Enough of the teasers. Let the story unfold.....
[Mamolove pops up from behind a rock] Enjoy!
[Ducks to evade the dagger eyes thrown at her
for releasing Chapter Four after two long
months.]
------------------------------------------------
*THE GOLDEN CRYSTAL*
by Mamolove
*Chapter 4*
"Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried in alarm as
Mamoru wavered forward and collapsed to the
ground. She managed to spin around and catch him
in mid-fall, but staggered backwards as she found
herself suddenly supporting his full weight.
"Usagi!" The others scrambled to help
them.
"Mamo-chan... What's wrong with him?!"
Usagi shook Mamoru harder, but his head merely
rolled towards her chest. Usagi's heart
shrivelled. God, he's so pale..... Usagi
thought in panic.
Rei noted his softly parted lips and
unmoving eyelids. Instinctively she reached out
to touch his forehead.
"He's freezing cold!" The fiery girl
realised in shock.
"Is he breathing?" This time Setsuna
kneeled beside Mamoru's slack form. She had
always regarded the younger man with respect. He
was certainly not a weakling. To have him
suddenly collapse like this.... Setsuna's sharp
mind was already revolving around the reason why
Mamoru was unconscious.
Then she remembered the earthquake.
Heavens, could it be?! Dread filled the dark-
skinned senshi. Something was wrong with the
planet. And Mamoru's getting the brunt of it.
She closed her eyes in a frown as she
strained to listen for his breathing. His pulse
was rapid and weak, and Setsuna could sense that
the man in front of her was barely able to draw
in enough oxygen. One look at his pale face and
nearly white lips and Setsuna knew they might
lose him if they didn't do something fast.
"Usagi, we have to bring Mamoru-kun to the
hospital. Rei, use your power and give him some
heat."
Usagi's eyes widened in fear. She clutched
Mamoru closely, as she struggled with her sheer
terror. The older woman could see the desperation
in Usagi's grip. Everyone knew how much the girl
loved her soulmate. She looked softly at Usagi,
silently comforting her.
"Let's teleport him to the hospital," Ami
urgently chimed in rapid fire. Everyone nodded
hastily, and instantly, all of them reverted
to their senshi forms and formed a circle
around Usagi and Mamoru. Although every senshi
focused her energy in the teleportation, none
could stop thinking about the unknown cause of
Mamoru's sudden collapse.
"Mamo-chan, stay with me..." Usagi pleaded
as she ran her fingers through Mamoru's limp
bangs....
************************************************
The moment they had heard Endymion's
terrified soul-cry, The Four Generals
attempted with utter desperation in trying to
break into the real world, to run to their
prince's aid. But for the umpteenth time they
had failed, and watched as Kunzite struggled to
connect with their prince.
"He needs you, Kunzite!" Zoicite clenched
his fists in frustration. Yes, he was being
inconsiderate, knowing full-well that the
white-haired general was trying his best to
reach Endymion. If there was a time when they
should be in the real world, this was definitely
it. But somehow, none of them could tap into
their stones, which were conduits to Endymion.
Certainly Kunzite could do it, couldn't he?
He still had more power than they did! The
slightly effeminate man turned around angrily,
belatedly regretting that he had lost his
temper.
Jadeite gave Nephreite a look as they
watched the exchange between Kunzite and
Zoicite. It's understandable Nephreite sighed.
Of all of them, Zoicite could connect and
comfort Kunzite the most, yet he was also the
one with the shortest fuse when it came to
emergencies like this. Jadeite nodded-- Zoicite
could be very vocal towards Kunzite at times. But the
blond had to agree that he had felt no less
frustrated.
Here they were comfortably standing in
Elysion, while their master was being terrorised
with agonising pain. Kami-sama! Why such cruelty?!
"I know that, Zoicite," Kunzite gritted
his teeth, trying again as he dipped his
consciousness in an effort to summon their
spirit powers.
"Something's blocking me-- GODS! This is
_not_ happening!!" Kunzite snarled as his
attempts ended in vain once again. He violently
turned around, and began pacing wildly, not
understanding the sudden block of access.
The three other generals threw their hands
up in frustration. Kunzite had been their last
hope of reaching Endymion, but he had failed to
get through. Didn't something just like this
occur last year? When they couldn't feel
Endymion's spirit anymore?? Fear snaked through
the generals' minds. Endymion must be going
through the same process Elysion was going
through.
A slow death.
Suddenly, Kunzite whipped his head around.
"Do you hear something?" He asked, eyes
narrowing.
Jadeite stood still and held his breath as
he tried to pick up whatever Kunzite heard. At
first, he heard nothing. The same cold wind, the
same hollow melody. There was nothing different.
Wait. Suddenly Jadeite's eyes widened.
Wait. He heard it.
The steadying breaths of Zoicite and
Nephreite also indicated that they detected the
same thing.....
"Kami-sama, somebody's calling out to
us...." Zoicite whispered. Jadeite glanced at
Kunzite, whose eyes were widening in
realization.....
Come, into the temple....
************************************************
Deep into the massive crack where
the first spider-like demon appeared, a cloaked,
hunched figure made its way through the thick
bushes which covered a frighteningly huge,
monstrous circus tent. Spikes protruded out of
this sick parody of a velodrome, looking sharp
and deadly. The hunched figure continued its
way, passing through the darkened gates,
entering the arena, ignoring the overwhelming
emptiness of the bleachers and lack of colourful
lights usually found in normal circuses.
It stopped at the foot of an a very high
platform. Slowly, it spread out its arms, and
began to float upwards to the top of the
platform. With a grace which overshadowed the
rickety way it walked, the hunched figure
fluidly landed, and continued its journey.
It finally stopped in front of a mirror.
If there was anything Zirconia wished he
could do, it was to stop his hands from
trembling. He had to stay calm. It would not
help if the queen saw him like this. Her wrath
would merely grow a tenfold. As though his
darkest fear heard him, a voice snaked through
the mirror, flashing menacingly.
"Your weakling failed, Zirconia." The
voice hissed.
The hunched figure responded, albeit
shakily, "Queen Nephrenilia, it nearly got her.
It was so close."
"Only to be destroyed." The menace in the
voice was unmistakable. Zirconia shivered.
"Forgive me, my queen! Please, I beg you!
I will deliver her to you, as you wished,"
Zirconia pleaded, his eyes looking straight into
the mirror.
On the other side of the glass,
Nephrenilia's lips curved into an evil smile. It
was amusing to see how much her servant feared
her. Her cat-like eyes glistened in the dark.
Her plan was blooming, even though Zirconia was
oblivious to it. He could merely accelerate the
inevitable, but the queen knew she was close to
a checkmate after having Elysion subdued with her
curse.
Ahh.... Elysion subdued... It was the
only thing which prevented Nephrenilia from
entering this planet; the only obstacle in her
path of conquering the life and dreams harboured
by the near six billion population. After so
many years of waiting, she had finally garnered
enough black magic to put Elysion under her
potent curse, capturing the unicorn Helios in
the process. With Elysion under her curse, she
was free to penetrate Earth's defences and begin
her plan. After all these years of waiting....
After that witch queen of the Moon Kingdom
had locked her within this mirror, a thousand years
ago, she had been imbued with revenge, so strong
it sustained her throughout the years.
Queen Serenity.
Nephrenilia's eyes narrowed into slits.
She felt repulsed by the mere thought of that
silver-haired woman. Nephrenilia should have
been the owner of the Silver Crystal. It should
have been hers, all these years... Afterall, she
was more cunning, more sly, more beautiful.
She was all that Serenity never was....
Nephrenilia looked around her. A thousand
years in this dreamscape. One thousand, lonely
years. Oh, she had had plenty of time to plan
her revenge, to acquire whatever knowledge of
dark power there ever was, and to visualize with
bloody detail how the Moon Kingdom clan would
breathe their last breath.
All she had to do was wait patiently,
like a predator silently observing a doomed
prey. At first, she harboured some slight
apprehension at the discovery that the Silver
Millennium clan had been reincarnated into this era.
But later, as she developed her devilish
plan, Nephrenilia realized that she could kill
two birds with one stone. Not only could she
imbibe the life-power and dreams in this blue
planet, she could seize the Imperium Silver
Crystal. She shivered in delight at the prospect
of yielding such immense and tremendous power.
Conquering such a thriving planet, with so much
energy bursting out of every human being
regardless of race and creed, and becoming the
yielder of that crystal, which could annihilate
a whole galaxy in a blink of an eye. It thrilled
the woman with long, black locks beyond
comprehension.
Nephrenilia whetted her lips. She could
nearly taste it. Absolute power. And she
already had a side plan on reclaiming the
Silver Crystal from that reincarnated daughter
of Serenity.
Yes, and she _will_ suffer....
Nephrenilia's lips curved into an evil smile.
Realizing that her servant had gone down
to his knees in fear, Nephrenilia spoke, "I am
not one who can be toyed with, Zirconia." She
left her threat hanging for a few more moments,
enjoying the cheap thrill of humbling that old
fool. Finally, she said, "Do. Not. Fail. Me.
Again."
Zirconia bowed to the ground, and nodded.
Nephrenilia had more interesting things in mind
though.
"Leave." And with that, she waved
Zirconia and their connection through the mirror
away. Nephrenilia stood up from her throne, and
walked to a cage. It shone with an elegant
warmth, light mysteriously emitting from its
alternate gold and silver bars. Simple, but
beautifully cruel for the fact that it had such
a pure prisoner within it. They were in stark
blackness, as though everything, including
Nephrenilia herself, floated in a warped version
of a black hole. Peering into the cage, she
purred at the unconscious unicorn.
"I've got you now, Helios. And nothing--
not you, not even Elysion, can stop me from
conquering your planet....."
************************************************
The generals quickly ran towards the
deserted temple, chills running down their spine
in dread and anticipation. Although they were
very disturbed by the calling, they knew there
was really nothing to lose.
They were, after all, dead.
Nephreite, being the one who first reached
the steps leading to the temple's chamber,
slowed down to a halt and looked questioningly
at Kunzite. From their positions, they could not
see anything inside, as the light was too
bright. The silence was terribly disturbing, and
the generals felt a wave of fear as they looked
at the entrance before them. Before this, they
could never even enter the temple, but the call
was getting stronger and stronger, pulling the
threads of their souls....
Would they be able to enter?
To save Endymion?
To be allowed access into.....
The very heart
of
Elysion?
"Let's go in....." The general quietly
said, putting forward a hesitant step
into the pure white light. Kunzite inwardly
gasped-- for the first time, nothing propelled
him away. Slowly, he took more steps, walking
into pure white light. Behind Kunzite, Jadeite,
Zoicite and Nephreite followed suit, totally
walking blindly, simply allowing their instincts
to bring them to the voice calling for them. For
a long time they walked into the deeper chambers
of the temple, bathed in cleansing light, slowly
sensing the warmth and magic of the place. It
felt so familiar, as though they were
returning....
Home.
Finally, they sensed the light dimming to
a bearable level, and when they opened their
eyes, they were met with the most soul-shocking
sight they had ever seen in their existence....
It was _beautiful_.
Rendered speechless, the generals found
themselves standing in the most wonderful,
amazing hall ever built in the existence of
mankind. It was not because of any luxurious
decorations, but because of its stark
simplicity. So simple, yet so beautiful.....
Kunzite had never remembered hearing about
this hall. Myths and legends had speculated on
the origins of their prince, but the only thing
which they were certain of was that he came from
a beautiful place called Elysion. This was
something which nobody had ever predicted.
Clear, undecorated grandeur.
Clear crystals which reflected the light
in dazzling spectrums, some which were more than
ten feet high, they were simply the most
unbelievable things he had ever seen. The floor
their leather boots touched were shining white
marble, and Kunzite noted that the patterns
within them were _very_ old. So big was this
'hall' that there was even a garden within it,
the true element which made this hall so
amazing. There were no other ornaments, no other
colour, other than the greenery and amazing red
provided by the garden. The ceiling of the hall
was in the shape of a dome, with what looked
like tree branches supporting the weight of the
massive structure. The sounds of rushing water
could be heard, Kunzite realizing that it came
from the stream which began from a pristine
water spring in the garden and flowed past them,
towards the outer grounds surrounding the
temple. They had seen the stream from the
outside, totally marred, murky waters which had
no spirit or life in it. But here, Gods, it was
so clear and abundant. And the roses. Kunzite
couldn't help but feel grateful that they
remained unsoiled and untouched. It was as
though this garden within the temple had been
totally unaffected by the curse befalling
Elysion!
Kunzite reluctantly pulled his eyes away
from marvelling at the beauty they found
themselves in, and searched for the source of
the voice which had called them here. At the end
of the hall he saw wide marble steps leading to
a structure which looked like a shrine at its
apex. Before Kunzite knew it, he was already
walking towards the beckoning embrace of the
shrine. The others followed him, and as they
came closer to the foot of the shrine, they
could feel their auras flaring up, sensing as
though....
Someone was waiting for them at the top of
those marble steps.
Kunzite gave a look at his comrades.
Let's do it All of them mentally agreed. With
a deep breath, they began climbing the steps,
each stride raising their anticipation and
anxiety by a tenfold.
Finally, they reached the top of the dais.
There they stood before two of the highest
crystals in the temple, and Kunzite reeled back
in horror as he realized that there were two
bodies encased in those crystals. Zoicite held
Kunzite by the shoulder, steadying him, as
Jadeite gaped at the sight before them.
"Dear Gods.... Are those women in the
crystals?!" The blond gasped. What was this
place? A shrine, or a tomb?! Jadeite had studied
into the history of Earth, but never before had
he seen humans enshrined within hard, solid
crystals. As his mind reeled in shock, his eyes
caught something.
Between the two tall crystals, hovered a
queer ball of light. It glowed brilliantly, and
Jadeite could feel something pulling the threads
of his soul. There was something to this place.
He just could not put his finger to it.
"Look...." Jadeite whispered, pointing
towards the ball of light. He could sense his
bonded friends' eyes widening in awe as well.
Suddenly, they jumped in startlement when
the voice they had heard flowed through the
shrine. It came from the ball of light between
the crystals.
The Four Generals. Finally you have
arrived.
************************************************
The scent of heavy medication and
antiseptic greeted Usagi as she stepped into one
of the many observation rooms located on the
third floor of Keio Medical Centre. Her heart
was beating like a trip hammer and for the
briefest moment, she hesitated in opening the door.
She was afraid. Afraid to finally see the
results of the incident which had so suddenly
snatched her beloved away from her. To finally
get a visual perspective, after all that the
doctor had explained to her.
Her body nearly sagged in physical pain as
she got her first peek of Mamoru since they
brought him to the ER two hours ago. The blonde
prayed as she rushed to her man's bedside.
Mamo-chan...
She bit her lip as she saw him. There was
an oxygen tube attached to his nose, and Usagi
could hear soft, steady beeps coming from a
nearby monitor, keeping check on his heart beat.
There were also tubes into his hands and some
wires could be seen beneath his hospital gown.
He looked so weak and pale, lying unconscious on
the hospital bed. So vulnerable.
A hand softly rested on her right
shoulder. Usagi had cleanly forgotten that Rei
had stayed on with her. No words were
interchanged between them-- Rei's quiet presence
was all she needed.
"Mamo-chan, can you hear me?" Usagi
whispered after settling down in a chair beside
Mamoru's hospital bed. The railings on that side
were down, enabling her to lean closer to his
body. Her face was barely an inch away from
Mamoru's, and she searched it for any signs
of reply.
Usagi brought her hand to Mamoru's
forehead, and began to stroke his silky momiage,
watching in rapt attention to the rise and fall
of his chest, and hearing the soft, small sighs
he gave each time he exhaled. She bit her lip as
she heard the wheeze of oxygen travelling through
the tube in his nose.
"Hey, upperclassman...." Usagi tried to
sound light. Only hums and beeps replied her.
Beside Usagi, Rei grimaced. She knew Usagi
needed support, hence her accompanying Usagi
while the rest went to help the earthquake
victims. But currently Rei was doubting herself
of being capable to be strong for her best
friend-- she was equally shaken to her core when
she had her first glimpse of Mamoru just a
moment ago. Her heart ached tremendously seeing
him like this. He was nearly as white as the
sheets. His expression was weak and fatigued;
his lips, softly parted. Although Ami's mother
had assured them that he was out of harm's way
for the time being, Rei was simply not used to
look at Mamoru like this-- dead to the world.
While Usagi tenderly stroked Mamoru's
hair, Rei retreated to a chair in the
corner of the room, recalling the emergency
teleportation they made once Mamoru had fainted.
Nothing they did seemed to help, and she could
only give some warmth to his heat-deprived body
as they prepared to teleport. Even Setsuna
looked shaken as she constantly touched Mamoru's
neck to feel his pulse.
So distressed was the green-haired senshi
that she nearly shouted for the attention of
the ER doctors to look at him once they had
arrived outside the hospital and detransformed.
It was a miracle that despite the sudden
influx of patients due to the earthquake, Ami
was able to get her mother to treat Mamoru once
the ER doctors had stabilized him. Rei winced
inwardly at the strength the ER nurse showed in
pushing Usagi out of the ER. It took the
strongest nurse to tear her away from her
lover's side. Not to mention eight other
senshis.
"I'll be here if you need me, Usagi-chan,"
Rei softly called out to her friend, knowing
that the privacy she was giving to Usagi would
be much appreciated.
Usagi turned her head and nodded to the
raven-haired girl. Returning her attention to
her unconscious lover, she curled her fingers
around his. No response. And he was cold. Still.
Usagi gently brought the sheets higher up till
it covered his chest and arms.
"Ami's mom will make sure that you get
better." Usagi whispered. "Come on, Mamo-chan.
Wake up."
Usagi paused, not knowing of what to say.
"Please don't scare me?" she pleaded.
Still no reply. Usagi quickly used her
fingers to wipe away a tear drop which escaped
her eyes. She bit her lips to suppress
herself from crying, her eyes beginning to sting as she
saw her boyfriend in such a weakened state.
Rei would surely chastise her for being a
cry-baby, a seventeen year old one for that
matter.
But how could Usagi stop herself?
Mamoru was her strength.
After all their harrowing encounters,
Usagi was more than fearful of losing him. He
absolutely had no fear of killing himself if it
meant saving her. As though his life was of no
value compared to hers. And it always hurt
Usagi to see him in pain. To see him so willing
to die. For her.
In a way, it made her more resilient and
turned her into a stronger fighter, primarily to
avoid Mamoru from risking his life. It helped
her tremendously throughout the past years since
she became Sailor Moon, especially the trying
months of fighting Galaxia, stupidly unaware
that Mamoru had actually died having his
starseed taken away from him....
He had died, and nobody knew. He had died,
without her holding him. Without her even
feeling it.
He had died _alone_.
Usagi choked as guilt overwhelmed her. She
had never really gotten over the agony of
discovering that Galaxia had so ruthlessly
stolen her lover's starseed. And what
accentuated Usagi's pain was the painful fact
that despite their soul link, he had died
without her knowing. To her, she had failed to
protect him when he needed her most.
But the most amazing thing was,
despite how stupid she had been, how clumsy and
frivolous she naturally was, Mamoru still
wanted her, hovering faithfully by her
side no matter how many beautiful, intelligent
and good-hearted women desired him. He wanted
her, and only her, together with all her
idiosyncrasies. He had accepted her for who she
was, told her that he loved her for the pure
angel she was. He had looked at her with his
blue eyes and smiled, telling her that he was
hers.
Always.
Usagi closed her eyes, feeling the tears
sting her eyes. God, she loved this man so much.
Usagi reached for Mamoru's hand again--
feeling their soft texture, tracing the length
of those elegant long fingers, and best of all,
recapturing his touch. Usagi knew there was more
to it than just the contact of his grip. Each
time she had felt like floating towards oblivion
whenever she fought evil, he would pull
her back to him, holding her tight and sure,
sending torrents of energy through her.
Bringing the pure love and confidence he
had harboured for her.
How Mamoru was able to transmit such
intangible, wonderful things to Usagi was still
a mystery. The senshis had reasoned it as part
of his abilities in psychometry. Usagi had
come to cherish it as part of Mamoru's very
essence.
Usagi sighed, and tenderly caressed
Mamoru's curled fingers which were gently resting
in her palm.
She leaned in and whispered into her
lover's ear.
"Mamo-chan, I'm right here...."
She held his bangs away, and placed a
gentle kiss on his forehead. Again, she stared
at his pallor, and heartbreakingly hoped for his
eyelids to suddenly flutter open and reveal
those gorgeous blue eyes again. She should have
stayed with him after what had happened in the
stadium. Should have....
Usagi sagged, and nestled her head
beside Mamoru's arm, her fingers tenderly
curling around his. She closed her eyes in
exhaustion and allowed the bed sheets to absorb
her tears.
************************************************
"Where are you...."
Sailor Mercury frowned in concentration as
she strained her senses to locate yet another of
the many broken pipes within the wrecked grounds
of Juuban. Around her a group of engineers and
emergency volunteers stood muted, watching the
Senshi of Ice trace the broken points of Tokyo's
water system. They all knew how important water
was in the wake of an earthquake. The citizens
needed it, and it could not be absent if they
wanted to prevent Tokyo from burning into ashes.
The soft-spoken lass opened her eyes
suddenly as she pinpointed ten broken points in
the water system. Without a word, she whipped
around, traced and circled several locations on
the map, and started running. The group pitched
forward in excitement as they realised that the
young girl had detected more broken pipes.
I hope the rest are doing well too...
Sailor Mercury thought to herself while running.
This was not effective as she desired, though.
She could only bring a single team to a single
break point, one by one. But the intelligent
senshi nevertheless knew how to handle the
difficulties. She would focus sharply on faraway
break points and detect exactly where they were,
and point them out in the map. That way other
teams nearer to the locations would be able to
fix the damage. The faster they detected the
water break-points, the easier it was to arrest
the fire. Besides, the main worry was whether
the reservoirs had sustained damage, but awhile
ago Sailor Mercury had overheard that they
miraculously escaped harm.
She sighed inwardly. The earthquake was
not as bad as the Kobe Earthquake. Thank the
heavens for that. Thank God, Thank _God_ for
that. But somehow, their Juuban district seemed
to have fared rather badly compared to the rest
of Tokyo. Sailor Mercury had read enough to know
that the after-effects of earthquakes were more
dangerous than the tremors. The most direct
threat was the conflagaration-- fire outbreaks
due to broken gas lines, or collapsed electrical
wirings. Further complicated by a broken water
system, and you'll get chaos which could last
for months on ends.
After a short reunion outside at the
hospital, the senshis had immediately agreed on
leaving Usagi with Rei to be with Mamoru while
they rushed to help the earthquake emergency
volunteers. Sailor Mercury accepted the role of
locating broken water points, while Sailor
Neptune and Sailor Uranus dashed to settle the
spread of fire across Juuban. Jupiter and Venus
rushed to clear off fallen debris which blocked
transportation and help save pinned-down victims
who were unwittingly trapped in the rubble while
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn aided paramedics
in saving wounded citizens. It was the most that
they could do for now. Sailor Mercury knew that
they would need to investigate the queer eclipse
which occurred yesterday, and try to discover the
cause for Mamoru's seizures.
"Here it is!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed.
They had reached the nearest broken point.
"You did it again! How could we have done
this without you?" A senior engineer gratefully
bowed to her.
"Please!" The girl tried to stop him from
bowing. "Everyone wants to help..."
"Hai. How could we possibly have done this
without you and your comrades..." The senior man
insisted again.
A sweatdrop appeared beside Sailor
Mercury's head, but she nodded and smiled
anyway. And with that, she started to trace for
more broken points. But as demanding her task
was, Sailor Mercury could not help but feel
distracted-- what happened to Mamoru-san? At
least he was safe in the hospital with Usagi,
under the observation of her mother. For now,
the senshis would have to do without Usagi and
Rei and help the earthquake victims with their
powers.
"This is going to be a long day...."
************************************************
The Four Generals. Finally, you have
arrived.
Endymion's generals gasped in shock.
Kunzite. Jadeite. Nephreite. Zoicite.
What was going on? The generals' mind were
whirling in confusion. Who was speaking to them,
from that glow of energy between the crystals?
"We heard your call," Kunzite cautiously
said.
The time is coming. The battle which
will determine this planet's fate.
"What battle?" Kunzite asked.
The First Revelation....
Kunzite stopped himself from asking what
the voice meant. He was more concerned for other
matters.
"What has happened to our master,
Endymion?" Kunzite braced himself.
When they didn't receive any reply, they
nearly panicked, thinking that the voice had
been lost, and that they would still be left in
the dark. But slowly, the ball of light
expanded, and like a flickering mirror, showed
the image of their prince in a hospital bed,
with the princess sleeping beside him.
Without a thought Kunzite lunged towards
the image.
"Is he alright?" Nephreite softly said,
eyeing Kunzite as the white-haired general
hovered protectively in front of the image of
Endymion's unconscious form.
There is a reason to everything,
including Endymion's condition. And soon, it
will be time for you to serve him again....
The generals looked up, their expressions
serious. "We know that.... That's why we haven't
left our stones," Kunzite sadly said, his voice
barely a whisper. The sheer will of correcting
their horribly grave mistake regarding Beryl burned
through all of them. They missed Endymion terribly.
They would not betray him ever again.
"Give us power, so that we may reach him,"
Kunzite resolutely pleaded, the strategist
within him reappearing.
The light flickered, as though considering
Kunzite's request, before resolutely saying,
No.... Not yet. Power will come to you,
but not for this. He will need you in the near
future. That is when you should use every shred
of unique strength each of you possess.
"But he was in pain!" Kunzite argued. "We
felt him! What in the name of the heavens is
happening to him?!"
Elysion is under a curse. The world
would have been in worse condition had it not
been for something Endymion did. The voice
cryptically said.
"... What do you mean?" Jadeite quietly
interjected.
You will understand it in time, child.
But for now, your place is here, until the time
comes for you to fight again by his side. He
will need all of you then.
"Can we go to him? At least, to tell him
of the danger Elysion is in?"
That is not necessary. Helios will see
him.
Kunzite's mind went blank as he heard the
name. Could it be....
Yes, Kunzite. Helios exists.
"Who is Helios, Kunzite?" All eyes turned
to Kunzite.
"Helios..... Is the..." Kunzite glanced at
the crystals, slowly piecing together the
puzzle...
"Priest of Elysion."
"The Priest of Elysion...." Jadeite
mouthed. He looked again at the ball of light in
front of them. It had a very strong aura to it,
stronger than any living being on the land. With
consternation, the blonde general reverently
asked.
"Then.... who are you?" They looked at the
light before them.
Silence pervaded the whole temple as they
waited for the answer with bated breath. When
they heard it, they instinctively fell to
their knees in reverence, instinctively knew
that it was the truth, for they could _feel_
Her, for the first time in their existence which
had spanned a thousand years.
"I am Earth Mother."
************************************************
Sailor Neptune unleashed a tidal wave of
crystal clear water, battling the flames
ravaging an old office-building. When she and
Sailor Uranus arrived at the scene, the fire had
begun to spread to the neighbouring buildings,
like an enraged firegod.
As though the fire marshals knew exactly
what she could do, they had almost reverently
stepped back from their efforts and allowed the
calm senshi to summon her power. Many had heard
of the Sailor Senshis, but few had actually seen
them unleash their powers with their own eyes.
An aura of turqoise-blue emanated from the
stoic senshi called Sailor Neptune. She closed
her eyes as she let her power fill up her being,
her hair slightly rising with the energy. And
raw power was unleashed, with grace and beauty.
"AQUA DEEP SUBMERGE!!!"
Citizens, fire marshals, reporters, and
volunteers, could not help but gasp in awe at
the way Sailor Neptune created a tidal wave out
of nowhere. And effective it was, for the great
fire was mercilessly extinguished, surrendering
to the onslaught of water and sizzling down into
fog and steam before fully dying down. However,
before most of the crowd could regain their
speech and heated exclamations, the two
mysterious senshis had vanished.
"How many more, Sailor Neptune?" Sailor
Uranus asked as they bolted down the crowded and
congested roads.
"Not many, fortunately." Neptune flicked a
strand of hair away from her eyes. "But we have
to hurry. The conflagaration could spread if the
wind picks up speed." Neptune gave a knowing
glance to her partner.
Uranus grimaced inwardly. Wind was
certainly not welcomed at this point. Her own
power-- however wonderful and elating it felt,
yet how dangerous and unwanted it was at this
moment. Uranus would have to strain every branch
of her powers and try to manipulate the
windspeed to stop the fires from spreading.
How timely it was that the youma they
blasted this morning appeared right after the
earthquake. Did the eclipse have anything to do
with that demon? Sailor Uranus began thinking
rapidly. Something was definitely wrong
with that eclipse for sure. Why else would they
experience the violation into their dimension,
or even regain their planet powers? Setsuna had
mentioned the First Revelation. Could this be
it? The first step towards building Crystal
Tokyo?? What was to be revealed in the first
place?! The boyish senshi clenched her fists.
They had better find out who their enemy was
this time before things got worse.
So much had happened, in such a short time
span.
Throughout the day, they settled more
conflagarations. Slowly, the air in Juuban
cooled down as the fires were successfully
doused. It was night by the time they doused the
numerous fires, and things were steadily on the
mend, Juuban slowly recovering from the absolute
terror that had raged in the morning.
Finally, Neptune and Uranus decided
that they could detransform. Tired, but
satisfied, they contacted the rest of the
senshis through their comlinks, and received
similar responses of the situation improving.
Setsuna and Hotaru had managed to heal hundreds
besides assisting the scores of paramedics
around the area. Minako and Makoto were still in
their senshi forms, but insisted that they
didn't need help from Haruka and Michiru. And
Ami had succeeded in preventing any collapse in
the water system, especially the dams and
reservoirs.
"That leaves Rei..."
"And Usagi." Haruka finally let out, worry
blanketing her heart. She loved that girl with
all her heart-- such innocence and purity. Never
yielding, always gentle and kind, endlessly
adorable. Haruka had missed her dearly.
"We'll go to her," Michiru squeezed
Haruka's fingers. Haruka nodded impassively,
too troubled and torn between her desires to
comfort Usagi and the responsibility
of being an Outer Senshi. She had always tried
to maintain a distance from that Moon Princess,
gladly accepting her fate of only looking at
the girl from afar, but how terribly did she
want to hold that child again, to have the
confidence to tell her that all was right with
the world. To tell her not to worry, that
Mamoru would be alright.
So embroiled was Haruka in her thoughts
that she did not even notice that she was
walking directly into a man with honey-blond
hair. By the time her brain registered what her
downcasted eyes saw, it was too late and she
crashed into the equally busy man who had his
back to her. He instinctively spread out his
hands to stop his face from kissing the pavement.
"Sor--- Sorry," Haruka gruffly said, too
embarrassed to say more.
"Ah... It's nothing." The man stood up and
brushed the dirt off his apron. "Everyone's
really bothered by the earthquake anyway," the
man answered, bending down to pick up the broom
he was holding before he had fallen. "Thank
goodness nobody around here got hurt. Just some
broken cups and plates in my restaurant," he
gestured to the shop-lot they were in front of.
Haruka pursed her lips and nodded in
agreement. Now that she was facing the man, she
couldn't help but feel as though she had seen
his face before.....
"Aren't you Mamoru's friend?" Haruka
suddenly asked.
Haruka was sure she could see the
startlement in the man's eyes.
"Hai...." He nodded, a soft smile grazing
his lips.
This time the answer caught Michiru's
attention. She went closer to the young man who
was speaking to Haruka.
"You know him too?" The man asked, lifting
his eyebrows. His initial surprise dissipated as
he saw the serious expressions the two strangers
carried. Suddenly, dread filled him.
Somehow Haruka just felt the need to tell
this man. Blame it on her sixth sense.
"He passed out after this morning's
earthquake. He's in the hospital now." Haruka
said point-blank.
If there was an indicator that could show
how well this person knew Mamoru, this blond
would be it. Haruka and Michiru could actually
see the blood instantly draining from his face,
his eyes widening in horror and shock, and his
knuckles going stark white as he gripped his
broom for support.
"We're on our way to the hospital... You
can come with us if you want to," Michiru gently
said. This man looked as though he was about to
pass out any moment. It took awhile later for
Michiru to realise that this was the owner of
the cafe she and Haruka frequented when they
were students in Muugen High two years ago.
"I-- I need to---" Motoki Furuhata
stuttered, frantically untying his apron. So
shocked was he that he couldn't even steady his
shaking hands.
"...Unazuki!!!" He ran into his cafe. From
outside Haruka and Michiru could see a teenage
redhead popping out from behind the counter,
suddenly concerned with her brother's cry. She
cupped her mouth in shock as he exchanged a few
words with her. She nodded vigorously and said a
few more words as the blond man shoved his apron
and broom to her and hurried out to Haruka and
Michiru.
"Where..." Motoki gasped.
"Keio Medical Centre."
Haruka and Michiru did not need anyone to
tell them how desperate this man was to go to
the mentioned hospital. Haruka inwardly cursed
for the unavailability of her Ferrari.
As though she heard Haruka's thoughts,
Michiru said, "It's just a few blocks away.
Let's go now."
Motoki had already begun moving to the
hospital's direction. Haruka and Michiru
accompanied him, and together they allowed the
man to take the lead as he finally bolted ahead
of them, leaving behind a small gust of wind.
************************************************
Soft footsteps padded through the silent
corridors outside Mamoru's room. Usagi raised
her head as she heard the hasty footsteps cease
to a halt right outside the room. As Rei and
Usagi turned their heads around to see who it
was, the door opened-- revealing Motoki with
Haruka and Michiru behind him. The jade-eyed man
paused by the door, slightly staggering
backwards as he had his first glimpse of his
unconscious friend lying in the bed.
Haruka and Michiru entered the room and
greeted the two girls inside. Haruka nodded to
Usagi, silently understanding the distress she
was undergoing. The short-haired blonde looked
questioningly at Rei.
He hasn't regained consciousness yet.
The look Rei returned was obvious.
"What .... happened?" Motoki gasped. He
slowly walked towards the hospital bed, his
heart shrivelling with aching pity as he saw his
best friend. No... It can't be. This is not
happening! Motoki thought wildly.
"Not again...." Motoki hoarsely whispered.
Immediately it caught everyone's
attention. Usagi tilted her head towards Motoki,
wondering what he had just said.
"What do you mean, Motoki-onnichan?" She
looked at him with shocked eyes.
Motoki repeatedly shook his head. He could
not believe it. It was just like ....
Eight
years
ago.
"Let's talk about this outside...." Rei
gently suggested. Everyone nodded and hastily
exited the room. Motoki leaned against the wall
as the girls surrounded him. Silence blanketed
them, as though Fate did not wish for anything
to interfere what they were about to hear from
the man. The tension was that thick.
"Motoki-onnichan, what happened?" Usagi
begged.
Motoki stared into the pleading blue
irises, and released a shuddering breath.
"I... can't believe it's happening again,"
Motoki whispered to himself. "Mamoru like this.
It-- It happened before in school, when we were
thirtee-- Well *I* was thirteen, he was twelve
since he skipped a grade," Motoki began quietly.
"You both were in the same class?" Michiru
gently asked.
"...Hai. It was January.... January 17th.
Mamoru was fine in class, but during recess...."
Motoki rubbed his eyes.
Usagi braced herself.
"It started out like usual. We ran to a
shaded spot in the school yard--" Motoki laughed
curtly to himself, "I was eager to know what my
mother had packed for me, while he was hungry
for whatever he had packed himself."
"But after a few minutes, he sort of zoned
out. He just wasn't there with me anymore..."
Motoki broke off into silence.
"What do you mean 'he sort of zoned out'?"
This time it was Rei, her voice suddenly
breaking the blanket of muteness in the
corridors.
Motoki closed his eyes, furrowed eyebrows
etching out the concentration he carried. "He...
He wasn't talking or looking at me anymore. It
was as though he saw something else at that
moment. A minute or two passed before I started
getting worried."
"Did you see anything, Motoki-san?" Rei
asked.
"I..." Motoki trailed away, afraid to
reveal the secret he and Mamoru had been keeping
for all these years.
Michiru's eyes narrowed. This man was
hiding something. "You saw something, didn't
you?" she confronted him.
"I don't know what I saw then..."
Motoki glanced at Usagi, and suddenly felt
the urge to tell her, no matter what the
consequences.
"What is it that you saw, Motoki-san?"
Michiru asked, this time her voice gentler.
Motoki pursed his lips, and took in a deep
breath. "I saw... Mamoru..." He finally let
out a shuddering breath.
"_Glowing_ with golden light."
------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes: GOMEN NASAII!!!!
I'm sorry for keeping all of you waiting. You
guys are so sweet to even be reading this far.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for your
generous support, criticism and attention. I was
hanging in the limbo with this chapter, because
a lot of the things in it had to be thought out
in detail, as it will have great implications in
the outcome of this whole Mamoru epic. Also, I
was entangled with a lot of technicality
research, but I'm saving them for Chapter 5,
since Chapter 4 *sweatdrop*, _is_ rather
long (Hope you didn't find it too tedious to
read.....) Please forgive me.
And for those who wrote to me with good wishes
for my exam results, I just have to hug you
guys. You are so sweet. I received my national
exam results, and I got 11 A1s!! Now, I'm praying
fervently to receive the medical scholarship I'm
applying for. Anyway, this is just to tell all
of you who have wished me good luck in my exam
results, namely Andreia, Rose and Tiff (err...
you guys know this already, but I'm making it
public! *big hug*). I also hope to give hope to
other helpless anime-obsessed fans, that you
_can_ achieve good results by persevering and
planning your study strategy. Just be moderate
in the the time you spend with your mangas,
anime, web-surfing, fandom such as fanart and
fanfic, and drooling-over-handsome-anime-guys!
Most of all, PRAY.
Huge hugs go out to other kind people such as
Pandora Waldron, Sexylyon, Jennifer Wand,
Antigone, Sidnei, Sami, and also the
_resourceful_ Goddess Moon (I really adore the
header image you made for me, girl. Hope this
chapter gave a satisfying fic-fix for you.).
Thanks to Peach Blossoms for encouraging me to
release this chapter ASAP *grin*. And to all
of you who have visited my Mamoru websites!
WE LOVE MAMORU!
I will work hard to write the best I can!
Love,
Mamolove
david_duchovny@hotmail.com
"MAMORU FANFICTION"
http://devoted.to/mamorufanfiction
"My Love: MAMORU CHIBA"
http://devoted.to/mamoruchiba
Date started: Around 10 February 2001
Date completed: 15 April 2001
[Mamolove pops up from behind a rock] Enjoy!
[Ducks to evade the dagger eyes thrown at her
for releasing Chapter Four after two long
months.]
------------------------------------------------
*THE GOLDEN CRYSTAL*
by Mamolove
*Chapter 4*
"Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried in alarm as
Mamoru wavered forward and collapsed to the
ground. She managed to spin around and catch him
in mid-fall, but staggered backwards as she found
herself suddenly supporting his full weight.
"Usagi!" The others scrambled to help
them.
"Mamo-chan... What's wrong with him?!"
Usagi shook Mamoru harder, but his head merely
rolled towards her chest. Usagi's heart
shrivelled. God, he's so pale..... Usagi
thought in panic.
Rei noted his softly parted lips and
unmoving eyelids. Instinctively she reached out
to touch his forehead.
"He's freezing cold!" The fiery girl
realised in shock.
"Is he breathing?" This time Setsuna
kneeled beside Mamoru's slack form. She had
always regarded the younger man with respect. He
was certainly not a weakling. To have him
suddenly collapse like this.... Setsuna's sharp
mind was already revolving around the reason why
Mamoru was unconscious.
Then she remembered the earthquake.
Heavens, could it be?! Dread filled the dark-
skinned senshi. Something was wrong with the
planet. And Mamoru's getting the brunt of it.
She closed her eyes in a frown as she
strained to listen for his breathing. His pulse
was rapid and weak, and Setsuna could sense that
the man in front of her was barely able to draw
in enough oxygen. One look at his pale face and
nearly white lips and Setsuna knew they might
lose him if they didn't do something fast.
"Usagi, we have to bring Mamoru-kun to the
hospital. Rei, use your power and give him some
heat."
Usagi's eyes widened in fear. She clutched
Mamoru closely, as she struggled with her sheer
terror. The older woman could see the desperation
in Usagi's grip. Everyone knew how much the girl
loved her soulmate. She looked softly at Usagi,
silently comforting her.
"Let's teleport him to the hospital," Ami
urgently chimed in rapid fire. Everyone nodded
hastily, and instantly, all of them reverted
to their senshi forms and formed a circle
around Usagi and Mamoru. Although every senshi
focused her energy in the teleportation, none
could stop thinking about the unknown cause of
Mamoru's sudden collapse.
"Mamo-chan, stay with me..." Usagi pleaded
as she ran her fingers through Mamoru's limp
bangs....
************************************************
The moment they had heard Endymion's
terrified soul-cry, The Four Generals
attempted with utter desperation in trying to
break into the real world, to run to their
prince's aid. But for the umpteenth time they
had failed, and watched as Kunzite struggled to
connect with their prince.
"He needs you, Kunzite!" Zoicite clenched
his fists in frustration. Yes, he was being
inconsiderate, knowing full-well that the
white-haired general was trying his best to
reach Endymion. If there was a time when they
should be in the real world, this was definitely
it. But somehow, none of them could tap into
their stones, which were conduits to Endymion.
Certainly Kunzite could do it, couldn't he?
He still had more power than they did! The
slightly effeminate man turned around angrily,
belatedly regretting that he had lost his
temper.
Jadeite gave Nephreite a look as they
watched the exchange between Kunzite and
Zoicite. It's understandable Nephreite sighed.
Of all of them, Zoicite could connect and
comfort Kunzite the most, yet he was also the
one with the shortest fuse when it came to
emergencies like this. Jadeite nodded-- Zoicite
could be very vocal towards Kunzite at times. But the
blond had to agree that he had felt no less
frustrated.
Here they were comfortably standing in
Elysion, while their master was being terrorised
with agonising pain. Kami-sama! Why such cruelty?!
"I know that, Zoicite," Kunzite gritted
his teeth, trying again as he dipped his
consciousness in an effort to summon their
spirit powers.
"Something's blocking me-- GODS! This is
_not_ happening!!" Kunzite snarled as his
attempts ended in vain once again. He violently
turned around, and began pacing wildly, not
understanding the sudden block of access.
The three other generals threw their hands
up in frustration. Kunzite had been their last
hope of reaching Endymion, but he had failed to
get through. Didn't something just like this
occur last year? When they couldn't feel
Endymion's spirit anymore?? Fear snaked through
the generals' minds. Endymion must be going
through the same process Elysion was going
through.
A slow death.
Suddenly, Kunzite whipped his head around.
"Do you hear something?" He asked, eyes
narrowing.
Jadeite stood still and held his breath as
he tried to pick up whatever Kunzite heard. At
first, he heard nothing. The same cold wind, the
same hollow melody. There was nothing different.
Wait. Suddenly Jadeite's eyes widened.
Wait. He heard it.
The steadying breaths of Zoicite and
Nephreite also indicated that they detected the
same thing.....
"Kami-sama, somebody's calling out to
us...." Zoicite whispered. Jadeite glanced at
Kunzite, whose eyes were widening in
realization.....
Come, into the temple....
************************************************
Deep into the massive crack where
the first spider-like demon appeared, a cloaked,
hunched figure made its way through the thick
bushes which covered a frighteningly huge,
monstrous circus tent. Spikes protruded out of
this sick parody of a velodrome, looking sharp
and deadly. The hunched figure continued its
way, passing through the darkened gates,
entering the arena, ignoring the overwhelming
emptiness of the bleachers and lack of colourful
lights usually found in normal circuses.
It stopped at the foot of an a very high
platform. Slowly, it spread out its arms, and
began to float upwards to the top of the
platform. With a grace which overshadowed the
rickety way it walked, the hunched figure
fluidly landed, and continued its journey.
It finally stopped in front of a mirror.
If there was anything Zirconia wished he
could do, it was to stop his hands from
trembling. He had to stay calm. It would not
help if the queen saw him like this. Her wrath
would merely grow a tenfold. As though his
darkest fear heard him, a voice snaked through
the mirror, flashing menacingly.
"Your weakling failed, Zirconia." The
voice hissed.
The hunched figure responded, albeit
shakily, "Queen Nephrenilia, it nearly got her.
It was so close."
"Only to be destroyed." The menace in the
voice was unmistakable. Zirconia shivered.
"Forgive me, my queen! Please, I beg you!
I will deliver her to you, as you wished,"
Zirconia pleaded, his eyes looking straight into
the mirror.
On the other side of the glass,
Nephrenilia's lips curved into an evil smile. It
was amusing to see how much her servant feared
her. Her cat-like eyes glistened in the dark.
Her plan was blooming, even though Zirconia was
oblivious to it. He could merely accelerate the
inevitable, but the queen knew she was close to
a checkmate after having Elysion subdued with her
curse.
Ahh.... Elysion subdued... It was the
only thing which prevented Nephrenilia from
entering this planet; the only obstacle in her
path of conquering the life and dreams harboured
by the near six billion population. After so
many years of waiting, she had finally garnered
enough black magic to put Elysion under her
potent curse, capturing the unicorn Helios in
the process. With Elysion under her curse, she
was free to penetrate Earth's defences and begin
her plan. After all these years of waiting....
After that witch queen of the Moon Kingdom
had locked her within this mirror, a thousand years
ago, she had been imbued with revenge, so strong
it sustained her throughout the years.
Queen Serenity.
Nephrenilia's eyes narrowed into slits.
She felt repulsed by the mere thought of that
silver-haired woman. Nephrenilia should have
been the owner of the Silver Crystal. It should
have been hers, all these years... Afterall, she
was more cunning, more sly, more beautiful.
She was all that Serenity never was....
Nephrenilia looked around her. A thousand
years in this dreamscape. One thousand, lonely
years. Oh, she had had plenty of time to plan
her revenge, to acquire whatever knowledge of
dark power there ever was, and to visualize with
bloody detail how the Moon Kingdom clan would
breathe their last breath.
All she had to do was wait patiently,
like a predator silently observing a doomed
prey. At first, she harboured some slight
apprehension at the discovery that the Silver
Millennium clan had been reincarnated into this era.
But later, as she developed her devilish
plan, Nephrenilia realized that she could kill
two birds with one stone. Not only could she
imbibe the life-power and dreams in this blue
planet, she could seize the Imperium Silver
Crystal. She shivered in delight at the prospect
of yielding such immense and tremendous power.
Conquering such a thriving planet, with so much
energy bursting out of every human being
regardless of race and creed, and becoming the
yielder of that crystal, which could annihilate
a whole galaxy in a blink of an eye. It thrilled
the woman with long, black locks beyond
comprehension.
Nephrenilia whetted her lips. She could
nearly taste it. Absolute power. And she
already had a side plan on reclaiming the
Silver Crystal from that reincarnated daughter
of Serenity.
Yes, and she _will_ suffer....
Nephrenilia's lips curved into an evil smile.
Realizing that her servant had gone down
to his knees in fear, Nephrenilia spoke, "I am
not one who can be toyed with, Zirconia." She
left her threat hanging for a few more moments,
enjoying the cheap thrill of humbling that old
fool. Finally, she said, "Do. Not. Fail. Me.
Again."
Zirconia bowed to the ground, and nodded.
Nephrenilia had more interesting things in mind
though.
"Leave." And with that, she waved
Zirconia and their connection through the mirror
away. Nephrenilia stood up from her throne, and
walked to a cage. It shone with an elegant
warmth, light mysteriously emitting from its
alternate gold and silver bars. Simple, but
beautifully cruel for the fact that it had such
a pure prisoner within it. They were in stark
blackness, as though everything, including
Nephrenilia herself, floated in a warped version
of a black hole. Peering into the cage, she
purred at the unconscious unicorn.
"I've got you now, Helios. And nothing--
not you, not even Elysion, can stop me from
conquering your planet....."
************************************************
The generals quickly ran towards the
deserted temple, chills running down their spine
in dread and anticipation. Although they were
very disturbed by the calling, they knew there
was really nothing to lose.
They were, after all, dead.
Nephreite, being the one who first reached
the steps leading to the temple's chamber,
slowed down to a halt and looked questioningly
at Kunzite. From their positions, they could not
see anything inside, as the light was too
bright. The silence was terribly disturbing, and
the generals felt a wave of fear as they looked
at the entrance before them. Before this, they
could never even enter the temple, but the call
was getting stronger and stronger, pulling the
threads of their souls....
Would they be able to enter?
To save Endymion?
To be allowed access into.....
The very heart
of
Elysion?
"Let's go in....." The general quietly
said, putting forward a hesitant step
into the pure white light. Kunzite inwardly
gasped-- for the first time, nothing propelled
him away. Slowly, he took more steps, walking
into pure white light. Behind Kunzite, Jadeite,
Zoicite and Nephreite followed suit, totally
walking blindly, simply allowing their instincts
to bring them to the voice calling for them. For
a long time they walked into the deeper chambers
of the temple, bathed in cleansing light, slowly
sensing the warmth and magic of the place. It
felt so familiar, as though they were
returning....
Home.
Finally, they sensed the light dimming to
a bearable level, and when they opened their
eyes, they were met with the most soul-shocking
sight they had ever seen in their existence....
It was _beautiful_.
Rendered speechless, the generals found
themselves standing in the most wonderful,
amazing hall ever built in the existence of
mankind. It was not because of any luxurious
decorations, but because of its stark
simplicity. So simple, yet so beautiful.....
Kunzite had never remembered hearing about
this hall. Myths and legends had speculated on
the origins of their prince, but the only thing
which they were certain of was that he came from
a beautiful place called Elysion. This was
something which nobody had ever predicted.
Clear, undecorated grandeur.
Clear crystals which reflected the light
in dazzling spectrums, some which were more than
ten feet high, they were simply the most
unbelievable things he had ever seen. The floor
their leather boots touched were shining white
marble, and Kunzite noted that the patterns
within them were _very_ old. So big was this
'hall' that there was even a garden within it,
the true element which made this hall so
amazing. There were no other ornaments, no other
colour, other than the greenery and amazing red
provided by the garden. The ceiling of the hall
was in the shape of a dome, with what looked
like tree branches supporting the weight of the
massive structure. The sounds of rushing water
could be heard, Kunzite realizing that it came
from the stream which began from a pristine
water spring in the garden and flowed past them,
towards the outer grounds surrounding the
temple. They had seen the stream from the
outside, totally marred, murky waters which had
no spirit or life in it. But here, Gods, it was
so clear and abundant. And the roses. Kunzite
couldn't help but feel grateful that they
remained unsoiled and untouched. It was as
though this garden within the temple had been
totally unaffected by the curse befalling
Elysion!
Kunzite reluctantly pulled his eyes away
from marvelling at the beauty they found
themselves in, and searched for the source of
the voice which had called them here. At the end
of the hall he saw wide marble steps leading to
a structure which looked like a shrine at its
apex. Before Kunzite knew it, he was already
walking towards the beckoning embrace of the
shrine. The others followed him, and as they
came closer to the foot of the shrine, they
could feel their auras flaring up, sensing as
though....
Someone was waiting for them at the top of
those marble steps.
Kunzite gave a look at his comrades.
Let's do it All of them mentally agreed. With
a deep breath, they began climbing the steps,
each stride raising their anticipation and
anxiety by a tenfold.
Finally, they reached the top of the dais.
There they stood before two of the highest
crystals in the temple, and Kunzite reeled back
in horror as he realized that there were two
bodies encased in those crystals. Zoicite held
Kunzite by the shoulder, steadying him, as
Jadeite gaped at the sight before them.
"Dear Gods.... Are those women in the
crystals?!" The blond gasped. What was this
place? A shrine, or a tomb?! Jadeite had studied
into the history of Earth, but never before had
he seen humans enshrined within hard, solid
crystals. As his mind reeled in shock, his eyes
caught something.
Between the two tall crystals, hovered a
queer ball of light. It glowed brilliantly, and
Jadeite could feel something pulling the threads
of his soul. There was something to this place.
He just could not put his finger to it.
"Look...." Jadeite whispered, pointing
towards the ball of light. He could sense his
bonded friends' eyes widening in awe as well.
Suddenly, they jumped in startlement when
the voice they had heard flowed through the
shrine. It came from the ball of light between
the crystals.
The Four Generals. Finally you have
arrived.
************************************************
The scent of heavy medication and
antiseptic greeted Usagi as she stepped into one
of the many observation rooms located on the
third floor of Keio Medical Centre. Her heart
was beating like a trip hammer and for the
briefest moment, she hesitated in opening the door.
She was afraid. Afraid to finally see the
results of the incident which had so suddenly
snatched her beloved away from her. To finally
get a visual perspective, after all that the
doctor had explained to her.
Her body nearly sagged in physical pain as
she got her first peek of Mamoru since they
brought him to the ER two hours ago. The blonde
prayed as she rushed to her man's bedside.
Mamo-chan...
She bit her lip as she saw him. There was
an oxygen tube attached to his nose, and Usagi
could hear soft, steady beeps coming from a
nearby monitor, keeping check on his heart beat.
There were also tubes into his hands and some
wires could be seen beneath his hospital gown.
He looked so weak and pale, lying unconscious on
the hospital bed. So vulnerable.
A hand softly rested on her right
shoulder. Usagi had cleanly forgotten that Rei
had stayed on with her. No words were
interchanged between them-- Rei's quiet presence
was all she needed.
"Mamo-chan, can you hear me?" Usagi
whispered after settling down in a chair beside
Mamoru's hospital bed. The railings on that side
were down, enabling her to lean closer to his
body. Her face was barely an inch away from
Mamoru's, and she searched it for any signs
of reply.
Usagi brought her hand to Mamoru's
forehead, and began to stroke his silky momiage,
watching in rapt attention to the rise and fall
of his chest, and hearing the soft, small sighs
he gave each time he exhaled. She bit her lip as
she heard the wheeze of oxygen travelling through
the tube in his nose.
"Hey, upperclassman...." Usagi tried to
sound light. Only hums and beeps replied her.
Beside Usagi, Rei grimaced. She knew Usagi
needed support, hence her accompanying Usagi
while the rest went to help the earthquake
victims. But currently Rei was doubting herself
of being capable to be strong for her best
friend-- she was equally shaken to her core when
she had her first glimpse of Mamoru just a
moment ago. Her heart ached tremendously seeing
him like this. He was nearly as white as the
sheets. His expression was weak and fatigued;
his lips, softly parted. Although Ami's mother
had assured them that he was out of harm's way
for the time being, Rei was simply not used to
look at Mamoru like this-- dead to the world.
While Usagi tenderly stroked Mamoru's
hair, Rei retreated to a chair in the
corner of the room, recalling the emergency
teleportation they made once Mamoru had fainted.
Nothing they did seemed to help, and she could
only give some warmth to his heat-deprived body
as they prepared to teleport. Even Setsuna
looked shaken as she constantly touched Mamoru's
neck to feel his pulse.
So distressed was the green-haired senshi
that she nearly shouted for the attention of
the ER doctors to look at him once they had
arrived outside the hospital and detransformed.
It was a miracle that despite the sudden
influx of patients due to the earthquake, Ami
was able to get her mother to treat Mamoru once
the ER doctors had stabilized him. Rei winced
inwardly at the strength the ER nurse showed in
pushing Usagi out of the ER. It took the
strongest nurse to tear her away from her
lover's side. Not to mention eight other
senshis.
"I'll be here if you need me, Usagi-chan,"
Rei softly called out to her friend, knowing
that the privacy she was giving to Usagi would
be much appreciated.
Usagi turned her head and nodded to the
raven-haired girl. Returning her attention to
her unconscious lover, she curled her fingers
around his. No response. And he was cold. Still.
Usagi gently brought the sheets higher up till
it covered his chest and arms.
"Ami's mom will make sure that you get
better." Usagi whispered. "Come on, Mamo-chan.
Wake up."
Usagi paused, not knowing of what to say.
"Please don't scare me?" she pleaded.
Still no reply. Usagi quickly used her
fingers to wipe away a tear drop which escaped
her eyes. She bit her lips to suppress
herself from crying, her eyes beginning to sting as she
saw her boyfriend in such a weakened state.
Rei would surely chastise her for being a
cry-baby, a seventeen year old one for that
matter.
But how could Usagi stop herself?
Mamoru was her strength.
After all their harrowing encounters,
Usagi was more than fearful of losing him. He
absolutely had no fear of killing himself if it
meant saving her. As though his life was of no
value compared to hers. And it always hurt
Usagi to see him in pain. To see him so willing
to die. For her.
In a way, it made her more resilient and
turned her into a stronger fighter, primarily to
avoid Mamoru from risking his life. It helped
her tremendously throughout the past years since
she became Sailor Moon, especially the trying
months of fighting Galaxia, stupidly unaware
that Mamoru had actually died having his
starseed taken away from him....
He had died, and nobody knew. He had died,
without her holding him. Without her even
feeling it.
He had died _alone_.
Usagi choked as guilt overwhelmed her. She
had never really gotten over the agony of
discovering that Galaxia had so ruthlessly
stolen her lover's starseed. And what
accentuated Usagi's pain was the painful fact
that despite their soul link, he had died
without her knowing. To her, she had failed to
protect him when he needed her most.
But the most amazing thing was,
despite how stupid she had been, how clumsy and
frivolous she naturally was, Mamoru still
wanted her, hovering faithfully by her
side no matter how many beautiful, intelligent
and good-hearted women desired him. He wanted
her, and only her, together with all her
idiosyncrasies. He had accepted her for who she
was, told her that he loved her for the pure
angel she was. He had looked at her with his
blue eyes and smiled, telling her that he was
hers.
Always.
Usagi closed her eyes, feeling the tears
sting her eyes. God, she loved this man so much.
Usagi reached for Mamoru's hand again--
feeling their soft texture, tracing the length
of those elegant long fingers, and best of all,
recapturing his touch. Usagi knew there was more
to it than just the contact of his grip. Each
time she had felt like floating towards oblivion
whenever she fought evil, he would pull
her back to him, holding her tight and sure,
sending torrents of energy through her.
Bringing the pure love and confidence he
had harboured for her.
How Mamoru was able to transmit such
intangible, wonderful things to Usagi was still
a mystery. The senshis had reasoned it as part
of his abilities in psychometry. Usagi had
come to cherish it as part of Mamoru's very
essence.
Usagi sighed, and tenderly caressed
Mamoru's curled fingers which were gently resting
in her palm.
She leaned in and whispered into her
lover's ear.
"Mamo-chan, I'm right here...."
She held his bangs away, and placed a
gentle kiss on his forehead. Again, she stared
at his pallor, and heartbreakingly hoped for his
eyelids to suddenly flutter open and reveal
those gorgeous blue eyes again. She should have
stayed with him after what had happened in the
stadium. Should have....
Usagi sagged, and nestled her head
beside Mamoru's arm, her fingers tenderly
curling around his. She closed her eyes in
exhaustion and allowed the bed sheets to absorb
her tears.
************************************************
"Where are you...."
Sailor Mercury frowned in concentration as
she strained her senses to locate yet another of
the many broken pipes within the wrecked grounds
of Juuban. Around her a group of engineers and
emergency volunteers stood muted, watching the
Senshi of Ice trace the broken points of Tokyo's
water system. They all knew how important water
was in the wake of an earthquake. The citizens
needed it, and it could not be absent if they
wanted to prevent Tokyo from burning into ashes.
The soft-spoken lass opened her eyes
suddenly as she pinpointed ten broken points in
the water system. Without a word, she whipped
around, traced and circled several locations on
the map, and started running. The group pitched
forward in excitement as they realised that the
young girl had detected more broken pipes.
I hope the rest are doing well too...
Sailor Mercury thought to herself while running.
This was not effective as she desired, though.
She could only bring a single team to a single
break point, one by one. But the intelligent
senshi nevertheless knew how to handle the
difficulties. She would focus sharply on faraway
break points and detect exactly where they were,
and point them out in the map. That way other
teams nearer to the locations would be able to
fix the damage. The faster they detected the
water break-points, the easier it was to arrest
the fire. Besides, the main worry was whether
the reservoirs had sustained damage, but awhile
ago Sailor Mercury had overheard that they
miraculously escaped harm.
She sighed inwardly. The earthquake was
not as bad as the Kobe Earthquake. Thank the
heavens for that. Thank God, Thank _God_ for
that. But somehow, their Juuban district seemed
to have fared rather badly compared to the rest
of Tokyo. Sailor Mercury had read enough to know
that the after-effects of earthquakes were more
dangerous than the tremors. The most direct
threat was the conflagaration-- fire outbreaks
due to broken gas lines, or collapsed electrical
wirings. Further complicated by a broken water
system, and you'll get chaos which could last
for months on ends.
After a short reunion outside at the
hospital, the senshis had immediately agreed on
leaving Usagi with Rei to be with Mamoru while
they rushed to help the earthquake emergency
volunteers. Sailor Mercury accepted the role of
locating broken water points, while Sailor
Neptune and Sailor Uranus dashed to settle the
spread of fire across Juuban. Jupiter and Venus
rushed to clear off fallen debris which blocked
transportation and help save pinned-down victims
who were unwittingly trapped in the rubble while
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn aided paramedics
in saving wounded citizens. It was the most that
they could do for now. Sailor Mercury knew that
they would need to investigate the queer eclipse
which occurred yesterday, and try to discover the
cause for Mamoru's seizures.
"Here it is!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed.
They had reached the nearest broken point.
"You did it again! How could we have done
this without you?" A senior engineer gratefully
bowed to her.
"Please!" The girl tried to stop him from
bowing. "Everyone wants to help..."
"Hai. How could we possibly have done this
without you and your comrades..." The senior man
insisted again.
A sweatdrop appeared beside Sailor
Mercury's head, but she nodded and smiled
anyway. And with that, she started to trace for
more broken points. But as demanding her task
was, Sailor Mercury could not help but feel
distracted-- what happened to Mamoru-san? At
least he was safe in the hospital with Usagi,
under the observation of her mother. For now,
the senshis would have to do without Usagi and
Rei and help the earthquake victims with their
powers.
"This is going to be a long day...."
************************************************
The Four Generals. Finally, you have
arrived.
Endymion's generals gasped in shock.
Kunzite. Jadeite. Nephreite. Zoicite.
What was going on? The generals' mind were
whirling in confusion. Who was speaking to them,
from that glow of energy between the crystals?
"We heard your call," Kunzite cautiously
said.
The time is coming. The battle which
will determine this planet's fate.
"What battle?" Kunzite asked.
The First Revelation....
Kunzite stopped himself from asking what
the voice meant. He was more concerned for other
matters.
"What has happened to our master,
Endymion?" Kunzite braced himself.
When they didn't receive any reply, they
nearly panicked, thinking that the voice had
been lost, and that they would still be left in
the dark. But slowly, the ball of light
expanded, and like a flickering mirror, showed
the image of their prince in a hospital bed,
with the princess sleeping beside him.
Without a thought Kunzite lunged towards
the image.
"Is he alright?" Nephreite softly said,
eyeing Kunzite as the white-haired general
hovered protectively in front of the image of
Endymion's unconscious form.
There is a reason to everything,
including Endymion's condition. And soon, it
will be time for you to serve him again....
The generals looked up, their expressions
serious. "We know that.... That's why we haven't
left our stones," Kunzite sadly said, his voice
barely a whisper. The sheer will of correcting
their horribly grave mistake regarding Beryl burned
through all of them. They missed Endymion terribly.
They would not betray him ever again.
"Give us power, so that we may reach him,"
Kunzite resolutely pleaded, the strategist
within him reappearing.
The light flickered, as though considering
Kunzite's request, before resolutely saying,
No.... Not yet. Power will come to you,
but not for this. He will need you in the near
future. That is when you should use every shred
of unique strength each of you possess.
"But he was in pain!" Kunzite argued. "We
felt him! What in the name of the heavens is
happening to him?!"
Elysion is under a curse. The world
would have been in worse condition had it not
been for something Endymion did. The voice
cryptically said.
"... What do you mean?" Jadeite quietly
interjected.
You will understand it in time, child.
But for now, your place is here, until the time
comes for you to fight again by his side. He
will need all of you then.
"Can we go to him? At least, to tell him
of the danger Elysion is in?"
That is not necessary. Helios will see
him.
Kunzite's mind went blank as he heard the
name. Could it be....
Yes, Kunzite. Helios exists.
"Who is Helios, Kunzite?" All eyes turned
to Kunzite.
"Helios..... Is the..." Kunzite glanced at
the crystals, slowly piecing together the
puzzle...
"Priest of Elysion."
"The Priest of Elysion...." Jadeite
mouthed. He looked again at the ball of light in
front of them. It had a very strong aura to it,
stronger than any living being on the land. With
consternation, the blonde general reverently
asked.
"Then.... who are you?" They looked at the
light before them.
Silence pervaded the whole temple as they
waited for the answer with bated breath. When
they heard it, they instinctively fell to
their knees in reverence, instinctively knew
that it was the truth, for they could _feel_
Her, for the first time in their existence which
had spanned a thousand years.
"I am Earth Mother."
************************************************
Sailor Neptune unleashed a tidal wave of
crystal clear water, battling the flames
ravaging an old office-building. When she and
Sailor Uranus arrived at the scene, the fire had
begun to spread to the neighbouring buildings,
like an enraged firegod.
As though the fire marshals knew exactly
what she could do, they had almost reverently
stepped back from their efforts and allowed the
calm senshi to summon her power. Many had heard
of the Sailor Senshis, but few had actually seen
them unleash their powers with their own eyes.
An aura of turqoise-blue emanated from the
stoic senshi called Sailor Neptune. She closed
her eyes as she let her power fill up her being,
her hair slightly rising with the energy. And
raw power was unleashed, with grace and beauty.
"AQUA DEEP SUBMERGE!!!"
Citizens, fire marshals, reporters, and
volunteers, could not help but gasp in awe at
the way Sailor Neptune created a tidal wave out
of nowhere. And effective it was, for the great
fire was mercilessly extinguished, surrendering
to the onslaught of water and sizzling down into
fog and steam before fully dying down. However,
before most of the crowd could regain their
speech and heated exclamations, the two
mysterious senshis had vanished.
"How many more, Sailor Neptune?" Sailor
Uranus asked as they bolted down the crowded and
congested roads.
"Not many, fortunately." Neptune flicked a
strand of hair away from her eyes. "But we have
to hurry. The conflagaration could spread if the
wind picks up speed." Neptune gave a knowing
glance to her partner.
Uranus grimaced inwardly. Wind was
certainly not welcomed at this point. Her own
power-- however wonderful and elating it felt,
yet how dangerous and unwanted it was at this
moment. Uranus would have to strain every branch
of her powers and try to manipulate the
windspeed to stop the fires from spreading.
How timely it was that the youma they
blasted this morning appeared right after the
earthquake. Did the eclipse have anything to do
with that demon? Sailor Uranus began thinking
rapidly. Something was definitely wrong
with that eclipse for sure. Why else would they
experience the violation into their dimension,
or even regain their planet powers? Setsuna had
mentioned the First Revelation. Could this be
it? The first step towards building Crystal
Tokyo?? What was to be revealed in the first
place?! The boyish senshi clenched her fists.
They had better find out who their enemy was
this time before things got worse.
So much had happened, in such a short time
span.
Throughout the day, they settled more
conflagarations. Slowly, the air in Juuban
cooled down as the fires were successfully
doused. It was night by the time they doused the
numerous fires, and things were steadily on the
mend, Juuban slowly recovering from the absolute
terror that had raged in the morning.
Finally, Neptune and Uranus decided
that they could detransform. Tired, but
satisfied, they contacted the rest of the
senshis through their comlinks, and received
similar responses of the situation improving.
Setsuna and Hotaru had managed to heal hundreds
besides assisting the scores of paramedics
around the area. Minako and Makoto were still in
their senshi forms, but insisted that they
didn't need help from Haruka and Michiru. And
Ami had succeeded in preventing any collapse in
the water system, especially the dams and
reservoirs.
"That leaves Rei..."
"And Usagi." Haruka finally let out, worry
blanketing her heart. She loved that girl with
all her heart-- such innocence and purity. Never
yielding, always gentle and kind, endlessly
adorable. Haruka had missed her dearly.
"We'll go to her," Michiru squeezed
Haruka's fingers. Haruka nodded impassively,
too troubled and torn between her desires to
comfort Usagi and the responsibility
of being an Outer Senshi. She had always tried
to maintain a distance from that Moon Princess,
gladly accepting her fate of only looking at
the girl from afar, but how terribly did she
want to hold that child again, to have the
confidence to tell her that all was right with
the world. To tell her not to worry, that
Mamoru would be alright.
So embroiled was Haruka in her thoughts
that she did not even notice that she was
walking directly into a man with honey-blond
hair. By the time her brain registered what her
downcasted eyes saw, it was too late and she
crashed into the equally busy man who had his
back to her. He instinctively spread out his
hands to stop his face from kissing the pavement.
"Sor--- Sorry," Haruka gruffly said, too
embarrassed to say more.
"Ah... It's nothing." The man stood up and
brushed the dirt off his apron. "Everyone's
really bothered by the earthquake anyway," the
man answered, bending down to pick up the broom
he was holding before he had fallen. "Thank
goodness nobody around here got hurt. Just some
broken cups and plates in my restaurant," he
gestured to the shop-lot they were in front of.
Haruka pursed her lips and nodded in
agreement. Now that she was facing the man, she
couldn't help but feel as though she had seen
his face before.....
"Aren't you Mamoru's friend?" Haruka
suddenly asked.
Haruka was sure she could see the
startlement in the man's eyes.
"Hai...." He nodded, a soft smile grazing
his lips.
This time the answer caught Michiru's
attention. She went closer to the young man who
was speaking to Haruka.
"You know him too?" The man asked, lifting
his eyebrows. His initial surprise dissipated as
he saw the serious expressions the two strangers
carried. Suddenly, dread filled him.
Somehow Haruka just felt the need to tell
this man. Blame it on her sixth sense.
"He passed out after this morning's
earthquake. He's in the hospital now." Haruka
said point-blank.
If there was an indicator that could show
how well this person knew Mamoru, this blond
would be it. Haruka and Michiru could actually
see the blood instantly draining from his face,
his eyes widening in horror and shock, and his
knuckles going stark white as he gripped his
broom for support.
"We're on our way to the hospital... You
can come with us if you want to," Michiru gently
said. This man looked as though he was about to
pass out any moment. It took awhile later for
Michiru to realise that this was the owner of
the cafe she and Haruka frequented when they
were students in Muugen High two years ago.
"I-- I need to---" Motoki Furuhata
stuttered, frantically untying his apron. So
shocked was he that he couldn't even steady his
shaking hands.
"...Unazuki!!!" He ran into his cafe. From
outside Haruka and Michiru could see a teenage
redhead popping out from behind the counter,
suddenly concerned with her brother's cry. She
cupped her mouth in shock as he exchanged a few
words with her. She nodded vigorously and said a
few more words as the blond man shoved his apron
and broom to her and hurried out to Haruka and
Michiru.
"Where..." Motoki gasped.
"Keio Medical Centre."
Haruka and Michiru did not need anyone to
tell them how desperate this man was to go to
the mentioned hospital. Haruka inwardly cursed
for the unavailability of her Ferrari.
As though she heard Haruka's thoughts,
Michiru said, "It's just a few blocks away.
Let's go now."
Motoki had already begun moving to the
hospital's direction. Haruka and Michiru
accompanied him, and together they allowed the
man to take the lead as he finally bolted ahead
of them, leaving behind a small gust of wind.
************************************************
Soft footsteps padded through the silent
corridors outside Mamoru's room. Usagi raised
her head as she heard the hasty footsteps cease
to a halt right outside the room. As Rei and
Usagi turned their heads around to see who it
was, the door opened-- revealing Motoki with
Haruka and Michiru behind him. The jade-eyed man
paused by the door, slightly staggering
backwards as he had his first glimpse of his
unconscious friend lying in the bed.
Haruka and Michiru entered the room and
greeted the two girls inside. Haruka nodded to
Usagi, silently understanding the distress she
was undergoing. The short-haired blonde looked
questioningly at Rei.
He hasn't regained consciousness yet.
The look Rei returned was obvious.
"What .... happened?" Motoki gasped. He
slowly walked towards the hospital bed, his
heart shrivelling with aching pity as he saw his
best friend. No... It can't be. This is not
happening! Motoki thought wildly.
"Not again...." Motoki hoarsely whispered.
Immediately it caught everyone's
attention. Usagi tilted her head towards Motoki,
wondering what he had just said.
"What do you mean, Motoki-onnichan?" She
looked at him with shocked eyes.
Motoki repeatedly shook his head. He could
not believe it. It was just like ....
Eight
years
ago.
"Let's talk about this outside...." Rei
gently suggested. Everyone nodded and hastily
exited the room. Motoki leaned against the wall
as the girls surrounded him. Silence blanketed
them, as though Fate did not wish for anything
to interfere what they were about to hear from
the man. The tension was that thick.
"Motoki-onnichan, what happened?" Usagi
begged.
Motoki stared into the pleading blue
irises, and released a shuddering breath.
"I... can't believe it's happening again,"
Motoki whispered to himself. "Mamoru like this.
It-- It happened before in school, when we were
thirtee-- Well *I* was thirteen, he was twelve
since he skipped a grade," Motoki began quietly.
"You both were in the same class?" Michiru
gently asked.
"...Hai. It was January.... January 17th.
Mamoru was fine in class, but during recess...."
Motoki rubbed his eyes.
Usagi braced herself.
"It started out like usual. We ran to a
shaded spot in the school yard--" Motoki laughed
curtly to himself, "I was eager to know what my
mother had packed for me, while he was hungry
for whatever he had packed himself."
"But after a few minutes, he sort of zoned
out. He just wasn't there with me anymore..."
Motoki broke off into silence.
"What do you mean 'he sort of zoned out'?"
This time it was Rei, her voice suddenly
breaking the blanket of muteness in the
corridors.
Motoki closed his eyes, furrowed eyebrows
etching out the concentration he carried. "He...
He wasn't talking or looking at me anymore. It
was as though he saw something else at that
moment. A minute or two passed before I started
getting worried."
"Did you see anything, Motoki-san?" Rei
asked.
"I..." Motoki trailed away, afraid to
reveal the secret he and Mamoru had been keeping
for all these years.
Michiru's eyes narrowed. This man was
hiding something. "You saw something, didn't
you?" she confronted him.
"I don't know what I saw then..."
Motoki glanced at Usagi, and suddenly felt
the urge to tell her, no matter what the
consequences.
"What is it that you saw, Motoki-san?"
Michiru asked, this time her voice gentler.
Motoki pursed his lips, and took in a deep
breath. "I saw... Mamoru..." He finally let
out a shuddering breath.
"_Glowing_ with golden light."
------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes: GOMEN NASAII!!!!
I'm sorry for keeping all of you waiting. You
guys are so sweet to even be reading this far.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for your
generous support, criticism and attention. I was
hanging in the limbo with this chapter, because
a lot of the things in it had to be thought out
in detail, as it will have great implications in
the outcome of this whole Mamoru epic. Also, I
was entangled with a lot of technicality
research, but I'm saving them for Chapter 5,
since Chapter 4 *sweatdrop*, _is_ rather
long (Hope you didn't find it too tedious to
read.....) Please forgive me.
And for those who wrote to me with good wishes
for my exam results, I just have to hug you
guys. You are so sweet. I received my national
exam results, and I got 11 A1s!! Now, I'm praying
fervently to receive the medical scholarship I'm
applying for. Anyway, this is just to tell all
of you who have wished me good luck in my exam
results, namely Andreia, Rose and Tiff (err...
you guys know this already, but I'm making it
public! *big hug*). I also hope to give hope to
other helpless anime-obsessed fans, that you
_can_ achieve good results by persevering and
planning your study strategy. Just be moderate
in the the time you spend with your mangas,
anime, web-surfing, fandom such as fanart and
fanfic, and drooling-over-handsome-anime-guys!
Most of all, PRAY.
Huge hugs go out to other kind people such as
Pandora Waldron, Sexylyon, Jennifer Wand,
Antigone, Sidnei, Sami, and also the
_resourceful_ Goddess Moon (I really adore the
header image you made for me, girl. Hope this
chapter gave a satisfying fic-fix for you.).
Thanks to Peach Blossoms for encouraging me to
release this chapter ASAP *grin*. And to all
of you who have visited my Mamoru websites!
WE LOVE MAMORU!
I will work hard to write the best I can!
Love,
Mamolove
david_duchovny@hotmail.com
"MAMORU FANFICTION"
http://devoted.to/mamorufanfiction
"My Love: MAMORU CHIBA"
http://devoted.to/mamoruchiba
Date started: Around 10 February 2001
Date completed: 15 April 2001