Nightmares of the King!

Neo-King Endymion's nightmares are Roiyaru's reality in this dark and gloomy sequel to The Awakening of Crystal Tokyo. Endymion has got to find a way to help his friend to stop these nightmares! Read and Review!

Chapter 1

The time had come to awaken Crystal Tokyo and to return the earth to the peace that reigned at the time of the Silver Millennium and Tuxedo Kamen and the Sailor Senshi along with the help of four men dressed in tuxedoes helped them to accomplish this task. Now, the earth is at peace and Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity have taken their rightful place as king and queen thanks to the help of the four men who had died, fighting for them in battle... or so they had thought.

Almost instantaneously after the battle was over, Neo-King Endymion has been overcome by recurring nightmares of the man who was Shuensha Roiyaru also known as Tuxedo Star. Unknown to Neo-King Endymion these dreams he is being plagued with are actually Roiyaru's reality; Roiyaru is stuck in this darkness for eternity.

Concisely, this is the turmoil of Shuensha Roiyaru and every night Neo-King Endymion will be overwhelmed with this man's misery unless there is a way to help Roiyaru. No such way is known until a man in the similar predicament helps our honorable friend.

---

Roiyaru laid in the darkness, in rags and beaten. His hair was rough and tangled. His blue eyes were darkened by the pain and stench of fresh blood. He was growing a mustache and a beard which he would have never let grow but he knew in this place, there wouldn't be a time when he could shave. His scars were left unhealed and his blood freely oozed from most everywhere of his body. The man was a mess and if he would have thought that the price of peace was eternal damnation, he probably would have given it a second thought.

Actually, he knew he wouldn't and he smiled at the fact. He closed his eyes and tried to bring memories to mind of his friends in the land of the living; such friends like the Sailor Senshi. He remembered the short but sweet day filled with laughter and smiles he had spent with them before the battle that had supposedly killed him and his friends.

As he thought of this, he felt them somehow disappear from his mind. What were their names again, he thought. The words and syllables slowly drifted from his mind except one; Tsukino Usagi or rather Neo-Queen Serenity. He held on to the blonde beauty's name strongly for if the Senshi derived hope from her, so could he. Hope was needed in the place Roiyaru was.

In fact, Roiyaru did not know where he was. He tried to find within himself some sort of closure to life. The closure that only eternal life or eternal damnation could bring. He did not feel this closure so he assumed he was not in hell, but it was so easy to believe he was. Everywhere was dark; the creatures that tortured him were made of shadows; and every time he thought of a bright moment it was stolen away from him because he was in what is called the Shadow Realm. Those that live by the sword die by the sword but he never thought that they would be tortured by the sword for eternity.

Again his mind wandered back as to why he deserved such a place, this purgatory. Did a warrior who fought for earth twice deserve this pain? He was there without anyone to hear or share his pain, no one there to help him, or give him hope for deliverance. He used to be one of four men who shared everything together from their mission straight down to issues that pained them deeply. He had forgotten their names, perhaps he had thought of them too much. He began to remember them, starting with Tomoshibi. "Tomoshibi," Roiyaru whispered. Yes; if he could remember them, surely he would have some sort of comfort in the place he was in.

The whippings continued and Roiyaru prayed. He prayed that Tomoshibi was far away from where he was. He prayed that his other two friends Zachary and Kasai were also happy. Hopefully those three had the closure that death should have brought.

He also prayed that Usagi was happy being queen. As his whippings continued, he remembered Neo-King Endymion, Serenity's lover and husband. He prayed that he was also doing well. At the end of this thought, the whip had come down hard on his back and Roiyaru shouted as the skin was lifted right off of him.

---

Neo-King Endymion shot straight up in his bed. Sweat had dampened his pillow and confusion had awakened his wife.

"Mamo-chan," Serenity said groggily using her pet-name for him. "Are you okay?"

Endymion could not respond, he just continued to stare forward at the wall. No nightmare had been this real to him. He remembered the nightmare he had suffered after many battles against monsters he and his wife had faced in the past and none had upset him this much.

"Mamo-chan, what's wrong?" Serenity reiterated. "Mamo-chan?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"What's the matter?" she asked again.

Endymion looked through the darkness into the blue eyes of his worried wife and thought if he should tell her about his persistent nightmares. Only two weeks into being king, this whole week the nightmare continued without any indication of conclusion.

Each nightmare was more gruesome than the first. Seeing Roiyaru attacked every night in his dreams was becoming a horror movie no longer fit to watch or even squint at. He looked at the clock which read 3:00 and he knew that in six hours he would be meeting with the law-enforcers of Tokyo which wanted to continue their duty in Crystal Tokyo. "Nothing, Serenity." He smiled.

"You can't lie to me, you just called me Serenity." she said sternly finally up to her regular speaking voice.

"I'm sorry, Usako." Endymion smiled. "Let's go to sleep."

"You know you can tell me anything." Serenity said turning around in the bed. "Well, lie down Mamo-chan."

Endymion continued staring at the wall until he slowly allowed himself to lie down. He stared at the ceiling and listened as his wife fell asleep once more.

---

The next morning, King Endymion woke up tired. He looked at himself in the mirror. His black hair was all out of place but it was the usual; nothing gel wouldn't fix. His face was squished and his skin had lines in them from being hard-pressed on the pillow. He threw water on his face and the lines disappeared and he washed the sleep out of his eyes. When he looked at his face once more he noticed the black and blue bags under his eyes... nothing could hide that.

Endymion traveled to the king and queen's personal dining room where he sat with a piece of toast and butter. He threw his head up and was waiting for some sign from heaven that all these nightmares would swiftly pass him. He closed his eyes and stared at the darkness of his eyelids. After a few moments, Endymion began to feel chilled as if a breeze had been let in the windowless room. 'Can't be much,' he thought to himself. However, as the moments passed by he began to feel as if he was in the coldest winter. This feeling sent more chills down his spine and goose-bumps began to crawl along his arms. He then couldn't feel his toes in the cozy slippers they were in.

"My king..." a man said as he watched King Endymion stare into his eyelids, head tilted backwards. "My king!"

"Huh?" King Endymion asked, opening his eyes and staring at his new butler and personal attendant while at the palace, Kirou. "Oh, Kirou, good morning."

Now Kirou was an elderly man, probably reaching his sixties. His hair was grey and he was bald in the middle. The baldness of his head shined in the light. His face was as wrinkled as a bloodhound and his strut almost the same. "Good Morning my liege, what disturbs you this morning?"

"Nothing, nothing at all, sir," Endymion smiled, his bags overlapping each other. Endymion looked down to the man who was as tall as his chest. His cool smile was almost father-like or that of a distant uncle.

"It seems his majesty has lost his sleep last night." Kirou smiled handing the king a cup of tea.

"Is it that apparent?" King Endymion asked taking a sip. He smacked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and frowned. "Lemon tea?" Endymion asked wincing.

"It is said to help the baggies under one's eyes." Kirou smiled as his chest swelled up in pride because he was taking care of royalty.

"You can take this back I think I'll just make myself some coffee." Endymion told him putting the cup down and biting his toast.

"I am here to make your coffee, my lord." Kirou insisted. "I will go fetch you some. Besides the queen had some before she left this morning to visit an elementary school."

"Thank you, Kirou, you're too kind."

"I served the top government officials of all Japan at one time or another and my whole family has been in the business for years - It is almost fate that I am serving the king of the earth." Kirou smiled. "I will be forever at your assistance."

King Endymion smiled back at him. "Thank you, sir."

"I am your servant; I should be calling you sir."

"You are my senior, and I have enough respect to honor my elders despite authority." King Endymion smiled. "How much time do I have until I must be off to my meeting?"

"You have approximately a half hour until military troops pick you up."

"Military again; I find them very uncomfortable to be around." Endymion admitted looking at the empty plate.

"Everybody wants to serve you in anyway they can, and the military will accompany you anywhere you want to go. Yet, if you do not like being alone in a vehicle full of people, I suggest you appoint generals to accompany you to these types of occasions. Maybe old friends or university buddies." Kirou suggested.

"Well the four I had in mind cannot do it." Endymion frowned.

"Four men who do not want to serve their king or even friend? Preposterous; I cannot believe it."

"They would've liked to, I'd imagine... they just never got the chance to." Endymion responded. He looked up to Kirou and smiled.

Kirou then understood. "I understand. Well I will make your coffee but you must go bathe yourself and wash the sleep... or the lack thereof off your body." With that, Kirou elegantly walked out of the dining room.

Endymion waited for Kirou to leave and he closed his eyes once more. It was quite disturbing that his nightmares began to affect the temperature of his body. He never felt something so graphic or concrete in his life. As he waited for the nightmare to return to him, he again felt the swift breeze...

---

Roiyaru's hair fluttered in the wind. He was in the middle of a snow storm, laid there in the little-clad rags around his waist and thighs. The snow stung him like vinegar. He moaned and could not even raise a finger to stand up. It was almost bittersweet the way the snow felt. Although it was healing his bruises, it was also endangering his health. Did they allow hypothermia in the place he was in and if so, could it lead to death since he wasn't dead? "I'm sure this is hell." He thought to himself.

His back grew too cold and numb. He could hardly feel his buttocks anymore so he rolled over onto his abdomen and let the pain burn through the snow. His backside was black and blue with frostbite no doubt. Even so, he almost loved the snow as it healed his cuts and slashes. As he smiled, his lips cracked and he bled once more as his torturers – the ones dressed in shadows – were standing around him. They looked like three strips of night in the brightest morning but Roiyaru didn't care; he was slowly being healed in the snow. One torturer seemed to bend over and stretch out their hand and put it on Roiyaru's back.

The warmth, Roiyaru thought. Slowly and slowly the warmth grew hotter. Suddenly, the hand scorched him like a flame and Roiyaru shouted. It was like being branded; the hand felt as hot metals. His lips continued to crack and bleed onto his already bloodied teeth. When they released him from their grip, they turned him over on his back so the snow would melt away his pain. Roiyaru fought the urge to cry, after all, he was a warrior.

"What do you want from me?" Roiyaru said sadly. "Why am I here? Let me die, please let me die!" he wailed. The Shadows just stared at him until they took the shape and forms of three familiar men in tuxedoes without their masks. Roiyaru gasped through his cries. "Tuxedo Kometto... Kasai-kun; Tuxedo Asteroid... Zachary-kun; Tuxedo Sun... Tomoshibi-kun."

Roiyaru was happy to see them around him and he tried to hold back tears of happiness and gratitude. He stretched his arm upward to be helped up but they would not help him. Tuxedo Kometto took out his cane and held it up to the sky. Roiyaru was confused, what was his friend doing? "Comet's Shield!" Tuxedo Kometto invoked.

"Kasai-kun what are you..." Roiyaru interrupted himself when he heard a loud thwack. Suddenly his silence turned into wails of pain. Tuxedo Kometto mercilessly hit Roiyaru on the wrist. With the force that had come from the attack, Roiyaru knew that his wrist was broken and he cried. "What have I done? Why would you do this to me? I'm so sorry!" He bawled heavily and heard himself echo throughout the whole realm of darkness he was in. The Shadows that took shape as his friends continued to beat, kick, and hurt him.

Roiyaru could not notice that the images of his friends were totally eyeless and a dark, black light glowed from their mouths. Nevertheless, he was being beaten and he was too emotionally hurt to fight back. Tuxedo Asteroid (Zachary) took out his cane. "Asteroid Belt!" he shouted. Tuxedo Asteroid's cane turned into a whip and he raised it in the air to strike down on Roiyaru.

Roiyaru waited for the blow and shouted, "I'm sorry!"

---

"Roiyaru-kun!" Endymion shot up from his seat in the meeting.

"King Endymion, are you okay?" Sailor Venus asked in her Crystal Senshi attire.

"Yes Min... Sailor Venus; did I dose off?" Endymion asked. The big desk surrounded by police officers and attendants stared at the king and frowned. Endymion looked at them all. "I'm sorry, I will excuse myself."

"Go home," Sailor Venus suggested. "I think I have the rest of the meeting covered. Besides, there's no more reason to be scared about the police anymore; they work for me now." She winked and laughed forcing the others in the room to smile.

Endymion knew they were flattering him with fake praise but he could not think of this. His mind was on his nightmares and how he could stop them.

Author's Notes: So how'd you like the beginning? Review for me! I'm trying out a new and dark feeling without alienating those who liked "The Awakening of Crystal Tokyo."