Act Seventeen - Power of Forgiveness
When Pluto opened her eyes a couple of hours later, she was surprised to find herself laying on a large, king-sized cast-iron bed in an unfamiliar room. She pulled the black quilted comforter up around her shoulders to protect her from the deathly cold and sat up against the headboard. After her short rest, she felt much stronger.
"Jade?" she called out. Only the silence answered her.
The time guardian knitted her eyebrows in confusion. She didn't remember Jade's guards bringing her here. She must have passed out for a while, but why wasn't she returned to her cell? If it weren't for the strange, Gothic style furniture in the room, she would describe her surroundings as almost homey in an unusual kind of way. This definitely was not the proper procedure for holding a hostage against her will.
The door then slowly creaked open, revealing a pair of glowing green eyes. Pluto unconsciously held her breath, expecting the evil queen of the Dark Kingdom to enter the room. However, it wasn't Jade, but a young boy who walked into the soft glow of a nearby candle. Upon seeing the strange woman in his mother's bed, he stopped in his tracks, afraid to come any closer.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice slightly shaking, although it was obvious that he was trying his best to hide his fear.
Pluto didn't answer right away, too shocked to speak. Instead, she stared at the boy, wondering who he was. He looked to be around eight or nine years old, with coal black hair and piercing emerald green eyes, just like Jade's. Unlike the queen, however, he wore normal clothes. With his jeans and his faded Pokemon T-shirt, the boy looked like any ordinary Japanese boy heading to the arcade or the park to play with his friends. She recalled walking into a boy's bedroom in Jade's mansion on Earth and picking up the Pikachu plush toy. Was it possibly his room?
"Who are you?" the boy asked again, this time sounding much braver.
"My name is Pluto," she finally answered. "What's yours?"
"Damian."
Pluto gave the frightened boy a smile, showing that she intended no harm against him. "It's very nice to meet you, Damian-chan."
Despite her attempts at friendliness, it was evident that Damian didn't trust Pluto. He stepped back toward the door, accidentally crashing into the form of the queen, who had just entered the room.
"Oh, Damian! I was wondering where you had run off to. I thought I told you to stay in your room."
The boy quickly lowered his gaze to the floor, scuffing the floor with his tennis shoe. "I'm sorry, Mommy."
Mommy? That scared, but obviously still sweet, little boy was Jade's son? Pluto watched in surprise as the queen gently ruffled Damian's hair, a soft smile on her face.
"That's okay, sweetie. Why don't you go play with your Gameboy in your bedroom while our visitor and I have a little chat, okay?"
Damian nodded, then walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Jade closed the door and turned back around toward Pluto. The almost serene look on her face disappeared and was replaced by a more sinister smile.
"Now, my dear Pluto, we will pick up where we left off earlier."
The evil queen of the Dark Kingdom took a seat at the foot of the bed as Pluto simply stared silently, not sure what to expect. Inside the room, the temperature seemed to fall another twenty degrees. It didn't appear to bother Jade, but she pulled the warm quilt even more tightly around her shoulders, her teeth slightly chattering.
"He's your son?" Pluto finally asked when it became apparent that Jade had no intention of initiating the conversation.
"Damian? Yes, he is my child," Jade replied, the bearings of a mother's proud smile on her face. "He's quite the handsome devil, isn't he? Thank goodness he takes more after me than his giant of a father, but that's not what we're here to talk about. Do you recall what we were talking about before you had that unfortunate fainting spell?"
Pluto's garnet eyes narrowed in hatred, remembering the offer Jade made her in exchange for the life of her unborn child. Instinctively, she clutched her stomach. "Why are you doing this? You're a mother yourself, Jade, and you know how strong a mother's love is for her child. I love this baby, and there is no way I can ever give up my child."
"Not even for Endymion's love?" Another burst of pain filled her heart again at the sound of the prince's name, but Pluto ignored it. Jade, however, didn't fail to notice her prisoner's slight faltering. The queen smiled. "You love him, Pluto."
"He is my prince and nothing more. I love him in the same way I love my princess."
Jade raised an eyebrow as Pluto attempted to hide another attack, obvious unbelieving of the time guardian's claims. "You know you don't have to pretend in front of me," Jade said, sounding almost like she cared. "For once, put aside your pride and your sense of duty and listen to what your heart wants. Think about what's best for Meioh Setsuna, not for the princess, or the prince, or the future. What do you want?"
The green-haired woman shook her head, tears watering in her eyes. "It doesn't matter what I want. I am the guardian of time, and that's all I ever will be. My life is not my own."
"But you can change that. Wasn't that what you always wanted? The chance to create your own destiny? Well, I'm giving you that chance, Sailor Pluto. You'd be a fool not to take me up on my offer. It's more than generous. Now, do we have a deal or not?"
Pluto looked up and stared straight into Jade's emerald green eyes. Her heart was breaking, but she knew what she had to say.
"No deal, Jade."
Just outside Queen Jade's lair, the remaining Sailor Soldiers were busy battling the last and apparently strongest youma in a series of increasingly difficult fights. All they had to do was defeat the Minotaur standing in front of the door, and they would be free to enter. However, the youma seemed determined not to let that happen. Already the bodies of Sailor Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus laid motionless on the ground, all their energy sucked out of them. The others would most likely soon follow.
Spotting the Minotaur aiming for Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen roughly pushed her out of the way of an oncoming energy blast, taking the brunt of the attack. She screamed as her lover painfully hit the cold cement floor of the labyrinth, moaning loudly. Despite the pleas of Mars to stay back, she ran over to his body
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama, are you alright?" she asked worriedly, fighting back her tears.
He slowly nodded his head, attempting to sit up. "Don't worry about me, Sailor Moon. I'll be fine. Just get out of here and hide until we defeat this horrible monster. It's too dangerous for you to be out here without a weapon."
She shook her head, wiping back her tears. "No, I have to fight. It's my fault that everybody's here. There has to be a way…"
In the background, they could hear Neptune and Uranus's screams of agony as they were hit with a double blast of energy coming from the Minotaur's horns. Now only Mars remained standing, but she too was showing signs of fatigue. Sailor Moon bit down on her bottom lip, stifling the sob that rose in her throat.
"Usako, please just go," Tuxedo Kamen begged. "There's nothing you can do. He's too strong."
Sailor Moon ignored his impassioned pleas. Instead, she bravely stood up and closed her eyes. Please, I need more power, she prayed. Help me save my friends.
Suddenly, she felt her body being surrounded by a warm pink glow, similar to what happened when she transformed. Power filled her body, but it was different from the power she received from the crystal. This power came from her heart.
Tuxedo Kamen stared in awe as the pink light quickly spread away from her body and formed into a glowing sphere of energy, heading straight toward the angry Minotaur, who immediately tossed aside Mars' lifeless body at the sight. The attack hit him right in the heart, causing him to scream in agony. "I'll get you for this, Sailor Moon!" he vowed before the half-man, half-bull creature crumbled into a pile of golden moondust.
Completely exhausted, Sailor Moon collapsed on the ground. Tuxedo Kamen crawled over to her body and was glad to see that she was just tired. Her lips curled into a small smile as he took her hand and helped her stand up, holding her in his arms. "Mamo-chan, I did it," she said softly.
"You certainly did, Usako." He planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. "But where did that energy come from? You've never been able to use raw power before."
She shook her head. "I don't know. I just prayed for more power to save my friends, because I didn't want to see them in pain anymore…"
Tears clouding her eyes, she turned her head toward Sailor Mercury's and Sailor Jupiter's nearby bodies. But was it already too late?
"Are they dead?" she whispered fearfully, afraid to hear the answer. Tuxedo Kamen bent down and checked Jupiter's body for a pulse.
"I think they are still alive," he said, causing Sailor Moon to let out a loud sigh of relief. "Their energy has been sucked away, but I think after a short rest, everyone will be fine."
"I'm glad, but…"
"But what?"
"What should we do now? Jade's lair is just beyond that door. Without the others, though, I don't think we have much of a chance of defeating her by ourselves."
He sighed. "I know it seems hopeless, Usako, but do we have much of a choice? Every second the crystal remains in Jade's clutches, our world becomes more in danger. We need to save the Silver Crystal and Pluto before time runs out."
Sailor Moon gave herself a hug, trying to ignore the fear that was creeping into her heart. This was just like last time they fought against the Dark Kingdom. She would again be forced to fight alone, but without the crystal…
"We can do it, Usako," her lover whispered, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her golden head. "I promise you we can."
"I hope you're right, Mamo-chan. I really hope you're right."
Back at Central Control, Luna and Artemis were busy watching over the Sailor Soldiers' progress through a special camera located on Sailor Moon's brooch. The white cat frowned at the sight of his lover sitting in front of the computer, her cinnamon eyes never leaving the screen. She'd been like that ever since they arrived.
"Luna, I can take over in here if you want to find something to eat or maybe take a short walk to clear your mind."
His partner shook her head. "That's okay. I'm not hungry."
Artemis jumped up beside her in order to get a better look at the information flying across the screen. Things definitely were not looking good for the Sailor Soldiers. He could feel a lump form at the back of his throat as the camera panned over the unmoving bodies of the girls, including that of his beloved mistress, Sailor Venus. What had happened?
"Mina-chan…"
Luna gave him a comforting nudge. "The last monster was just too strong for them. Almost everyone's body was drained completely of their energy."
"Are they…?"
The black cat shook her head, knowing exactly what her partner was thinking. "According to the computer, they still are showing signs of life."
"What about the prince and princess? Are they okay?"
"Yes, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen appear to have escaped the fight with little or no injury, but…"
"You're still worried, aren't you? Luna, you have to believe that Usagi-chan can do this. She's done it plenty of times before-"
"But never without the crystal, Artemis! She has to rely on her own power this time. What if it isn't enough?"
Feeling the tears welling up in her sad red eyes, the black cat jumped from her perch in front of the computer and climbed up a stack of boxes to look out a tiny window located near the ceiling of the basement. Though it was difficult, she could just barely make out the soft glow of the silver globe shining in the night sky. Luna closed her eyes and started to pray.
Please, Usagi-chan, believe in yourself…
Pluto watched Queen Jade rub a finger over the beauty of the Silver Crystal through angry eyes, frustrated that there was nothing she could do. She was so close, yet so far away…
After she refused the queen's offer, Jade had Pluto chained against the wall beside her throne, where the ruler of the Dark Kingdom was now sitting, quite enjoying the warrior's pathetic attempts to break free. Though she'd be trying to get loose for the past thirty minutes or so, it was clear that the iron chains were indestructible. Deciding that it was probably best to save her energy, the prisoner sighed and slid her back down the wall, taking a seat on the cold cement floor.
"You're never going to get away with this!" Pluto growled. "The prince and princess will stop you, just like they defeated your mother all those years ago!"
Amused by her prisoner's harmless threats, Jade snapped close the golden brooch in her hand and smiled. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, my dear Sailor Pluto," she sneered. "Sailor Moon is nothing without this crystal. This will be as easy as taking candy from a baby!"
"She's stronger than you think."
Jade laughed as if Pluto had just told her the funniest joke in the world. That was hilarious! As if that annoying blonde pipsqueak would ever be able to defeat her, the beautiful and powerful queen of the reborn Dark Kingdom. No, it just wasn't possible, not when she held the source of Sailor Moon's power in the palm of her hand.
The queen carelessly tossed aside the golden brooch on a small table beside her and arose from her black cast-iron throne. In front of her, a glowing sphere suddenly appeared and floated between her outstretched hands. "Why don't we see how well your so-called friends are holding out?" Jade suggested, closing her eyes.
Moments later, a image began to slowly form inside the crystal ball, focusing on the sad scene taking place just outside the door to the lair. Pluto held back a sob at the sight of the Sailor Soldiers' bodies, laying lifeless on the ground, while Tuxedo Kamen comforted Sailor Moon in his arms. It can't be true! she thought, fearing the worst. "It has to be a lie!
"They can't be dead!" she exclaimed, roughly yanking on her chains. The shackles clanged loudly against one another in a dissonant symphony. "Tell me it isn't true!"
"Okay, they aren't dead," Jade quipped. "At least not yet. But they soon will be, along with your princess and beloved prince."
Pluto bit down on her lip, trying to hide the tears that threatened to run down her face. Her friends were outside the lair, fighting for their lives, and it was all her fault. If only she'd been strong enough to not fall underneath Jade's spell, none of this would have happened…
The door to the lair suddenly swung open, revealing the shadows of the prince and princess. Pluto gasped, but Jade appeared calm as the crystal ball in her hands disappeared and she turned around to face her opponents. Her electric green eyes seemed to glow with hate as her blood red lips turned into an evil smile, sending a chill of deja vu down Sailor Moon's spine. She'd know those eyes from anywhere.
"It's you!" she accused, her voice slightly shaking. "You're Jade Green, the woman I met at the airport after I lost my engagement ring."
The queen of the Dark Kingdom chuckled, a rather pleased look on her face. "I'm honored that you remembered our brief meeting, Serenity," Jade replied. "I sincerely hope you enjoyed my little wedding gift to you and your fiancé. I know I certainly did."
Sailor Moon's blue eyes widened upon hearing the woman's words. It suddenly all made sense to her. The cursed ring, the fight over Mamoru's inheritance, his and Setsuna's subsequent betrayal… It was all because of Jade. She was the one who caused so much pain, not only to her, but to Mamoru and Setsuna as well. Clenching her fists, the soldier of the moon stepped forward, prepared to fight the woman who almost ruined her life.
"Where are Pluto and the Silver Crystal?" Sailor Moon asked. "We want them back now!"
The guardian of time, who until that moment had remain hidden in the shadows, stood up and stepped as far as she could away from the wall while chained. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face blotchy from the tears she cried, but she still looked bravely beautiful. Tuxedo Kamen swallowed hard, careful not to betray his emotions.
"I'm here, Sailor Moon," she said softly, her head hung low in defeat. "Don't worry about me. Just get back the crystal. That's the important thing."
"Did I give you permission to speak, prisoner?" Jade asked, hurling a beam of dark energy toward Sailor Pluto. The garnet-eyed woman dropped to her knees in agony, but refused to give the queen the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
"Pluto!"
Upon seeing Pluto's pain, Tuxedo Kamen attempted to go to her, but was stopped in his tracks by another blast of energy from Queen Jade's fingertips, slamming him violently against the wall. His lover ran over and cradled him in her arms, while Jade turned back toward her prisoner.
"Did you see that, my dear Pluto?" she asked, a knowing smile on your face. "He loves you. Why else would he put his life in danger to protect you?"
"Because that's the kind of person he is," Pluto declared. "Endymion would do anything to protect a friend, and that is one of the reasons I lo--" The soldier quickly shut her mouth, realizing what she almost just said, as Jade walked over and cupped her chin in her hand.
"Aha! So you finally admit that you love him? It's about time you confessed. Perhaps now you would be willing to reconsider my little offer, Endymion's love in exchange for your child's life."
Pluto felt Sailor Moon staring at her, but she was careful not to look toward her princess and the injured prince, who kept falling in and out of consciousness. Instead, she focused straight on Jade's emerald green eyes. "Yes, I will admit that I love the prince," she confessed in a strong, steady voice. Despite the princess's shocked gasp, Pluto continued, this time turning to look into Sailor Moon's teary eyes. "I love him as a friend, as my future king, as the father of my child, and yes, maybe even as a lover. However, I know in my heart of hearts that there is only one woman Endymion truly loves, and her name is Princess Serenity. Not even your strongest spell could change that, Jade. It's their destiny, and I won't let you destroy their happy future!"
Sailor Moon wiped away a tear at Pluto's speech, touched by her words. The queen had just offered her the chance to grant her greatest wish, yet Pluto refused. She remained loyal to the end. "Pluto…"
However, Jade was not so moved. The queen prepared another attack and launched it toward the guardian of time, but this time Pluto was prepared to fight. She quickly stepped to the side of the incoming attack, allowing the beam of energy to smash right through the chains, and thus releasing her from the bonds that held her against the wall. Jade let out a string of curses as the escaped prisoner ran over to the prince and princess, worried about Tuxedo Kamen's condition.
"Is he okay?" Pluto asked, seeing that he had once again fallen unconscious.
At the sound of the time guardian's voice, the man in Sailor Moon's arms moaned and opened his midnight blue eyes, much to both women's relief. The first thing he did was smile softly at his princess, brushing away a wayward tear from her cheek as Pluto looked on. She expected to feel another pain in her heart at the scene between the two lovers, but strangely enough, the only emotion she felt was happiness. Happiness that the man she loved was happy.
Though he was still weak from the attack, Tuxedo Kamen struggled to stand up with the assistance of the two Sailor Soldiers. The trio then turned around to face Jade, who looked none too pleased at their reconciliation. "What?! I thought you all hated each other!"
"Well, you thought wrong, Jade," Sailor Moon replied. "There's a power stronger than hate and betrayal, and that is love and forgiveness. Too bad you will never achieve that power yourself." Beside Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon began glowing the soothing pink light from earlier, but instead of flying towards Jade, the energy formed a large sphere in her hands. She looked up and smiled at her companions. "Let's do this together."
Tuxedo Kamen and Pluto nodded as they too prepared their attacks, releasing the three balls of energy at the same time. The colors of pink, gold, and purple mysteriously combined, forming a bright beam of silver light. Jade desperately tried to shield herself from the oncoming blast, but it was too late. She screamed as her body was thrown against the wall.
By that time, the rest of the Sailor Soldiers had recovered from their energy drainages and ran into the lair, surprised to find that the others were holding up so well against Jade. Though she wasn't dead, it was obvious that the queen of the Dark Kingdom was in much pain.
Spotting Sailor Moon's golden brooch on the table beside the throne, Venus grabbed the transformation device and tossed it toward the princess. "Here, transform!" she ordered. "You'll be able to defeat her easily as Eternal Sailor Moon."
"Right! MOON ETERNAL MAKEUP!"
Seconds later, the light of her transformation disappeared, revealing the beautiful form of Eternal Sailor Moon. In her hand, she held a short scepter which seemed to elongate into a staff in the blink of an eye. She truly cut an impressive figure as she stood over the injured villain, prepared to finish the Dark Kingdom queen off.
"Jade, I don't want to kill you if I don't have to," Eternal Sailor Moon said softly, shocking the queen, as well as some of the Sailor Soldiers who wanted nothing more to see the evil being die. "I meant what I said before about forgiveness. Repent for your crimes, and I will forgive you."
Jade laughed bitterly, tears in her eyes. "You want me to apologize? Ha! What about you? You and your friends killed my mother and destroyed my home, two of the few things I actually loved. Don't you think I deserve an apology?"
Eternal Sailor Moon loosened her grip on her staff, a sad look in her eyes. She never knew. "I'm sorry, Jade…"
"I don't want to hear your stupid apologies, Serenity! Nothing will ever bring her back, so you might as well kill me too. At least then I will be with my mother once again."
Reluctantly, Eternal Sailor Moon set the bottom of the staff on the ground and wrapped both hands around the center. She didn't want to do this, despite the pain Jade caused, but if she refused to repent, there was no other choice. STARLIGHT HONEY-
"Wait! Don't hurt my mommy!"
Eleven pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the door, where a tearful eight-year-old boy stood, a frightened look on his face. Jade smiled faintly at the sight of her beloved son."Damian…"
It was Pluto who finally stepped forward, taking the little boy's hand in her own. He looked so scared that she couldn't help but want to comfort him. In response, Damian gave her a shaky smile, remembering her from earlier.
"Pluto, who is he?" Jupiter asked.
"This is Damian, Jade's son," Pluto answered, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "We met earlier."
"Jade's son?"
Pluto nodded before turning toward Eternal Sailor Moon. Though it would probably be met with some opposition from the others, she knew what she had to do. "Don't kill her, Eternal Sailor Moon."
"What?" the soldier of the moon asked.
"I know it sounds crazy, but he's just a little boy who still needs his mother. There has to be another way to deal with this besides death."
Eternal Sailor Moon lowered her staff, curious as to what the guardian of time had to say. If there was another way to deal with Jade than with death, she would gladly welcome it. No matter how many enemies she killed in the name of love and justice, it still pained her to have to do it. "What are you suggesting, Pluto?"
"I can open up another space warp and take Jade and Damian to a nearby prison here in the Andromeda Galaxy. I still have a few contacts here that I met during the Silver Millennium, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind doing me a favor. That way Jade is punished, but Damian still gets to stay with his mother."
The blonde's blue eyes shifted from Damian's frightened emeralds to those of his mother and back again. There really was only one choice. The boy needed his mother. "Alright, Pluto, go ahead."
Pluto gently pulled Damian to the spot where Jade was laying and let him go hug his mother as she raised her Time Staff high. The Garnet Orb on top began glowing brightly as a space warp opened beneath the group of the three and they disappeared.
A few minutes later, the space warp opened again and Pluto jumped out, feeling weak from her energy drainage. Neptune and Uranus immediately ran over to hold her up. "Are you okay, Pluto?" the ocean warrior asked.
Pluto looked over at Eternal Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, who were holding hands, and smiled.
"Yes, Neptune, I'm fine, and everything is just how it should be. Everything."