A Black Moon fanfic
"The Taking of Crystal Tokyo"
*****
Part Three: Love and War
Alexandra hurried down the hallways of the Crystal Palace, pausing to lean on a pillar now and then as an energy blast rocked the building on its foundations. As she dodged a piece of falling debris, thoughts flew across her mind.
I thought Sapphire said they were going to attack the palace after my men and I teleported back to Nemesis! Surely he wouldn't begin the attack... Without us... She shook her head violently. No, she knew Sapphire; he wouldn't do that, not unless he absolutely had to. He didn't believe in 'acceptable losses'.
But... Perhaps the rest of my men have returned? she thought. Have they accomplished their missions, already...?
Suddenly, she sensed a pull of dark energy before her; Alexandra froze in her tracks, as she recognized its power. In front of her, a sphere of dark mist was forming. Slowly, she walked towards it.
As she approached, the sphere's surface became clear, like a bubble. There seemed to be something inside it... With a shock, she recognized the contents.
Inside, lay a twisted length of gold wire; beside it, was a scorched cat'o'nine tails. Next to that was the hilt of a sickle, with the blade broken off, and finally, the three-pronged head of a shattered trident. Alexandra stared at them in disbelief.
"Oh, no..." she whispered. "Not all of them...?"
Holding out her hands, the bubble floated down, settling in her arms. She clasped it sorrowfully, like a child might hold a favourite toy.
There was a shudder beneath her feet. Alexandra came to herself, slowly; realizing she was still deep in enemy territory, her expression hardened.
Tucking the globe carefully under her arm, she began to run once more, determined to escape the palace. There would be time for mourning later; she still had to report back. Right now, she had to get out of here... Alive.
***
Sapphire teleported into the Throne Room of the Nemesian palace, taking a few steps forward as if he had just been running. He took a deep breath, and bowed.
"Prince Diamond," he began, his voice uncertain, "I regret to inform you that four of the Elite Guard have been killed in battle by the Sailor Soldiers. Commander Alexandra is still alive, but I'm afraid I've had to begin the attack on the Crystal Palace prematurely, and..."
His voice trailed off as he looked up, and realized he was talking to thin air. He looked around. The room was completely empty; the throne unoccupied. Sapphire stared at it, at a loss for words. Then, something else caught his eye.
The holographic podium before the throne was lit up. Sapphire approached it cautiously; it was unlike his brother to leave it on like this. As he walked up to it, he recognized the image, and stopped in his tracks.
Though he had never seen this particular hologram before, he instantly recognized the likeness of Neo-Queen Serenity. Sapphire glared at it resentfully. How long had his brother hidden this here? There must be a secret button or panel for it, he thought to himself.
Still, it was unusual for Prince Diamond to leave it up, considering that he managed to keep this a secret even from him. What could make him careless enough to leave it on? Unless...
Sapphire froze. He knew his brother well, but... Surely he wouldn't be reckless enough to--
Quickly, he phased out of the Throne Room, straight into the Teleporter Room. As soon as he materialized, he immediately noticed that the co-ordinates on the display were set for Earth, and the Crystal Palace. Desperately punching in buttons at the control panel, he found out that the same co-ordinates were set not twenty minutes ago... By his brother.
Sapphire slumped against the control panel despondantly, and hung his head.
***
High above Crystal Tokyo, Prince Diamond floated, surveying the destruction of the once fair city with grim satisfaction. He had not come to gloat, however; he was not one to glory in such things. No, he had another purpose in mind...
A mere half-hour ago, the ruler of Nemesis had been sitting upon his throne, brooding over his hologram of Neo-Queen Serenity, when he was startled out of his reverie by an unexpected visitor.
"Wiseman," murmured Prince Diamond in surprise, as the soothsayer materialized in the room. "This is most unexpected... Have you had a vision concerning the outcome of the battle?"
"No, I'm afraid not," replied Wiseman, in his deep, sombre voice. "However, I have learned something else that might be of great interest to you, your Highness..."
The Prince lifted an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
Wiseman nodded, then waved his hands over the crystal ball before him. "It seems that in exactly one hour from now, Neo-Queen Serenity will be found wandering outside the front gates of the Crystal Palace."
"What?" Prince Diamond was so taken aback, that he had stood up from his throne. Realizing this, he managed to compose himself and sit down, thoughtfully. But the Queen never leaves the Palace.... He glanced up at Wiseman. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Yes, your Highness." Wiseman stared deeply into his crystal ball. "It appears that she will be looking for someone..."
"Looking for someone..." repeated Diamond softly. He blinked, then stood up once more.
"Thank you for this valuable information, Wiseman," he addressed the cloaked form. "I believe it will prove to be most... Useful." The Prince then teleported out of the room, under Wiseman's watchful eyes.
Prince Diamond opened his own eyes, as he was brought back to the present. As glanced down at the Crystal Palace beneath him, he realized what had disturbed his thoughts; the movement of a figure below him, one that had haunted his dreams for many nights.
"Wiseman was right..." he murmured under his breath. He had no reason not to believe the soothsayer; all of his visions had been correct thus far. Yet this particular one had seemed far too good to be real to Diamond... Until now.
Floating down, Prince Diamond began to approach his destiny. It was then that he realized that Neo-Queen Serenity was not alone; it appeared that she was speaking to a smaller figure, huddled behind a pillar. But the Prince only had eyes for the Neo-Queen... As he came closer, he caught a few scraps of conversation.
"Reenie, darling, why did you run away from the palace? I've been so worried about you!"
"Oh, Mommy, I can't tell you! You'll be angry at me!"
"Now, now, dear... Surely it can't be bad as all that..." The Queen's voice then trailed off, as she seemed to sense the presence of Diamond. As she looked up at him, their eyes met.
Never had he seen eyes like hers; the deep blue of the sky as he had always known it should be, not the dull sky of Nemesis; the brilliant blue of the planet that she lived upon, and that he had always longed for... As he had always longed for her.
Now Prince Diamond knew how others felt when held in the gaze of his third eye: caught, trapped, and unable to look away. But he revelled in the intensity of her gaze, as she began to speak.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"I am Prince Diamond, ruler of the planet Nemesis, and leader of the Black Moon Family," he replied levelly.
"And you are the one who caused this destruction?" continued the Queen angrily, gesturing at the ruins of the city before her. Diamond shrugged dismissively.
"We have only come to reclaim our birthright; what is rightfully ours." As his cool gaze fell upon her once more, his eyes softened. "You know, it doesn't have to be this way, my Queen."
His voice turned surprisingly gentle, persuasive. "Surrender the city to me, Neo-Queen Serenity, and I'll allow you to be my consort. With you by my side, we will rule the Earth... Together." Slowly, the Queen looked up at him, her expression firm.
"No."
"Come now, my Queen," the Prince chided, unperturbed. "There is no one to stand in the way of us both, now." At this, the Neo-Queen's brow furrowed slightly.
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
As he sensed her confusion, he took the opportunity to look deep into her eyes, searching for a sign of the love that he knew in his heart she harboured for him. But as realization dawned on her, he was shocked to find in her gaze not her undying love for him, but only revulsion and contempt. It was like a blow; he would've staggered, but his body had gone numb. He barely had time to recover when her next words registered into his consciousness.
"I'd sooner die than to submit to you."
Prince Diamond's expression looked outraged for a moment, and then it hardened.
"I see," he said icily. It was then that the Prince's cold eyes finally fell upon young Princess Serenity, who shrank back from his gaze.
"It's her fault, isn't it," he snarled, his words snapping out like whips of frozen fire. "Very well, then... If I get rid of her, then you will be mine!" He raised his hands, which glowed with dark power.
"No!" cried Neo-Queen Serenity.
Black energy flared from Diamond's fingertips, aimed directly at the young princess. But to the Prince's horror, the Queen managed to push her daughter out of its path, taking the full force of his attack instead. He could only watch numbly as she slowly fell to the ground...
Suddenly, crystals began to form around the Neo-Queen's prone form. It was then that Prince Diamond realized that the four Sailor Soldiers had surrounded their fallen Queen, and were using their powers on her. In a state of detached shock, he managed to teleport himself away from the horrible scene, and back to Nemesis.
Down on the ground below, Sailor Jupiter looked up at the sky, where Prince Diamond had been just a moment ago. Sailor Venus glanced back at her.
"Something wrong, Jupiter?" she asked. The Sailor Soldier of Protection shook her head.
"No, it's just... I was sure I sensed someone up there."
Shielding her eyes, Sailor Venus looked up at the sky as well. "Well, whoever it was, they're gone now... Speaking of seeing someone, I was sure I noticed Reenie around here before the Queen fell... Did you?" Jupiter shook her head again, causing the blonde Sailor Soldier to sigh.
"Well, let's help Mercury and Mars get the Queen inside. We can't risk any more attacks like this on her." Venus shook her head. "I swear, I don't know what she was thinking, stepping outside of the Palace like that..."
***
When Alexandra reappeared in the Teleporter Room on Nemesis, she noted detachedly that the room was empty. Since she was expecting Sapphire's presence, she was a bit surprised, though somewhat grateful; if he had been there, he would've had to debrief her immediately. Now, she would have to go to the War Room later, to make her formal report. At any rate, Alexandra was thankful that he wasn't here at the moment; she didn't think she could face him right now.
With a negligent wave of her hand, she sent the globe containing the ruined weapons of her departed comrades to Lord Sapphire, and it disappeared from sight. Then she numbly exited the room, walking slowly down the hallway.
Silently, she made her way to her quarters, the door sliding open as she entered, then closing firmly behind her. Once inside, Alexandra stepped unseeingly towards her dressing table; upon reaching it, she reached up methodically to remove an earring. It was then that she happened to look up, and saw the reflection in the mirror before her.
As she watched tears well up in her eyes, the Commander of the Elite Guard suddenly collapsed on the dressing table, racked with sobs, as the full weight of all that had happened crashed down upon her.
I've lost everyone, she thought in despair. Peridot... Garnet... Topaz... Aquamarine. I should've trained them harder... I should've been there with them... As her own recriminations piled up on each other, Alexandra gave vent to the tears she dared not shed during her mission; to the sorrow that she refused to give into before, lest it interfere with her duty.
Suddenly, she sensed someone behind her. Glancing up at the mirror in front of her, Alexandra was astonished to see Wiseman materialize in the room, floating a few feet off the ground. She turned around to look at him.
"Wiseman," she said, suprised. The soothsayer's presence had caught her off guard. He had never expressed any interest in her before, other than the time Sapphire had given her the dark crystal earrings; she had noticed Wiseman watching her speculatively then, though he had said nothing.
Alexandra turned away for a moment, surreptitiously wiping the traces of tears in her eyes, then faced the cloaked figure again.
"I wasn't expecting to see anybody in here," she continued in a more level tone of voice. "Did Prince Diamond send you?"
"I came out of my own accord," replied Wiseman emotionlessly. His hooded gaze watched her penetratingly. "Report to me the details of your mission."
Something about his tone implied that he knew the true purpose of her assignment; somehow, Alexandra was not surprised by this. Her expression became unreadable. "As per the orders of the Prince, I entered the Crystal Palace, upon where King Endymion was critically injured," she told him impassively.
"But not by you," finished Wiseman coldly.
At that, Alexandra fixed him with an hard look. She was just about to demand how he knew this, when her gaze moved down, resting upon Wiseman's crystal ball. He continued relentlessly.
"You failed to kill King Endymion. And by not assassinating him, you directly disobeyed the Prince's orders." Alexandra said nothing. She knew that he was right.
"Thanks to your incompetence, the King is still alive. You could've redeemed yourself by eliminating him when he was injured, but you did not."
It took a moment for the full meaning of his words to sink in, but when it did, Alexandra was outraged.
"What?" she retorted. "You expected me to stab a wounded man in the back?"
Wiseman regarded her intently for a moment. "I see," he said quietly. It was a simple phrase, but his voice was filled with contempt.
"Still, you failed to accomplish your mission. Prince Diamond would not be pleased... Especially when I tell him." Alexandra's blood ran cold. Her eyes met his hooded gaze.
"There is no room in the Black Moon Family for weakness, Alexandra." intoned Wiseman. "By failing to fufill the Prince's orders, you are a traitor to our cause. I am afraid that you are no longer welcome here on Nemesis." At those words, she stood, frozen, staring at Wiseman in disbelief.
What? Alexandra thought to herself, stunned. No, it can't be! I've been... Cast out... Of the Black Moon Family... Despair washed over her. Surely death is better than this... After a moment, the thought burned away, at a sudden burst of fury.
Why? Have I not served the Prince loyally all these years? I know that I failed my liege lord, but... Wiseman didn't have to cast me out! She glared at the cloaked figure suspiciously, struck by a sudden bout of paranoia. Could he possibly have something to gain from all this...?
The anger then died, as quickly as it came. No, it can't be that, he already has the ear of Prince Diamond... But why, then? Is he truly that concerned about our Prince's desires?
Without quite knowing why, she looked searchingly into his hooded face; staring into the depths, she sifted through the darkness within, trying to find the answer to her unspoken question. After a moment, she finally found what she was looking for: the distant flicker of his eyes. Alexandra then dropped her gaze, suppressing a shudder. She had realized that in Wiseman's eyes, she had caught a glimpse of his true nature.
We are nothing to Wiseman, she thought to herself. To him, we are pawns merely to be used, manipulated, until we've outlived our purpose.
He will destroy us all.
As Wiseman turned his back on her in distaste, her right hand clenched reflexively. It closed around something, which cut into her palm; looking down, she saw the dark crystal earring, still in her hand. Alexandra stared at it unseeingly for a moment, as thoughts continued to rush through her head...
Wiseman is a danger to all of us...
Her eyes narrowed. The crystal earring lengthened, forming into a dagger. She felt her mind come into focus... And Alexandra remembered what made her an Elite Guard in the first place.
My job was... Is... To protect the Royal Family of Nemesis. I may no longer be a member of the Black Moon Family, but I still consider myself an Elite Guard... I cannot ignore my duty to the Prince. Wiseman is a threat; not just to Diamond, but to the entire family.
Now, she felt strangely calm... Once more, she had purpose. She had absolutely nothing to lose, at this point; one clean shot, and no one would ever know...
With barely a flicker of motion, Alexandra threw the dagger. It was an accurate throw; it flew straight and true, aimed directly for Wiseman's unprotected back.
So she was taken aback when the dagger was swallowed up by darkness before it reached its target. She was even more astonished as the dagger still managed to pierce through cloth and flesh...
Alexandra gasped, and doubled over. Looking down, she saw through tears of pain, the dark crystal dagger embedded in her stomach. As she fell to her knees, Wiseman turned, to gaze at her contemptously.
"Foolish woman," he said mockingly. "Did you really think you could use the power of the Black Crystal on me? Your foolish act has doomed you, Alexandra!" Chuckling evily, Wiseman disappeared.
Propping herself up painfully for support, Alexandra pressed her hand to her side, to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, the dagger had gone in below the heart, barely missing the lungs; unfortunately, she would surely die from blood loss if she didn't get the wound treated soon. However, there was something else she had to do first.
As she slumped to the floor, Alexandra thought weakly, Must warn... Royal Family...
***
In the War Room, Sapphire paced uneasily along the length of the room. It was a bad habit of his, he knew, but he felt he needed to use up all of his nervous energy, especially after all that had happened.
An hour ago, Sapphire had been in the Teleporter Room, waiting worriedly for someone, anyone, to return from Earth. Bad enough that the nearly all the Elite Guard were dead and their commanding officer currently missing in action, but to also have his beloved elder brother thrust into such a situation was tearing him apart.
A surge of energy from the teleporter made him look up. With some relief, Sapphire saw his brother walk out of the portal, but his intial reaction was short-lived, once he saw the distraught expression upon the Prince's face.
"Brother?" Sapphire addressed him uneasily. Prince Diamond stared up at his younger brother, a haunted look in his eyes.
"I killed her," he whispered. Then, the ruler of Nemesis nearly stumbled. Alarmed, Sapphire ran over to support him, and then, gathering his own personal power, managed to teleport the two of them to his brother's chambers.
After directing him to a couch to where they could both sit down, Sapphire looked into Prince Diamond's eyes and asked him, "Tell me what happened."
The story came out in fits and starts. 'Her' turned out to be Neo-Queen Serenity, just as Sapphire feared. By his brother's account, she probably wasn't dead, but Diamond was too steeped in horror over what he had done to realize this yet. Sapphire simply listened, until his older brother had calmed down sufficiently for him to point this out.
"You're right," murmured Diamond, whose head was leaning upon his younger brother's shoulder, as the latter stroked his pale hair. Sapphire was struck by the incongruity of the situation; the big brother that he looked up to, needing his support for once.
"You're right, Sapphire," repeated the Prince; he seemed to have regained his usual aplomb. "The Neo-Queen can't be dead... And Crystal Tokyo is under our control, for now." Pulling away from his younger brother's arms, he rose to his feet, then gave the latter a warm smile. "Thank you, little brother."
Sapphire bowed his head graciously. "It is nothing, your Highness."
Prince Diamond nodded. The expression left his face, and his usual cool demeanour returned. "I'd better return to the Throne Room; the reports from the battlefield should be coming in soon." Then he turned his back abruptly on his brother, and teleported out of the room.
Sapphire was not resentful of Diamond's hasty departure; he knew how busy his older brother was. However, once the Prince had left, he let out a shuddering sigh, one that he would not allow when his brother was around. Comforting Prince Diamond had put an emotional strain on him as well, as it required him to project a feeling of calm, and Sapphire felt anything but that at the moment.
Rubbing his forehead wearily, he was just about to get up and leave the Prince's chambers, when something caught Sapphire's eye; glancing down, he saw an object lying near his feet.
"What's this...?" he murmured thoughtfully. Is this for me? It must've been transported to me while I was with my brother... He was too preoccupied at the time to notice it, though.
As he picked it up to examine it curiously, he realized that it was a globe. One look at its contents, however, immediately brought him to his feet.
"Alexandra," he said softly. Then he quickly phased out of the room.
And now Sapphire stood here in the War Room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his commander, for her report. He cast an uneasy glance at the map display, where he had left the globe containing the shattered weapons of the Elite Guard.
I greatly underestimated the power of the Sailor Soldiers, he thought sombrely. All his carefully laid plans... I was so sure our warriors could defeat them... Now, because of me, they have to pay the greatest price. He closed his eyes painfully. Granted, the city is ours now, but at what cost...?
Sapphire then spared a moment of pity for Alexandra. She had lost so much... His guilt over the death of the Elite Guard must be nothing compared her own. But for all his sympathy, he glanced at the door with impatience. Even considering the circumstances, it was unlike her to be this late for a debriefing...
"Lord Sapphire?"
At the sound of the soft voice, Sapphire looked up once more, to see Alexandra suddenly leaning against the doorway. She was breathing heavily, and her face seemed paler than usual. A reprimand died on his lips, as his eyes met hers.
"Alexandra?" he asked, his brow furrowing.
As his gaze moved down, it was then that Sapphire noticed the hand pressed at her side... And the spreading stain of blood on her clothing beneath it.
"Oh my God," he whispered.
"Sapphire," she repeated, and slumped to the ground. Shocked, Sapphire rushed forward, managing to catch her in his arms. Laying Alexandra carefully on the floor, he propped her head up on his lap. There were tiny beads of sweat on her forehead.
"Alexandra, who did this to you?" he demanded. "If you were injured in battle, why didn't you just teleport to the infirmary--" Alexandra shook her head convulsively. Urgently, she grasped his arm.
"Have to... Warn you..."
Instantly, Sapphire was alert. "Warn me? Warn me about what?"
Alexandra was breathing shallowly; teleporting to the War Room had taken a lot out of her. Her pain-filled, red-violet eyes looked up into Sapphire's worried face. She could feel her sight blurring; mustering all of her strength, she focused on his eyes, until the blueness of his gaze filled her entire vision. Only then, did she manage to speak.
"Wiseman," she whispered, finally. Then Alexandra's eyes closed, and her head fell to one side. Sapphire's eyes widened.
"Alexandra?" he gasped, trying to revive her. "Alexandra!" Just then, a sudden, clattering noise made him turn his head, and look up.
Alexandra's crystal counter, which up until now had been floating above the hologram of Crystal Tokyo, had fallen onto the map display. Sapphire stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment; then he looked back down at her still form in disbelief. He hung his head, silently. Then, he reached down, to examine the wound that had killed his commander of the guard.
Gently, he pushed aside Alexandra's hand, which was still pressed against her side. Once it fell away, a tiny movement caught his eye; Sapphire glanced down, to see a dark crystal earring roll across the floor. As it came to a stop, he stared at it in numb recognition. His eyes then narrowed; he had realized that the earring was covered in blood. Reaching over, he picked it up, his expression unreadable.
***
Moments later, Sapphire materialized in the Throne Room for the second time that day, and spoke out with an urgent tone in his voice.
"Brother, I need to have a word with you..." He then trailed off, once he realized that Prince Diamond already had an audience. Sapphire fell silent as two gazes, one violet in colour and one hooded in shadow, turned to look at him.
"Ah, Sapphire," greeted his older brother, from the throne. "It is good that you have come; Wiseman was just about to tell me about something."
"Hmmm... Yes," muttered the cloaked psychic. He distinctly turned his back on Diamond's blue-clad brother, and looked up at the Prince.
"I'm afraid that the Commander of the Elite Guard is dead," began Wiseman, causing Sapphire to stare at him in surprise. The Prince raised an eyebrow at the soothsayer, who continued tonelessly.
"It seems that she had failed in her mission of assassinating King Endymion. When I found out about this, I confronted her in her chambers about the matter... She then attempted to kill me." Sapphire gave a sharp intake of breath, while his brother, in comparison, remained emotionless. Wiseman went on.
"I defended myself as best as I could," he told the Prince unctuously, "resulting in the traitorous woman's demise."
At those words, Sapphire closed his eyes. Oh, Alexandra... he thought to himself sadly, What were you thinking, trying to kill Wiseman like that? Then, he recalled the woman's last words.
'Have to... Warn you... Wiseman...'
She obviously saw him as a threat... And the fact Wiseman had managed to kill his commander of the guard at all, told Sapphire that he was far more dangerous than he had realized, up until now.
Sapphire glanced at his brother. Granted, what Commander Alexandra did could be considered treasonous, but it was Prince Diamond's job as ruler of Nemesis to make judgement upon such things, as well as mete out punishment for it; not that of his subordinates.
Besides, Alexandra has... Had been a faithful warrior of the Black Moon for many years. She would rather die than to dishonour herself; surely my brother realizes that... He looked up hopefully at the Prince, to see his reaction to Wiseman's news.
"This has been a most... Unfortunate incident," commented Prince Diamond thoughtfully, causing the hope to fade from his younger brother's eyes. "But I suppose it cannot be helped..."
The rest of his words were lost to Sapphire, as the Prince continued to speak to his advisor. Glaring at the cloaked sage, he suddenly felt a surge of anger. Damn you, Wiseman! he cursed mentally, clenching a fist.
"Brother?"
Startled out of his thoughts, Sapphire glanced at Diamond, who was looking at him curiously. "Um, yes?"
Prince Diamond pointed down, towards his brother's right arm. "Your hand... It seems to be bleeding."
Sapphire cast a glance at his gloved fist. Indeed, a drop of blood appeared to have fallen from it, onto the floor. As he opened his palm, he saw that he still held the bloodstained crystal earring that had belonged to Alexandra, which in turn, had been a gift from him. Blood on my hands... he thought emotionlessly.
"Did you cut youself, brother?" continued the Prince, in concern. Returning to himself, Sapphire closed his hand.
"Uh... Yes, that's it," he lied. "It's not serious." He then felt Wiseman's penetrating gaze turn upon him.
"Oh. That's good." Prince Diamond relaxed, and leaned back in his throne. "Now, Sapphire, I believe there was something you wanted to talk to me about...?" Sapphire blinked, then schooled his expression into an unreadable mask.
"No... No, it's nothing, brother." He then bowed to the Prince. "If you will excuse me..." Turning from the throne, he began to walk away.
Diamond trusts Wiseman far too much for even me to denounce him, he thought wearily. And I now that know how dangerous that old man is, I have to protect the Prince... But the Elite Guard is gone... As he raised his head, there was a determined look in his clear blue eyes.
"Only I can protect my brother, now..." whispered Sapphire to himself, and slowly faded away from the room.
END
*****
Well, that's it... Hope you enjoyed the story. ^_^ There are only a few flashbacks to the invasion of Crystal Tokyo in the anime, and I tried to keep as faithful to those scenes as possible.
Side notes: You may have recalled that on the show, Rubius had to subvert the Crystal Points in 20th century Tokyo, which consisted of a five-pointed star. Whereas in my story, I used four points; that's because in two of the flashbacks on the invasion, you clearly see four beams of light landing around Crystal Tokyo. (I actually had originally intended to have the Elite Guard land at five points in the story, with Alexandra having to go the Crystal Palace on foot.) Now, this sort of makes me wonder about the discrepancy... (Maybe Sapphire made a little miscalculation in his original battle plans...? ^_~)
Another weird little note: When Prince Diamond kidnapped Serena in the anime, he did not take her to Nemesis, like in the manga; he took her to one of the dark crystal points around Crystal Tokyo (that's why Tuxedo Mask was able to hang-glide his way there to rescue her). Just thought I should point that out...
And as if this afterword isn't long enough, I've added a full description of each of the Elite Guard below. (Yes, I know only two of them were featured in this story... Maybe next time. ^_~)
That's all for now... Really. ^_~ Later!
---Avi
*****
Alexandra
Rank: Commanding officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Crystal Sword and Dagger
Attacks:
Dark Lightning Call
Dark Lightning Strike
Description: Straight red hair with bangs; hair reaches past the waist, and is tied off twice near the very end; red-violet eyes.
Uniform: Long-sleeved, short-panted red jumpsuit with off-shoulder neckline and a high-collared, sleeveless, dark violet shirt underneath; dark violet elbow-length, fingerless gloves and matching stockings that reach up to the thighs; short, red boots; belt consisting of round gold plates, with reverse crescent in the centre; dark crystal earrings.
***
Aquamarine
Rank: 1st officer of the Elite Guard (second-in-command)
Weapon: Dark Aqua Trident
Attacks:
Dark Icicle Lances
Dark Aqua Tempest
Dark Icy Tempest
Description: Light-blue, waist-length hair, parted on the right; hair is straight and tied back in a low ponytail, only a single lock of which hangs on the left; aqua (turquoise) eyes.
Uniform: Light-blue jacket with two white wave designs across the front; jacket is open partway down the chest; reverse crescent pendant with blue-green jewel in the shape of a teardrop on it, mounted on a string around the neck; white pleated pants and shoes, plain white gloves.
***
Topaz
Rank: 2nd officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Golden Garotte (Wire Whip)
Attacks:
Dark Web
Puppet Strings
Description: Golden-brown hair that reaches past the waist, tied in a long, thin braid; hair is parted in the middle, with long bangs falling into the eyes; gold-coloured eyes.
Uniform: Golden jacket with cords of a lighter shade strung across the front and back in two rows (cords attach at the collar and at the middle of the back, then hang loosely on the shoulders); round gold pendant at the collar; plain golden-brown pants, brown and white saddle shoes.
***
Garnet
Rank: 3rd officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Flame Whip
Attacks:
Dark Burning Napalm
Description: Middle-parted red hair, slightly unruly, tied in a tight ponytail; ponytail is thin and wavy and stops halfway down the back; brown eyes.
Uniform: Dressed all in black, with tinges of red: sleeveless top made out of netting; leather choker with steel ring; wrapped armbands that reach up to the elbow; leather pants with studded belt and matching knee-high boots, laced up in the front.
***
Peridot
Rank: Junior officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Oak Sickle
Attacks:
Dark Sickle Slash
Dark Earth Shatter
Description: Short green hair, slightly unruly; eyes are a shade darker than the hair.
Uniform: Green jacket with steel shoulder plates that have two spikes on each; dark brown band that stretches diagonally from the shoulder to the waist, which then attaches to a matching belt; green pants tucked into short dark brown boots with bands and buckles; fingerless dark brown driving gloves.
*****