In the Hands of Fate
By Mask of Twilight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all of it's characters do not belong to me, but to the wonderful Naoko-sama. I am only borrowing her extravagant cast of super-heroes and villians for this little fic of mine. ^_~
A.N. Once again, I apologize for the long wait. School is driving me absolutely mad.
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Chapter X
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times...
~Pink Floyd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usagi's eyelids fluttered open. She had been dreaming...rose petals, diamonds, everything bathed in pale moonlight...
...And a familiar voice, a despairing voice, calling her name...
Usagi shook her head and stretched. Just another dream.
But something had happened last night. Something that wasn't just a dream... The young woman closed her eyes; images--no, memories--flashing across her mind. Warm breath, smooth skin, sweet scents...and his beautiful face. Usagi sighed and smiled softly. It had been amazing...
But she couldn't stop the warning beat of her heart; the silent voice inside her mind, crying out with guilt. She couldn't stop the faces of her friends from flooding her mind; couldn't stop Mamoru's voice from invading her ears...'Why...?'
A single tear slid down Usagi's cheek, but she hastily wiped it away. She wouldn't think about her friends now. She couldn't bear to.
Looking around, Usagi saw a simple dark crimson gown resting on a chair beside the bed. Rising, she held it up admiringly. It was obviously there for her use, and, seeing as she couldn't leave the room in her present state, she tried it on. Standing before the ornate mirror, she saw that it fit perfectly, and was extremely comfortable.
Usagi brushed her fingers through her long, golden hair, but instead of putting it into her usual odangos, she left it loose. Ceasing her movements, she gazed at her reflection. She seemed different, somehow. She didn't look quite like herself. Usagi's thoughts drifted. What had happened last night? Why did she give in? ...Was she in love, or was Demando simply toying with her mind?
In a confusing way, it seemed to be both.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's so cold here," whispered Sailor Venus, shivering slightly. The Senshi had reached the planet Nemesis, and Tuxedo Kamen with them. Sailor Pluto had lent her powers to the Senshi, but, unable to leave the Fourth Dimension, and, being practically useless in battle as a hologram, she had stayed behind.
Stepping forward from the group, Sailor Mars gazed at the barren landscape before her. It seemed as if she had stepped into a world of continuous night. All was dark and bleak, not a living thing was to be seen. The air was as still and cold as death itself, and seemed to oppress them. The Senshi all felt as if they should whisper, lest they should shatter the deadly silence.
"Look!" Sailor Jupiter cried softly, pointing to a dark shadow that seemed to rise up out of the very land itself, a fortress of immense proportions. Like the rock of the planet, it was made out of some sort of dark crystal, full of jagged edges and smooth shining facades. "That must be where Sailor Moon is!"
Without a word, Mercury whipped out her hand-held computer and started typing furiously. The sharp clack of the keys sounded louder than usual, and Mercury winced when her computer beeped noisily, indicating that it had finished its task. After looking at the data, Mercury snapped the case shut with a grim, yet resolute look on her face. "I've found a way in," she stated, with only a hint of doubt in her voice.
The Senshi waited for their friend to continue. They were surprised at the speed with which Mercury had worked, and at the hardened, determined expression which was rarely seen on the usually gentle girl's face. After a moment, Mercury pointed to the left side of the castle and spoke. "There is a passage on the lower levels which I think will take us into the fortress. It's small, so hopefully it will be less guarded than the other doors. Of course, there's no guarantee..." Her voice trailed off doubtfully.
"If that's the best way in, we'll take it," said Sailor Venus.
Tuxedo Kamen nodded in agreement, "I'll do anything to save her." The others agreed and started to walk towards the castle, which loomed ominously before them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in thought, The Wiseman, advisor to Prince Demando, sat shrouded in darkness. Silence surrounded him, so dense
that the smallest sound would have shattered any listener's eardrums. Darkness surrounded him, so consuming that any other being would be driven mad because of it. But darker still were the black thoughts of the cloaked man in his meditative state; thoughts of destruction and power and nothing else.
For a long while he sat, unmoving, plotting his next move concerning the Royal Family of the Black Moon. They were not doing as he wished. The Ginzuishou remained with the child, beyond his grasp. Without that stone he could do nothing but sit and watch, the mere advisor to the Prince. But now Esmeraude had failed and fallen, and Prince Demando was making no move to retrieve the crystal himself. Saffiru was useless in this endeavor, for he only did what his brother desired, and did not trust the Wiseman.
The Wiseman took out his crystal globe, seemingly out of thin air. He gazed into it, willing the globe to show him the Crystal Palace. Expecting to see the past selves of the Sailor Senshi guarding it, he was surprised to see that they were no longer there. And, to his dismay, the daughter of Queen Serenity was gone as well. No...she was still there, he could sense her energy, and the energy of the Ginzuishou. But both were faded, not nearly as strong as they normally were. In fact, they were so faint that he would hardly know they were there had he not been searching for them.
Frantically, the Wiseman sought out the reason for this decline in energy. The Ginzuishou was his only way of securing the power to destroy Earth and all the surrounding planets, and perhaps even more than that. It was the only way he could thrive, gaining power from the void that would take the galaxy's place once his task was complete.
Scanning the destroyed city of Crystal Tokyo, the globe showed Wiseman nothing that could explain this turn of events. Then, realizing the idiots of the Black Moon family could have done something, the Wiseman searched the Palace of Nemesis, his gleaming eyes intently watching the images in the crystal globe.
Suddenly, he willed the globe to stop, one image filling the orb. The Prince of the Black Moon was sitting on one arm of his throne, his arm wrapped around a young woman who stood by him. The Wiseman peered closer, realizing who the woman was. She was none other than the past self of Queen Serenity, mother of the brat who held the Silver Crystal.
The Wiseman forced the orb to go dark and made it disappear. So this was the answer to the riddle. And Prince Demando was the fool behind it all.
By Mask of Twilight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all of it's characters do not belong to me, but to the wonderful Naoko-sama. I am only borrowing her extravagant cast of super-heroes and villians for this little fic of mine. ^_~
A.N. Once again, I apologize for the long wait. School is driving me absolutely mad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter X
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times...
~Pink Floyd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usagi's eyelids fluttered open. She had been dreaming...rose petals, diamonds, everything bathed in pale moonlight...
...And a familiar voice, a despairing voice, calling her name...
Usagi shook her head and stretched. Just another dream.
But something had happened last night. Something that wasn't just a dream... The young woman closed her eyes; images--no, memories--flashing across her mind. Warm breath, smooth skin, sweet scents...and his beautiful face. Usagi sighed and smiled softly. It had been amazing...
But she couldn't stop the warning beat of her heart; the silent voice inside her mind, crying out with guilt. She couldn't stop the faces of her friends from flooding her mind; couldn't stop Mamoru's voice from invading her ears...'Why...?'
A single tear slid down Usagi's cheek, but she hastily wiped it away. She wouldn't think about her friends now. She couldn't bear to.
Looking around, Usagi saw a simple dark crimson gown resting on a chair beside the bed. Rising, she held it up admiringly. It was obviously there for her use, and, seeing as she couldn't leave the room in her present state, she tried it on. Standing before the ornate mirror, she saw that it fit perfectly, and was extremely comfortable.
Usagi brushed her fingers through her long, golden hair, but instead of putting it into her usual odangos, she left it loose. Ceasing her movements, she gazed at her reflection. She seemed different, somehow. She didn't look quite like herself. Usagi's thoughts drifted. What had happened last night? Why did she give in? ...Was she in love, or was Demando simply toying with her mind?
In a confusing way, it seemed to be both.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's so cold here," whispered Sailor Venus, shivering slightly. The Senshi had reached the planet Nemesis, and Tuxedo Kamen with them. Sailor Pluto had lent her powers to the Senshi, but, unable to leave the Fourth Dimension, and, being practically useless in battle as a hologram, she had stayed behind.
Stepping forward from the group, Sailor Mars gazed at the barren landscape before her. It seemed as if she had stepped into a world of continuous night. All was dark and bleak, not a living thing was to be seen. The air was as still and cold as death itself, and seemed to oppress them. The Senshi all felt as if they should whisper, lest they should shatter the deadly silence.
"Look!" Sailor Jupiter cried softly, pointing to a dark shadow that seemed to rise up out of the very land itself, a fortress of immense proportions. Like the rock of the planet, it was made out of some sort of dark crystal, full of jagged edges and smooth shining facades. "That must be where Sailor Moon is!"
Without a word, Mercury whipped out her hand-held computer and started typing furiously. The sharp clack of the keys sounded louder than usual, and Mercury winced when her computer beeped noisily, indicating that it had finished its task. After looking at the data, Mercury snapped the case shut with a grim, yet resolute look on her face. "I've found a way in," she stated, with only a hint of doubt in her voice.
The Senshi waited for their friend to continue. They were surprised at the speed with which Mercury had worked, and at the hardened, determined expression which was rarely seen on the usually gentle girl's face. After a moment, Mercury pointed to the left side of the castle and spoke. "There is a passage on the lower levels which I think will take us into the fortress. It's small, so hopefully it will be less guarded than the other doors. Of course, there's no guarantee..." Her voice trailed off doubtfully.
"If that's the best way in, we'll take it," said Sailor Venus.
Tuxedo Kamen nodded in agreement, "I'll do anything to save her." The others agreed and started to walk towards the castle, which loomed ominously before them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in thought, The Wiseman, advisor to Prince Demando, sat shrouded in darkness. Silence surrounded him, so dense
that the smallest sound would have shattered any listener's eardrums. Darkness surrounded him, so consuming that any other being would be driven mad because of it. But darker still were the black thoughts of the cloaked man in his meditative state; thoughts of destruction and power and nothing else.
For a long while he sat, unmoving, plotting his next move concerning the Royal Family of the Black Moon. They were not doing as he wished. The Ginzuishou remained with the child, beyond his grasp. Without that stone he could do nothing but sit and watch, the mere advisor to the Prince. But now Esmeraude had failed and fallen, and Prince Demando was making no move to retrieve the crystal himself. Saffiru was useless in this endeavor, for he only did what his brother desired, and did not trust the Wiseman.
The Wiseman took out his crystal globe, seemingly out of thin air. He gazed into it, willing the globe to show him the Crystal Palace. Expecting to see the past selves of the Sailor Senshi guarding it, he was surprised to see that they were no longer there. And, to his dismay, the daughter of Queen Serenity was gone as well. No...she was still there, he could sense her energy, and the energy of the Ginzuishou. But both were faded, not nearly as strong as they normally were. In fact, they were so faint that he would hardly know they were there had he not been searching for them.
Frantically, the Wiseman sought out the reason for this decline in energy. The Ginzuishou was his only way of securing the power to destroy Earth and all the surrounding planets, and perhaps even more than that. It was the only way he could thrive, gaining power from the void that would take the galaxy's place once his task was complete.
Scanning the destroyed city of Crystal Tokyo, the globe showed Wiseman nothing that could explain this turn of events. Then, realizing the idiots of the Black Moon family could have done something, the Wiseman searched the Palace of Nemesis, his gleaming eyes intently watching the images in the crystal globe.
Suddenly, he willed the globe to stop, one image filling the orb. The Prince of the Black Moon was sitting on one arm of his throne, his arm wrapped around a young woman who stood by him. The Wiseman peered closer, realizing who the woman was. She was none other than the past self of Queen Serenity, mother of the brat who held the Silver Crystal.
The Wiseman forced the orb to go dark and made it disappear. So this was the answer to the riddle. And Prince Demando was the fool behind it all.