Author's Note: A sad, sad chapter... There's a battle that happens, so
there's some violence and death in this one. Again, don't hate me! ;_;
Chapter Thirteen
The fighting had been going on for the better part of three hours now, with no signs of letting up. Pluto had joined Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, and the four of them had scattered into four groups, each taking five swordsmen with them. Every now and then, the improvements on the swords were needed, but no major casualties had been suffered on their side. They continued to slaughter hundreds of various demon-like creatures, but their numbers never seemed to lessen.
Ceres sat with Juno, Pallas, and Vesta around the king, queen, and Small Lady. The pink-haired Amazoness looked to her companions. "They must be getting tired by now."
Juno nodded her agreement. "The senshi's powers must be close to exhausted."
"At least one of use must stay behind to make sure nothing happens to the family," Vesta interjected.
"I'll stay... you guys are so much stronger and braver."
Ceres patted Pallas on the head. "You'll have to be braver and stronger, if we fail."
"Alright, let's go!"
Upon Juno's eager exclamation, the trio ran from the castle. A portion was opened to let them exit. Once the hole closed behind them, they were already transformed.
Without speaking to each other, one of each ran to join Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn, since Selena was fighting in Uranus's group.
"Selena!"
The raven-tressed warrior quickly dispatched her enemy by slicing off its head, then turned to look in the direction the voice had come from.
Juno, who had joined Saturn's group, was quickly becoming the only fighter in her group. Selena dashed over, quickly healing Saturn first. She then did the same for four of the swordsmen before looking to the fifth. Shaking her head, she assigned one of his more tired-looking companions to take his body inside the barrier before rising. Over the sounds of blasts of power, swords clashing, and the roars of the enemy, Selena shouted to Saturn. "We need time to rest or we'll lose even more to exhaustion!"
The purple-haired warrior nodded, then began leading her group back toward the barrier. Selena passed along the same message to the other three groups. They all carefully made their way back, acquiring no more injuries on the way. Once inside the barrier, they all headed into the castle to rest and regain their strength, the senshi de-henshining to prevent using further power.
The royal family, Pallas, Luna, Artemis, and Diana were assigned the task of watching for unusual activity while the fighters went and napped for a while after sitting down to grab something to eat.
An hour and a half after their temporary retreat, Luna came inside and woke Selena. "Diana said there is some woman asking for you outside the barrier. The enemy seems to have disappeared for now."
Selena rose and followed Luna to where the royal family stood near the barrier, Pallas nearby. Her eyes narrowed as she saw who they were looking at.
"Kira."
The red-haired woman laughed in an amused manner. "Selena! You'd think you'd be happy to see me after all these years! I'm your sister! Remember? The one who didn't steal your man?"
Selena refrained from drawing her sword since, apparently, Kira was here with no intention of harming anyone for the time being. "You're no sister of mine. You helped destroy all that I loved."
The smile faded from the woman's face and turned into a scowl. "No, your mother and sister did that! You took my brother from me! Which inevitably led to the loss of everything you loved!" She paused, giving a malicious grin. "Well, if you think about it... the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, the death of your mother, sister, and friends, Endymion... everyone you ever knew... was totally your fault." Kira seemed to calm a little as she said this, as the thought of hurting Selena further pleased her greatly. "Time is not on your side, Selena dear. I know you're dying, and the strength of those on your side cannot last much longer. I will prevail, in the end. It's a pity you won't be alive to see it!" She laughed, now in a cruel manner. "Oh... by the way..." She pulled out a crystal, swirling with black and shades of gray. "This crystal holds the very essence of evil, and it keeps me alive. It's indestructible." She smirked and tossed it to Selena. "You hold onto it. Maybe it will serve as a reminder of what will happen to your so-called loved ones once you are gone." She turned to look at the king and queen. "You have until dawn to decide whether to surrender or not... though I really hope you don't." She smirked a little more. "Then, my efforts will double. Ta ta!" With that ultimatum, she disappeared.
They all headed inside, silent for the time being. They went to the den to sit, and it was Small Lady who spoke first.
"Mom, can't you use the Silver Crystal to rid the crystal of the evil?"
"I'm afraid not... That would be an effort to destroy it, and she said that it was indestructible. Besides... I'm not sure how the Crystal would react while being used on an object instead of a human."
Selena looked up from gazing at the crystal to Pallas. "You should go tell the inner senshi to release the barrier and get some rest. Kira will keep her word on not attacking until dawn."
Receiving a nod of approval from the king, Pallas hurried off to do as she had been told, eager to be of some help.
"I need to spend some time on the Moon to regain some strength... I lack even the power to even get myself there."
"I'll take you," Small Lady volunteered.
"Thank you..." Selena looked to the king and queen. "We should be back a couple hours before dawn. Please have all the planetary senshi awake by then."
They nodded their agreement, watching as the two disappeared.
"Endymion... Selena's..."
He gave a small sigh. "Yes."
Tears sprang to the queen's crystalline blue eyes. "She can't be! She deserves to live, to find happiness! She deserves to lead a normal life!"
"Serenity... think of what you're saying. Not one of us has lived a normal life. It was not in our destinies to be anything close to normal. As much as that may have taken from us, it's given us back in love, friendships, and fulfilling lives. Selena doesn't and can't have that. Being away from the Moon literally causes her to die, and what life could she have, having to return to the Moon on a regular basis for long periods of time?" He rose and walked over to her, pulling her up into his arms. "Selena's made it clear that she doesn't fear it, and she's ready to go. But we have to be ready to let her go, so there's no chance she'll feel bad about what has to happen."
Small Lady and Selena returned several hours later to find Serenity, Endymion, and all the planetary senshi standing in wait for their return.
Selena stepped forward, not releasing Small Lady's hand, held from the transportation back to Earth. "One question. If Kira were gone, could you defeat her army?"
The senshi glanced at one another, then gave a nod to her question.
"Alright then." Selena turned back to Small Lady, pulling her into her arms for a hug and placing a small kiss on her cheek. "Never lose your strength and innocence... be like your mom, okay?" Selena smiled faintly to Serenity before looking to Endymion, giving Small Lady's hand a tiny squeeze before releasing it. "It's time."
He nodded, holding a hand out to Small Lady, who took it and allowed herself to be led away, a bewildered expression on her face. "Daddy? What's going on?"
She looked back just in enough time to see Selena plunge the crystal into her heart. Her eyes widened as she watched the wound slowly heal and she realized what Selena meant to have happen. "No!" She turned to run back, only to find her hand held tight. She looked back to her father. "Daddy! We can't let her do this!"
The planetary senshi all had knelt down, preparing to lend their power to their queen to keep her safe from the strength of the Silver Crystal.
"Small Lady... Chibi-Usa. You have to let her go. You have to. She's ready to have her life end, but her spirit won't rest if something hold her here."
The pink-tressed princess looked tearfully up at her father before collapsing into his arms, sobbing. Endymion held her tightly as he glanced back toward Selena, who had collapsed to her knees as the evil quickly spread through its new vessel.
Over her clasped hands, Pluto looked up to Serenity, who was in tears. "You must release her."
Serenity shook her head, holding on tightly to the Silver Crystal. "No... there's got to be another way. This isn't how it should end. It's not fair!"
"Serenity."
The queen turned to find Uranus at her side.
"Serenity, she's sacrificing her soul to save us. The least you can do is let her go peacefully, before the evil fully takes over." She squeezed the queen's shoulder gently before kneeling back into her place beside Neptune, clasping her hands.
The queen nodded and dried her tears. Lifting the Silver Crystal, she spoke as it rose to float inches above her hand. "I love you, Selena, my sister."
The senshi readily lent their power. As they did, a beam of the purest white light shot out, healing the evil in Selena and blinding all those who were around.
The ground shook violently as Kira's armies thundered toward the palace in an attempt to stop it from happening. Nineteen soldiers of Endymion rushed from the palace to meet them, the ground shaking again as the enemy roared its anger.
As the light faded, for a brief moment, Selena's body floated lifelessly before them, before fading away. The senshi rose, running out to join the battle. As two soldiers fell, the senshi sent simultaneous blasts at the army, turning the tides swiftly as they easily wiped out a third of the now weakened demon army. Without their leader, they lost strength fast.
The Amazoness Quartet rushed out not long after, helping to push the invading army back even further.
Endymion and Small Lady were crouched beside a weakened Serenity's side.
Small Lady looked up as a smiling Elios appeared before them. Stopping in the spot that Selena had faded away, he bent down to pick up a flower from the floor before reaching them. A tearful Small Lady stood up to meet him, falling into his welcoming embrace. "She's gone, Elios. I can't believe that she's gone..."
"Princess..." Elios gave a small chuckle. "I can assure you, Selena did not enter into the Elysian Fields."
She pulled back, eyes widening in horror. "You don't mean..."
"Shh..." Elios held out the flower to her. The dawn-colored, heart- shaped petals shimmered with lavender, tipped in midnight blue. As Small Lady took the flower, it shimmered, disappearing. She looked up to Elios, question showing in her eyes. He gave her a small smile. "I get the feeling that she's not completely gone..."
Chapter Thirteen
The fighting had been going on for the better part of three hours now, with no signs of letting up. Pluto had joined Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, and the four of them had scattered into four groups, each taking five swordsmen with them. Every now and then, the improvements on the swords were needed, but no major casualties had been suffered on their side. They continued to slaughter hundreds of various demon-like creatures, but their numbers never seemed to lessen.
Ceres sat with Juno, Pallas, and Vesta around the king, queen, and Small Lady. The pink-haired Amazoness looked to her companions. "They must be getting tired by now."
Juno nodded her agreement. "The senshi's powers must be close to exhausted."
"At least one of use must stay behind to make sure nothing happens to the family," Vesta interjected.
"I'll stay... you guys are so much stronger and braver."
Ceres patted Pallas on the head. "You'll have to be braver and stronger, if we fail."
"Alright, let's go!"
Upon Juno's eager exclamation, the trio ran from the castle. A portion was opened to let them exit. Once the hole closed behind them, they were already transformed.
Without speaking to each other, one of each ran to join Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn, since Selena was fighting in Uranus's group.
"Selena!"
The raven-tressed warrior quickly dispatched her enemy by slicing off its head, then turned to look in the direction the voice had come from.
Juno, who had joined Saturn's group, was quickly becoming the only fighter in her group. Selena dashed over, quickly healing Saturn first. She then did the same for four of the swordsmen before looking to the fifth. Shaking her head, she assigned one of his more tired-looking companions to take his body inside the barrier before rising. Over the sounds of blasts of power, swords clashing, and the roars of the enemy, Selena shouted to Saturn. "We need time to rest or we'll lose even more to exhaustion!"
The purple-haired warrior nodded, then began leading her group back toward the barrier. Selena passed along the same message to the other three groups. They all carefully made their way back, acquiring no more injuries on the way. Once inside the barrier, they all headed into the castle to rest and regain their strength, the senshi de-henshining to prevent using further power.
The royal family, Pallas, Luna, Artemis, and Diana were assigned the task of watching for unusual activity while the fighters went and napped for a while after sitting down to grab something to eat.
An hour and a half after their temporary retreat, Luna came inside and woke Selena. "Diana said there is some woman asking for you outside the barrier. The enemy seems to have disappeared for now."
Selena rose and followed Luna to where the royal family stood near the barrier, Pallas nearby. Her eyes narrowed as she saw who they were looking at.
"Kira."
The red-haired woman laughed in an amused manner. "Selena! You'd think you'd be happy to see me after all these years! I'm your sister! Remember? The one who didn't steal your man?"
Selena refrained from drawing her sword since, apparently, Kira was here with no intention of harming anyone for the time being. "You're no sister of mine. You helped destroy all that I loved."
The smile faded from the woman's face and turned into a scowl. "No, your mother and sister did that! You took my brother from me! Which inevitably led to the loss of everything you loved!" She paused, giving a malicious grin. "Well, if you think about it... the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, the death of your mother, sister, and friends, Endymion... everyone you ever knew... was totally your fault." Kira seemed to calm a little as she said this, as the thought of hurting Selena further pleased her greatly. "Time is not on your side, Selena dear. I know you're dying, and the strength of those on your side cannot last much longer. I will prevail, in the end. It's a pity you won't be alive to see it!" She laughed, now in a cruel manner. "Oh... by the way..." She pulled out a crystal, swirling with black and shades of gray. "This crystal holds the very essence of evil, and it keeps me alive. It's indestructible." She smirked and tossed it to Selena. "You hold onto it. Maybe it will serve as a reminder of what will happen to your so-called loved ones once you are gone." She turned to look at the king and queen. "You have until dawn to decide whether to surrender or not... though I really hope you don't." She smirked a little more. "Then, my efforts will double. Ta ta!" With that ultimatum, she disappeared.
They all headed inside, silent for the time being. They went to the den to sit, and it was Small Lady who spoke first.
"Mom, can't you use the Silver Crystal to rid the crystal of the evil?"
"I'm afraid not... That would be an effort to destroy it, and she said that it was indestructible. Besides... I'm not sure how the Crystal would react while being used on an object instead of a human."
Selena looked up from gazing at the crystal to Pallas. "You should go tell the inner senshi to release the barrier and get some rest. Kira will keep her word on not attacking until dawn."
Receiving a nod of approval from the king, Pallas hurried off to do as she had been told, eager to be of some help.
"I need to spend some time on the Moon to regain some strength... I lack even the power to even get myself there."
"I'll take you," Small Lady volunteered.
"Thank you..." Selena looked to the king and queen. "We should be back a couple hours before dawn. Please have all the planetary senshi awake by then."
They nodded their agreement, watching as the two disappeared.
"Endymion... Selena's..."
He gave a small sigh. "Yes."
Tears sprang to the queen's crystalline blue eyes. "She can't be! She deserves to live, to find happiness! She deserves to lead a normal life!"
"Serenity... think of what you're saying. Not one of us has lived a normal life. It was not in our destinies to be anything close to normal. As much as that may have taken from us, it's given us back in love, friendships, and fulfilling lives. Selena doesn't and can't have that. Being away from the Moon literally causes her to die, and what life could she have, having to return to the Moon on a regular basis for long periods of time?" He rose and walked over to her, pulling her up into his arms. "Selena's made it clear that she doesn't fear it, and she's ready to go. But we have to be ready to let her go, so there's no chance she'll feel bad about what has to happen."
Small Lady and Selena returned several hours later to find Serenity, Endymion, and all the planetary senshi standing in wait for their return.
Selena stepped forward, not releasing Small Lady's hand, held from the transportation back to Earth. "One question. If Kira were gone, could you defeat her army?"
The senshi glanced at one another, then gave a nod to her question.
"Alright then." Selena turned back to Small Lady, pulling her into her arms for a hug and placing a small kiss on her cheek. "Never lose your strength and innocence... be like your mom, okay?" Selena smiled faintly to Serenity before looking to Endymion, giving Small Lady's hand a tiny squeeze before releasing it. "It's time."
He nodded, holding a hand out to Small Lady, who took it and allowed herself to be led away, a bewildered expression on her face. "Daddy? What's going on?"
She looked back just in enough time to see Selena plunge the crystal into her heart. Her eyes widened as she watched the wound slowly heal and she realized what Selena meant to have happen. "No!" She turned to run back, only to find her hand held tight. She looked back to her father. "Daddy! We can't let her do this!"
The planetary senshi all had knelt down, preparing to lend their power to their queen to keep her safe from the strength of the Silver Crystal.
"Small Lady... Chibi-Usa. You have to let her go. You have to. She's ready to have her life end, but her spirit won't rest if something hold her here."
The pink-tressed princess looked tearfully up at her father before collapsing into his arms, sobbing. Endymion held her tightly as he glanced back toward Selena, who had collapsed to her knees as the evil quickly spread through its new vessel.
Over her clasped hands, Pluto looked up to Serenity, who was in tears. "You must release her."
Serenity shook her head, holding on tightly to the Silver Crystal. "No... there's got to be another way. This isn't how it should end. It's not fair!"
"Serenity."
The queen turned to find Uranus at her side.
"Serenity, she's sacrificing her soul to save us. The least you can do is let her go peacefully, before the evil fully takes over." She squeezed the queen's shoulder gently before kneeling back into her place beside Neptune, clasping her hands.
The queen nodded and dried her tears. Lifting the Silver Crystal, she spoke as it rose to float inches above her hand. "I love you, Selena, my sister."
The senshi readily lent their power. As they did, a beam of the purest white light shot out, healing the evil in Selena and blinding all those who were around.
The ground shook violently as Kira's armies thundered toward the palace in an attempt to stop it from happening. Nineteen soldiers of Endymion rushed from the palace to meet them, the ground shaking again as the enemy roared its anger.
As the light faded, for a brief moment, Selena's body floated lifelessly before them, before fading away. The senshi rose, running out to join the battle. As two soldiers fell, the senshi sent simultaneous blasts at the army, turning the tides swiftly as they easily wiped out a third of the now weakened demon army. Without their leader, they lost strength fast.
The Amazoness Quartet rushed out not long after, helping to push the invading army back even further.
Endymion and Small Lady were crouched beside a weakened Serenity's side.
Small Lady looked up as a smiling Elios appeared before them. Stopping in the spot that Selena had faded away, he bent down to pick up a flower from the floor before reaching them. A tearful Small Lady stood up to meet him, falling into his welcoming embrace. "She's gone, Elios. I can't believe that she's gone..."
"Princess..." Elios gave a small chuckle. "I can assure you, Selena did not enter into the Elysian Fields."
She pulled back, eyes widening in horror. "You don't mean..."
"Shh..." Elios held out the flower to her. The dawn-colored, heart- shaped petals shimmered with lavender, tipped in midnight blue. As Small Lady took the flower, it shimmered, disappearing. She looked up to Elios, question showing in her eyes. He gave her a small smile. "I get the feeling that she's not completely gone..."