Guess who's back…back again… Yes, at last I bring you Part Four of Sacrifices. I'd just like to take a brief moment to thank everyone that has dropped a review…you make this little coconut feel special…the good kind…and validated, my humble attempts at writing make someone happy! It's enough to make me fall outta my tree and roll around in the dirt from the sheer joy of it. Hmmmm…perhaps I'm taking this whole coconut thing too far…nah!

 Any way, I'm going to try and get updates out more quickly, just because now I know that there are folks out there who are into this whole twisted tale, and I know how impatient I can get when waiting for the next chapter of my favorite stories to come out. Speaking of waiting, this note has probably gone on far too long for those of you who are actually reading it, so without further ado I present to the three of you Part Four of Sacrifices…enjoy!

Part IV

The Queen surveyed everyone in the room, "As I was saying, now that we're all here I believe some introductions and explanations are in order."

"First and foremost, I believe that we should see each other in our true forms." She turned towards the man and aqua haired woman. "Uranus, Neptune." The two nodded. In a flash of light two Senshi emerged.

"More of the Outer Senshi highness?" Mars asked.

"Yes," She gestured towards the aqua haired woman. "This is Sailor Neptune, Princess of Neptune, Senshi of the Depths, and holder of the Aqua Mirror." Sailor Neptune bowed at the end of the introduction.

"And this is Sailor Uranus, Princess of Uranus, Senshi of the Skies, and holder of the Space Sword."

"A pleasure to meet you," Venus began making a bow of her own, forgetting her earlier anger as her courtly manners kicked in. "Wait, if you two are Senshi then why did you sneak in here and attack the guards. Why did you try to kill the Ambassador?" She turned to point to Ambassador Meioh, whom Mercury was helping to stand, "Wait…Don't tell me she's the Time Guardian, Sailor Pluto?"

"Correct…" the Ambassador replied. "I don't believe that I'm up to transforming at the moment however."

The Queen glanced from Pluto to Uranus and then at Pluto's neck, which was already turning violet. "Perfectly understandable under the circumstances, take your time."

"Thank you, Majesty."

Venus pointed towards Uranus and Neptune, "You still haven't answered my questions."

Uranus shrugged and suddenly began to find the wall to her left extremely interesting. Neptune looked to her partner and then to the expectant leader of the Inner Senshi. "You must pardon Uranus, her temper has gotten the better of her."

"Really? Her temper knocked out the guards at the entrance to this wing with water magic?" Mercury asked.

Neptune smiled, "It got the better of the both of us, I suppose. You see we were not aware of the fact that Jupiter was here on the moon until recently."

"We had been told," this comment was punctuated with a glare in Pluto's direction, "that Jupiter had been called to Io Castle on urgent business. As she is still in name at least the head of Jupiter's royal family we thought nothing of it. We had thought it strange that Jupiter had left Titan without saying farewell, but…" Neptune blushed slightly, "we soon became too involved in other matters to suspect that anything was amiss."

"Two weeks ago there was a disturbance on one of the moons near my home. Uranus came to aid me yet even with her assistance the battle was a difficult one. Pluto arrived as we fought and helped us finally overcome the enemy. Again this is nothing unusual. However, Pluto began to act strangely once she noticed that Uranus was unharmed. She began to question Uranus about her health. With each answer Pluto seemed to become more and more agitated."

"Before we could ask Pluto about her strange attitude, she told us that she was late for an appointment and transported from the area. Naturally, we began to wonder what was causing our friend's strange behavior, but we decided to leave things alone. We still trusted Pluto at that point and thought that she would tell us what was troubling her in her own time"

"On her way back home Uranus stopped by castle Io to inquire of Jupiter's progress. What she discovered only served to further confuse the both of us. The reining monarch, Jupiter's uncle, had not seen his niece in months nor had he sent for her. He had no idea where she was."

"Naturally, Uranus became worried. Why would Pluto have lied to us about Jupiter's departure? She returned to Neptune as soon as she possibly could to seek my council. I called on my talisman, the Aqua Mirror to show us Jupiter's whereabouts."

"The mirror showed Jupiter fighting something and losing. We could see that her body was battered. Her battle uniform was torn. Her hands looked to be badly burned and yet she fought on. Then the image changed and we could still see Jupiter but her image was being reflected through the Gates of Time and Pluto was simply standing there watching her being beaten half to death."

"Damn bitch was letting her die." Uranus growled, breaking her silence. "She was doing nothing! Just watching that thing hurting my family! She had to pay!" Neptune placed a hand on Uranus' shoulder in attempt to calm her.

"The image in the mirror distorted before we could see the outcome of the battle but from what we did see we could tell that Jupiter needed our help. We left for Venus immediately, but by the time we arrived you had already brought Jupiter back here."

"We knew that Pluto would show up sooner or later so we bided our time. We found a mage who promised us that for the right price he could give us a spell that would cloak our movements so well that even the Senshi would not be able to discover our entry into the palace."

"I'd ask for my gold back." Mars interjected.

"Indeed, as it were we paid the mage for the spell and then gathered information on the guard shifts at a nearby pub. We discovered when the lightest number of guards would be stationed at the medical wing and we also learned when the station changes would occur. When the time was right we used the spell we were given to enter the palace and well, you know the rest."

"But why was Jupiter brought here to begin with Majesty?" Mercury asked.

The Queen sighed, "I suppose I do owe all of you answers. Serenity?" she called.

"Yes, Mama?"

"I need to speak to the Senshi alone for a moment. Would you stay here with Jupiter in case she awakens?"

"Of course I will Mama, but…" Serenity motioned for her mother to come closer. When the Queen was within whispering distance she asked, "Can I play with the new Senshi later?"

The Queen couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's youthful energy. "I think they would like that very much dear." The Queen patted her daughter on the head affectionately and then addressed the other occupants of the room. "This discussion is not meant for a sick room. If you would all follow me we will continue this in my chambers."

***

Once the group was gathered in her private chambers the Queen began her tale. "Events of late have been worrying me. While our negotiations with Earth have been going very well, I can sense darkness on the horizon. These random disturbances throughout the kingdom have been growing more frequent as time has passed. I believe that there is a connection between the negotiations and these disturbances. "

"I have discovered that several attempts have been made on the life of the Earth's Prince Endymion. Naturally, his family is worried, so much so in fact that they have created a special honor guard not unlike our own Senshi to watch over the Prince."

"What does that have to do with Jupiter, Majesty?" Mercury inquired.

"I could see the logic in increased security. These are troubling times and while I believe that you girls," the Queen motioned towards the Inner Core, "are quite capable…" This statement was met with a snort from Uranus, whom the Queen gave a warning glance. "You are capable of performing your duties in regards to my daughter's protection, yet I felt that an extra set of eyes about the palace might assist us in flushing out this threat more speedily."

"I sent Pluto to castle Titan to speak with Uranus and bring her back to the palace to go undercover as it were."

"Me, Majesty? But then why did I not know of all of this?"

"Because Jupiter, out of concern for yourself and Neptune, took it upon herself to mislead Pluto about the extent of the injuries you sustained while confronting an enemy while you were carrying out a mission on Saturn and take your place. Naturally, neither Pluto nor myself were overly pleased once we discovered Jupiter's deception but by then she was already established as the new Captain of the Guard and there was nothing we could do."  

"So this is all my fault," Uranus sighed running a shaky hand through her hair, "if only I had been more careful when we encountered that creature…"

"This isn't anyone's fault. Well, not anyone here at least." Mars replied. "Destiny has a hand in each of our lives. Jupiter came in your place because she was meant to, because that was the path that fate had chosen for her."

"Very true Mars," The Queen added. "If any of you wish to assign blame then place it upon the shoulders of our new enemies."

"Speaking of these enemies, do you have any idea of who could be behind all of this Majesty?"

"Yes, Mercury I do. I believe that the creature Jupiter faced was one of the seven."

"What?"

"Those are only fairy stories…"

"They can't be real!"

"Why can't they? There were once those who said magic was only a story." The Queen shook her head, "We've become too complacent. Too accustomed to our lives here. It seems we have forgotten the old ways. What you call fairy stories are in reality the history of our people. Granted, some of the facts have been muddled over the centuries but the underlying truth of the tales is very real." She looked around the room, "The time has come for you to know that truth."

Queen Serenity raised her right hand in to the air. With a flick of her wrist her scepter appeared. "Pluto if you are well enough to assist me?"

Pluto nodded as the time staff appeared in her hands and then raised the garnet orb.

"Senshi, allow me to take you back to the beginnings of our empire." In a flash of light the palace vanished. The Senshi found themselves in a barren waste.

"Is this the moon?" Venus asked.

"Yes, before the first Serenity settled here, the moon was an empty place. Only the goddess Selene and her sister Hecate walked this land." A woman who looked very much like the Queen then appeared before them. Another figure, a woman with long dark hair and robes the color of pitch stood just behind her.  "Unlike the other gods, the sisters had no people of their own. They did however, hold a sacred duty." The Earth rose in to the sky above them. "The sisters were the guardians of the Earth and its people."

The scene around them shifted again and the Senshi found themselves on a lush green meadow.

"One night while Selene was watching over things, she noticed a young Shepard tending his flock. He was a youth of surpassing beauty. It was said that his beauty rivaled that of the gods. When she saw him Selene was immediately struck by love."

The Senshi watched as Selene and the young man kissed.

"However, due to some rather unfortunate instances, the gods some time before had made a pact never to become involved with mortals. If Selene wished to remain by her beloved's side she would have to give up her godhood."

"Selene struggled with the decision. Could she give up her sacred duty? Could she give up the man that she loved? She could not choose. Finally, it was her sister Hecate who pressed her to grasp what she herself could not have, love."

The two sisters stood in the meadow. The Shepard stood just by them. They embraced and Selene began to glow. When Hecate released her, she fell back into the Shepard's arms. Hecate smiled sadly and then disappeared.

"Selene spent many happy years with her Shepard as Hecate watched over them from above. As the years passed the couple was blessed with many children. Strangely, Selene and her children did not age as quickly as the people around them."

"A residual effect of her godhood?" Mercury asked.

"Yes, Selene and all of her descendants were blessed with unusually long lives. Yet the Shepard was still a mortal and aged as mortals do. One day he fell ill. Selene and her children dedicated every waking moment tending to him, but his condition would not improve."

The scene shifted once again and the Senshi watched as Selene bent over a bed running a cloth over the Shepard's brow. Selene handed the cloth to one of the children and then left the room. The scene shifted yet again and Selene was standing at a crossroads.

"Selene called upon her sister for help. She begged Hecate to use her powers to cure the Shepard. But Hecate refused, reminding Selene that all mortals must die. Selene raged and beat her fists against her sister's chest. She cursed death, the gods and Hecate herself. She raged and raged until finally she fell exhausted at Hecate's feet."

"Unable to witness her sister's pain any longer Hecate relented and agreed to do what she could for the Shepard. While she could not defeat death entirely she could postpone it. And so Hecate bestowed a portion of her immortality upon the Shepard. This gift however came with a price as it severely weakened Hecate."

The Senshi suddenly found themselves once again on the moon.

"Years later dark forces began to circle the Earth. Seven demon lords combined their forces to form a great army. When this army marched upon the moon Hecate was there to meet them. Hecate fought valiantly but in her weakened state she was eventually overwhelmed and sealed away. Without Hecate to defend it the Earth was soon invaded by these forces."

"Selene, witnessing the chaos upon the Earth, knew that her sister had fallen. She blamed herself. Alone and with no powers she walked out into the night to face the darkness. She too fell."

"Her oldest daughter went out looking for her. When she found her mother's broken body she prayed to the gods for the power to avenge Selene and to protect the world she so loved. A force older than Selene, Hecate and their kin took pity on the girl and granted her the power to drive the darkness away from the Earth. The demon lords though not killed, were sealed away across the galaxy."

"With power also came the knowledge that darkness would never truly be destroyed, for the light must always be balanced by the shadow. So the girl gathered her remaining family and settled here on the moon in order to watch over the Earth as her mother and Hecate had once done. The other gods in honor of the fallen sisters each selected their own chosen warrior and sent them to stand with the girl to protect her as she protected the Earth."

"To thank the girl for banishing the evil presence from their realm one of the oldest noble families of the Earth pledged their support to her cause. They were a family with powerful magic, and they decreed that the eldest daughter of their clan would stand with the god's chosen as the representative of Earth."

"Two of the chosen were assigned special tasks. She who was blessed by the Lord Pluto was placed as sentry over the gates of time. She who was blessed by Lord Saturn, the oldest of the gods, was a being so powerful that she agreed to sleep only to awaken in times of great peril to the kingdom. Thus, Queen Serenity the first and the Moon Kingdom were born."

***

Once again the Senshi found themselves back in the palace. "Do we know where the demons were sent when they were sealed Majesty?" Mars asked.

"No, the stories only say that they were sealed they never say where or how."

"But you believe that someone has discovered at least one of the seven and has released it?"

"It is no mere belief, it is a certainty." Pluto replied. "How this has come to pass I do not know but the seven are being released."

"All of them?"

"Not all yet but there is at least another in addition to the creature Jupiter fought who has been freed."

"How could you let this happen? Aren't you supposed to stop these things from happening? Isn't that why you have the power to see the future?" Venus asked, her anger rising again.

"I do not see the future, only possibilities."

"Then how can you be sure that two of the seven have been freed already?"

"Because while I was, as Neptune so eloquently put it, watching Jupiter being…being beaten half to death I could also hear what was being said during the battle. The creature taunted Jupiter, it told her that it's Dark Queen would soon free the five remaining demons and then hell would be unleashed on the shining kingdom and its subjects, that he and his brethren would feast on the flesh of the Moon Queen just as his mistress had…well, Jupiter ripped the creature's left arm from its body at that point and it didn't have the opportunity to finish."

"That's our Jupiter for you, always letting her temper get the better of her." Uranus chuckled.

"You're one to talk lady." Venus replied.

"I've had enough of you girl." Uranus growled stepping into Venus' personal space. Venus leveled her gaze and stepped toward Uranus.

"Oh really?"

"Really. Its your fault we're here anyway."

"My fault?"

"Yes, if you weren't such a pathetic excuse for a guardian then the Queen never would have felt it necessary to bring Jupiter here in the first place."

"I'll show you pathetic you…"

"Venus, Uranus enough! If the two of you insist on continuing to squabble like children then I will have you both thrown in the deepest darkest dungeon that I can find." The Queen told the two Senshi who immediately backed away from each other.

"Now, Pluto has given us some vital information. Only two of the seven are free, one of which is severely injured. And we know that they are not freeing themselves on their own, someone is doing it for them."

"So what do we do now?" Mars asked.

"We find out more. Mercury, I want you and Venus to go back to the area where Jupiter fought the creature and collect energy readings, let us see if there is anything there that can lead us to the source of this mess."

"Yes, Majesty." Mercury and Venus replied.

"Mars, Neptune I want the two of you to begin contacting the allied planets and see if anyone has heard anything about this new faction or the awakening of the seven."

"I was due to travel with Phobos and Deimos to meet with Sailor Coronis once we returned from the Princess' tour of the kingdom. I can start with her." Mars stated.

"And I can see what I can find on the outer rim." Neptune added.

"Good, Uranus you will remain here with Jupiter, she will need to see a familiar face when she awakens."

"But Majesty shouldn't I…"

"Uranus, you will remain here for now."

"Yes, Majesty."

"Pluto, return to the gate and see if you can find anything within your possibilities which might enlighten us on the nature of our new enemy."

"I'll leave at once." Pluto replied and then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Very well, I suggest that the rest of you be off soon as well. There is much to be done and I fear that there is not much time to do it in."

Note: Another four months another chapter. Hope it was worth the wait! I liked it even if there was no mushy stuff and very little action. But I am a wee bit biased.

Oh…Uranus was pissed. By the way I do not own Uranus pissed or otherwise. Though I wish I did, much like all her other fan girls I'm sure. I don't own anything really. So don't sue! I'd hate to have to sell off all of my anime in order to pay legal fees.