranus, and planned to keep it that way. Furious swipes of her
arms actually got her somewhere.
She had a mission. She had a love. No floating. She had to be
definitive, to take a stand.
"MICHIRU!!!" The scream ripped from her almost involuntarily, taking
on its own will as it searched out its ladylove.
It was almost inaudible, but Uranus was so desperate to hear she caught
it.
"Ha-ru-ka?"
* * * * * * * *
The arena was brighter. He was standing on a marble floor, white
with streaks of gold and silver--the real thing? Maybe.
Above him, a blood-red sun shone, casting an eerie red light on
the ring. He sensed his own thirst for blood, though black and not red
this time, that reddened the sky so.
This place reflected him. All he had to do was hope, and hunger, and
it would give him all he needed.
"Come out, Demon!" he taunted. "I'm not finished with you!"
* * * * * * * *
"MICHIRU!!!"
"Haruka! Oh, Gods, help me!"
Uranus frantically swam towards the sound, praying her strength would
hold out. Every once and a while she stopped and yelled out again,
then redirected appropriately, but restarting was so torturous she had
to cut down the number of times she did it.
Finally, a hazy red tower blazed in the distance. The sky and air were
smoky, probably because of it. Fire. Death by fire. Uranus shook the
thought off abruptly.
But the tower grew closer, and brighter, centered on a little island.
Land. Uranus sighed in relief and swam faster.
Before she knew it she had washed onto the shores, desperately gasping
for air. Her limbs burned; how could she possibly move another step?
Because she had to, that was how. Uranus forced herself up, and what
she beheld was the image so carefully burned into her retina, the one
that had haunted her days and tormented her nights.
Michiru screamed as the fire slowly devoured her.
* * * * * * * *
For the first time, Mamoru realized that this could be a fair fight
yet.
Once he realized he controlled the domain, he had applied himself to
the task of fighting off his enemy, who seemed weaker as he used his
power to seep into the shadowy armor around Her.
He could not lose. He WOULD not.
But he was wearing. The Wraith, physically, had a lot farther to fall
than he. Maybe he controlled everything else, but Mamoru was still at
his body's mercy. The drugs, combined with the intense physical
activity of trying to kill something without a body and using the
Golden Crystal, was pulling him down.
And no matter how he felt about it, sooner or later his body would win.
* * * * * * * *
"Haruka," the firestorm called, "save me!"
"Space sword blaster!"
Hoping the wind-based attack would calm the flames, she let it fly,
only to realize the fires burned even higher now.
"More," the Wraith begged from deep within the fire. "More energy!"
There was almost no power left in her, Uranus realized grimly. Not
that it mattered. Her thin reserves would have to be enough.
Michiru reached out for her, her face contorting in tormented agony.
Uranus grabbed for it and focused.
"Uranus . . . crystal . . . power . . . "
* * * * * * * *
That's when it hit him.
If he controlled the Wraith's power, couldn't he control its form as
well?
With a body, it would be easy to kill. Summoning the last of his
power, Mamoru plunged his sword into the Wraith's vicinity and
concentrated.
Vast amounts of golden energy surged out of him and into the Wraith.
She cried out at the unbearable torture, but sure enough, something
began to crystallize.
A woman, he realized in amazement. Young, even pretty. He noticed a
waterfall of wavy raven hair grow and a frail, tiny form. She seemed
almost familiar.
She cried out, and he saw tears drop into the ground. "Oh my lord,"
she sobbed to him, "what have I done, my Prince? What have I done?"
The terrified girl stood up, gazed at him for a moment from watery
blue-violet eyes, bowed her head, hiding the trembling lip and cheek,
and clasped her hands.
"I beg of you, my lord, kill me."
Beryl.
* * * * * * * *
The power surged again and again, ferociously battering at the wall of
defense the Wraith had constructed.
--Michiru.
--Haruka-chan?
--It's all right, Michiru. I'm here now.
--I'm so sorry, Haruka-chan. I love you.
--Don't! Don't tell me goodbye. I WILL save you.
--I'm so lost . . .
--Love, no matter how far you wander, I will find you.
--Really?
--Wouldn't you do the same for me?
Then no more. Haruka felt her connection with Michiru break. Panting
heavily, she thrust her power onto the 'wall' one last time, but it
would not break. She sighed and felt herself 'slump' against it. How
would she save Michiru now?
* * * * * * * *
"Lady Beryl?"
"This is my fault, Endymion-sama," she cried quietly, her voice
quivering heavily. "I let my love for you become corrupted. I have
brought great suffering. For this you must kill me. If you don't act
quickly, your Princess will die."
She would sacrifice herself for them? For the first time new memories
of Beryl flowed through his mind: memories of a gentler girl, a girl
too naive to understand the desperate love she held in her heart.
His sword rose. What a pity. He must save Usagi.
Must he this way?
The question rose in his mind as his sword had. Now he lowered his
arms.
What *would* Usagi want? She once said she would rather die than take
an innocent life. She believed in the good of everyone. If he killed
this poor girl, he would be the killer Usagi hated so. He would be the
killer HE hated so.
There must be another way. Maybe it wasn't the ginzuishou, but he
swore to release this wretched girl--and his love--from the threat of
Wraith without bloodshed, unless it was to be his own.
He summoned the crystal to his hands while Beryl watched in wide-eyed
wonder. Closing his eyes, he gave the last of his energy and prayed
for pity.
Golden light exploded, consuming his entirety in a massive rage of
fantastic and terrible sensation.
A soft cry somehow found its way into his consciousness, though . . .
Then he knew nothing.
* * * * * * * *
Just as Uranus was about to despair, something caught her eye.
Gold. Where was it coming from?
She didn't know, but suddenly golden light burst from all around her,
smashing the wall to smithereens. Everything burst; a colossal
cacophony of light and sound overloaded her senses until she could bear
no more.
Uranus finally opened her eyes again. She was back in her living room,
and Michiru lay on the floor, naked and broken. Her eyes were shut and
she was bleeding in a number of areas, but she looked peaceful, like an
angel that had just survived a great battle of a war in Heaven.
"Love?"
Michiru cracked her eyelids. "Haruka?" she squeaked, her voice weak as
a kitten's.
"Aisuru," Uranus whispered, picking up Michiru. Her poor, dear lover
wept softly, cradled in her arms. Uranus held her close, whispering
sweet words in the aqua tresses.
"Haruka . . . I was so lost, so scared . . . "
"Hush love," Uranus soothed, rubbing her cheek against Michiru's, "it's
all right now. The battle's over."
The room was frighteningly normal inside, save for the dazed-looking
Pluto and still-unconscious Saturn. But she wasn't paying much
attention to these two. The war was not yet won.
Immediately the Inners streamed in, having sensed the lifting of the
malevolent presence. Jupiter eyed the area, stunned.
"Is everyone all right?" Mercury called from behind Jupiter.
"Not quite," Uranus replied, gesturing to the fallen Outers.
Mercury started fiddling with the system while Venus and Mars rushed to
Pluto. Jupiter lifted up Hotaru, cradling her gently.
Mars and Venus were staring at Pluto. They exchanged glances. Mercury
stepped forward, carefully examining the fallen senshi.
All three turned white, but Haruka was too focused on Michiru to
notice.
For her part, Mercury reached a trembling hand out to find Pluto's
pulse.
"Is she all right?" Michiru's voice was so weak Haruka barely heard
her, yet all three senshi jumped at the sound.
Venus swallowed and turned back. "We'll deal with her," she said
stiffly. "You need to save the Princess, Uranus-san."
"Right," Uranus nodded. "Bring them along. We have one last stop to
make."
Uranus saw the deep circles under the girls' eyes. Holding down the
fort like that must've been exhausting for them. "Where are we going?"
Jupiter asked, but her gaze was on her three friends.
"The hospital." Michiru was still sobbing in her arms as she ran.
But the three Inners stayed. Mars stared mournfully at Pluto. "I
don't know what to say, minna-chan."
"She knew the consequences of donning that uniform better than any of
us did," Venus said in an unnaturally strong voice. Moving forward,
she closed Setsuna's glassy eyes.
"Rei-chan?" Venus whispered in a little half-voice.
"Yes, Mina-chan?"
"Was this what they meant when they say people die for love?"
* * * * * * * *
When the fantastic spectacle calmed and all grew dark, he forced
himself to open his eyes.
The air smelled . . . metallic . . . and yet organic at the same time.
Blood. Even in his half-cataleptic state he could recognize the sickly
smell of life flowing away.
Was it his own? He didn't know. Everything was hazy and dull, but
somehow he forced his eyes open.
It wasn't, though. Beryl laid on the ground, soaked in blood, eyes
glassy and dull. She was dead. From the looks of it, she'd taken a
sword to the gut. The blood gushed forth, painting the floor with its
cold red sheen. He closed his eyes, fighting a wave of nausea. It
wasn't hard; the drugs in his system were beckoning him and he
desperately wanted to follow now.
Then he felt it. Warmth, fingers on his face. Smeared liquid. Soft
lips on his own. He groaned in pleasure and agony.
"Open your eyes."
He obeyed, and just as his mind shuddered into nothingness, he saw
Usagi, sword in hand, coated in blood and with the biggest smile on her
face.
* * * * * * * *