Shades of Gray
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack
Chapter 5: Coming of Age
"In short, the habits we form from childhood make no small difference, but rather they make all the difference."
- Aristotle
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative talents far exceed my most humble own. Distribution and other rights to Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own. I make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters. However, the text of this fanfic is mine, and should not be used without permission. Thank you.
Night had fallen over the city of Tokyo. A few stars sparkled in the distant sky, but most were drowned out by the constant light pollution. Tall skyscrapers crowded the sky, the lights from the windows replacing the vanished starlight. Most good citizens were already in bed, sleeping away their sorrows and worries. Both the Hikawa Shrine and the apartment of one Fuarku Ikawa had long ago quieted, and those who had been meeting within those two locations were now sleeping in their respective homes.
However, a city the size of Tokyo never sleeps. Throughout the city, there were those who were awake. For many of Tokyo's less reputable areas, the day was just beginning. More wholesome elements of the city were still at work, as well. Police were still inspecting the ruined park, searching for some clue, even the smallest hint, that would allow them to defend their city from the monsters that attacked it... and from those that claimed to protect it. They would find nothing.
In a large house, almost a mansion, owned by one Tomoe Soiuchi, two others did not sleep. One of those was Professor Tomoe's daughter, Hotaru. The twelve year old girl lay in her bed, surrounded by the almost oppressive darkness, and stared silently at the ceiling. This would not have been too odd, except that Hotaru had been only six years old when she had went to bed. She had been a baby the week before, and a week before that she had been almost thirteen.
Slowly, a softly-glowing ethereal figure materialized before the young girl. The purple light cast eerie shadows over the room. The figure appeared similar to her, though perhaps a few years older. She recognized the figure, a person she both loved and hated. Hotaru glanced at the deep purple skirt, the blood red bows, and the white body suit. It was Sailor Saturn. It was herself.
Images and memories came pouring back, however hard she tried to force them down. She stood before Sailor Moon, blocking the Moon Princess's path into the swirling chaos behind her. There was no emotion, only duty. She extended her arm, and the Silence Glaive appeared in her hands, a menacing tool made for a menacing purpose. Sailor Moon leapt forward, trying to stop her from sacrificing herself. A fruitless, though heartfelt, gesture. The Moon Princess was forced to halt as Saturn leveled the Glaive at her. "Goodbye." Saturn leapt backwards, into the vortex. Into the Silence. Into her domain. And then-
Hotaru returned to the present, and watched as the figure before her held out the Glaive, offering the power to her. For a long moment, the girl stared at the weapon, watching the purple light play on its silvery surface. Images flashed on the polearm, images of times long past, of times yet to come. "No," Hotaru finally whispered. "I don't want it."
The figure of Sailor Saturn disappeared and for a moment Hotaru dared to hope that this was the end. But then Sailor Saturn was replaced by a woman, around twenty years of age. Mistress 9. The Messiah of Silence. Once again, herself. More memories came, forcing their way into her head. Rejecting her father. Nearly killing Uranus and Neptune. Tricking Sailor Moon into giving up the Holy Grail.
"No," Hotaru moaned as Mistress 9 summoned the Glaive and offered it as well. She would not have thought it possible, but the Glaive looked even more menacing than before. The light became darker, and it was images of destruction that played off of the blade. The Silence. "Please," Hotaru moaned, "no... don't." The figure vanished like its predecessor, and Hotaru slept.
Not far away, exhausted by the hard work of moving into his new room here at the Tomoes' house, Inusha Tamori also fell asleep, and dreamed of ages long past.
At the Gates of Time, Pluto felt the power stirring. The time stream seemed to tremble, teetering between far too many paths to count. Part of her rejoiced, while another part trembled. Sailor Saturn would be needed, it was another step on the route to Crystal Tokyo. However, it was a dangerous step. There was far too much at stake now, for her to feel comfortable with what havoc Sailor Saturn's reappearance might cause.
Sailor Pluto hated dealing with mights. She was used to absolute certainties, but events were anything but certain now. She had known the day would come when her future self would no longer be able to aid her, the day she became directly involved in the events that had to occur. That didn't mean she had to like it.
She was not blind - even without her future self's direction she could read the timestream. Yet, the timestream was a fluid thing, and the more important the events approaching the more fluid it became. Without a clear vision of the path ahead, it was hard to tell which of the billions upon billions of possibilities each day brought could aid or hinder the world's progress along that path, even without what she could already see coming. All too soon, Chronus's power would cloud her vision, and she might very well be blinded in all that mattered.
Pluto stared silently at the distant sun, and prayed.
Jadeite looked up at the sky. Not in prayer or hope, but merely to observe. For once, the dark clouds that almost constantly covered the firmament over the central regions of the Dark Kingdom had lifted, revealing the blood-red sky. It was an appropriate color, and was the reason that ancient youma legends referred to the sky as Metallia's Eye. No sun cast down its rays; instead the entire heavens seemed to glow. The eerie light illuminated the landscape, making it appear as though it was bleeding from some terrible wound. Throughout the plain below the massive, dark castle, the few plants lifted their leaves, hoping to catch as much of the light as possible. Jadeite was on the battlements of his palace, staring towards the north, towards the Mountains of Desolation.
Magically enhancing his eyesight, Jadeite studied the countryside. The only signs of habitation were the small keeps dotting the landscape. No cities existed in the Dark Kingdom. He could make out the estates of the three dozen or so Overlords that had sworn fealty to him, all up in arms as the Overlords prepared to war among themselves to increase their chances of being named General. Idiots, all of them! Particularly Nyxan and Ishamanar, the two main leaders. He had hoped his proclamation would stir them to action against the Senshi, not each other!
Jadeite's gaze turned further north, to the Mountains themselves. They hung on the horizon like an immense row of teeth, casting vast shadows across the northern portion of Jadeite's small domain. The Mountains had revoked their offer of fealty after Malvaar's death. Rumor had it that Mordrangar, the Dragon of the North, had overthrown Kizzar, previous ruler of the Mountains, proclaimed himself King, and was raising an army to take on Jadeite's forces.
Damn it! At the height of her power, Beryl had commanded the loyalty of literally billions of youma and all the hundreds of Overlords. The four Dragons had bowed to her will, and to that of her Generals, and governed four immense provinces in their name. Jadeite, the sole survivor of those five people, commanded a bare handful of Overlords, and not one Dragon had taken the oath of fealty to him. But... he did control the portal. That was his only strength.
Jadeite tried to think of what he could do. If Mordrangar did stir against him, he could definitely use one of the other Dragons. The loyalty of a Dragon, or even an alliance with one, could bring in millions of troops, or it would if the Dragon had maintained control of his domain. Not likely. After all, even Mordrangar's domain was a fraction of its former size, with no territory outside the Mountains themselves answering to his call.
So, scratch that idea. Besides, which Dragon would support him? Loriel, the Dragon of the East, had eaten the messengers he had sent when he claimed the throne. The Dragon of the West, Kyrien, had vanished, likely slain in the chaos after Beryl's death. The Dragon of the South... Jadeite would never ask Scalae for help. Not after he had been betrayed by her.
For the first time in millennia, all nine Senshi were gathered in one place. A momentous event, bringing Crystal Tokyo one step nearer. That location was the Tomoe house, which was left vacant except for the nine Senshi. Professor Tomoe and Tamori had left earlier that morning to acquire more testing equipment to use on the Death Buster technology they were studying. For a long moment, the Senshi stared at each other, not speaking. The morning light shone on their faces, highlighting them with its golden aura. Dew sparkled on a nearby tree, the reflected light flashing brightly.
It was Setsuna who broke the silence. Her face and voice were calm, showing no emotion. "And so the circle is complete. The last Awakening has occurred." Well, not truly. But the last Awakening of a Senshi, undoubtedly. Pluto knew the other two had not been sent to the future. They had died five years too early for that.
Hotaru flinched. She was not yet truly Awake, either. And for that, she was grateful. She looked around the circle, observing each face, and noticed who was missing. "Where's... where's Chibi-Usa?" she asked quietly.
Usagi blinked. "She's gone back to the future, of course."
Hotaru's face showed incomprehension. "The future?" It took a few minutes for the Senshi to explain the truth about the time-traveling Princess. In shock, Hotaru didn't listen as the Senshi began to discuss holding a party to celebrate her Awakening. As if the Awakening of the Senshi of Silence was anything to celebrate.
Makoto had already volunteered to cook, and was discussing the food supplies of the Tomoe kitchen with Haruka and Michiru. The other Inner Senshi were reminiscing about the parties they had held after each of them had joined up with the others. Setsuna was standing back from the other Senshi, but a small smile had appeared on her face.
All of this was directly opposite to how Hotaru felt. Did none of them understand? She was Sailor Saturn, the dark Senshi. She was being forced to remember events that no person should ever have to experience. She remembered Mistress 9. She remembered Master Pharaoh 90. None of the others had even seen that creature of evil. She had to confront it on her own, and now she remembered the pain. The terror as Pharaoh 90 had ripped through her mind, violating every part of her, even parts that Mistress 9 had never touched. She remembered starting to destroy the world, only to be pulled back at the last moment, forced to live with the knowledge of what she had almost done.
With a muffled sob, Hotaru raced upstairs, to the dubious safety and comfort of her room. The Senshi stared after her in shock for a moment. Then Usagi ran after the young girl.
The domain of Overlord Nyxan, was in uproar. Over three hundred youma were already gathered in preparation for war, and many times that number would soon be arriving. After Jadeite's proclamation, most of the Overlords who had sworn fealty, and some who hadn't, had thrown their support behind either Nyxan or the other prominent candidate... Ishamanar. Both Overlords had returned to their estates, calling up their vassals and allies. In a matter of days, Jadeite's domain would be torn apart by war.
Nyxan's current plans called for a strike from Valgoden into the neighboring wastelands, already infiltrated by forces loyal to Ishamanar, once his own full forces had been gathered. From there, they were to march west, carving a bloody path through several more territories aligned with Ishamanar, until they reached Ishamanar's own domain.
Nyxan was currently consulting with that Overlord on their plans for the upcoming war over a highly cloaked magical connection. It wouldn't do for the pawns to know that the war was a sham - or Jadeite, for that matter. "So, the ultimate question, is, of course, which of us should win?" he commented.
"It may not be," Ishamanar replied. "It seems as though Mordrangar is stirring himself."
"Mordrangar!" Nyxan exclaimed. "Are you sure?"
"Fairly," Ishamanar said, frowning. "I think we can agree that Mordrangar sitting on the throne would be a bad thing."
"Yes," Nyxan muttered. "But what can we do?"
"Perhaps lay the ground work for a quick end to this little war we have started? We could continue as planned until the Dragon invades, then agree to cease our fighting if Jadeite grants us both the title of General," Ishamanar suggested.
"That sounds like a decent plan, but what about our... long term goals?" asked Nyxan. "Once Mordrangar is defeated, Jadeite's position will be stronger than ever."
"All we need is energy and a Diamond, and we will succeed. We're already collecting the energy, and it is only a matter of time before we find a Diamond. Then, it won't matter how strong Jadeite's position is. Our Great Leader will finally be free." Ishamanar's voice was confident.
"True." Nyxan laughed. "True."
In the shopping district of Juuban, the three Champions were walking down a street, slowly eating ice cream cones and observing the activity. Fuarku Ikawa's eyes glanced towards a cosmetics stand, briefly noting the playful bickering of the four proprietors. The sun shone brightly, mirroring the mood of the Champions.
For, after all, were not matters looking well for them? Over the past few days, their numbers had tripled, and several victories had been won over the youma. Their conflict with the Senshi could not claim any victories, but it could not truly claim defeat, either. Not only that, but it seemed it would not be long before another of their number returned to them.
"It should only be a few more moments," Urawa Meno said, looking up from his computer. "I'll have the source of Chronus's energy tracked down, and we see about Awakening him."
"Hmm... I can't wait to see Genitas again," commented Furuhata Unazuki as she watched the morning traffic. The bright sunlight made her wince as her face turned towards the east momentarily.
Ikawa began to finish his ice cream. "And we could definitely use him. Who knows what Pluto's been up to?" He shuddered as he thought of what the Senshi of Time could do if she was unchecked.
"I definitely don't want to think about that. For all we know, she could be spying on us right now," Unazuki replied. She yawned.
Meno's gaze left his computer once more. "You okay, Unazuki?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Unazuki responded. "I'm just a bit tired."
Meno grunted, and returned his attention to his device. "This way," he said, pointing.
Ikawa's gaze left the cosmetics stand, which he been studying once again. Something was... odd about the four women working there. They seemed... out of place, somehow. Could they be youma, running an energy draining operation? No, Meno's computer surely would have detected that. And it wasn't an evil feeling he was getting... just a strange one.
Unazuki smirked as she watched the de facto leader of their little band. "Are you looking at other women again? You know I don't like that," she said, a teasing tone in her voice. She recalled a recent incident in her place of employment. She also vaguely remembered one incarnation where she and Ares had had a relationship.
Ikawa laughed. "You know I only have eyes for you," he said in response, still chuckling. Just like Azala, to remember that little... scene in the Crown a while back.
Not far away, a man with long, shaggy brown hair frowned as he pushed his bangs back from his eyes.
Kizzar's rapidly dissolving corpse lay on the floor of what had once been his throne room. He had refused to step aside before the one who now approached the recently vacated throne. This being had the appearance of a human male, clad in simple brown robes. He was solidly built, and moved with a steady gait. He ignored the crowd of youma at his back, not fearing anything they might try. The only thing at all unusual about his appearance was his eyes, which were brown. Entirely brown, with no whites or pupils.
The man turned, and seated himself on the throne. He looked almost ludicrous, his human frame on the seat made for Kizzar's gigantic bulk. However, though the man spoke no words and made no gestures the throne wavered and resized itself to fit him. Then, the man turned his attention to the crowd of youma.
This crowd was different in many ways from the crowd that stood in Jadeite's throne room, to the south. While Jadeite's attendants were widely varied in all things, the youma here shared a certain unity of form. Most had minotaur-like traits, and all shared a feeling of solidity. All were youma affiliated with the Element of Earth. While the scholars of the Silver Millennium may have disagreed, assigning some to more esoteric elements such as Life or Thunder, those scholars were all long dead. Youma cared nothing for the more exact system the Moon Kingdom had used when it fell, preferring to use the older system. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The Four Guardians of Terra, the Four Generals of the Dark Kingdom, and the Four Dragons all followed that system.
While Jadeite's youma were often found gathered into many groups, plotting amongst themselves, this group was united, standing silently as one. Those who had opposed the coup were already piles of ash or fled into the uncontrolled Northlands or south to join Jadeite. Traitors and cowards, all of them.
The man's unblinking, eerie gaze took in all this and more as it swept the room. Then the man's eyes settled on one corner of the room, and all present could feel the solid stone in that corner waver. Known only to the man, the rock was flexing, crushing a monitoring device, perhaps placed by Jadeite.
Finally, the man spoke. "I claim this throne. I claim it, by my right as Dragon of the North. I, Mordrangar, Dragon of Earth, claim this throne. I trust none contest this claim?" The man spoke the ritual words calmly, no emotion in his voice.
As one, the gathered youma knelt before the throne. They then spoke, also as one. "We, the Overlords of the Mountains of Desolation, offer no challenge to your claim. The throne of the Mountains is yours. May your reign be long, and may your enemies fall." The words were ritual, though originally they had referred to the Dark Kingdom, rather than the Mountains. Now, there were two kingdoms in the place called the Dark Kingdom.
Usagi opened the door a crack, not making any sound. She carefully slipped into the room, silently shutting the door behind her. She almost gasped as she observed her new surroundings. She had forgotten how foreboding Hotaru's room was. The room was almost completely dark, with all the windows covered. The only sources of light were the dozens of lamps scattered about the chamber. The spots of purple light floated in the darkness like malignant stars.
Hotaru herself was laying face down on her bed. She was shuddering with silent sobs. Usagi paused for a moment wondering whether or not to disturb her. Suddenly, Hotaru sat up, still facing away from Usagi. "You can come over. I know you're there, Seren... Usagi," the younger girl said.
Usagi quietly crossed over to the bed, slightly unnerved by Hotaru's near use of her... other name. She sat down beside Hotaru, and paused a moment before speaking. "Hotaru... what's wrong?"
If Usagi had been expecting any response, a bitter laugh was not it. For a long moment, Hotaru doubled over, shaking with laughter. Finally, she replied. "You, of all people, should know. I remember, Usagi."
Usagi heart skipped a beat. She had been hoping that Hotaru had forgotten some of her more unpleasant memories. "Remember what?" she asked, cautiously, while reaching forward to comfort the other girl.
Hotaru whipped around to face Usagi. Her countenance violently changed, became twisted into a mask of hate. "Get away from me, you pathetic beast," she nearly screamed as she slapped away Usagi's hand.
Usagi shrank back. "Mistress 9," she whispered, a note of fear in her voice.
Hotaru's face calmed. "Exactly," she said, "I remember everything I... she did. I remember that I nearly destroyed the world."
Usagi thought back to the battle against Pharaoh 90. She remembered hurling forward into the vortex of dark energy, only to stare helplessly at the swirling tower of energy that had to be the conflict between Sailor Saturn and Pharaoh 90. She remembered the words that had drifted on the air currents, words that had filled her with dread. "Death... Reborn... Revo..."
"But you didn't, Hotaru," Usagi said. After all, the world was still there. They were all still alive.
Hotaru grimly smiled. "Only because someone pulled me back. Pulled me back when it would have been kinder to have died."
Usagi clenched her fist. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that. Your life has meaning, Hotaru. You can't blame yourself for what Mistress 9 did. You can't blame yourself for what you might have done. We don't. I don't. We're still your friends, Hotaru," she said.
Hotaru's eyes began to waver, but snapped back into a stone cold gaze as the door to her room was flung open. It was Minako.
"Usagi. We have to go. Pluto says something's happening at the shopping district. The others are already on their way."
Usagi rose, then turned. "Are you coming, Hotaru?" she asked.
Hotaru stared at Usagi for a long moment before finally replying. "No."
Inusha Tamori strode down the street, a wide grin on his face. He hadn't planned to have the morning free, but the store where he and Professor Tomoe had planned to purchase some lab equipment hadn't had what they needed in stock, so the two had gone their separate ways. Tamori rubbed his eyes. It felt like he hadn't had a wink of sleep last night.
Suddenly, it seemed as though the world had gone crazy. Everything was leaving a trail behind it, and his very perception seemed to change. Tamori nearly stumbled, and his vision returned to normal. This was the third such attack he had experienced, and Tamori was beginning to wonder whether it was a side effect of the work he had been doing. He would have to ask Professor Tomoe.
A poster in a store window caught his eye. It was an advertisement for the upcoming "Super Sailor Fighter II" console game. A rather cartoonish image of the Sailor Senshi was the centerpiece, and Tamori found himself clenching his fist. Why did he feel anger at the sight of that poster? Why did he feel so... different than a few weeks ago?
Tamori was distracted from his musings as he noticed Ikawa and two other people walk up to him. The other man he recognized from school, Urawa Meno. The girl looked familiar but he couldn't place her. "Hello, Ikawa. What's going on?" he said. Tamori noticed that Ikawa's face was oddly serious.
"We have something to show you," Ikawa replied. "Could you come with us for a moment?"
"Umm... sure thing, Ikawa." Tamori began to feel a little nervous as the three lead him into a small alley, hidden from outside view. "Err... what did you want to show me?"
A look that was half sad, half joyous appeared on Ikawa's face. "This," he said simply, and a massive sword appeared from nowhere into his hands. Tamori barely noticed Meno and the girl summon their own blades.
"It can't be..." he whispered. "Ikawa?" A small part of Tamori was supplying a different name.
"Mercury Sword Power!" Tamori began to back away as Meno became Hermes.
"Venus Sword Power!" Aphrodite appeared as Tamori halted in fear.
"Mars Sword Power!" Something inside Tamori seemed to snap as he watched one of his closest friends become Ares.
Everything suddenly made sense. For the first time in over a week, Tamori felt right. Half forgotten things were remembered. Shadowy images were suddenly made clear. Death and rebirth. Pain and pleasure. Darkness and light. Eight thousand years of existence. Magic.
"Janus. Azala. Deinas," Tamori said, looking at the people before him with new eyes. "I..." Tamori broke off as he felt something. Danger. Approaching swiftly. With a practiced motion, a thin longsword appeared in his hands. "Saturn Sword Power!" Deep purple armor formed around him, with the sigil of Saturn displayed in dark crimson on the breastplate. For the first time in ten thousand years, Chronus had transformed.
Sailor Pluto cursed under her breath as she and the other Senshi continued to run towards the shopping district. She could already feel the time stream reacting to Chronus's influence. Events were already subtly starting to change. Pointing the way to her sisters, the Senshi were soon standing over an alley, looking down on the four Champions.
"Damn, another one," whispered Sailor Uranus as she and the other Outer Senshi began their attacks. The other three paused for a moment before joining in. However, Uranus's whispered curse was all the warning the Champions needed.
Faster than should have been possible, Chronus leapt up, reacting to the Senshi's attacks before they were cast. He appeared behind Sailor Jupiter, slicing out with his blade. The Senshi barely managed to dodge the blow.
Meanwhile, the other Champions had dodged the barrage and leapt up to the roof and joined the melee. Within moments, the Senshi were thrown into confusion as the Champions swept through their ranks, striking out with their weapons at every opportunity.
"Shabon... Spray!" Mercury cast her spell, giving the Senshi time to regroup as Sailor Moon and Venus arrived on the scene. When the fog faded, the two groups were facing each other across the rooftop.
Sailor Moon surveyed the scene. "Another Champion?" she asked, her voice weary.
Chronus smiled. "That's right. I am Chronus, Champion of Saturn and Guardian of Time." A number of eyes flicked towards Pluto, and a moment later Chronus's did as well. "I would have words with you, Senshi Pluto."
Pluto's staff did not leave it's ready position. "And what would those words be, Champion?"
"Surely you know? I have been awake mere moments, and I can feel the damage to the timestream already. This much damage could only be caused by time travel, or worse things. What caused this, Pluto?" He paused. "Surely none of my blood would abandon their oaths to such an extent that they would allow this? Would they?"
Pluto frowned, and made her reply. "Dead Scream." Chronus leapt out of the way, his form blurring, and shot forward towards the Senshi, swiftly followed by the other Champions.
"Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars's attack slammed into Hermes, causing him to drop to the ground with a grunt. However, Aphrodite raced forward, slashing Mars with her sword, causing the Senshi of Flame to cry out in pain.
Nearby, Ares and Sailor Uranus faced off. A smirk on his face, Ares asked, "I wonder if you've gotten any better at sword fighting since I fought you in the Palace of Light."
Sailor Uranus matched his grin. "Try me." With a recently mastered move, Uranus drew forth her Talisman and unsheathed it. Holding the blade of light in a defensive position, she fell into a ready stance. A moment later, Ares charged.
A few feet away, Chronus and Sailor Pluto were engaged in a swirling melee. The moves were impossible to follow, blade and staff moving faster than the human eye could observe. With a mighty clang the weapons met, then separated and clashed again, all in less than a second.
Hermes rose from the ground and called out, "Ice Storm!" The razor sharp shards of ice flew around the rooftop as Hermes leapt into melee. Aphrodite spun around, knocking the Spiral Moon Heart Rod out of Sailor Moon's hands with her sword. Sailor Jupiter flung a Sparkling Wide Pressure at the Champion of Venus, but she easily dodged the ball of lightning.
Down on the ground below the battle, a crowd was gathering to observe the fray. People were fleeing the store the battle was occurring over, fearing that the roof might collapse. Nobody noticed one man fall over, clutching his head.
The swirling sword fight between Sailor Uranus and Ares was well under way. Each time Uranus tried an assault, Ares's broadsword slid into position to deflect the attack. Occasionally, Ares's blade would dart forward, though Uranus had managed to block all of his attacks so far.
Suddenly, Ares stepped up the pace. Now Uranus had to concentrate wholly on defense and not attempt any offensive moves. As well, Ares's blows were beginning to occasionally break through her defenses. Uranus began to realize that she was extremely outmatched. One blow nearly split her in two, but at the last moment she managed to roll under the strike.
Not far away, Pluto and Chronus were continuing their own duel. So far they had been evenly matched, each strike perfectly blocked. But then, Chronus overextended himself on an attack, and Pluto darted in to strike. She felt her staff make contact as Chronus blurred. Faster then the eye could see, he leapt over the Senshi of Time. As Pluto began to spin around, he struck out, landing a solid blow. Both injured, the two paused for a moment before leaping into action once more.
Uranus narrowly dodged another strike, then risked an attack of her own. Ares easily deflected her blow and pressed his own attack, a sneer on his face. She was going to have to do something, or she'd lose. Suddenly, something clicked inside her head, and she moved her blade into an unfamiliar position. "Space Sword Blaster!"
The unexpected blast hurled Ares back, sending him tumbling to the ground and causing his sword to go flying off the roof. Panting for a moment, Uranus stepped forward and prepared to deal the finishing blow.
Author's Random Revised Ramblings
1) As I stated in the original notes for this chapter, gotta love those cliffhangers!
2) All comments of any sort are, of course, extremely welcome.
3) This chapter was the first to be preread by the talented Angus MacSpon, and it shows. Not coincidentally, the changes to this one are rather minor, consisting mainly of a few rewordings and a rewrite of the dialogue between Chronus and Pluto. Thanks also go to Michael Chase for his comments on this revision.
4) In the original notes to this chapter, I took the opportunity to expand on the various elemental systems used in this fic, so I might as well do so this time around. The famous four-element system is used as an ancient one dating to the dawn of the Silver Millennium's recorded history, and was archaic when the Silver Millennium fell, having been replaced with a ten-element system (the elements being Ice, Light, Life, Fire, Earth, Thunder, Time, Water, Air, and Death).
Released: January 23, 2001
Revised: September 04, 2003
Final: December 30, 2003
