AN: *peeks from gundanium kitty den* Um hello? ^^;; Hehe, I know that it's not exactly May ^^;; But, hey, if you go by the Chinese lunar calendar, it's still May right ^_~ You should all thank the stray kitty that lives near my school. If it wasn't for petting him and getting an eye infection scare, I wouldn't be able to sit down quietly and finish writing this chapter ^^;; Wai!!! Promises is finally drawing to a close! *pops open a Champaign bottle* Let's celebrate people, for the completion of my first fy/sm fic! I'm finally going to finish something!!!!! This was going to be the last chapter, but since I'm too lazy to write a 30 page chapter, there'll be another chapter after this. I think that I deserve break ^_^ *Chibi-Nakago comes along and points at the 13 unfinished ones* Or maybe not… .
Oh, and about the ending ^^;; Just to let you know, I got a great schedule for next year, so I'm extremely happy ^_^ But I'm currently under the influence of the great Kaori Yuki, and if you know any of her amazing works, such as Kaine, Count Cain, Boys Next Door, and of course Angel Sanctuary, you'll know that all of them are twisted, dark, have some kind of unnatural pairing, and most of all, sad endings ^^;;
Dedications: To Mingming-chan *glomps* I think that you really succeeded in making your review longer than my chapter! And believe it or not, I sat down one afternoon and read the whole thing ^_^ Including the fic that you inserted in there, cheater ^_~ Hehe, I think that you set a record for the longest review in FF.net history, be proud of yourself, my future First Lady of United States, who manipulates the future President from behind the scenes ^_~
Bawdy (I seriously don't know what to say… wow… I never knew that someone could like this story that much ^^;; Thank you, I know that it doesn't sound much, but it's very nice of you for reviewing every single chapter, and I appreciated all the comments you made ^_^ I want to reply to all the reviews, but that takes way to long ^^;;), Delia ( I think that I love reviews best when it's from someone who's not a SM fan. That tells me that there's someone who reads my story not for the pairing, but for the writing ^_^ It's okay if it's only one review, thank you), Allie, Rose, Haruka-hime ( Beltane! That's what it is! And I read the whole Mist of Avalon series too ^^;;), Lilyusagi-chan (um… to make readers mad? Lol, just kidding), Chaska ( ^^;; are you okay? I hope that I didn't put you in a permanent state of shock by killing Usagi ^^;;), DuoLover, Gakkuri Naishinnou ( And I love your fic too! Just update more often ^^;;), Kero-chan (Lol, I wouldn't mind being hailed ^_~ If you keep this up, my ego will be inflated to the size of an hot air balloon ^^;;), Nagumi no AuraLeigh (^^;; I'm sorry? I hope that you did well on your college Alg tests ^_^), Uranus2000 (Is Nakago dead? *looks innocent* I don't know! Lol, hehe, feel the addiction! You're confused? That's what you get when you deprive yourself from these wonderful series!), Bunni V (Lol, glad to see that someone agrees with me ^_^ Hehe, but don't go so early as reserving a place in the grave yard yet ^^;; And I hope you're still not sitting beside a hallow grave O.o), Sailorartemis200, Blue Angel ( hehe, can't tell you what happened to Nakago ^_^ Well, let's just say that Yui used Kodoku on him, and if you saw FY, you'll know what the effects are.), Goddess of Light (Cruel? *sniffles* for that comment, I was going to put off the update even longer ^_~ ), adb, Alexandrea Orozco, Bluejello (^^;; so what are you going to do when this story ends?), Celes ( Is Nakago dead? *evil laughter* ), Sailor C. Ryoko ( I know who you are ^_^), SweetKawaiiAngel, Mika (I'm glad that you've started to update your RGU/SM story again ^_^ But I'm still very confused ^^;;), Kuroi Atropos (^^;; Why does everyone think that Nakago is dead?), Lilmako-chan, Usa-chan ( . Usa-chan, it's not fair. *pouts* I always update, but you never update any of your fics.), ScorpioNightShadow (thank you for supporting this story all the way ^_^), Zackire (just wondering, what if Usagi stays dead? *smirks*), _Kyrpt_, Tira Wolf, Aidenn-chan (Lol, I know how easy it is to mix up pairings and characters ^^;; Hehe, you should start updating too! I wouldn't mind to read some new chapters for all of your fics ^^;; Or else you'll see a couple of flying kitties going your way ^_~Yes, I'm greedy, that's what you get for being an only child ^^;;), themoonmaiden (Lol, I love your equations, if only the structures in organic chemistry are that easy. *sigh* Oh well. Lol, so you want a happy ending hun? Well, you'll just have to wait till the end ^_^), and Dakki
Chapter 15
"Master, I have done everything you asked of me," a female voice was heard echoing inside a dark cave.
"You have done very well Soi, much better than I expected." the tall figure in black armour commented. "Now, with the two mikos gone, and Cosmos dead, this world is defenceless."
"Master, about our agreement?" the Seiryuu seishi interrupted. She had no concern for the future of this world, but her payment was another business all together. She didn't just go through betraying everyone at the cost of her own life and future for nothing. "You promised that if I took care of those three, you will grant me Usagi's powers."
"What about Nakago? Are you still in love with the seishi?"
The red head snorted. "I was, but he obvious doesn't give a damn about how I feel, even though I was willing to do everything for him, ever since I met him," a pained look flashed in her eyes, disappearing so quickly that if it wasn't for Chaos's powers, he would've never caught it. "Just when I thought that I had his heart, that bitch Usagi showed up, and he threw me away like an old rag. Just like all the other men before him." Soi continued in a bitter voice. "If there's anything I've learned in all of this, its that men only have eyes for power. The more power you have, the more attention you'll attract."
"So that is why you want Usagi's powers? With her strength, you will be able to have anyone you desire?" Chaos asked, amused at the naivety the red head showed as she nodded. "But aren't you afraid of ending up like her? Even with all of her powers, she was still defeated."
"But who will be left to fight me? You will take over this world, all the seishi, miko, and gods will be destroyed. I'll be the most powerful after you. And I will not be like that stupid girl, she trusted too easily."
"Very well then, you shall receive you reward," Chaos said in Endymion's body, the shadows hiding the snickers on his face.
The Seiryuu seishi looked up just in time to see a golden light shooting out of the dark prince's hand, before a blazing pain drilled into her chest. Soi fell down to the cold ground as her star seed was ripped out of her body.
"Humans, as stupid as always," Chaos smirked to himself stepping over the red head's body. "You just made the same mistake you said you weren't going to make. You want the power of Cosmos. Did you know that in order to inherit that power, she lost everything. Her family, her friends, her love, even her own self. If you want her power, the first thing you have to get rid of is your greed. Don't take it personally. You wanted her power, I'm just helping you to get to the next step. After all, Usagi almost lost her starseed before the power of Cosmos was awakened in her. I'm just steering you into the right path."
~*~*~*~
"Naka-kun?"
He must really be loosing it. There was no mistake in the voice though. And the persistent tone did not allow him to believe otherwise. Slowly lifting his tear stained face from his hands, the blond man blinked at the golden sphere of light floating above him.
Warmth from the rays were slowly absorbed by his cold body, filling the empty voice inside of him, when he lost her the second time. The light merged with the darkness in his heart, it was so perfect, just like reuniting with her again. "Usa-chan?"
The golden light above him exploded. For a few minutes, the only thing Nakago could do was to cover his eyes from the stray beams that scattered around in his world, driving away the shadows that had previously swallowed him in their chilly darkness.
Soft giggles made the shogun slowly look up again as the light show dimmed and gathered into eight human like figures.
"My! Usagi certainly chose a handsome one!" a woman with blonde hair tied into a red bow giggled. "I've waited for more than a millennium to meet her 'Naka-kun'! I have to admit Mars, he more than meets my eyes!"
"What are you so happy about Minako? You owe me a new pair of shoes since you lost the bet," a woman with long back hair pointed out.
"That's not fair Rei! How could I have know that Nakago is a blond? I always thought that Usagi went for the dark mysterious type," the goddess of love whined, not noticing the weird look the shogun was giving her.
"Not my problem Minako. You were the one who made the bet with me. And you were the one who said that Nakago has dark hair," the fire seishi smirked.
"Forget about the hair colour! No wonder Usagi-chan fell for him, just look at the body!" a practically drooling Makoto put in her own two cents. "If Usagi doesn't want him anymore, I call first dibs!"
"Hey! Why do you get first dibs?! I was the one who knew about him first!"
"And I was the one who won the bet! If Odango-atama is such a baka to throw him away, then he should be mine!"
Both Minako and Rei cried out in anger respectively.
"Guys," an embarrassed Ami interrupted the three inners. "You know that Nakago is right in front of you, and he isn't exactly deaf either."
That stopped the bickering as the three senshi turned towards the shogun, who during their argument, moved as far as possible from them, a look akin to fear… or was it irritation in his eyes.
The three inners blushed and giggle nervously, even though they've never met the blond man before, they knew enough about him to know that he was capable of when he was angry. Lucky for Rei, Minako, and Makoto, they no longer have a physical body.
"Who are you people, and where is Usagi?" the dazed look immediately disappeared and the blue eyes hardened back into icy chips, as he remembered the voice that drew him out of his sadness.
"We are the Sailor Senshi, sworn to protect our Princess. Princess Serenity, or Usagi as you call her," Setsuna answered before any of the inners could speak up and move off the topic again. "As to where Usagi is, I thought that you can help us to find her."
The cold eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment. So these were the famous senshi who Usa-chan spoke so highly of. Looking at the three girls who were fighting over him, it wasn't hard for him to make the connection to the cheerful companions that Usa-chan described to him before. "What do you mean you don't know where she is? I heard her voice right before you guys appeared."
"I am well aware of that fact Nakago-sama," the time guardian continued, ignoring all the shocked faces when she used the suffix. "With her body destroyed, there is nothing holding Usagi back from truly becoming Cosmos. As goes in the ancient prophecy, to become the ruler of the universe, Usagi must first loose everything. Her body was the last thread that tied her down."
"But, she never lost…" the words froze in his mouth.
"Yes she did. The first time she died as Serenity, she lost you. As I was saying, Usagi is now Cosmos. With Chaos back, she is the only one who can stop him. But there is a problem," Setsuna said, staring into Nakago's eyes. "She is afraid. Afraid of seeing you again. Afraid of hoping, trusting, and loving. She is hiding from her fears. She doesn't want to come out and accept her responsibilities as cosmos. But if she keeps on avoiding everything, Chaos will take advantage of her absence and destroy the world of the four gods before he returns to Usagi's world."
"You mean... she's still alive?" a faint trace of hope grew his heart before it was quickly squashed, even if she was alive, he couldn't face her now, not when it was his fault that she was kidnapped.
"You forget that the Usagi you know is also Cosmos," the time guardian smiled. "Even if her body is destroyed, she is still very much alive. And if she desired to, she can still defeat Chaos without her physical form. But that is only if we can find her and convince her first." Without warning, Setsuna dropped to her knees in front of a surprised Nakago. Following her example, all the senshi bowed in front of the blond man as well. "I beg you, Nakago-sama. Find our princess and save her and this world before it is too late."
A tired look appeared on his face, the blond man sighed as tears burned behind his closed eyes again. "I can't face her now, I no longer deserve Usagi, after all I have done. I've hurt her more in a couple of days than Chaos could do in hundreds of years. Even if I knew where she is, and I'm able to find her, I doubt if she'll ever want to see me again," a bitter little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth humourlessly. "It'll be best if I just disappear forever from her memories."
A cry of outrage followed by the sound of a stinging slap echoed in the dream dimension as an angry Minako leaped up in front of Nakago, who froze at the sudden attack.
"I deserved that. Anyone else want to take revenge on this bastard for hurting the one he claims to love?" the shogun invited, slowly wiping the small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"How dare you!" Enraged blue eyes glared down at the Seiryuu seishi, as the goddess of love grabbed the front of Nakago's armour and pulled the man down to her eye level. "Do you think that even if you disappear from her memories, you'll be able to vanish from her heart?! Usagi is not the kind of person to forget easily. It's true that she felt pain from you, but she'll always remember the love you have for her. How dare you be so selfish? You think that she will be happy if you are gone? You are not her, you don't have any right to decide anything for our princess! And what about your promise to her? The scar on your wrist, didn't you promise her to become immortal and be by her side forever? Are you just going to break your promise to her, and abandon her by herself to her duties for all of eternity?! Answer me you coward!" Minako cried out heatedly, shaking the motionless man in her grips.
"Minako, calm down," Michiru pulled the blonde girl away, who by this time collapsed against the older woman, crying from her own outburst. Without anyone supporting him, Nakago slid down to the floor, a blank expression on his face.
"Nakago-sama," Setsuna gently tilted the shogun's face up to make him look into her eyes. "I know how much you are hurting. Every single one of us felt the same too, when we were forced to leave our princess in her last fight against Chaos. But think for a second. You know what kind of person Usagi is. Do you think that she'll be able to live with herself is she knew that two worlds will be destroyed just because she won't be there to protect them? She'll hate herself forever. I know you don't want her to suffer more. So for her sake, if not for your own, will you find her?" Desperation shinned in the garnet eyes, as the bodies of the eight senshi flicked.
Awareness resurfaced in Nakago's blank eyes as the senshi slowly began to fade away. "What's happening?"
"We are only here temporally. We no longer have bodies, and the Moon's power can only allow us to appear in your dream realm for a short while," Setsuna smiled down softly. "Please Nakago-sama, find our princess."
"But I don't even know where she is!" the Seiryuu seishi cried out.
"Dream…" the world floated down and gently caressed his upturned face.
"Dream?" he repeated once, before his eyes closed on its own accord, and the darkness of his dream realm embraced him once again…
~*~*~*~
"Where is Soi?" Taitsukun demanded sharply, as everyone present looked around searching for the Seriyuu red head.
"She was just here a second ago," a frantic Suboshi answered, he was still a little bewildered by the appearance of Byakko, and the fact that Yui was no longer his miko.
"I'm afraid that you will never be able to see your beloved Soi ever again," a deep sarcastic voice informed the group as the round moon was covered by dark clouds, casting everything in darkness.
"Chaos," Taitsukun growled under her breath as the body of a man rose from a patch of shadows on the floor of the forest.
"And you must be Taitsukun, the guardian of this universe," the dark prince drawled out mockingly. "Or should I say former guardian?"
"What are you doing here?" the old lady glared.
"Why to thank the two mikos of course. If it wasn't for them Cosmos would still be alive, and it would have complicated my plans even more."
"What did you do with Soi?" Snapping out of her shock, Yui asked the man, who smirked in return.
"My faithful little servant is right in front of you," with a snap of his fingers, a creature with scaly armour appeared in front of Chaos. The only thing that the monster had that resembled the red head seishi was the "Bo" symbol on her thigh.
"Soi?" the former Seiryuu no miko whispered in horror as the monster roared and turned its head to the short haired girl's direction.
"She won't be able to hear you Yui," a smug Endymion said holding a bright crystal in his hand. "Without her star seed, she'll just be one of my puppets. It was a shame that I had to turn her into this though. She was too greedy for her own good, and I have no use for a person who has outlived her usefulness."
"When? When did Soi began to serve you?" Taitsukun demanded, angry at herself for not sensing anything sooner.
"Believe it or not, she was the one who approached me and offered her services. Her jealousy got the better of her when Nakago kept ignoring her for Usagi instead. She found me in the desert, and offered to eliminate Cosmos and the two mikos for me if I can grant her the power of Cosmos after Usagi dies."
"So all these times, when she helped me… it was just a lie? She was just using me to get ride of Usagi for her, and then she'll finish off Miaka and I?" Yui whispered, eyes widening in realization.
"Bingo," the dark prince grinned in amusement. "You really thought that someone like Soi would help you? Did you know that she was jealous of all the attention Nakago lavished on you when you first came to this universe? You are even more naïve than that baka Soi."
"Why you?! How dare you talk to Yui-sama like this?" a meteorite bell few towards Endymion's head. Even if Yui was no longer his responsibility, and he no longer needed to protect her, Suboshi still couldn't bear to see the girl he loved being hurt like this, even though she didn't return his feelings.
"Keep them busy here Soi, I have some star seeds to gather," Endymion bowed to the little group mocking before disappearing in a swirl of shadows. "Have fun."
~*~*~*~
Groaning, he slowly opened one eye against the bright light attacking him. A gigantic headache was pounding his brain against his skull. It felt as if he fell from a cliff, and having the misfortune of bumping his head on every single jagged edge. When the lady with the green hair said 'dream' he didn't expect it to be a nightmare. Even though the nightmare seemed to be illuminated with warm sunlight, and seemed too cheerful to be a dreadful place.
Small giggling, like the sound of bells made the shogun sit up with a groan, rubbing his head and look around the green field for the source of the soothing voice.
It didn't take long for him to spot the small golden head among a sea of lush green. His eyes widened as he realized just who it was, sitting in a bed of wildflowers, braiding a wreath for the baby white tiger. Staggering slowly towards the young girl no more than five, the grass crunched underneath his feet, making the little girl look up in surprise at the blond man staring at her.
After overcoming her initial surprise, the little girl grinned widely and waved towards Nakago, mentioning him to come closer. Nodding numbly, the seishi carefully made his way towards Usagi, she looked exactly like the way he first met her in his dreams, so innocent and beautiful. How could it be possible? Why did she turn back in age? Question after question appeared in his mind, making him want to shake her and see if it was only an illusion.
"Where… where am I?" instead of giving into his desires, his lips moved on its own accord.
The same little giggle spill from Usagi. "Silly nii-chan. You're in my dream."
Her dream? Understanding drawn upon him. So this is what Setsuna meant, and this was the reason why only he could find her. Because of the suffering she experienced in the real world, it was no wonder the bunny preferred to hid in her dream, where there was just her, and only creations of her own magic could approach her. He understood now too, why he was the only one who can enter this place. It was because of his close bond with her. In this world of perfection, there was nothing that could remind her of the events that she had to go through.
Gazing into the little girl's large curiously blue eyes, he couldn't help but feel his heart wring in pain, it was his fault that he drove her into hiding. He was responsible for forcing her to deceive herself with this superficial happiness.
"Who are you nii-chan?" Usagi asked.
A wistful smile tugged at his lips. So she wanted to forget about him too. "I'm just someone who cares a lot about you."
The little girl blinked at him adorably. "But I have never met you before."
"You have, but you just don't remember Usa-chan," he had to smile when the little bunny pouted when he said her name. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long, I woke up here, and it was so pretty!" the little frown instantly disappeared as the Usagi looked around her surroundings, face glowing with joy.
It was tearing him apart to know that he would be the one to drag her out of this place, to drive her to face Chaos, but he knew that what Setsuna said was right, if he didn't do anything now, Usagi wouldn't be able to live with herself later when there was nothing left.
Hardening his heart against the bright sapphire eyes. Nakago put his large hands on the small shoulders. "Usagi! Wake up. I know that you can hear me, even though you are hiding behind that façade. This is not the time to be hiding from your responsibilities! Chaos is going to destroy this world if you don't stop him!"
A small panicked look appeared in Usagi's eyes. It was gone very fast, but not fast enough to fool Nakago, the knowledge of the fact that the bunny was still there made the man sigh in satisfaction.
"No, I don't want to go back there…" the little girl slowly shook her head and whispered weakly.
"Usagi… you can't stay here," his eyes softened as the bunny began to shake.
"Go away!"
To his shock, the young Usagi suddenly pulled out of his hands screaming. Before he could stop it, or put up a shield, a blast of power slammed him back.
Nakago laid there, panting as the pain from the blast kept him still. Even though he couldn't see her face, he could hear little muffled cries, as if Usagi was crying because of hurting him. "Usa-chan listen please. If you don't come out of this dream, nothing will stop Chaos from destroying everything you love. You are running away from the pain you feel by running away. You may feel happy, but it won't last forever, you'll start to remember what happened before, and the pain will grow worse and worse if you don't face it. Just like me…"
Small feet came into his view. "Just like me. Do you remember Usa-chan? When you first found me? I lost everything like you did. My mother and I were despised by our own tribesmen. Then everyone and everything I've even know was destroyed. I felt exactly like you did right now, and like you, I tried to run too…
"But remember? You were the one who gave me the courage to stop running and face the reality. It's okay to stay here if you feel that you are happy. But in doing so, millions of other people will loose not only their happiness, but their loved ones and their very lives. Do you want other people to feel like the pain that you felt?" Nakago whispered out, getting up onto his knees, and wiping away the single tear that appeared in Usagi's eyes.
"No…" the answer was said so softly that in his weak state, the blond man almost missed it. "I don't want anyone to suffer because of me."
Nakago almost fell back down as the sapphire eyes that suddenly looked up to him changed from that of an innocent five years old to the ones he knew so well. Under his surprised look, a golden light surrounded Usagi's body. When it died down, body of the young girl was transformed to that of Cosmos.
"Are you ready to go now Naka-kun?" was the last thing he heard, as his body fell forwards into her waiting arms.
AN: I'm too tired to type up more . Hehe, so is Nakago dead? Everyone seems to be interested in that ^_^ Well, you'll know the answer in the next chapter… just don't know when it'll be out yet ^^;; The last part where Nakago went into Usagi's dream to look for her, is inspired by X/1999 TV episode 13, where Suboshi went into Kamui's conscious. I even took some of the dialogue ^^;; since my brain is too dead from organic chemistry to think up of more mushy stuff to write ^^;; So stay tuned for the last chapter… I think, or else I might even write an epilogue if I fell up to it ^^;;