Disclaimer: to all those great disclaimers out there, "ditto", that and any senshi or royalty who you don't recognize is mine (9 out of 10 times) and if you're not sure if the senshi is mine or Naoko T's e-mail me or something, also if you can wait at the end of the very last chapter I'll have a list of all my senshi, their human names, and any borrowed (WITH permission) senshi too… SAILOR ODIN, WHO MAKES CAMEOS IN THE PROLOGUE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!!! She belongs to webmistress Laurel, and there is a link to Odin's bio in her name and on the links page there is a link to part of Laurels site. Steal Sailor Odin and you will have more that just me at your throat. You have been warned…
Author's Notes: this is actually an excerpt from the sequel to this story, which is more of a prequel (sp?) b/c it takes place in the Silver Millenium. so, yes there will be some details missing, (like "what the hell is going on here?" hehe). It is semi-relevant to the story but I wont be giving to many details on ALL the charas b/c part of the actual story is to see who is who (actually that only happens in only one or two people). The story focuses mainly on my charas and not Naoko T's. in the main story, (as opposed to the prologue,) I will use some Japanese suffixes, but they might not be always accurate. I will not be using any suffixes like –chan, –san, or –kun most likely. One last thing, I use a mix of the Japanese and NA anime with some tiny bits of the manga thrown in, (confusing I know, don't worry) and this is my first fanfic, (that I ever wrote, I repeal the mistake I made in my cyborg 009 fanfic by saying that was the first) so…
" "= speaking ' '= thinking (usually) {AN: }/[AN: ]= Author's Note(s) = long rant I don't want to describe, or some vocal thing like squeals, sighs…
The ideas for this fanfic (more specifically this chapter/prologue) were conceived in June 2003, were typed up sometime around early September 2003, but were not put on ff.net until late April 2004 (that's how this is/was the first one I ever wrote)
~Dreams Can Last Forever~
Prologue: The Promise That Lasted Thousands of Years
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sailor Dream Catcher rushed with the last of her strength; long hair streaming behind her, to reach the body of a bloody, golden-orange lion that was lying in front of a stone wall. She ran in front of it and stretched out her arms protectively. "Don't! I love him! You can't do th— ugh!" she grunted as the sword Tektite threw impaled her, followed by his "onyx nightmare breeze". Her body was flung back into the stone wall bloodying up her senshi uniform even more. She grunted again as she fell to her knees and pulled out the sword from her stomach. She gasped and doubled over, and Sailor Polaris ran to her side. Sailor Dream Catcher crawled to the lion and put her head on him. Suddenly she screamed, "My G-d, NO! NOOOO! It can't be! It just can't!! He's dead, you killed him!! You evil MONSTER!!! YOU SICK, lots of curses…!!! I'll kill you!" [AN: cool my first AN in a story! seriously I have no problem with curses, I could have a cursing argument with someone for five min. straight, it's just that her rant would waste space, time, and peoples lives…] Sailor Polaris hugged her comfortingly (and to restrain her), and she broke down sobbing hysterically in Polaris' arms, crying indistinctly.
"Now you've done it." Sailor RisingSun commented, [AN: yes it's supposed to be one word] and flipped her long, silky black ponytail over her shoulder. "I didn't care when you took Sailor Venus and Sailor Uranus, (sorry Venus and Uranus fans, I like them too) I held my tongue when you took Prince Endymion, and then my love Crystal Eclipse Knight. They almost had to sedate me when you took my sister, my other half. But not satisfied with ruining mine and Princess Serenity's lives, you now had to ruin my princess, my friend, my partner, my mentor's life! Prepare to die." She stepped forward and lifted her left arm so her hand was near the sun on the top of her staff above her right ear. "Solar Explosions," a ball of fire appeared in her hand. "ENGULF!" She threw the ball of fire at Tektite and he jumped up, looking superior, thinking he evaded the attack. Then with a deafening explosion, the flames roared to life, curving into a circle under him and then blazed fiercely, growing to 100-yard-high walls of fire. "There's just something you didn't bargain on," she pulled on a chain around her neck to reveal something that had been tucked into her fuku.
"OMG! That's Sailor SettingSun's henshin key!" cried Sailor Midnight Star from where she was sitting (or trying to) with Sailor Odin [AN: yes Laurel's Sailor Odin] as Odin tried to wipe Midnight Star's bruises ignoring the blood running down her face, and her bloody hair.
"I thought I broke your skull you inferior bitch!" Tektite yelled.
"No just both my legs and some ribs, asswipe." She replied calmly and stuck out her tongue.
"You know it's not smart to antagonize someone when you can't move." Sailor Odin whispered as she put down her rune staff tensing herself.
"She's right! Especially since I can hurt you!" Tektite raised his arms "onyx nightmare breeze!"
"Not today!" Odin yelled and pointed her finger at the attack "Runic Keeper!" a small blank rune appeared at the end of her finger forming a force field around her and Midnight Star. After the attack finished the rune shattered and Odin was breathing heavily. "And no I'm not drained I was just holding my breath." She said. Sailor RisingSun walked in front of them, now holding her sun staff and her sister's sun staff.
"You forgot one thing. You've mostly cut off my sister's life force, and when that happens her life force flows into me. And now I can combine our powers!" she mumbled something under her breath, and then shouted the last few words of an ancient spell out loud. As she shouted out the last words she held the two staffs up in the air and crossed one over the other. There was a blinding flash of light. Once everyone could see again, they could see that Sailor RisingSun was no longer holding two sun staffs, but a glowing, golden sword. Everyone gasped, Sailor Dream Catcher even stopped crying.
"You know what this is?" Midnight Star asked Odin, and she nodded,
"The Sun Sword," she breathed. Sailor RisingSun slashed at the air.
"That's right. Any last words you pathetic creep? Oh by the way I'm no longer Sailor RisingSun, I'm Sailor Sun keeper of the Sun Sword." She raised her free hand in the air, "And on behalf of light, hope, and revenge, I WILL PUNISH YOU! With this holy sword, I'll lay the smackdown upon your ass in the name of the sun!"
"Well I thought that your powering up, and the legendary Sun Sword appearing was surprising, but that new into…" Tektite trailed off, "well that's one for the record books."
"SHUT UP!" Sailor Sun yelled. There was the sound of little bells ringing and little sparkles of golden light appeared behind her. They joined together and became a pair of golden wings, (like Eternal Sailor Moon's just golden) and you could see her aura glowing. The jewel in the middle of her tiara glowed and then her tiara vanished. In its place was the symbol of the sun glowing a golden color (the color of her aura). She leapt up and slashed at Tektite. Tektite managed to avoid all but one of the blows, in which Sailor Sun cut him across his stomach. She grasped the sword with both hands and held it perpendicular to his chest. The little gold sparkles appeared again, and the sword appeared to be absorbing energy and light from its surroundings. "I'll ask you one last time, WHERE IS MY SISTER!?" she yelled. Tektite just smirked. Sailor Sun growled "Fine. BEACON OF HOPE! Shining sun inferno, incinerate!!" The sword pulsated with an inner light and then released a wave of orangey light at Tektite. Tektite fell to the ground and Sailor Sun flew after him. She stood over him sword in both hands positioned right over where his heart would have been if he had one.
"No stop, don't get up!" cried Sailor Polaris from the side. Sailor Dream Catcher barely got to her feet but then stumbled and fell back down. Sailor Sun looked over at her.
"Enough." she said, "he's mine." She reached for Tektite's sword and thrust the point into a crack in the stone path. She leaned on the jewel-encrusted handle, using the sword as a crutch to get herself up. Tektite used this distraction to stand up and get away from Sailor Sun. Sailor Dream Catcher coughed into her gloved hand, and coughed up blood. She grasped the sword and used the point to pick up her weapon, the Eternal Dream Chamber. Its rim was made out of silver crystal, and was blessed by Queen Serenity herself. "I'm sorry, but when you're dealing with nightmares, you've walked into MY territory," she smirked. "But first…" She took a deep breath, walked over to the stone wall, and put her hand on it. She moved her hand around, slowly feeling each stone carefully, and her eyes flashed white.
"What are you doing!?" roared Tektite and raised his hands to attack, but Sailor RisingSun cut him off by jumping up and slamming him into the wall, her sword at his neck. Suddenly Sailor Dream Catcher gasped and put her other hand on her forehead, her eyes returning to their normal color.
"I doubt you really have enough energy to do anything." Sailor Sun hissed.
"No I don't, but just watch." Tektite snapped his fingers and the lion, whom everyone thought was dead, suddenly transformed. Not into the Sunlight Knight, but into one of Tektite's minions. He snapped his fingers, and out of the body flew something gray. It flew to Tektite, hovered in the air, and then Tektite inhaled it, his grayish skin becoming, well, less grayish. "Yum, fresh soul, newly dead— I love it. For all of you pathetic senshi that are wondering, that was my henchman, yes, and he was a shape-shifter. I've had your precious Knight fiancé for a few days. You'd have been better off loving and snuggling with me."
"Snuggle this!" she yelled and shot him the finger. She then took his sword in both hands and slammed it into one of the stones. A huge crack ran up and down the stones, and then the whole outer layer crumbled away revealing the missing senshi, knights, and Prince Endymion hanging inside a case of crystal, all unconscious. "Venus, Uranus, Princess Sekiyou (Sailor SettingSun's royal form, remember she wasn't transformed, RisingSun had her key), Crystal Eclipse…" she trailed off. At the very end of the row there was a blob off something, that was throbbing, like a heart, which she ignored. Dream Catcher walked down the wall looking for Sunlight Knight. When she found him and Endymion she gave a heart-wrenching wail, and punched the crystal as hard as she could, succeeding only in hurting her hand.
"Divine archer!" she yelled and the Eternal Dream Chamber started to glow with bright white light, and then transformed into a bow and a quiver full of arrows. She quickly nocked and arrow onto the bow and cried "nightmare arrow!" and with a shower of sparks the arrow flew true and hit him right in the middle of his chest. It went through him, and before he could react there was an arrow through his heart and an arrow through his stomach. "Damn!" she yelled, fourth arrow already nocked, "why isn't it working!?" She held the bow horizontally and let fly. It hit him right below in his Adam's Apple. He pulled it out, and wiped his throat. He held out his fingers and let the blood drip to the ground so they could all see it was dark navy. Tektite looked at them and rested his chin in his hands.
"Oh dear me," he said shoving Sailor Sun away, "can't make me live my worst fears? That's right, those arrows of yours can't make targets live death (live death, kind of an oxymoron isn't it) because they usually cause death. And it wouldn't have worked anyway because demons are part fear. Ah lets see what time is it? Yes evil laugh time."
"Fuck your goddamn evil laugh!!" she yelled, "liquid crystal!" and an outline of wings appeared on her back which was soon 'filled' with crystal. Then strings that looked like they came from her EDC (Eternal Dream Chamber) wrapped around them and then disappeared in a flash of light revealing wings like Sailor Sun's. She leapt up and slammed into Tektite pummeling him with her fists. "Liquid Crystal!" she yelled again and the same thing happened as before (with the outline, the crystal, and the strings) except this time cuffs appeared around his ankles and wrists, pinning him to the inner stone wall. She then flew closer and put her hands in his chest, "well there is one thing I've been wanting to do with you," she whispered in his ear. He looked up at her questioningly. "This!" she yelled and punched him in the nose, breaking it. She then flew down to the outer crystal wall and before you could finish saying "Hakuna Matata" [AN: yes I watched the Lion King recently, actually it was Lion King 1½…] she had shot an arrow into the wall in front of everyone's body. The cracks spread and then the crystal mostly shattered (along with the arrows), just enough so the missing senshi and knights could fall out, though still unconscious. A weeping Sailor Dream Catcher then rushed forward to catch Endymion and Sunlight, and Sailor Sun rushed forward to catch her sister and Crystal Eclipse. Sailor Polaris had to run and catch Uranus and Venus, so they didn't crack their skulls, because Sailor Odin, (who actually was closer) just flipped her braids over her shoulder and went back to wrapping Sailor Midnight Star's legs. After hugging Endymion and leaning him against the inner-now-outer wall she threw herself at Sunlight Knight's body, squeezing him fiercely, tears running down her face. "Oh wake up, please wake up. You have to wake up. Oh no, no. No, no, no, no, no. Just wake up already." she cried. She felt for a pulse, letting out the breath she was holding when she found one. She leaned against his chest, semi in his arms, for comfort, and could have stayed like that for hours if Tektite hadn't interrupted just then.
"I suggest you stop squeezing him to death." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. She glared at him and flew up so she was level with him.
"And you would know if he was dead!" she yelled in his face. She flew back down and put her hands on their chests, one on Endymion's, and one on Sunlight's and was relieved to feel them slowly going up and down. She let out a war yell and started to glow, and then Sunlight Knight started to glow too. She let out another yell and blasted Tektite with raw energy, which though it hurt him a lot also dissolved the cuffs holding him unfortunately. She closed her eyes and started to power up even more. Down on the ground though, Sailor Polaris gave a little squeal as the senshi and knights (minus Sekiyou, her life force was in Sailor Sun) started to open their eyes. Sunlight Knight looked at his hands and was surprised to see them glowing. He looked around for his beloved and not seeing her on the ground, looked up. Just having woken up after being unconscious for who know how many hours, (or even days) his eyesight was a little blurry. But he could just make out a ball of lavender energy, and then as his eyes cleared up, Tektite. Sailor Dream Catcher blasted him again and he slammed into the wall. Sailor Venus crawled over to Sunlight and sat next to him.
"You really love her, don't you?" she commented, following his gaze. He nodded and sighed. "Anyone can really tell, they don't have to be Venusian or have Venusian blood." She commented and shrugged, "it's obvious you really care for her at the least." Meanwhile, another conversation was going on further down the wall.
"Sailor Odin?" Prince Endymion said quizzically, "what—" but Sailor Odin cut him off,
"I'm not helping because of you Endymion, I'm helping because of Sailor Dream Catcher, Polaris, and Midnight Star, who pressured me even. I've still got a grudge." Tektite, unbeknownst to everyone, used his power to call his sword, (which had lain forgotten on the ground where Sailor Dream Catcher dropped it) to him. As she raised her arms to blast him again, Tektite, with the very last of his strength, threw his sword straight at her heart. She managed to fly back just enough so it wasn't an immediately fatal blow.
"Not again." She said softly, as she pulled the sword out from right under her heart. He smirked and she sighed, "You're going to die too." Her power-up-glow faded, and in slow motion the two of them fell to the ground. Sunlight Knight jumped up and ran to catch her, almost collapsing with the effort, and again almost collapsing when he caught her, and he did fall to his knees. She looked up to see her 'savior' and looked into a pair of orange-gold eyes, the color of a lion's eyes. Those familiar orange-gold eyes she knew so well and could gaze into for hours, becoming lost in their depths. "Hizashi?" she murmured, "is that really you?" He nodded. "Oh Sunlight Knight!" she cried, and tried to throw her arms around him but couldn't, she didn't have the energy. "I missed you so much!" she put her dainty hand in his strong one and squeezed.
"You're crying," he said as everyone gathered around them, Endymion carrying Midnight Star, Sailor Odin walking behind them. "Why? Is it me?" he said and lifted his hand and wiped away her tears with the back of his hand.
"No," and she sniffed, "it's just that I'm lying in your arms, and it's me, really me, not a brainwashed me. And you're you, the real you, the real Sunlight Knight not some dumb shape-shifter. And I just, I just want to stay like this forever, but I can't and that really hurts, even more than these." She pointed at the wound in her stomach and the wound just under her heart, and started to cry harder.
Deep in my soul,
Love so strong,
It takes control
"It's going to be okay," he said lamely, "I love you." At this she started to cry even harder.
"No it won't you dummy. It won't." she squeezed his hand again and let go, laying it across her chest. He brought his hand up and brushed her hair out of her face. [AN: it's now going to start getting mushy…]
Now we both know,
The secrets bared,
The feelings show
"I love you," he said again, "more than the sun and the stars."
"I love you too, more than the Earth and the Moon." she replied.
Driven far apart,
I make a wish,
On a shooting star
She gasped and her eyes started to go out of focus. Prince Endymion knelt down and began to work his healing magic on her two greatest wounds, but after a few seconds she put her hand on his chest in an effort to push him away, and shook her head.
"Endy, my greatest childhood friend, we would always help each other out, but this time you can't. As much as I want you to, and I thank you for a few minutes of extra life." She said softly and he nodded.
There will come a day,
Somewhere far away,
In your arms I'll stay,
My only love
Even though you're gone,
Love will still live on,
The feeling is so strong,
My only love
My only love
There was a gurgling sound from near the wall. Sailor Sun walked over and looked down at Tektite, and swore under her breath. She brought her sword tip up to his neck and looked back. Her sister had finally woken up and she knew her time as Sailor Sun was growing short. Sailor Dream Catcher nodded.
"I now get my revenge you slimy worm, and don't even say those taste good too." She said as he opened his mouth to reply, "die." She took a deep breath and slit his throat, and then quickly took a step back.
"What?" Sailor Midnight Star asked. But before she could answer, Sailor Odin gasped.
"His soul," she said, "it was gray, but then split into a white mist and a black mist, and then both vanished."
"Well I thought I heard him say 'thank you' as I slit his throat." Sailor Sun said, and then glowed and became Sailor RisingSun again, and Sekiyou glowed and became Sailor SettingSun. Sailor SettingSun stood up and ran to embrace her sister, and they met in the middle holding each other as if they'd never let go. Sailor Dream Catcher smiled thinking 'at least there is one happy ending'.
There will come a day,
Somewhere far away,
In your arms I'll stay,
My only love
You've reached the deepest part,
Of the secret in my heart,
I've known it from the start,
My only love
Sailor Dream Catcher looked up at Sunlight Knight and smiled, and he knew what she was going to do.
"Wait," He said "you're going to do something, I know, that's going to keep you not quite alive, but not dead either, and if you ever wake up, well there's something I'd like to ask of you." He reached in to the pouch that he wore and pulled out a gold ring, with a turquoise stone on it with little peridots surrounding it. "Turquoise- your birthstone, and peridot- my birthstone." He slipped it onto her finger, "would you do me the honor of becoming my bride?" Sailor Polaris squealed and clapped her hands
"Oh, this is so special. sigh" she said, and started to cry (from joy, for Polaris and Dream Catcher were really close friends). In response Sailor Dream Catcher put her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeply. With that they both started to glow again, and then there were flashes of white light.
There will come a day,
Somewhere far away,
In your arms I'll stay,
My only love
You've reached the deepest part,
Of the secret in my heart,
I've known it from the start,
My only love
"Soulmates," she said when they pulled apart for air, "we're soulmates and I wouldn't want it any other way." Behind them Sailor Polaris blew her nose. "Sunlight Knight my love, one day, I promise you, I'll save you. I'll save you and I won't be fatally injured."
"No," he whispered, "no, no."
Sailor Dream Catcher lifted her hand up and caressed his cheek, but then her hand dropped back to her side leaving a smear of blood on his face. "Love you," she said and started to close her eyes, "always have, always will." She sighed and turned to Sailor Odin…
My only love.
~To be continued in chapter 1…
AN: okay! The prologue is done sighs and stretches mmmmmmmm, aaaaaaaaahhh… so what do you think? Remember feedback is your friend, yes friend. So tell me what you think, (flames are welcome too I guess, but don't flame me just b/c you want to curse someone out, okay) so what does Dream Catcher do? Hehehe! You'll find out when I actually get the sequel to this story done. but I still have to finish this story, and I have at least two other I'm working on at the same time, and my friggen English report that's due in A WEEK!!!! (which I'm not really working on but…) mwaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…! erm sorry…