Chapter Five - When the Moon is Darkest
"Do you think they took the bait?"
Rion shook his head at Endymion's question. "Aidoneus is a patient man. He will wait, and wait and wait to make sure we are gone before moving to crush the Palace."
"What do you think will happen if the Dark Moon clan wins?" Jaedite mused. Kunzite shot a warning glare at him. Nephrite shrugged.
"The stars forbid anything like that ever happen, but if it does..." he let out a breath. "I wager that many of the planets will follow the Dark Moon clan simply to ensure the peace within the solar system."
"I thought the planets were all loyal to the Moon Kingdom?" Zoicite tugged at a strand of blond hair in an absent way. "Why would they submit to the rebel clan?"
"Some of them support the Dark Moon clan somewhat," Kunzite said casually. "The Moon Kingdom has its problems. But like Rion said, right now the Moon Kingdom holds the most power in the system, political and otherwise."
"All kingdoms have problems," Jaedite snorted. "Even ours. I wonder if we will ever get Mars to sign that treaty considering our borders."
A soft sound beyond their camp among the trees made them freeze. Endymion stood up quietly. "What was that?"
"Sit down, little brother, I'll-" Rion started, but Kunzite pulled Endymion down and glared at Rion. "What do you think we're here for, to amuse the two of you? Zoicite, you go."
Zoicite stood up, saluted, and slipped into the shadows, his hand on his sword. Soundlessly he moved through the undergrowth for a few seconds, then paused, his eyes darting in all directions. I could have sworn it was somewhere around --
A cool edge on his cheek made him stiffen. "State your rank in three seconds," said a low, sweet, dangerous voice.
"General Zoicite of Earth," Zoicite obliged promptly, wincing at the blade. He kept his hand around the hilt of his sword, ready to lash out at the slightest sign of distraction.
"Of Earth?" The blade moved not an inch. "Why are the Earth troops still here? They were told to retreat, no?"
"I just wanted to enjoy the scenery a bit longer," the general said lightly. The voice was unmistakably feminine. "Such wonderful nights you have here on the Moon."
"..." The voice suddenly turned a bit smug. "Don't you miss Mercury, General? She does moon about you from time to time."
Zoicite blushed furiously. "What would you know about-" He blinked as he realized who his captor was. "You're a Senshi, aren't you?"
The blade was slowly lowered, and Zoicite whirled around to come face to face with Saturn. "Smart General," Saturn smiled pleasantly. "Hope your stay here was enjoyable so far."
"Zoicite!" Kunzite's voice reached both of them as the white-haired general burst through the bushes. He froze at the sight of Saturn, "Why.. you're Princess Saturn? What in the name of the planets are you doing here alone?"
"That's Sailor Saturn to you, General Kunzite," Saturn said crisply. "And what I'm doing here is none of your business. Perhaps you should train your men better, General - Zoicite moved through the grass like a blind man without a stick. An army of blind men."
Zoicite turned white with indignation, but Kunzite shot him a glare that shut him up. "How I train my men is none of your business, Sailor Saturn. I understand the Dark Moon troops will leave the lines free for us to march through. You wouldn't happen to know when?"
"By dawn tomorrow, there will be not one soldier of the clan still here. They will move against the Palace within the night."
"Can I trust you on that?"
"I swear as a Sailor Senshi sworn to protect the planets."
Kunzite nodded curtly. "Then I will send word to our troops to march."
Saturn returned his nod, then turned around to melt into the darkness. Zoicite stared after her. "Are all the Senshi like that?"
"You should know better than that," Kunzite retorted with a half-smile that Zoicite ignored. "What do you think she plans to do... alone, at that?"
"..." Kunzite gazed at the sky. The Earth was shining, a star of blue and white, and behind it was the Sun. He spoke as if to himself. "The Moon's light will be covered by Earth tonight.... and she will be at her darkest before she shines full again."
* * * * * * * *
Saturn sat very still within the shadows, her eyes two narrowed slits of light hidden in the darkness. She hoped that the wards she had would work as she planned... she wasn't used to working with artifacts other than her Glaive, which was such a part of her she never thought of it as a seperate object.
These wards separate the space they surround from the plane we live on, Mars had told her. What happens within them also happens in our world, but for a certain amount of time whatever is within their power cannot be heard nor seen from the beings on our plane.
Which meant she only had a certain amount of time to kill Aidoneus while he was within these wards along with her. Mars had also told her that no one except for perhaps a priestess could break the wards. She fervently hoped it was so.
Aidoneus walked out of the tent slowly, raising his head to gaze at the sky for a brief moment. Saturn tensed, then leapt out of the shadows silently.
Before she was half in the air Aidoneus had drawn his sword. Saturn gracefully avoided the flash of silver. With a swift gesture she held up the four wards, shaped like the four elements, and snapped her wrist once, twice, four times. They buried themselves in the ground.
There was a moment of brightness, and then Saturn lightly landed as the light faded. Nothing around them had changed, but now there was no sign of people, no sound from within the tents, and the shadows themselves seemed to be not real, shadows of shadows, in a world where they barely existed.
Aidoneus calmly took in the small, violet-eyed girl. "A Sailor Senshi, I see. Might I ask which?"
"I am Sailor Saturn, my Lord." The Silent Glaive shone in her hand. "Sworn to protect the nine planets from harm, and to serve Queen Serenity with my life and my soul."
"Impressive, Sailor Saturn." There was more than a hint of amusement in his voice as he casually held his sword. "Have you ever wondered if one duty might contradict the other?"
"Serenity is sworn in turn to protect our solar system from harm, Lord Aidoneus," Saturn was unruffled. "She is the Light that keeps it safe."
"Without no shadow, there is no light, Senshi," the King of the Dark Moon clan said softly. "Do you truly believe that our clan is evil and your queen is good? Have you never thought that this war might be the result of a stubborn, lofty woman who refused to listen to a people that only wished for equal rights? A woman you call Queen?"
"I am not interested in politics, my Lord. All I know is that you and your clan have broken the peace within the solar system, a peace which my Lady has done everything within her power to keep." Her voice was distant and cold. "The punishment for such is death."
"After all, the victor is always right," Aidoneus smirked, bringing his blade up. "If we win, Sailor Saturn, history will tell of how I bravely rebelled against the tyrannical Moon Kingdom and brought justice to the people."
Saturn tightened her grip on her Glaive. "And it is that I will die to prevent." She held up her Glaive. "Death Reborn!" she snapped, and energy swirled around her. "Revolution!"
The attack sped toward Aidoneus, and behind it came Saturn, blade aimed for his heart.
* * * * * * * *
The shadow of the Earth came between the Sun and Moon, making the Moon darker than the darkest hour of night.
* * * * * * * *
The bedroom was a flurry of activity. The seven Senshi stood silently to one side, glowing with energy in an attempt to aid their Queen, while maids went to and fro from the bed where Serenity lay. Aerin knelt beside her, his hand gripping her own, and she managed to smile although her face was twisted in pain.
"Just.. a while.. longer..." she breathed. "Our daughter.. Aerin.. she..!"
Serenity clamped her mouth down on a cry as she felt the life within her move violently. The women urged her to push, whispering among themselves worriedly. The Senshi exchanged glances.
"It is because of the black influences around us," Pluto said, her eyebrows drawn together in worry. "They are making it hard for the Princess to be born."
"You don't think..." Mercury whispered, her pale face almost white. Neptune put a calming hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "No, Mercury. It will not happen. It will not." She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as much as the other Senshi.
"The Moon is at her darkest," Venus said in a barely audible voice. Mars nodded shortly. In the darkest phase, when the Moon does not shine, the Princess will be born. Will she?
A sharp scream from the bed made the Senshi snap to attention. "All we can do is hope," Uranus said firmly. The light around her strengthened. "Hope and be her strength."
* * * * * * * *
Saturn thrust her Glaive, but it met air and then dirt. She whipped around, and steel clashed against steel as Aideonus' sword came down to meet her. Saturn staggered under his strong arm, then managed to break free and flip away, only to have him press his attack, denying her any chance of striking back.
She desperately brought up her Glaive against his swift slashes that her eye had much trouble following. Sparks flew between them, and Aidoneus did not so much as smile as he forced her to step back little by little. Saturn was concentrating so hard on his sword that she almost didn't sense his next attack until too late.
As the whirling globe of shadow streaked out of one his hands, she abandoned defense and threw herself back, hitting the ground hard. "Silence Wall!" she cried, and the force of the collision knocked the wind out of her, slamming her against a boulder with jarring force. She grit her teeth in pain, feeling blood seep out of a gash on her left arm. Aideonus nodded a little, acknowledging her skill; then lashed out at her again.
Sacrifice.. she thought in the back of her mind as she met his sword. Victory does not come without sacrifice...
She knew she would never be able to touch him as she was, being held back at a distance by his attack. "Silence Glaive!" she shouted, jumping towards him. "Surprise!!"
Aideonus easily avoided the attack, but Saturn took the heartbeat of opportunity to dash towards him. His eyes widened as she swung her Glaive towards his neck.... and Saturn coughed up blood as his sword plunged into her right arm.
* * * * * * * *
"Serenity, my love, please hold on!"
Aerin kept his wife's hand at his chest as she strove to bring her daughter out into the world. Her thin body twisted and turned with the effort, but to no avail. The women around her were becoming more agitated as time wore on.
The Senshi were silent, hand in hand with their eyes closed, and the light around them filled the room as they did all they could to aid their Lady and her daughter, their Princess. Serenity was bathed in the glow of her Senshi, and it pulsed around her like it was alive.
"Her head!" one of the women shouted from at the foot of Serenity's bed. "I see the child. My Lady, push!"
Serenity screamed, sweat covering her brow and making her silver locks limp with damp, as she drew every last bit of strength. "I.. can't..!!"
"You can, Serenity," Aerin whispered. "You can and you must."
"One will not live," the midwife shook her head in despair as she struggled to aid Serenity in her birthing. Aerin closed his eyes. Oh Gods, please... please help us... please look over my wife and my daughter!!!
* * * * * * * *
"Almost, Sailor Saturn, almost."
Aideonus did not move, his blade still buried in her arm, as he watched Saturn stare at him with wide eyes inches from his, her right hand barely able to hold her Glaive. "Almost did you change the course of history, girl. But now things will be different. What was light will now be dark, and what was dark will now be light. The goodness of Serenity will never be spoken of in future generations to come."
Saturn coughed, blood filling the air. "You.. will not live ... to witness that."
A crescent dagger shone in her left hand before it leapt out to bury itself in his chest. Those who fear death cannot expect to kill...
Aideonus looked startled as he felt the metal enter his body. The sky seemed to cover his sight until it was all he could see, and the ground beneath him felt hard and cold. Saturn wrenched the blade out of her skin and threw it on the ground beside Aideonus.
"Light will still be light, Aideonus," she said softly. "As it always has been, and as it always will be."
"..." A flicker of a smile passed across his face. "You are a brave, stubborn woman, Senshi.." Saturn steeled herself against his eyes, so much like Safire's. "I.. admit... you have defeated me... but my people ... still stand."
"...perhaps you will have a happier destiny in the next life, Aideonus," Saturn murmured as the King of the Dark Moon clan drew his last breath.
* * * * * * * *
"She is born!!"
Serenity fell into Aerin's arms, drained of all her strength, as a woman held up a small, writhing bundle, crying loudly as it felt the air of the outside world fill its lungs. The Senshi broke their light and laughed in delight and relief, some of them embracing, others clamoring to hold the baby within their arms. Serenity was as pale as one who had never seen the sun, but a smile played on her lips as she fell asleep in her husband's arms. Aerin held her close, tears of joy falling from his eyes.
Venus cradled the babe in her arms, her tired face alight with gladness. "Our Princess Serenity. She is beautiful...."
The child in her arms quieted her cries and looked up at the girls crowded around her with large, blue eyes. Solemnly she waved a small hand in the air, catching Mars' finger. Mars felt a tingle at the baby's touch, then suddenly straightened up.
"What is it?" Venus asked, alarmed. Mars looked at her friends, and her eyes shone with triumph and worry all at once.
"Saturn has succeeded," she said simply. "Now is the time to fight."
* * * * * * * *
The Earth's shadow had passed, and the Moon shone with a light brighter than ever before.
* * * * * * * *