Ugh,…I feel stupid, sigh. I am sorry to everyone, I promised this chapter for January and here we are in April already. However, this is because the past little while has been pretty chaotic and busy for me. My dog died in February and we recently got a new one from the S.P.C.A. that likes to bite people that he does not know (he gave my friend Jess, a big bruise) so currently we are in the middle of training him. By the way, he is a miniature American Eskimo if you wanted to look it up and see what he looks like. He is so Kawai!
I also finally got a scanner! Yay! Big hurrah! So a good chunk of my computer time has been dedicated to posting art of my deviant art account as well. Other than that, its just that I've been having a hard time finding motivation, though I'm doing a little better so hopefully it won't take me as long to get the next chapter out.
This chapter is not quite as action-packed as the rest, it is mostly about Ami and Serenity to tie in a bit more of the plot. Plus A flash-back! Oh the excitement! Huzzah!
Special Thanks to:
Heaven-sent-angel1: I'm glad you like the story, and it's great that you think its un- predictable.
Imagine-me: That is for me to know, and for you to read and find out. - Thanks for reviewing though.
Anhthy: I think that everyone in this story has multiple personalities, but that is just my opinion. As to why Serenity wants to kill Endymion, I somewhat explain that in this chapter.
Roos: I actually really like mad Endymion too. and I actuallydon't remember my inspiration for this story, other than that I wanted to write something a little darker and more confrontational.
lil-bit-gish: Thanks! 0 I'm happy that you're enjoying it.
Sailor qwerty1056: Always happy to hear that its unconventional. -
Disclaimer
Sigh…I currently make thirty dollars a week (that is Canadian by the way, so I am extra poor - ) doing Janitorial work. I spend the rest of my time in school and sleeping. If you really feel a need to sue me because I do not own Sailor Moon, I dare you too! You will not get anything worthwhile…sigh.
By Your Side
Chapter 5, Resistance Call
By: EmeraldSong
"Who are you?" she asked coolly, ignoring the overwhelming urge to get down on her eyes and kneel before this woman.
"You may call me Serenity." She inclined her head gracefully, "And you have in your possession something that belongs to me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Ami replied quickly, backing up into a table, "I don't believe that I have anything of yours."
"You truly don't remember anything?" Her face fell, and she bit out a sigh, "I suppose it was too much too hope for…that you would still recognize me after all this time, Emira?"
A shiver raced throughout her body and she looked away from the woman. "You are mistaken, my name is Ami. And I'm sure that I've never seen you before in my life."
"Perhaps not in this life, but in the one before?" Serenity said in voice that almost sounded mocking, "You shouldn't be so quick to doubt what you know so little about."
"You're obviously insane." Ami flushed angrily.
"Perhaps"
"How did you get in here? I can't believe that security would have let you by."
"I teleported."
"That's impossible. Not even the mad prince could find this base, let alone teleport into it."
"Nothing is impossible Emira," she paused, "You of all people should know that, what else could explain your rebirth? Impossibility is merely a temporary state of being, existing only where we allow it to. If I remember correctly, you were the one who told me that"
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call security on you." Ami felt rather annoyed to tell the truth.
"One? I could give you several, but with your current frame of mind, I doubt that you would accept any of them. If you really want to know why look inside yourself, I know you can feel the connection between us."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ami tried to suppress the feelings of familiarity that she felt towards the woman. It was not at all logical. "You're delusional."
"Suppose I am?" The golden crescent moon on her forehead flashed as she moved her head to the side. "What will you do Emira? Would you betray the oath engraved on your soul?"
"I would rather die." A voice that was at once hers but not hissed vehemently. Startled her hands flew to her mouth in wonder and fear.
"So, something of the past remains…" Serenity tilted her head to the side, a calm and coldly calculating look etched on her face. "A thousand years ago you died avenging me, and in your trust I left something of mine, Can you remember where it is?"
"No…I'm sorry my time… it grows short…" The voice within said sadly then proceeded to fade away leaving Ami in control. "The key lies within my memories…"
The woman who called herself Serenity stared vacantly at Ami for a moment, then abruptly turned about and headed into another room.
"Hey!" Ami cried, "Where do you think you're going?"
"Before my host wakes up again, the boy must be tended to." Ami flushed, in all the confusion, she had forgotten the boy lying on her living room couch.
"Wait…" she stuttered, somewhat embarrassed by her slight lapse in memory "I have some bandages in the bathroom, I can help with his injuries." Moving quickly, before the woman could respond she fetched the medical gauze she kept for emergencies and returned to the room.
"Those won't be necessary." Serenity told her as Ami handed the small bandage roll to her. Ami, glancing at the boy's injuries seriously doubted her statement because the majority of his wounds looked serious, even fatal.
"All I will need is this." In her hand, a small chip of crystal glittered, with tiny rainbows dancing across its surface. Ami watched, awestruck as the light around it became brighter if that was possible, and silver light flew from the woman into the crystal and then into the boy, sealing his worst wounds and making them gradually smaller. As some of the bruises around his face cleared, she realized he was not actually a child, though he only looked to be a little older than she was.
All of a sudden, Serenity slumped over, her face pale and Ami rushed to support a woman she barely knew as a wave of fierce protectiveness came over her.
"Stop." She whispered, "You've done enough. He'll survive."
"Have you decided I'm not delusional?" her voice was breathless, whatever she had done with the crystal had completely taxed her resources.
"No…" Ami sighed, "I think I'm as crazy as you."
Destruction lay upon the battlefield like a dark fog. Bodies entwined rubble and fragments of earth lay scattered in every single direction . The only things that were left standing was a black twisted spire that seemed to grasp greedily at the gray sky above, and the hunched figure of a man in a solitary black cloak. This was not the first time that the area of fortress Shiranai had looked like this and undoubtedly, it would not be the last time either. Time after time, the human race had proved that without hope, there was nothing left to lose. And time after time, Endymion had made bloody and broken examples of those who dared to stand before his power and authority
This battlefield however was different, from others he had participated in, for among the chaotic remains of the battle fought the previous evening a sparse covering of green clung to the earth, and in the air, traces of Serenity's scent still lingered. In the center of it all, Endymion stood gazing up blankly at the sky. His eyes were once again blacker than pitch, but in their depths, tiny flecks of blue and gold could be seen flickering, the only outer sign of his inner turmoil that he allowed to show.
Plunged into the ground beside him was Destrion's sword , its once crisp and honed blade covered in a coating of dark sticky blood. The golden crystal that had enhanced his deadly power was once again buried deep inside the mad prince of earth to remain there until its master called it out once more.
"Serenity…" he whispered, a prayer for his soul, a piece of him that had long been missing.
'Serenity is dead.'
"No… I saw her…"
'An imposter, Serenity is dead'
"But…"
' What you saw was an illusion, a fake!'
Endymion closed his eyes trying to sort out what had occurred to him. Alas, nothing made sense.
'You are being weak! She died because of your weakness, your foolishness!'
Visions of that last fateful day danced through his head, her sweet laugh, her beautiful smile, and the trusting blue eyes that had entrapped him so many years before. Gone, all because of his weakness.
'They conjured her image to mock you, to confuse you. But you know better than that…Don't you?'
"Yes" he bit out, clenching his teeth.
'Set an example, show those who dare to stand in your way! Show them your strength and your power!'
"I will show them all," he whispered, and opened his eyes to reveal his completely black orbs. "They will pay for their insolence" he wrenched his blade from the ground, leaving black roses to sprout out of the ground everywhere the blood that dripped down the unholy foil fell.
"I am not weak."
"You still haven't explained who and what you are." The entire situation seemed somewhat surreal to her. There was a man lying on her couch that was unconscious and still looked half-dead and here she was calmly sipping tea with this bizarre and unfamiliar person. "Or what you want from me for that matter."
"I already told you who I am." Her serene face did not show it, but Ami could sense that she was irritated about something. "As to what I require from you Emira…"
"My name is Ami. Please stop referring to me using that name." Ami cut in rudely.
"Fine. It matters not what you are called, what I need from you is the crystal fragment that I left in your keeping."
"A crystal fragment?"
"To be more exact, a fragment of the silver imperium crystal." Ami's eyes widened considerably, she had heard of it before. The silver crystal was the legendary gemstone that the princess of the moon was said to have possessed. It had been mentioned in some of the oldest folktales kept in the archive. However, over time knowledge of its existence was passed onto only the few that had ever actually studied them.
"The stone of the Moon Princess?" Ami shook her head, "That's not possible, it's only a story, and a very old one at that."
"A story?" Serenity tilted her face to the side, wearing a mask of emotions that Ami could not even begin to decipher.
"It's an old folktale, basically the princess of the moon falls in love with an earth prince, and they make plans to get married and essentially unite the universe in peace. Soon after the wedding, however the princess is struck by an arrow meant for the prince and dies in his arms. She promises that even in death she will stay with him forever." Ami paused for a second to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, "In other stories she is also named as the guardian of the silver imperium crystal, a jewel of immeasurable power."
"Do you know the whole story?" her tone was flat, but underneath Ami could sense a current of anguish. "The prince's betrayal, and the murder of the royal guardians? The aftermath that followed the shattering of the silver crystal?"
"Serenity? Are you alright…"
"I'm fine." Her voice was once more unreadable, and the look on her face of emptiness sent a spasm of pain through Ami.
"What do you mean by the prince's betrayal? The stories don't mention anything like that or royal guardians for that matter." A sigh of frustration leaked out of her mouth, it was irking not being able to understand what Serenity was talking about, "I have heard of the silver crystal before but only in passing and never anything about it shattering."
"…"
"How do you know so much?" Ami growled, frustrated "The archives mention none of this! I've studied them more extensively than anyone else alive!"
"Humans have short lives, and by definition their memories are easily wiped clean. Even written word is subject to change over the passage of generations, as books are easily edited and corrupted to be favorable to the ruling establishment. It is only in dreams that remnants of the past exist." A sense of irony, and self-loathing tinted her voice "Even I am but a living dream, living like a parasite within my present reincarnation."
"So you're a ghost?" Ami asked incredulously, "And I also have someone like you inside me?"
"If you wish to put it bluntly, then yes. But a living memory of the past would be far more accurate than a dead spirit."
"I really don't see the difference" She replied bluntly.
"Death occurs when the spirit permanently leaves its current body and passes through into the spirit world to be reborn again. A dead spirit is a soul that for some reason could not or did not pass the barrier, and is trapped in the living realm. Souls that are reborn however, are like a clean slate and forge new memories and experiences. Nevertheless, buried deep inside of every person, the memories and personalities of previous lives reside. Normal humans cannot normally access them, they simply do not have the capacity."
"And you're saying that I do?"
"Partially because you aren't really a human, but in a large part it is due to my presence."
"What do you mean, when you say that I'm not a human?"
"Exteriorly, you resemble the rest of the human race, but internally it's another story. Your body operates well enough on earth, but your cells and organs differ just enough to be undetectable. You are more highly evolved than earthlings are and have entirely different capabilities." Her voice was a monotone as if speaking from a textbook, or reading aloud.
"More highly developed in what way?" even if it was crazy, she had to admit that it was fascinating listening to her speak.
"Your heart and lungs are much larger than that an average human woman, your cells also require less oxygen in order to survive. This gives you the ability to breathe at high altitudes and underwater for hours at a time. You will also live longer even without developing your innate psychic abilities." She smiled at Ami mysteriously, "You also have an affinity for controlling water." Her face went rueful " If only my tutors could hear me now, they would be astounded."
Ami studied Serenity's face, it was remote and utterly alone, vacant and empty. The shallow and slight expressions that she allowed her to see seemed foreign to her cherubic face. The cold logic that declared this woman crazy, faded to a mere whisper so faint that it could barely be heard.
"What would you do…" she hesitated, unsure. "If I said, that I believed you? What would happen then? What would I have to do?"
"You would have to leave here, and become a soldier once more." Ami flinched from her unyielding gaze. "You would no longer be safe and protected…"
"That doesn't matter to me." She met Serenity eye to eye, "What would I get in return?"
"What is it that you want?"
"I don't want to be useless. I want to use my skills and prove my worth,"
"Useless?" Serenity looked troubled, "That is one of the last things that I would call you."
"Try telling that to Zack." She choked, feeling her throat seize. "I'm sick of being protected when I'm capable of defending what I believe in on my own!" A hot tear trickled uncontrolled down her face as she thought of Zack, and how he seemed to think she was made of glass. "I want to fight! I am done with having to hide behind others! He thinks I'm weak and I want to prove him wrong!"
"I can promise you all that and more Ami, if you will fight for me and be one of my soldiers once more. You can regain all of the power you held in the past"
"I…I need time to think about this…" Her heart said yes, go fight! However, at the same time, there was a high possibility here that she would be accepted into the resistance and to stay near Zack. Her future wasn't something she could afford to risk without consideration, though at the moment she didn't have much to lose.
It was at this moment that the communicator installed on her wall chose to beep and generally make a nuisance to grab her attention. They were actually a recent invention that Zack had created. In fact, he had developed and innovated much of the technology used underground. Communicators were now used to deliver information to every single level and room on the compound.
Ami sighed and pushed a small red button on the left side, Serenity said nothing, but an odd expression marked her face as she looked at the communicator.
"Mizuno Ami?" a gravelly voice asked.
"Speaking, you may deliver your message." She was curious as to what they could be calling her at this time for.
"I'm sorry to tell you that your request for enlistment into the upper-ground resistance corps has been denied."
"What?...but I…" something inside of her snapped. What possible reason could they have to deny her? She had never heard of anyone as young and healthy as she was not being allowed to enlist. "Can you at least tell me why? I can't think of any reason I wouldn't be allowed to enlist…"
"I'm afraid that you aren't qualified. The papers that you submitted were declared invalid when we checked your file." She could feel her body temperature go down several degrees as her small fist clenched tightly.
"I see…Thank you for taking the time to inform me." She pulled her finger off the button on the communicator and tried her best to maintain her already shaken composure. Her file had been perfectly in order just a week ago. There was only one person in the base who had the motive, the influence and the ability to hack into the database to assure she could not enlist. Lieutenant Zackary Amadeus Greene.
"Have you had enough time to consider Ami?" Serenity interrupted her train of thought. "Are you really needed here? They can't even recognize your true talents and utilize them."
"Are you a mind-reader? How can you even tell what I am thinking?" Zack had betrayed her, he had made her feel useless and inadequate. She could easily re-hack into the system and change things, but that still would not stop him from doing the same thing again.
"No. I cannot read your mind. However, I have been in been in your position enough to be able to recognize the frustration you feel. To have your ability to fight belittled and be placed in protection, for a true warrior such as yourself there is nothing more demeaning."
"Yes." Ami whispered, her humiliation seeping through. "It's unbearably mortifying to be held back and kept safe, while others are allowed to selfishly defend what they believe, even at the cost of their own lives." Her decision began to form, clear and concise within her mind. "I no longer want to be one of the protected. I do not want to have to stand back and watch as people I love and care for die senselessly. I want to be in the frontlines myself. As I am, without any real purpose I feel hollow and empty." The words bubbled out of her, as the urge to open up her soul to this woman continued, "If you guarantee me any reason for me to exist, I will follow into the grave and beyond"
"I accept and welcome your service Sailor Mercury, may we once again fight side by side to avenge the glory and beauty of the silver millennium." The words were at once familiar and Ami knew instantly how to respond.
"I pledge my body, mind and soul to eternally to you. I will guard your virtue as I my own and help guide your actions in times of confusion and peril. This I vow on my sovereign planet mercury and the ties that bind within my soul." Formal words that she remembered from a life long past, words she had uttered to this woman before. A threshold opened and images began to flood into her mind, at an unbelievable rate.
She stood in a white and silver city with marble pillars decorated with pearl inlay. In the sky, a planet shone. A blend of blue, green and whites mesmerized the eye, its bright hues a sharp contrast to the monotone white and silver of the moon. No wonder the Princess was so fascinated with it. She could defiantly see the attraction after spending most of her young life on the minuscule silver planet.
"It's so beautiful Emira." Serenity sighed, "I wish that I could see it again…It's so different from the moon, so vibrant and loud. The flowers come in a thousand different shades and there are so many animals." She gave the blue planet a wistful look and twirled a silver strand of hair between her fingers.
"I imagine it would be a fascinating visit princess, but you know that to travel there would go against your Mother's law." Emira phased into lecturing mode, "Originally the earth had no life but primitive flora and fauna, the magnetic atmosphere around earth also inhibited magic in everyone but the strongest magic-users among us. Selene the third decided that these unique quality's of earth would make it the ideal place to send criminals who were beyond redemption."
"Does this lecture have a point Emira?" Serenity asked, feeling somewhat annoyed.
"The point is that all human beings on earth and most of their animals are descendants of the most dangerous criminals and beings that were banished their as a humane punishment. Even after the Planetary kingdoms stopped sending criminals in, Earth retained a constant state of violence and it's only in the last millennia or so that they've developed into a culture not completely based on instinct." She paused to see if her words were sinking in. " The reason that travel there is considered illegal is because it's a very unstable planet, and most of the inhabitants despise anyone not from earth. And the truth is that the majority of the Silver Alliance wants nothing to do with them either."
"Oh…" Serenity closed her eyes for a moment then looked back at her guardian, "That's rather sad isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that I don't think that people living on earth now should be punished and ignored simply because of things that their ancestors did. They aren't savages, and by not acknowledging them we close off potential allies." She smiled, as if a brilliant thought had just come to mind, "When I'm queen I'm going to change that. As Atarah would say, one bad crumpet doesn't mean that the whole tree's rotten!"
Emira winced, just when she thought Serenity was starting to sound wise she had to open her mouth and say something like that. Princess Atarah of Venus was horrible for mixing up sayings like that and now it was catching! Inside however, Emira knew that Serenity would be a far better queen than even her mother would. Mercury would stay beside the princess and protect her for the rest of her life. That was a guarantee.
"You…" Ami whispered, a horrified look on her face, "Princess Serenity?" It was not possible the girl in her vision was nothing like the cold and commanding woman who stood before her.
"Yes." She did not look Ami directly in the face, her eyes were glazed over, as if remembering a past that was better off forgotten.
"But… You act completely different, the princess that I knew was…" Serenity cut her off.
"A fool. She was a silly little girl who was far to naïve for her own good." Serenity's voice choked, the first real emotion that Ami had seen her display. "Perhaps if she had used her head, instead of her heart this despicable reality would not even exist and the man who stands at the heart of it would be long dead."
Ami who had always found that using her head served her well, was hard-pressed to argue this statement.
"Why are you still alive? Weren't you reborn like I was?" she questioned, still having a hard time connecting to the bitter and arrogant woman in front of her.
"I was reborn, several times into this world. I was killed and oppressed by Endymion's madness in every single one of my new lives without my true soul ever being woken…Usagi, my current incarnation tapped into my latent power about a year ago and woke up my soul with this." Serenity held up a small crystal fragment that she had used to heal the boy, its surface still dancing with rainbows. "The reason I believe I still exist, is to kill Endymion. Only then will I be able to rest in peace. That is why I need you, you know the location of another fragment of the Silver crystal. Once I have all the shards I'll have more than enough power to destroy him." Her eyes misted over slightly, something Ami knew that she was not supposed to see. "Enough power to ensure make sure he never taints this world with his presence again."
Emira (eh-Meer-ah)
I am considering killing Shingo off. If you have an opinion about that or wish to suggest a manner in which to do so, please review. It would be appreciated. o Yay!