Chapter 15
"The power of the Silver Crystal is yours...?" Akio questioned. He shook his head. "It's not possible! I won't believe it!"
"It's really not that complicated. Have you forgotten why it is the Asteroid Senshi were so powerful in the first place?" Oni questioned. "Their power comes from that crystal."
The queen gasped. Now it made sense, why he had been trying to collect the Asteroid senshi while leaving the children alone. It was because, while each of their children drew power from their own respective planets, as Lady Serenity's guardians, the Asteroid senshi drew directly from her power. It was the gift she had bestowed upon them when she first became queen, to help them better defend the young senshi against any threats. Only now Oni was using that gift to pull energy away from the Silver Crystal.
"Then..." said Hoshi, getting to his feet. "Then we will defeat you."
At this, Oni merely laughed. Stretching out a dark hand, he swiped it across the mid, creating a devastating blow that knocked all the children, and the king and queen to their knees.
"This is it," Helios thought. "I've failed in my duty to protect her. And the children. It ends here." He closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, but suddenly just as the force of Oni's blast should have hit him, it was deferred. He wasn't sure by what, but as he opened his eyes, he saw a red rose embedded in the ground in front of him. Slowly, Lady Serenity began to come to her senses. When she saw the rose, she felt her heart beating up in her throat.
"It couldn't be..." she whispered. Images flashed before her mind, memories of times before. No, this was a cruel joke. She had believed far too many times only to be let down that her father would ever come back. She would not believe it now and be hurt again. But even as she turned her face away from the flower, a figure jumped down between her and Oni. A figure with a flowing lavender cape.
"Get your hands away from my daughter, demon!" he demanded. The voice was strong and true. Lady Serenity would know it anywhere, even all these years later.
"Papa!" she gasped.
"Your Majesty!" Helios echoed. The man turned around and smiled at the couple. His hair was dark as the night sky, his eyes a clear blue sapphire. Chibiusa's heart raced at the sight of him, a million questions flying through her head as rality began to set in for her. Why did he disappear for so long? Didn't he know how much her mother longed for him? Didn't he know how much she herself longed for him? But sitting there, looking into his face, just as lovingly perfect as the day she last saw him, no words came to the queen's lips. Only a dully whispered name, "Papa."
The former king bent down in front of her. It was then that she saw that he was somewhat translucent, as Cosmos was, but somehow it did not seem to affect his power. "I'm so sorry, Chibiusa," he said.
"Your highness, if I may, there is still an enemy in front of us," another voice said. The children looked up in awe to see another man, this one with deep brown hair, short in comparison to the king, but they did not doubt his power. And somehow from behind him, appeared seven other figures. All of them bore impressive armor, each a different color. On one side of their waist was a sword, the other a shield with a planetary symbol engraved on the side.
"And who are you?" Oni demanded. The man pulled his sword from his sheath. His comrades followed suit.
"Forgive the late introductions. My name is Urawa Mizuno. I am the former knight of Mercury."
"Yuuichiro Hino, of Mars."
"Asai Aino, of Venus"
"Shinozaki Kino, of Jupiter"
"Hallen Meioh, of Pluto"
"Taylor Tenou, of Uranus."
"Nathan Kaiou, of Neptune."
"Elias Tomoe, of Saturn."
"And of course," said the king, stepping forward. "Mamoru Chiba, of Earth. Otherwise known to you and King Endymion."
Maigo watched the whole scene in complete awe. He was always told that the knights had died, yet there they were in front of him, protecting their loved ones at all costs. And for the first time since he had shown himself, Oni's eyes reflected fear.
"Don't think you can frighten me with names!" he yelled out. "You're just ghosts! You have no power left in you."
"Care to test that?" Yuuichiro spat angrily. Endymion shook his head. Yuuichiro always passionate. Rash, but passionate nonetheless.
Watching her father, Reika felt her legs quiver as she tried to step forward. A dream or another vision, she didn't care. This was what they had waited for. These were the people they had been searching for.
"Papa..." she said quietly. Yuuichiro turned around and looked at her, looked right into her eyes. For a moment, she saw her mother in those eyes. Perhaps they were never really apart. "Papa," she repeated boldly. "Let us fight with you."
Yuuichiro looked surprised, but he did not object. He really didn't have the time to. For upon Reika's suggestion, each of the other young senshi took up their weapons and stood beside her.
"We are here to protect earth as well," said Akio. His sister next to him looked a bit hesitant. The former knight of Neptune stepped forward.
"Something wrong?" he asked his young daughter. She turned her face away, looking as if she was about to cry.
"Mama's mirror, I lost it," she chocked out. "I'm so sorry."
"You didn't lose it," her father replied. "Look here." At this he reached behind his back and pulled out what looked to be a broken mirror. But as Michiko took it in her hands, the object suddenly began to glow. She could feel it growing warm and the shape actually morphing beneath her skin. And when the light had dulled once more it more no longer a mirror, but a beautiful crystalline violin. Michiko held the instrument awestruck.
"But... I don't know how to play it," she stuttered. Then turning to her brother, she held it out. "You take it, Akio. You play violin very pretty."
Akio shook his head and pushed the weapon away. "I can't take it," he said. "That belongs to Sailor Neptune, to you." But Michiko insistently held it out to him again.
"Mama would want you to have it," she said.
"You do play the violin quite well," Nathan said. Akio looked at his father in shock.
"You've... heard me?" he asked. He had played concerts for the king and queen several times, but the thought never occurred to him that somehow, from some place, the father he longed for was listening to him. Then again, maybe he felt his presence the whole time.
"Your mother spirit is in you," Nathan said. "As is mine. Always." Akio smiled and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. He certainly couldn't have his father watch his only son bawling. At least, that would have to wait until later. There was too much to be done now.
"Let's rip this guy up!" he yelled, taking the violin and handing Michiko the shield. The others eagerly agreed. And the queen of Neo Crystal Tokyo was the first to rise.
"For our future!" she announced, raising her staff. The knights and their children gathered around her, their hearts uniting in a single wish.
"The power of the Silver Crystal is yours...?" Akio questioned. He shook his head. "It's not possible! I won't believe it!"
"It's really not that complicated. Have you forgotten why it is the Asteroid Senshi were so powerful in the first place?" Oni questioned. "Their power comes from that crystal."
The queen gasped. Now it made sense, why he had been trying to collect the Asteroid senshi while leaving the children alone. It was because, while each of their children drew power from their own respective planets, as Lady Serenity's guardians, the Asteroid senshi drew directly from her power. It was the gift she had bestowed upon them when she first became queen, to help them better defend the young senshi against any threats. Only now Oni was using that gift to pull energy away from the Silver Crystal.
"Then..." said Hoshi, getting to his feet. "Then we will defeat you."
At this, Oni merely laughed. Stretching out a dark hand, he swiped it across the mid, creating a devastating blow that knocked all the children, and the king and queen to their knees.
"This is it," Helios thought. "I've failed in my duty to protect her. And the children. It ends here." He closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, but suddenly just as the force of Oni's blast should have hit him, it was deferred. He wasn't sure by what, but as he opened his eyes, he saw a red rose embedded in the ground in front of him. Slowly, Lady Serenity began to come to her senses. When she saw the rose, she felt her heart beating up in her throat.
"It couldn't be..." she whispered. Images flashed before her mind, memories of times before. No, this was a cruel joke. She had believed far too many times only to be let down that her father would ever come back. She would not believe it now and be hurt again. But even as she turned her face away from the flower, a figure jumped down between her and Oni. A figure with a flowing lavender cape.
"Get your hands away from my daughter, demon!" he demanded. The voice was strong and true. Lady Serenity would know it anywhere, even all these years later.
"Papa!" she gasped.
"Your Majesty!" Helios echoed. The man turned around and smiled at the couple. His hair was dark as the night sky, his eyes a clear blue sapphire. Chibiusa's heart raced at the sight of him, a million questions flying through her head as rality began to set in for her. Why did he disappear for so long? Didn't he know how much her mother longed for him? Didn't he know how much she herself longed for him? But sitting there, looking into his face, just as lovingly perfect as the day she last saw him, no words came to the queen's lips. Only a dully whispered name, "Papa."
The former king bent down in front of her. It was then that she saw that he was somewhat translucent, as Cosmos was, but somehow it did not seem to affect his power. "I'm so sorry, Chibiusa," he said.
"Your highness, if I may, there is still an enemy in front of us," another voice said. The children looked up in awe to see another man, this one with deep brown hair, short in comparison to the king, but they did not doubt his power. And somehow from behind him, appeared seven other figures. All of them bore impressive armor, each a different color. On one side of their waist was a sword, the other a shield with a planetary symbol engraved on the side.
"And who are you?" Oni demanded. The man pulled his sword from his sheath. His comrades followed suit.
"Forgive the late introductions. My name is Urawa Mizuno. I am the former knight of Mercury."
"Yuuichiro Hino, of Mars."
"Asai Aino, of Venus"
"Shinozaki Kino, of Jupiter"
"Hallen Meioh, of Pluto"
"Taylor Tenou, of Uranus."
"Nathan Kaiou, of Neptune."
"Elias Tomoe, of Saturn."
"And of course," said the king, stepping forward. "Mamoru Chiba, of Earth. Otherwise known to you and King Endymion."
Maigo watched the whole scene in complete awe. He was always told that the knights had died, yet there they were in front of him, protecting their loved ones at all costs. And for the first time since he had shown himself, Oni's eyes reflected fear.
"Don't think you can frighten me with names!" he yelled out. "You're just ghosts! You have no power left in you."
"Care to test that?" Yuuichiro spat angrily. Endymion shook his head. Yuuichiro always passionate. Rash, but passionate nonetheless.
Watching her father, Reika felt her legs quiver as she tried to step forward. A dream or another vision, she didn't care. This was what they had waited for. These were the people they had been searching for.
"Papa..." she said quietly. Yuuichiro turned around and looked at her, looked right into her eyes. For a moment, she saw her mother in those eyes. Perhaps they were never really apart. "Papa," she repeated boldly. "Let us fight with you."
Yuuichiro looked surprised, but he did not object. He really didn't have the time to. For upon Reika's suggestion, each of the other young senshi took up their weapons and stood beside her.
"We are here to protect earth as well," said Akio. His sister next to him looked a bit hesitant. The former knight of Neptune stepped forward.
"Something wrong?" he asked his young daughter. She turned her face away, looking as if she was about to cry.
"Mama's mirror, I lost it," she chocked out. "I'm so sorry."
"You didn't lose it," her father replied. "Look here." At this he reached behind his back and pulled out what looked to be a broken mirror. But as Michiko took it in her hands, the object suddenly began to glow. She could feel it growing warm and the shape actually morphing beneath her skin. And when the light had dulled once more it more no longer a mirror, but a beautiful crystalline violin. Michiko held the instrument awestruck.
"But... I don't know how to play it," she stuttered. Then turning to her brother, she held it out. "You take it, Akio. You play violin very pretty."
Akio shook his head and pushed the weapon away. "I can't take it," he said. "That belongs to Sailor Neptune, to you." But Michiko insistently held it out to him again.
"Mama would want you to have it," she said.
"You do play the violin quite well," Nathan said. Akio looked at his father in shock.
"You've... heard me?" he asked. He had played concerts for the king and queen several times, but the thought never occurred to him that somehow, from some place, the father he longed for was listening to him. Then again, maybe he felt his presence the whole time.
"Your mother spirit is in you," Nathan said. "As is mine. Always." Akio smiled and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. He certainly couldn't have his father watch his only son bawling. At least, that would have to wait until later. There was too much to be done now.
"Let's rip this guy up!" he yelled, taking the violin and handing Michiko the shield. The others eagerly agreed. And the queen of Neo Crystal Tokyo was the first to rise.
"For our future!" she announced, raising her staff. The knights and their children gathered around her, their hearts uniting in a single wish.