WOW! Minna, we broke 100!!!! I've never broken 100 in reviews! Thanks so much!!!!
And I apologize for the cliffy, which was even more slimy than that last one! But it will probably just get worse since the story is coming towards the climax! Ooh, literary term! English teachers would be proud. Was I saying anything useful? Probably not.
I own not, so sue not. Plus, I'm a lowly student so you'd get…well, next to nothing. HAH! Naoko-sama owns these lovely characters; I just own what happens to them.
REVIEW REPLIES! (I'm going keep them up since everyone enjoys them.)
cardcaptor eternity: I'm a vocab freak. I love words, and I love learning new words, and searching for the right words. I'm glad you think they're vivid! That's what I was aiming for! 13. Yes. All the corrections say she's 12 or 13, so I'll make her twelve and half! tee hee! Thanks for reviewing!
magnum-angel: Thanks so much! Yep, they won't like it I don't think. Beware of Mamoru!!! Thanks for reading and reviewing and enjoy!!!
pure-sweet: Thank you!!!!!!!! I'm updating as soon as I can! Thank you so much for reviewing and keeping me going! I hope you enjoy this chapter!!
Sakura Moon: Really? You think it's better? Wow!!! And yes, there will be more stories after this one. This is just my only project since its so massive. There's a third in this series that will be placed in Crystal Tokyo… and I've got ideas for another epic. This isn't my last contribution, not by far! Thanks for your wonderful review!
Neonlights: Muah hah hah! You shall see. Yay for strong Usagi!!!! I hope I didn't leave you hanging off the cliff for too long. What do you think, should I go to Ail and Ann or stop when Beryl is offed? I have ideas, but would that be dragging the story out?
Twin Kats: bows over and over Yes! Yes! Will update, will update! Hope it came soon enough, and thanks for reviewing!
Nazi Hater: YES! LONG REVIEW!! 12. I was close. Yep, the Tokyo people aren't as dumb as the anime wanted us to think. Oh! OK, I'll throw in a little dictionary right in my profile for you! I hope your computer gets better soon, cuz I really want to read your stuff! Thanks for your awesome review, and here's your update before the end of the month!
krystelo: I decided to keep them obviously. LOL! Thanks for reviewing, and enjoy!
Moonmore: Ah, a new face! Enjoying yourself? Yes, the cliffy was slimy, but I'm glad you're enjoying yourself! Here's your update, and thanks for reviewing!
SilverCrystalArtemis: Another new face! I added you to my staff, you just have to login and go to C2 staff and accept. YAY! Wow, ingenius? I'm floored. Thanks! Your review was very encouraging!
Moosagi: It was a great story!!!! I'll definitely be there for your new story when you add it! Thanks for reviewing so much, it's invaluable to me!! Hope you like the update!
JadesRose: Yep, unfortunately for the heroes, Beryl is not a brainless moron. I didn't even remember using dolorous. That was a vocab work last week, lol. It means, expressing or causing grief. I'm a vocab nerd, but I have yet to actually read a dictionary. Probably never will. LOL. Your next extra-nagging review for The Dawn Rose is due in a few days. I'll come up with something original. Man, I love that story!!!!!
koldy: Word! Thanks for reviewing so much!
karone-sakura: scrambles must update quick for readers! Here it is! Enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!
Manga-moo: I agree. She's a red-headed hag. And cuz I'm a sunshine and rainbow happy ending goober, she's gonna get finished off pretty soon. Thanks for reviewing!
Alicia Blade: Yay! That's what I was aiming for! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
WingsofaDream: I'm intrigued by Sailor Saturn. My favorite character is Usagi, mostly cuz that's who I'm most like, but Hotaru fascinates me. I'm like thrilled that you loved the end. I was worried about that last fight scene! I thought maybe it was too rushed, but yay! You liked it! Enjoy!
trunksvegetafrodo: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter as much! Thanks for reviewing!
EternalMoonFighter: I think so. I was pretty proud of the last chapter! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you love this chapter too! Hope the update didn't take too long!
PisxiePam: Here's your update! Please, PLEASE enjoy!!! Thanks for reiviewing!
Adyen: Thanks for reviewing even if you didn't really like it. That means a lot to me, really! I need criticism from both sides! Thank you for reading and reviewing!
CatDemon1: LOL! That was one of the funniest reviews I've ever gotten! And one of the most flattering! I'm grateful for both! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long!
Attention! Hotaru had her birthday. She's now 12!!! Thank you for more observant manga-readers who review my story and let me know when I'm wrong!!!
Anyone ready to actually read the chapter? All this author note stuff is just another ploy of mine to drive you crazy with suspense!!!
Enjoy!
-rosa lunae
PS: Note the title of this chapter. That means it's important. BTW, there's some AU-ish type stuff in here, so no I'm not remembering wrong, I'm just changing stuff around! Just FYI. Enjoy!
Chapter Eleven: Escaping OblivionRain poured from the ominous black sky. Tuxedo Kamen had lost his hat and mask in the gales of the storm, but his jet-black hair hid his face. Wait ran down his face in streams; his eyes were shrouded by shadow. Suddenly, lightning flashed, lighting up the park and Mamoru's face. The jagged bolt was reflected in his eyes, dark and hard with rage.
"Ami."
The Senshi of Mercury jumped, gasping slightly. His tone was low; his fury was hidden under the dangerously soft command. Sailor Mercury hit her knees.
"Yes, Prince Endymion."
Mamoru didn't speak; Prince Endymion did. His sapphire eyes were colder than her strongest attack. She was grateful that she wasn't the target of his anger.
"Find her," he ordered, very quietly. "Quickly."
A simple command with a lot of weight. She rose to her feet, and summoned her small computer and began to type faster than humanly possible.
Mamoru didn't speak again. He sank into a park bench, unaware of the concerned stares of his generals, unaware of the frantic expressions of the Senshi, unaware. He cradled his head in his hands, hiding his face. His shoulders trembled.
Kunzite couldn't move for a moment. The masquerade had been found out, and the Princess was taken.
He couldn't comprehend how everything had gone so suddenly, utterly, completely wrong.
Sailor Venus ran to him, crying his name. He enveloped her into a fierce hug, stroking her hair in an effort to placate her sobbing.
"Kunzite… What is Beryl going to… do to her?" she whispered brokenly, stammering. "How much time do we have?"
Kunzite sucked in a breath, slowly and full of dread. He was unsure of how to answer, because though Minako desired the truth, he knew she wouldn't be able to handle it now, with her grief so raw.
"Not long, Mina-chan. Not long."
He avoided the first question entirely. He himself feared the answer.
All was quiet for a few more moments, except for Mercury's constant tapping on her keyboard and quiet crying from a handful of the Senshi. The entire group seemed unable to move. Frozen.
Suddenly, a flash of mauve light blinded the Senshi, and the sound of a huge door creaking as it was opened reached their ears, but nothing could be seen through the bright light.
Mamoru leapt up from the bench, wild anger in his eyes. No one else, save Neptune and Uranus, recognized the tall woman or her large key-shaped staff, when the light faded.
"You!" he accused, advancing on her. "How could you show your face after watching Serenity get kidnapped when you knew it would happen?!"
The Inners gave a surprised gasp, wondering about the validity of that statement and how in the world Mamoru knew the intimidating figure before them.
The emerald-haired woman gave a wry, tolerant smile. "If I had intervened, you, Endymion, would be dead, and Serenity would still be Beryl's hands."
Something broke inside Tuxedo Kamen then. He sank back into the park bench, running his fingers through his hair. When he looked up, the anger was gone, replaced by raw, muted despair.
"I KNOW!" he whispered haggardly, his voice dark with self-loathing. "Don't lecture me, Setsuna. Just tell me what I'm supposed to do," he begged.
The Senshi and the Generals watched blankly, too in shock by Usagi's capture to be puzzled by the new Senshi. Blood dripped from Sailor Uranus's hands—her fingernails had pierced the skin of her palms from clenching her fists too tightly. Sailor Neptune quietly and hurriedly explained to the Inners and Sailor Saturn that Setsuna was Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time. They were quiet as their memories returned.
"Who's watching the gate, Setsuna?" Michiru asked quietly.
Pluto actually smiled, brightly and full of hope. "Oh. Don't worry about it. It couldn't be better protected." Then, she was back to business.
"How familiar are all of you with the Prophesy?" Sailor Pluto asked, making eye contact first with Tuxedo Kamen, then the Senshi, the Generals, then Tuxedo Kamen again.
Mercury's agitated typing continued.
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When Sailor Moon woke up, the first thing she felt was pain. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. She couldn't move. The next thing she felt was a massive wave of anger and fear from Mamoru. It left her dizzy. She wriggled a little bit, and guessed that she was chained to a wall by the wrists, and her ankles were chained together.
The next moment, the sharp, throbbing pain in her head returned, and her eyes rolled back into her head, and she passed out again. The irons dug into her wrists, but she hung limply, leaving the pain and the danger for when she woke again.
"Mamoru," she choked, before passing into oblivion.
---------------------------------
Mamoru's head snapped up when he heard the murmur float through his mind. His own head throbbed slightly. He could feel her pain, could feel it when she woke, and despaired when she fell back into darkness.
He rejoined reality, heart racing, and found Setsuna explaining the prophecy. "The last few lines about all paradoxes coming together, is talking about us."
"Huh?" Minako's sophisticated response.
Setsuna gave a hollow smile. "You are Aino Minako, a 15 year old school girl who enjoys volleyball and shopping. But you are also Sailor Venus, the leader of the Inner Senshi, the Soldier of Love and Light. AND you are the Princess of Venus, heir to the Venusian throne and a member of the White Moon Honorary Court. You are three completely different personas in one person. That is a paradox. It's the same with every one of us."
She was silent for a moment. Rei rolled her eyes.
"AND?"
Pluto gave her small smile again. "That is why Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and I are here. The job can't be done unless all of us are present."
"Why is that?"
Pluto only smiled mysteriously.
Haruka fidgeted restlessly. "No offense, Setsuna, but this doesn't seem very relevant! Usagi is in in Beryl's hands and we are here with no way to help her!!!"
Pluto glanced at Ami. "Not for long."
"You mean there's a plan now?" Jupiter grumbled, crossing her arms.
Pluto did not give a smile this time. Her eyes were wide, with dread that seemed out of place in her somber eyes. "We have to go to the Dark Kingdom. In Beryl's territory."
"Seems logical." Michiru murmured, a stray finger in her hair.
"Logical, yes," Setsuna whispered. "But there, Beryl had the advantage. She sees everything. It's her homeland. She thrives. She has legions of youma at her command. Nothing in the Dark Kingdom is as it seems."
She locked eyes with Mamoru. "And she has Usagi. As of right now, Beryl is winning."
Mamoru shuddered visibly, and ran a shaking hand through his hair. He looked at Ami, who was interrogating Kunzite quietly in the background. She scanned his hands, and asked him how he produced a portal.
"How much longer, Ami?" he asked, very quietly.
"Not long!" she replied hurriedly. "Just a few more moments."
Mamoru sank back into the bench for the third time, fighting for control. Rei sat next to him, and lay a slender hand on his shoulder.
"Mamoru-san, quit beating yourself up."
He drew a haggard breath. His voice trembled when he spoke. "That witch used me. Usako surrendered to her… for me."
Rei groaned, and socked him lightly in the shoulder. "Yeah, tell me about it. Usagi's always doing stupid things like protecting us when it's supposed to be the other way around. But you have to be strong for her sake. We have no idea how we're going to get to her, or what to expect when we get into the Dark Kingdom. Just focus on Beryl, Mamoru-san, and what you're going to do to her if she's harmed Usagi."
Mamoru's eyes slowly brightened with fiery anger again. He rubbed his hands eagerly together. "It's about time I get my revenge on that witch. She killed me, after all. And Usagi."
Rei looked at him strangely. "Mamoru-san, Beryl didn't—,"
She was cut off.
"I'VE GOT IT!" Mercury cried, elated.
Mamoru snapped to attention, his heart skipping several full beats. Rei's strange comment was forgotten.
"Tell us what to do, Sailor Mercury," he ordered, the fear and despair gone from his eyes. He replaced his mask, making his expression unreadable.
"I've devised a way to make Kunzite's portal capable of transporting our large group, whereas it is designed to support one or two in transport though dimensions. Our location will be somewhere outside of Beryl's castle, but because the energy signatures are in this dimension are highly erratic, we may end up in different places. I suggest entering in pairs. Zoisite and I will be the last to enter, so we can monitor the stability of the portal."
The groups were established quickly. Each Inner Senshi with her Shitennou paramour, Uranus and Neptune, Pluto and Saturn. There was a moment of morbid silence when Mamoru was left without a partner.
"Mamoru-san, we will not allow you to enter alone," Sailor Neptune said quietly, filling the silence. "After Serenity, we protect you."
"Then I will go with whichever group enters the portal first," Tuxedo Kamen returned coldly. His tone welcomed no questions.
"We will go first," Sailor Saturn said immediately. No one dared question the Child, the Senshi of Destruction. Sailor Pluto nodded her agreement, tightening her grip on her Garnet Staff. Her knuckles were as white as her formerly bronze face.
At this point, everyone remembered the young, subtly impish Princess of Saturn from the Silver Millennium, but the powers endowed on the girl were much more clearly recollected. No one questioned her. Sailor Pluto smiled wryly to herself; they'd get used to her, when they met again.
"Everyone ready?" Mercury asked, suddenly.
"Hai. Let's do this." Mamoru growled, watching Kunzite intently as the head General produced a portal to the Dark Kingdom. The black hole loomed ahead of them, glowing slightly.
He took Setsuna's and Hotaru's wrists tightly in his hands, and stepped through it.
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Some time later, Sailor Moon opened her eyes a second time. Her voice was hoarse, though she didn't remember screaming.
That darkness was absolute. She could see nothing.
But in the dark, her other senses were heightened. She clearly heard the clicking of heels and the rustling of fabric. And though she'd never feared Beryl before, she did now.
"Welcome, Serenity, to oblivion. There is no escape."
Sailor Moon blinked owlishly in the darkness, trying to clear the spinning and ease the throbbing in her head. She wearily stood to her full height, sore from hanging limply from the irons.
"You chain me like a criminal needlessly, Beryl. I will never run from you."
Her voice was soft, physically weak, but it was sharply unwavering.
Beryl's voice slithered back through the darkness. "I chain you for my own enjoyment, Princess." she purred, snickering.
"You chain me because you fear me."
The sudden silence suggested to Sailor Moon that she'd hit a nerve. She was proved right when the flat of the blade smacked against her face, knocking her head against the wall. Sailor Moon made no sound, allowed no tears of pain. She just clenched her eyes shut soundlessly against the sting of the blow. She could feel a welt rising, and the throbbing in her eye told her it was soon going to swell shut and turn black.
"I can't kill you yet, unfortunately," the voice snarled. Then, even though it was pitch black, Sailor Moon could feel the malicious smile spreading Beryl's fanged mouth. The room dropped several degrees colder.
"But don't worry. Your time will come. You see, your friends have just crossed into this dimension, and I'm going to go take care of them for you, Princess." She said this as if she'd be doing Sailor Moon a favor. "And with them out of the way, and you stuck here, there will be no one left to protect your energy-rich planet, and all of it will be free for the taking. Then, I'll take care of you. It works out well, don't you think? I can't wait to hear them scream."
"MATTE!" Sailor Moon cried, but only the whoosh of a teleport and her own echo answered her.
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When Tuxedo Kamen opened his eyes, he found himself in a barren, black wasteland with a castle in the middle of it.
"Charming." Sailor Pluto remarked darkly.
"Well, which is the fastest way to Usagi is what I want to know," Tuxedo Kamen muttered, and began to walk swiftly towards the castle. But before his second step, he found his path blocked by the Silence Glaive.
"Matte, Enydmion. We can't go in there without the others."
Of course Mamoru knew this was true. They were behind enemy lines and the danger was extreme. They would need to stay together. Still, he ground his teeth together and sighed loudly. After a moment he began to pace.
After another moment, he stopped pacing, and whirled on Setsuna, barely restrained. "Setsuna…" he pleaded through clenched teeth.
Setsuna nodded. "It is as Ami feared. Everyone is being dropped different places."
"How do we meet up with them without alerting the enemy to our presence?" Saturn asked solemnly.
Tuxedo Kamen laughed derisively. "No such luck. Beryl knows we're here. She sees everything. Trust me."
"Could she have interfered with the teleport?"
"Possible," Pluto answered, thoughtfully, "but not probable. Ami was aware that this could happen."
"Well, we need to get together!" Mamoru growled impatiently. "With every moment, Usako is in more danger!"
"Perhaps you should worry about yourself for once, Endymion."
--------------------------
Rei landed roughly, steadied by Jadeite. She thanked him absently, her mind on Usagi.
She saw no one when she opened her eyes. They waited, but still nothing. Suddenly, Jadeite grabbed his head, and doubled over.
"Jadeite?!" Mars asked frantically, grabbing him to keep him balanced. "Daijobou?"
"Mamoru!" he choked. "Mamoru is in danger!"
"Which way?" Rei pressed, trusting him completely.
He pointed, one hand still clutching at his head, and they ran off in that direction.
-------------
When Sailor Uranus opened her eyes, her first thought was that Michiru's hand was still in her own. She registered that, then looked around.
"Humph. I guess Ami was right. Different spots."
Michiru smiled tightly, stressed. "Seems that way."
"Now what?"
"We have to find the others."
Haruka snorted, indignantly. "What?! Why not just blow in there, bust Usagi out, and go home?" She said, half seriously.
"If only," Michiru murmured, concentrating.
"What?"
"I think Endymion's in danger."
"Oh, shimatta! Those two can't keep out of danger. Well, let's go. The quicker we all meet up, the quicker we get to Beryl."
They began to run.
"Do you remember, Haruka, the devastation on the Moon when we got there… too late?"
"Hai." Sailor Uranus's voice was hard and unforgiving. "I remember. I remember Serenity. I remember finding her sprawled over Endymion with a sword through her stomach. I remember trying to pry her dead, stiff fingers from around the hilt. I was the one who pulled the sword from her skin, Michiru. Saturn healed the flesh, but it was too late. Her heart was pierced, and she died instantly."
Michiru didn't answer. Tears ran down her face, but she said nothing.
"Michiru, I don't think I'll ever forget."
They ran faster.
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Tuxedo Kamen turned very slowly. He could feel Pluto and Saturn tense beside him; their anger radiated from them.
"What have you done with her, Beryl?" he demanded in a low voice, giving the façade of calmness.
"Why, Prince Endymion? Has a course of action to find the Princess already been established?" Her voice was afire with sickening sarcasm.
The words were familiar. He searched his memory, and found them in another place.
"Prince Endymion! Prince Endymion! Wait!"
Grinding his teeth, he stopped. He put a fake smile on his face and turned.
Lady Beryl practically slithered up to him and walked her fingers up his chest. He began to see red, but maintained his composure.
"Why, Prince Endymion! Has a course of action to find the princess already been established?" Her green, covetous eyes flashed sinisterly.
Every bone in Endymion's body screamed evil, but his own parents had invited her to spend the summer at the palace. He could be nothing but polite to her many annoying advances and prying questions.
"How did you answer me then, Prince Endymion? Something you said, that you never knew would come back to find you in this life."
Still silent, Mamoru clenched his eyes shut, and reached for the memory. Pluto's Staff and Saturn's Glaive formed a protective, threatening X in front of him.
"We are merely going to wait for Serenity-sama to reveal herself in her own time," Prince Endymion answered guardedly. He should not even reveal that, he knew. For Nemesis was one planet on the suspect list for the attack on the moon.
"Now, please you must excuse me, I have business I must attend to." Prince Endymion hurried off.
Beryl glared after him. "Endymion, if you refuse to be mine, you can be no one's. Least of all, the powerless princess of the Moon!" Beryl followed quickly.
"We are going to wait for Serenity to reveal herself in her own time." Beryl's laugh was nauseating as the irony reached Mamoru. "You are going to wait. I want her to see me kill all of you. And then all of you can watch from hell as I rip the limbs from her body!"
With that, Beryl threw her arms out to her sides, turned her face towards the black sky, and roared, "Metallia-sama! Come to me! Send your power to my hands!!!"
Thunder cracked as Beryl burst into black light, and was hidden behind the crackling dark energy. The other Senshi ran up, without a word, and took their position in front of Tuxedo Kamen. Kunzite locked eyes with his master, his expression urgent.
When the dark cloud cleared, Beryl was thrice her former size, and hideously fused with the entity of Metallia.
"YOUR PRINCESS'S CRYSTAL SHOULD PROVIDE A DELECTABLE LITTLE SNACK WITH MORE THAN ENOUGH ENERGY TO USE TO TAKE OVER YOUR PITIFUL EARTH, ENDYMION!"
Serenity couldn't survive without that crystal. He knew it. Queen Serenity had told him, the first time the princess used it, "It is her blessing and it is her curse."
He hadn't understood then. But now he did.
"It ends here and now, Metallia! Now you pay for everything you did a thousand years ago!" He yelled, and with a flash, he transformed into Prince Endymion, and yanked his sword from its sheath with a resounding scrape.
The evil entity before them cackled, and lightning struck around them. Jupiter glared at the flashes of electricity, an eager challenge glowing in her eyes.
"YOU'RE RIGHT, ENDYMION. IT ENDS NOW."
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Victory shall never come
If the Soldiers stand alone
The Moon's sleeping nymph must wake
And fight with hands that have sewn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Agh!"
Sailor Moon fell back against the wall, trembling. The irons weren't budging. Blood dripped from her wrists were they were cutting into her skin. Her body convulsed with her gasping struggle for air.
So she'd strained for the better part of an hour. Her strength was giving, and her wrists were sore. Her tiara could cut them, but she couldn't reach it.
"Mother…" she whimpered, breathlessly. Then, she sucked in another breath, and lunged forward again, pulling with all her might at the chains. Her face turned red, and tears streamed down her face, until she couldn't stand the pain anymore.
"AAGH!" she cried, and sobbed. "I can't do it!"
"What are you doing, Rose?"
Serenity looked up at Naru, already accustomed to answering to the pseudonym.
"Sewing."
"Look at how small your stitches are!" Naru gushed, resting her chin on Serenity's shoulder. "How do you do it?"
Serenity smiled. "Mother always said I was good because my hands were so small."
Sailor Moon's head jerked up, thudding quietly against the wall, but she didn't notice. "Of course!"
Instead of pulling her whole body forward, she squeezed her fingers as far together as they could go, and pulled downward.
A moment later, with the sound of tearing flesh and a soft cry from her lips, her hands were free.
She could see Beryl's fusion with Metallia from out the window. She ignored the pain in her hands and ripped a piece from her skirt and tied it around one hand, then ripped off a piece from the bow on her chest and tied it around the other. Then, she yanked her tiara, and the unnaturally sharp headpiece easily sliced through the irons around her ankles.
She paused a moment to catch her breath. She could only see from one eye, as the other one had swollen shut. Her hands were damaged, and she was positive she'd picked up a concussion from Beryl's blow to her head. But none of that mattered.
"Minna!" she gasped, staggering to the window. "Mamo-chan!"
With that, Sailor Moon leapt from the windowsill, used the momentum to roll, then smoothly climbed to her feet and took off running, stumbling at the second step.
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Please review, and stay tuned for the final battle next chapter! It should be a week or less, so don't fret! See you there!
-rosa lunae