Hey, you guys, I'm back. Hope you like this newest installment of my fanfic. The same S.D. still applies.
Chapter Three: The Sleeper Awakens
::It was not meant to be. For a while, anyhow.::
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::Indeed, my child. Go now.::
Then, as they watched, an ovoid of light surrounded the spot where my ashes lay. When it left, they saw my body lying there. Then they gasped as the ghostly flames, now with color, reappeared around the blade of my sword.
I sat up, looked at them, and asked, "Sis, Bro, you mind getting home on you own? I can't get you guys and myself there. Because, right now, I really need to get some sleep." I spoke as I picked up my sword, sheathed it; and slowly got to my feet. Shakily, but I was standing.
"Go on, Sis. We'll be fine," 'Nika replied.
At that, I just winked out of there and into my room. Slowly, carefully, I took off my sword, mail, and outer clothes, so that only my under things were on, and climbed into bed.
When I woke up, I got out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed. Going out into the dining room, I said, "Yo' Bro. Hey, Sis. How long has it been? What time is it? What's been happening? Did SHE show up?"
"2dys. 3:00. Not much. No. That all?"
"No, I just needed to stop long enough to get a drink. Now, how did the Senshi react? What did you tell them? For that matter, what did you tell my boss at work? And my teachers at school? Do I even have a job still?"
"Shocked. The truth, at least as much as we could. Nothing, you had the weekend off. That you were sick. Yes, you do."
"Mmm. I forgot about being off. I need to do something." With that, I went back to my room. Once there, I spoke, "Father Chronos, I would ask of you a favor." There in front of me, a portal opened into the Hall of Sleepers.
"Enter my child, and ask of me what you will."
Stepping through, the portal closed behind me. "Father Chronos," I began, "now that the prophecy has begun to be fulfilled, my mother will have youmas waiting to attack me when I am otherwise occupied. I would know if you have among your sleepers here, one that I can trust my back to. One who will not mind being awakened."
"As it so happens, I do have such a one. Walk you down to the last occupied bed." I did so. "The man you see there, is Prince Coram of the Sun and Jupiter. He was the twin brother of the former Phoenix Warrior, in fact, the one just before you. He is also the current Dragon Warrior. When he came to me here, requesting to be allowed to sleep here, he made but one other request. That he be awakened when next a Phoenix Warrior walked the planets, and not only needed help, but asked for it. Stand back, so that he may arise properly." I did so, and the man arose, and got out of bed. He turned to look at me.
"Why have you awakened me, Father Chronos?" he asked.
"I have but answered your request that you made of me when you came here. My I introduce to you the current Phoenix Warrior, Her Royal Highness, Princess Tsornin Isfahel of Earth, the Sun, the Negaverse, and the Moon."
I bowed to him. "Your Highness. I am the one who asked Father Chronos for one to whom I could trust me back, and one who would not mind being awakened."
"I see. I also see that like calls to like. Like me, you too have suffered a deep soul wound, have you not?" he asked of me.
"Indeed, I too have lost my twin. But, before you consent to join me in the world beyond, there are certain things that you needs must know. 1st-I have and will continue to so until a prophecy is fulfilled, commit matricide. 2nd-you, should you come with me, must have a civilian identity. 3rd-I, from time to time, help out the Senshi. 4th-I live with the Senshi of Memory and History and her soulmate. 5th-it has been 2,019yrs, 11mths, 3wks, and 24 generations since you came here to this Hall. And, finally, 6th-all the Senshi are reincarnations of their former selves from 1,000yrs ago in what is known to them and myself as the Silver Millennium." Having said all that to him, I turned away to let him think about all of what I had said.
After what seemed to be an eternity, but was only a few minutes; I felt a bare hand touch my own bare hand. Turning, I faced him.
"I will come with you. Not only because you have said you need help, but also because there is something besides your soul-wound that draws me to you." He told me.
I must have looked quite shocked, for he asked, "You feel this drawing too?"
Gulping, "I have, since the day I first visited this Hall." I responded. Then blushing, I tried to turn my head away, but a hand on my chin stopped me. Still blushing, and now prevented from looking away, I lowered my eyes, to look at his chest.
He sensed that here was one to whom trust did not come easily; one to whom many a promise had been made and then broken. One with whom he would have to tread very softly indeed. "Why will you not meet my eye?"
"Fear."
"A Phoenix Warrior, afraid?" he asked softly.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Fear, that you do not mean it. Fear, that this is a dream. Fear, that I am wrong about what I think has happened. Fear, that I will be hurt once more. Fear, that you won't be accepted by my heart-and-blood sister and my brother-in-law. All that, and more."
"In short, you are afraid of being betrayed once more, to hope, and of opening up."
Then, ::I will never betray my soulmate. Could never do so. In other words, I cannot/could never/will not ever hurt you, my love.:: he sent.
I would have thought him to be playing with me, as others had, if not for the fact that he had Mindspoken me. That and my empathy, which was telling me of his sincerity.
::Knowing what you do, what I said about my mother, you call me that? Always, all my life, people have avoided me. And all because of a prophecy, made long before my birth, at my mother's. I'm afraid, so afraid, that this is all a dream. That when I awake, it will never have been.::
::Here, tell me if this could be a dream.:: he replied as his lips met mine. I stiffened at first, in surprise, then relaxed as I began, at first, to simply enjoy it. Then, hesitantly, then more strongly, to respond, the to kiss him back. (HE HE HE, I'll let you think of the rest.) Finally, when it ended, we were holding each other so very tightly.
Looking at him, I sent, ::You ready?::
::As I'll ever be.::
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Back in the living room, I called, with voice and mind, :: "'Nika, Bro, either of you here?::
"Yes, what is i—" she stopped in mid word as she stared at us.
"Your Highness, my Lord, may I present to you His Royal Highness, Prince Coram of the Sun and Jupiter, the Dragon Warrior, Wielder of the Dragon Blade, and my soulmate. Your Highness, may I present to you Her Royal Highness, the adopted sister of Queen Luna, the Princess Annika, Senshi of Memory and History; and her soulmate, Lord Quartzite, former Training and Combat Master to Prince Endymion." I introduced them.
"Your Highness, my Lord," and he bowed as he spoke, "I am honored to meet you. I hope that I will be allowed to stay here until such time as Tsornin and I have found a place of our own in which to stay."
"Actually, you (both of you) are welcome to stay as long as you may wish to," they replied.
"We do not wish to impose," I began to say when she stepped in.
"It is no imposition. We are, and would be happy for you (both) to stay with us."
::Love?:: I asked.
::It would save time, and money. And, if they mean it, I for one, do not wish to argue.:: he told me. I agreed.
"We will stay." We had just told them when, my body stiffened, my face went blank, my eyes vacant, and then I spoke in a flat monotone of a voice.
"The time has come. The sixth part is here. The Sharing and Restoration is at hand. The three swords, the mirror, the glaive, and the staff shall come together; the songs will become one. The six shall stand in a circle before the fire, the Phoenix and Dragon shall face everyone else, three days from now, after the quiet rage has past." I shook myself, blinking as I did so. I looked around to see three sets of eyes looking at me in surprise and confusion.
"Uh-oh, I did it again, didn't I? Did I say anything, and if so, what?"
"Yes, you did. Yes, you did! 'The time has come. The sixth part is here. The Sharing and Restoration is at hand. The three swords, the mirror, the glaive, and the staff shall come together; the songs will become one. The six shall stand in a circle before the fire, the Phoenix and Dragon shall face everyone else, three days from now, after the quiet rage has past.' Now, can you make anything of that? 'Cause we can't."
Sighing, I responded, "I can, but I cannot say ought to you as yet. How long gone was I?"
"Two-and-a-half hours. Oh, and Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna called to ask after you. Michiru also said to tell you that she'll bring you your homework."
"Oh good! Now, I won't fall too far behind." I exclaimed at that news. The days passed uneventfully, so much so, that 3mths had gone by almost before I realized it. It seemed that one minute I was standing in my living room, the next, I was en route home from school when I felt a peculiar tingle that meant only one thing—a Negaverse general had appeared. Looking around, I found an alley in which to transform.
"PHOENIX POWER", then with a hint of flame, and the shape of a bird, the Phoenix Warrior stood where a young woman in the male uniform for Juuban University (AN: And no, I don't know if there really is a Juuban University in Tokyo or in the rest of Japan, but hey, I needed a college name, so that is what I used.) had been standing.
Then, I jumped away from there, in the direction that my warning had come from. Upon arrival, I found the Senshi taking a beating from the Nega-General that had arrived. I found a tree in which to perch, and to watch the Battle.
"JUPITER THUNDER DRAGON", "MARS FIREBIRD STRIKE", "VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK", and "MERCURY SHINE AQUA ILLUSION" all hit her (the Nega-General) at once; only to be stopped and reflected back, to hit and knock out the Senshi who had sent them.
"WORLD SHAKING", "DEEP SUBMERGE", "DEAD SCREAM", and "DEATH RIBBON REVOLUTION" were similarly dealt with, as were "SOLAR FLARE", "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION", "CRESCENT MOONBEAM STRIKE", and "EARTH TECTONIC QUAKE".
As she stood there, gloating over the still forms of the Senshi and Generals; I knew that I must act, and soon, or not at all. Then I felt a quiet rage fill me, a rage such as the Senshi, Generals, and Coram had never seen before, much less in me. I sprang out of the tree, to land between her and her victims.
"Thou shalt not harm these people anymore, Sariah! They nave not harmed thee, nor thine." I cried. (AN: Rather dramatic, wouldn't you agree?)
"Who art thou," she asked as she sneered at me, "to tell me, ME, what I shall or shall not do? How didst thou know my name?"
Replying, "I am who I am. I am one whom death has taken, and released. I am," pausing, "the Phoenix Warrior. I say, because I will not let thee."
She tried to attack me with a wave of black energy, only for me to stop it with "PHOENIX FIREWALL". The wave was stopped and absorbed by my wall of fire. Then, channeling my rage into my power as the Warrior, I felt the knowledge of my new attack come to me.
"PHOENIX FLAMES OF REBIRTH" washed towards and over her. When the flames died, away, there was nothing left of her. Not even a pile of dust.
When that was done, I turned around to see upon the faces of the Senshi, Generals, Guardians, and Coram, a variety of reactions that ranged from surprise, to shock. The surprise was mostly from 'Nika, Quartzite, and Coram, for by the look in their eyes, they were remembering my prophecy from earlier; and the shock was from everyone else.
"How were you able to do that?" Sailor Moon managed to ask from around her shock.
"It is a part of the powers granted me as the Phoenix Warrior, and can only be used when the Warrior is truly enraged beyond all normal grounds." I told them.
"What had you so beyond pissed off?"
"Seeing that BITCH about to kill you all. When I saw her about to deal the final blow, I felt a rage like nothing I had ever before felt come over me, and as the words of the attack came to me, I knew what to do. Now before we get into any further discussion, could we get out of here before anyone comes?"
"Certainly. Why don't we all meet at the Hikawa Jinja? Since that is where we normally have out Senshi meetings, it will be safe for us to talk."
"Very well, I and mine shall meet you there." With that, 'Nika, Quartzite, Coram, and I vanished, presumably to the Jinja.
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That's it for now, minna. Until the next time we meet.
Ja ne,
Queen_of_Nemisol