Hey, it's the Black Gate! Let's turn back.
GN: We have to continue.
Damn, I knew you would say that. But it looks so much like the entrance to Navy Boot Camp!
GN: Oh, don't start that again, just get on with the story!
Right…still…
GN: GET ON WITH IT!
Yes, oh Monty Python leader of all grammar errors and corrections!
GN: -_-;; *sigh*
Thanks to all of my reviewers! The story is still far from over, but it's closer then it was a few chapters!
I just realized I didn't translate the words in Chapter 8! Gomen (sorry!)
[1] Evil Wizard of Many Colors, Pervert!
[2] Talking Tall Tree
[3] Elenaithil, what troubles you/what is the matter with you?
[4] Ever is thy sight a joy. You are beautiful, you are a great warrior. Your beauty shines bright. Your heart is that of a lion, Pure One Mercury.
[5] Forgive me, I don't understand.
Sorry I forgot all of those! I had to go look them back up, too. Well, enjoy this chapter!
Part 10: I Try
I try to say goodbye and choke, try to walk away and I stumble. Though I try to hide it, it's clear, my world crumbles when you are not here…
--Macy Gray
They rode towards the Black Gate, Merry and those too hurt or ill to come with them left behind at Gondor to help protect it should the hosts of Mordor somehow defeat the Armies of the West. Elenaithil, fully recovered from the "battle" she fought, not rode next to Legolas and Aragorn.
"What is the storm that I have heard of?" Aragorn asked.
Elenaithil looked sharply at him, then looked forward. "There is a storm within Time. The last storm was a creation of a dark being, called the Death Phantom. It was there that my mirai hime, my future princess, was lost and became a dark thing when we last saw her. I am scared that something has happened to Pluto, the one who sent me here." With some hesitance, Elenaithil brought out a hidden necklace, where a small key hung from. "This is the way home, Aragorn'ou. I will use it in the end."
Finally, the Armies of the West came to the Black Gate, and waited as Aragorn announced himself and waited for someone to come out. Elenaithil shifted slightly in her saddle as they waited, her senses on high-alert.
The Gate opened, and out walked a man who sent shivers down Elenaithil's spine. Nearby, a human Diana stayed near Pippin, the sword ready already.
"I am the Mouth of Sauron," the man said. Elenaithil paid little attention to his words, but instead to the man next to him. When the sword that Sam had carried, the cloak of Lorien and then the mithril shirt that Frodo wore was shown, Elenaithil gasped as Pippin tried to race forward but was held back by Gandalf and Diana.
"So you have yet another of these little imps with you!" the Mouth said, and nearby the man next to him sneered at Elenaithil. "Well, child, do you pick the winning side?"
Elenaithil straightened as the attention turned to her. "I am the Daughter of Water, the one who comes from the Planet of Knowledge, the Water Star, Mercury. I am your match and your sibling, and I do not change sides at some words from one like you!"
The man sneered at her and with the Mouth, after Gandalf took the things and told him to leave, did they do so. Even as the group left, the doors of the Gate sprang open and out came the hordes of Mordor.
*
"Pallas Guided Discus Toss!" A ball of blue energy, shaped like a discus of old, was thrown into the storm and disappeared, causing the storm to recede a little.
"Vesta Heavenly Hearth Unleashed!" fire bloomed then was sent forth, once more sending back the storm.
"Ceres Cold Heart, Frozen Grounds!" the wind blew and threw back the storm again.
"Juno Argus Vengeance!" peacock feathers flowed around Juno, and then attacked the storm, but it was still on the fringes.
"Pink Lady Lovely Kiss!" the last attack sent the storm away from their sight, and Boromir looked down upon the battlefield next to the Black Gates when he gasped.
"Bor-kun?" Sailorpallas asked.
"There is a being of Chaos, but I fear that it doesn't go after Aragorn."
The group quickly gathered around the window to watch the battle.
*
Legolas cut down the orcs nearby, and then spotted the man who Elenaithil had yelled at, his black blade seeming to glow as he headed for the blue-haired Senshi that fought with the rest.
"No!" Legolas yelled, cutting his way to the man and then slicing him across the back. An opening appeared, but only blackness seemed to leak out as the man turned to glare at Legolas with his eyes turning blood-red.
"You dare to interfere, being of this world? Then you die!" the sword came down, and Legolas blocked it, moving away and fighting, blocking and trying to get some advantage. Seeing an opening, Leoglas lunged forward and cut off the man's arm, just below the shoulder. The one without a sword fell down, and showed what could only be described as a great nothingness within. Legolas blinked, surprised, and nearby lost his own arm as the man once more came after him.
"You think yourself equal enough to fight me, Elf? I am Charcoal Onyx, the one who shall destroy the Senshi of Mercury and who will gain esteem in my Master's eye. With her gone, we will gain the Ring and control of this world, then control of hers!"
"Not while I live!" Legolas yelled out, and for a sudden moment, something glowed on his hand, igniting the sword he carried with blue water-energy as he cut down at the man, Charcoal Onyx. The energy burst through him, and the man let out a low scream right before he leaned forward and cut into Legolas' unarmed bicep with the black sword. A sudden jerk one way broke off the piece into the elf's arm, and Legolas grabbed his wounded arm, feeling odd as something foreign and evil began to try and course through his veins. The ring on his hand once more glowed blue, and suddenly there was a violent upheaval on the ground. Almost too far for Legolas to hear came the shout, "The Eagles are coming!" and then someone yelling his name, but then blackness seemed to take him.
*
"Where is Legolas-sama?" Diana asked as they all came to Gondor's White City. The group looked around with concern until they spotted him in the shadows, leaning heavily against a wall. Merry, who had recovered slightly and now awaited to see Frodo and Sam, both who were now in the House of Healing, came over and stopped. The jewel that Diana had given him was glowing slightly. Elenaithil moved forward and suddenly there was a blue flash and Legolas stumbled slightly.
"Shashu!" Elenaithil caught the Elf and pulled him into the sunlight, where the group could see an ugly black wound that he was holding, a small ring glowing a steady blue as he held it against the wound. Aragon knelt, but before he could touch it Elenaithil moved his hand away. "I know what this is, and you will not touch it, Aragon'ou-sama. He has been poisoned by Chaos."
Diana knelt as well, and recoiled. "This is bad, Mercury-sama. There is a piece inside of his arm. We can't get it out. He needs to go to Elysium, or even to Crystal Tokyo. The power of the ginzuishou could cure him."
Gimli frowned, "Whatever it takes, but I come as well!"
"As do we all," Pippin told them, "There isn't anything else we're being left behind for, and separated about. Frodo and Sam are almost better anyway, so we can leave soon."
"But we would have to leave now," Diana told him, "It would take him over if we don't."
Legolas finally spoke. "Diana speaks the truth. Even know it fights within me, trying to take me over. I must leave, or I fear I will become even worse then an orc."
The group looked at the blond-haired elf, and Pippin seemed, for the first time, to speak for all of them. "Well, when are we going?"
*
The group circled around the three who had been preparing to go. Diana finally jumped onto Frodo's shoulders, and smiled at Ami. "I can get them through Time as well. Don't worry, Mercury-sama."
"They just need to keep hold of each other, and we won't worry, Diana," Ami said, before reaching up her hand. "Eternal Mercury Crystal Power, Make-up!" in a flash of blue she was transformed, and with that she held up the golden key in her hands, as if reaching towards the sky.
"Time Guardian! Tear apart the sky, and open the space-time door for me! I call the true name of the almighty god of time, the time guardian's father! Chronos! Reveal to me the path of light!"
Above them, from the key's power obviously, opened a winding vortex that slowly caused Eternal Sailormercury and Legolas to rise up. Diana jumped into her human form and, grabbing Frodo's hand, held onto Sailormercury's foot, all of the remaining Fellowship being pulled upward and away from that world into another.
They were greeted with darkness for a while, then suddenly everyone touched unseen ground in front of a large door. The Fellowship members looked around, amazed, when they spotted a group of six people coming out of the mists.
"Mercury-san!" one cried out, running towards Sailormercury, "Diana!"
"Small Lady!" Diana said, embracing the girl with the odd pink hair. She wasn't the only one with pink hair, and nearby also stood Haldir and Boromir.
"Haldir? But…you died," Aragorn said, amazed but glad that his friend was alive.
Haldir nodded, "So I'm told, and remember. But here, I am alive. Do not ask me why, I and Boromir don't understand much of what these girls tell us."
"ParaPara thinks Hal-kun is being stubborn," the light-blue haired girl said in a childish voice.
The girl looked to all the group, then Sailormercury. "Gomen, Chibi-Usa-chan. These are my friends of the Fellowship. That is Aragorn, king of Gondor." Aragorn looked ready to argue, but Sailormercury continued on quickly. "That is Gimli, a dwarf and miner. He's very brave." Gimli blushed a little. "That is Merry and Pippin, my Gu-tachi." The two smiled at the little girl their most silliest smiles, making the child laugh slightly. "That is Frodo and Sam, the two who carried the Ring." Frodo seemed a little shy, as did Sam, but Chibi-Usa smiled at them all the same. "This is Gandalf the White, our guide and wizard." Chibi-Usa bowed to Gandalf, then turned and looked very worried about Legolas, "Watkouwa kareshidesuka, Ami-chan?" Mercury blushed a deep red as she said, "Hai…"
"What did she ask?" Aragorn asked Boromir and Haldir. They both were unsure, and the one with red hair said, "She asked if he was her boyfriend."
"He's hurt!" Chibi-Usa said, examining the wound. Suddenly, the ring flashed blue brilliantly, and Legolas looked up at the child with a look that Aragorn had never seen on the elf's face ever before.
"So powerful…the ginzuishou…" he muttered, but blue flashed in his eyes once more and he blinked, beginning to breath hard.
"This is not good," one of the girls, the one with green hair, said. "If there is a piece of Chaos within him, then we may have a hard time finding Elysium, especially since its hard enough to go through Time without the guardian."
Boromir sighed, "Will you stop reminding me that I'm not good at this, and that I'm not supposed to be even handling the stupid staff?"
"Don't call Puu's staff stupid!" Chibi-Usa said, and Sailormercury quickly quieted everyone down.
"With myself and the Mariner Ring that I gave Legolas, we can get to my castle at my Mother Star. From there, we can reach Elysium and find out what's wrong."
Everyone agreed with the plan, and soon they all left to go to the past and to Mercury's castle.
*
"Amazing," Frodo said, "All those stars."
The girls giggled slightly, Chibimoon giving them a small glare as they continued forward until they saw the castle in the sky, a twirling castle that looked like a ripple in water.
"The Mariner Castle of Mercury," ParaPara said, "Given to her by Queen Selenity of the Silver Millennium. Wow! ParaPara wants one!"
Aragon smiled. In the short time they had been with the girls, it showed that their personalities were very diverse and sometimes childish. Chibimoon was a little more mature, but also seemed anxious about something.
"Thinking about seeing your parents?" Aragon asked as they landed and the doors opened.
"Ie, I was thinking of…someone else. He lives in Elysium, and I met him a little while ago. I can't wait to see him again."
Princess Mercury, the group saw a smaller version of Sailor Mercury coming over, a small ball of light around it. The other shields are up, with the exception of Pluto's shield. If you put yours up, then the Evil that is now within this system will be contained within the Inner system.
"Guardian Mercury, can you get us to where the other Senshi are, and quickly? Someone will be lost if we don't."
I understand. The shield is now up, and they are now at Elysium. The freezing of the world is beginning slowly. Within a year after Serenity's and Endymion's marriage and joining of power, they will have to freeze the world until the time comes to create Crystal Tokyo.
"Thank you for the update and the place. I'm sorry we
couldn't stay longer."
That's quite alright. I realize the
urgency, since you and Sailormoon are the only ones
to have gained your new powers yet.
Mercury blinked, then nodded. "Then it is more urgent then I thought. Come on, we have to reach Elysium!"