Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
Author's Note: I wrote this in the middle of the night and probably was not thinking straight either while I was writing it. So please forgive me for any grammar errors and such.
Triton Castle
The rain pounded down and thunder rumbled as the all of Neptune gathered outside to attend their beloved King's funeral. Endless crowds of people stood silently by the royal cemetery, their heads bowed down in remembrance.
As Malachite held a umbrella over her, Neptina closed her eyes and listened to the rain continue to pour. "Asuran... Why did you have to leave me? Now that you have left me too, I have no one left."
The Queen laughed dryly shaking her wet aqua colored hair. No one was left... That was except for Urana. Urana... She still was not able to forgive her. She was still not able to forget. Life was cruel. The Queen stared sadly at the dark rolling clouds. They looked exactly the same as the day Ruby died.
"Neptune, you and Asuran lead the men towards the west side of the castle while Pluto, Zhen and I defend the east!" Uranus yelled over the roaring of the fire. Flames lit up the dark night sky. Thick dark smoke rolled over the town in front of Charon Castle where the invaders had bombarded with fire arrows.
Neptina nodded as she ran towards the west side of the palace. It was fortunate that Urana and her were on Pluto for a visit or else Ruby would have to defend the palace on her own. After the King of Pluto had passed away, Ruby had been on her own, trying to raise Setsuna and run the kingdom. Planet Pluto was weak and was not prepared for an attack.
The young woman shook her head in disgust, her wavy waist length hair flowing in the wind as Sailor Neptune ran forward. They had attacked in the middle of the night, with no warning. The villagers were sleeping when they were bombarded with flaming arrows and had no time to gather items to defend their home. Ruby, Neptina and Urana had transformed and gathered their forces as quickly as possible to defend against the attackers.
Her eyes met Asuran's. Her King smiled confidently at her as he ran alongside the Queen with equal speed. Neptina nodded and smiled back. With determination burning brightly inside, Sailor Neptune grimly led her larger team to battle.
Urana smiled playfully as she, Zhen, Ruby and a group of soldiers boldly blocked the path of the attackers. The Space Sword materialized in her right hand. "If you want this planet, you'll have to get past us first."
"We're not afraid of you," snarled the leader of the attackers. His violet eyes seemed to glow as they reflected the flames that danced in the night sky. Bringing his hand forward, he placed his palm up and produced a violet ball of fire. "You will find us quite difficult to defeat."
"A mage? This should be very interesting," Urana said, swinging her sword up. She met Ruby's eyes and nodded.
With a loud cry, the two forces clashed into battle. Urana grunted as she blocked a blow from a man with her sword. She felt her knees buckle as he used his weight to his advantage and pushed down on her. From the side, Urana saw Zhen charging forward and knocking the man aside.
"You need to work out more often," the King of Uranus teased lightly as he dodged a blow from another man.
"Shut up," Urana laughed as she deflected an arrow with her sword. She growled lightly as another man attacked her on her left. There were so many of them. To her right, Urana saw Ruby fighting off two attackers with her staff. Sailor Pluto should be fine. Urana had confidence in the petit woman.
Slowly stepping backwards, found herself back to back with Zhen, both surrounded by at least a dozen men. "Damn it. This is taking to long."
Zhen laughed. "Of course, you need to get back to your beauty sleep."
Shaking her head, Urana laughed. "Let's end this quickly. World Shaking!"
A large ball of energy formed in Sailor Uranus' hand. Slamming the ball onto the ground, she watched with satisfaction as the ball of energy grew bigger and stronger until it collided with a huge group of men. They collapsed onto the ground. A dozen down, a couple dozen more to go!
Urana swore as she felt the ground shake beneath her. The young woman collapsed on to the cold stone ground. The earth rumbled and Urana watched in shock as an entire chunk of earth rose out of the ground. The chunk of earth hovered and slowly made its way towards a group of defenders.
Noticing this, Sailor Pluto lifted her staff and whispered, "Deadly scream."
The chunk of Earth exploded in a million pieces, which rained down on everyone in the battlefield.
Urana breathed a sigh of relief but felt the relief disappear as the mage lifted his hands and conjured a dozen arrows in the air. Sweeping his hands, the arrows shot forward onto the unsuspecting men below. She felt Zhen approach her side and blocked a rainfall of arrows with his shield. He turned around to face Uranus and smiled. "I wonder what our mage is up to?"
Urana growled as the earth beneath her shook once again. Whipping her head around she saw the violet eyed man raising his hands in the air. A strong aura surrounded him as he called on his magic once again.
"Uranus!"
Sailor Uranus scrambled on her feet as she vines bursts out from the ground and wrapped themselves around Sailor Pluto. Her time staff clattered onto the ground. The crimson eyed woman cried in pain as the vines tightened their hold around her petit body and lifted her up into the air.
Lifting her sword, Uranus cried out, "Space Sword Blaster!"
Their was a small explosion as the blast from her sword hit the root of the vines, causing dust to gather up in the air. The dust cleared and Uranus's eyes widened as the dust revealed the vines to be unharmed.
"It's no use," laughed the mage. "Your friend is mine unless you surrender to us."
The violet eyed man faced Uranus, his calm eyes meeting Uranus' blazing emerald orbs. Smirking softly, the man made a symbol with his hands, causing the vines to glow a blood red color. Ruby screamed out in pain once again.
"Ruby!" Urana yelled as she ran forward. She had to save her friend. The woman was blocked by a rainfall of arrows that rained down in front of her. Uranus bristled with anger. "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"Surrender to me."
Urana curled her hands into fists. It was their duty to protect the solar system. She couldn't let the invaders win. However, they still had other chances. They were currently just after planet Pluto. They could surrender and regroup on planet Neptune. The forces were stronger there. The blonde let the information roll over in her mind. Yet, giving up Pluto would mean that their enemies forces would grow larger as well. Urana glanced from Ruby to the enemy. What was she to do? The blonde was saved from making the decision when she heard Sailor Pluto's voice.
"Urana..."
The blonde turned to face the petite woman wrapped up in the vines. Ruby's tired crimson eyes shook Urana's soul. Ruby appeared much more tired than she usually was after the death of the King of Pluto. Her bright eyes had dulled and her spirit had dwindled. Yet she continued to fulfill her duty's as Queen and raise Setsuna to the best of her abilities. Urana stared deeply at Ruby as if searching for something.
"Urana... You can not give up Pluto. Please... If you have to, give me up to the enemy. It is no loss for us. Me for the lives of thousands. Do what you must."
"Ruby... You cannot give up like this," Urana argued passionately. "You may have lost your King, but you have a daughter, Neptina and me!"
"Setsuna is old enough to take care of herself. I have taught her everything I known..." Ruby winced in pain as the vines slowly tightened. "Please Urana. This will be my last duty as the Queen of Pluto."
Urana looked deeply into Ruby's eyes. "Ruby..."
"You are wasting time," the mage called out. "This woman or the planet, which do you want?"
Sailor Neptune raced towards the direction of her comrades as she finished her battle. Her muscles burned and her entire body ached. Bruises and cuts littered her arms and legs, and her sailor outfit was ripped and burned in various places but Neptina knew that her friends needed her. "Asuran, you finish this up, I'm going to help Ruby and Urana."
Neptina raced towards the direction of her friends. She could sense that something was wrong. Out of the three, Neptina was the one who was best attuned to her surroundings. Whenever one of them was in trouble, Neptina was the first to know. Right now, there was this horrible feeling creeping up on the woman. It seemed as if she was suffocating in this feeling. Her friends were in deep need of her aid.
"You are wasting time. This woman or the planet, which do you want?"
Sailor Neptune approached the clearing to find bodies littered all over the ground. In the center of the field stood a man with his hands raised in the air. His body glowed brightly and he seemed to emit a powerful aura. Nearby, Neptina could make out a figure suspended by vines that had burst out of the ground. The aqua-haired woman's heart leaped as she recognized the person. Ruby...
"Well, what is your answer young warrior?"
Neptina's gaze fell onto Sailor Uranus. She knew what her partner would choose. The situation was bad but they still had hope. They could regroup. They could reclaim Pluto. Urana wouldn't let Ruby die.
"I do not have unlimited patience. What is your answer?"
Urana tightened her grip on her Space Sword. "My answer? Eat my Space Sword!"
Angrily, the blonde swung her blade at the mage, sending a large blast in the man's direction. The wind howled loudly as the blast met the man. Quickly, the mage brought up a shield to cover his body. The two forces struggled for a moment before the blast from the space sword reflected upon Urana. Rolling aside, Urana panted heavily as she watched her attack travel past her, and exploded in the field nearby.
"I guess she is no use to me anymore," the mage panted as he closed his fists, causing thorns to explode from out of the vines.
"Ruby!"
Urana turned to find Neptune running towards them, tears streaking down her elegant face. Her battle uniform was in shreds and Neptina looked worse for wear yet she battle her way down the slope, knocking men out of the way as she fought towards Sailor Pluto.
"Have you forgotten about me?" A voice whispered as the violet eyed mage appeared beside Urana and snapped his fingers. Vines leaped out from the ground and wrapped themselves around Uranus. The blonde just watched numbly as the plants took over her body. She had failed. Ruby had sacrificed herself for nothing. Urana knew that she should be fighting against the vines, she knew that she should be doing something but nothing seemed to matter at the moment.
"You're next, my dear," the mage whispered tilting Urana's chin upwards to face him. "Such a pity that such a pretty thing like you will have to die."
Haruka just stared numbly at the mage.
"Not if I have something to say about it!"
The mage gasped as a sword was plunged through his back. His eyes wide with disbelief, the mage collapsed onto the ground. Behind him, Zhen drew out his sword and made his way towards Urana. "Are you all right?"
Urana nodded numbly as Zhen pulled at the withering vines. Frowning slightly, Zhen pulled Urana up and dragged her away from the mage's dead body. "Urana?"
"She was dying... She didn't have the will to live anymore. She wanted to die. She was expecting it, that was why she had taught everything she had known to Setsuna." Urana mumbled, ignoring Zhen's worried stares. "But she had us. She was willing to leave us behind. Why? She still had us to live for!" The blonde looked into Zhen's eyes, her eyes questioning.
Zhen felt Urana's despair and pulled her into a hug. He didn't want her to suffer alone. The least he could do was be by his Queen's side at her time of need. Zhen felt Urana bury her face in his shirt. Patting her back, Zhen whispered quietly, "It'll be all right."
"But Ruby is dead..." Urana said, tears trickling down her face.
Thunder rumbled in the sky. Huge clouds swirled above the bloody battlefield, engulfing everyone in darkness. The first few droplets of rain gently hit the ground below and was quickly followed by a shower of water droplets. Urana closed her eyes as she felt the blood from the battle wash off her skin. The fire was slowly receding and the smoke had cleared. The battle was over. Out of the corner of her eye, Urana could see her army gathering up the attackers.
To her right she could hear sniffling as Sailor Neptune pulled angrily at the vines that had wrapped themselves around Pluto's body. Sobbing quietly, Neptune brought the lifeless body in to her arms, not caring as blood from Pluto covered Neptune's own body. Blood dribbled onto the ground, staining the dark earth. "Pluto..."
Struggling to her feet, Uranus walked over to Neptune. "Neptina..."
As the lifeless body slowly disappeared, Neptune got up and walked towards Uranus. Her wet clothes were plastered onto her elegant body, but Neptune didn't show that she was cold. Deep locks of aqua colored hair fell over the warrior's eyes. Urana looked up to meet Neptune's eyes. The deep blue were emotionless as she looked at her partner. Bringing a blood stained glove up, Neptina slapped Uranus across the face. Everyone in the clearing watched in shock as Uranus brought her hand up over the spot where Neptune had struck her.
"How could you sacrifice a friend like that?" Neptune yelled, tears pouring down her face. Her yells were drowned out by the howling wind but Urana could sense the anger and pain in her friend. Urana numbly focused on Neptina's yells. "I was so sure that you would choose to surrender than to let Ruby die! How long have we known one another?"
"Neptina... Please listen. I could explain."
"Explain? There is nothing to explain! I saw everything!"
"There is nothing to explain!" Neptina cried. Curling her hands into fists, she punched Urana, sending her flying onto the ground. The mud cushioned her fall, as Urana slid across the ground. The dark muddy substance coated Urana's entire body.
The blonde angrily pushed herself off the ground. Ruby had abandoned them and now Neptina was acting as if it was all her fault. Urana yelled angrily, venting her frustration at Neptina. The blonde punched Neptina in the stomach and pinned the smaller woman onto the ground. "Listen, I am not in the mood for your temper tantrums."
"Temper tantrum? You killed Ruby and call this a temper tantrum?" Neptina shrieked fighting against Urana's grip. She kicked out, crying angrily. Her deep blue eyes met Urana's pale gray orbs. "You killed Ruby!"
Urana closed her eyes and let the cold rain wash over her body. Was she a murderer then? Her heart clenched painfully. Urana had loved Ruby deeply. They had been friends for what seemed to be the longest time. They had always been there for one another. Ruby was gone now... Was the decision she made wrong? Urana remembered Ruby's pleading eyes and her weary body slumped as she was wrapped in the vines. To the right, Urana could make out the time staff that Ruby always had with her and felt her eyes fill with tears. This wasn't how she imagined how she would spend the rest of her days.
Urana lifted her head on time to see the mage stumble onto his feet and raise his hand. The warrior cursed and leaped off Neptune. Both warriors sprung into action, each dodging balls of fire that were shot in their direction.
"World Shaking!" Sailor Uranus cried, targeting the ball at the mage. Smirking softly the man disappeared. The two warriors looked wildly around, searching for the mage.
"Looking for me?" The man whispered as he appeared behind Uranus.
The blonde gasped as she felt a blast send her sprawling onto the ground. She felt the mage kneel down beside her and place a cool hand over her head. "Good bye."
Closing her eyes, Urana waited for the pain that never came. Hearing a surprised scream, the blonde turned her head to see Zhen ramming the mage onto the ground.
"I thought I killed you," Zhen grunted, as he lifted his sword.
"You obviously thought wrong," the violet eyed man panted, his hand clutched over the wound in his chest made by Zhen. Blood slowly seeped from his wound and trickled onto the ground. His eyes darted from Zhen to Urana. Zhen stood in the ready position, prepared for any attack. Smirking softly, his eyes drifted to Urana who was panting heavily on all fours.
Reading the enemy's mind, Zhen's eyes widened. Both men raced to Urana's direction, both trudging through the thick mud. The mage called on his last bit of magic, forming a glimmering dagger in his hand. Urana screamed as Zhen thrust himself in front of her. Blood splattered in the air and the Zhen collapsed onto the floor. The last of his strength used up, the mage collapsed alongside Zhen.
Sobbing softly, Urana gathered Zhen in her arms. "No... Why, why did you do it?"
Smiling, Zhen reached up to touch Urana's wet face. The rain continued to pour down and Zhen ran his fingers through Urana's wet hair. "Because I love you."
The blonde shook her head in frustration. She loved Zhen with all her heart. She couldn't imagine a world without him. He couldn't leave her. Urana gripped him tightly, as if willing him not to die. However, deep down inside, Urana knew it was no use. It felt as if a dagger had plunged into her own heart. Urana buried her face in the crook of Zhen's neck. "Please don't leave me..."
"Be strong... And take care of Haruka." Looking up at Neptina who was standing beside Urana, Zhen formed a soft smile. "Take care of Urana for me Neptina."
Urana nodded, though not quite registering the words that Zhen had just said. Her entire body was numb and her brain felt like it was frozen and unable to work properly.
"Neptina?"
Neptina turned away from Zhen, angry tears trickling down her face. Zhen couldn't die. They had been together for what seemed like forever. It was impossible to imagine life without Zhen and Ruby.
"Please, promise me you'll take care of Urana."
Neptina didn't say anything. Her hands shook as she swept back a lock of aqua hair from covering her eyes. "I will do what I can."
Satisfied, Zhen closed his eyes for the last time. "Thank you."
Urana hugged the lifeless body tightly until it completely disappeared. "Zhen..."
Neptina stood beside Urana, watching silently as the blonde cried. Feeling that she should at least put out some effort for the promise she made to Zhen, Neptina called out weakly, "Get up Urana."
"I'm going to stay here." Urana replied coldly.
"For how long?" Neptina asked coldly. "Until Zhen and Ruby come back to life? Do you want to end up like them?"
Urana made no reply and Neptina felt anger serge through her entire body. Grabbing the collar of Uranus' sailor uniform, she lifted him off the ground with strength she didn't know she had and slapped her across the face. "So you just want to lay here and die? Is that what you want?"
Uranus reached out and captured Neptina's wrist in her hand. The woman struggled, hitting and kicking at Urana angrily.
"They all died because of you. I cared deeply about them all. And they all died because of you! You don't even seem to care! I hate you Urana! I hate you!"
Eyes widening, Uranus released her grip on Neptune and stepped back.
"The promise I made to Zhen is something I won't be able to keep," Neptina said softly, her eyes cast downwards. The two figures stayed in their position in silence, as the rain enveloped them and their friendship was torn apart.
Neptina sighed softly as she stared at Asuran's grave. If only things had turned out differently that day. If she had been paired with Ruby, would things have turned out differently? Breathing in deeply, Neptina pushed back the past memories and focused on the present.
"That was some ride," a man complained as he staggered off the ship.
Grabbing on to her luggage bags, Haruka followed the string of passengers as they eagerly exited. The blonde felt a little light headed after the day long journey and the steering of the captain didn't help either. However, after landing on Neptune, Haruka felt her dark mood disappear as she stood by the dock in complete awe.
The first thing Haruka noticed when she stepped on to the planet Neptune was its beauty. The sky was like a big blue marble with streaks of white running across the surface. Emerald green trees swayed peacefully in the light breeze and Haruka couldn't help but to step back and admire her surroundings.
"You're Haruka, correct?"
The blonde broke out of her trance to find a middle aged man with silver colored hair standing in front of her. He wore a deep blue tunic that accented his eyes and a light pair of pants. His sapphire eyes sparkled warmly as he looked over Haruka. If Haruka didn't know better, she would think he was an average man on the planet.
"Yes, and you must be Souichi."
The man nodded and motioned for Haruka to follow him. "Setsuna says you need a way to get into Triton Palace."
Haruka nodded as she strode beside Souichi. From what Queen Pluto had told her, Souichi was one of the professors that worked in the palace. He was highly regarded by the people of Neptune and even Queen Neptune herself went to him for advice. Setsuna was sure that Souichi could get Haruka into the palace without any questions asked. From what the blonde had heard, the Queen of Neptune wasn't too fond of the royal family of Uranus and didn't want Haruka within a ten kilometer radius of Michiru if she could help it. Therefore, Haruka could not enter the palace as Princess Uranus and Setsuna had devised a plan for her to sneak in without getting noticed.
"The best thing I could offer is for you to work in the castle as one of my assistants," Souichi said as he led Haruka through the crowded marketplace. "Your ranking will be slightly higher than the maids and servants but you will still need to take commands from those that are higher than you and work as well. You won't mind dressing as a boy would you? It would be harder for others to tell who you really are."
"It's okay," Haruka said as she stepped aside for a couple of children that ran past her. "I'm also aware of the policies inside the palace as well."
The professor regarded Haruka for a moment before chuckling softly. "Of course, I completely forgot who you were for a moment. There is just something about you that makes people forget that you are actually a princess."
Haruka raised an eyebrow, not knowing whether to take Souichi's comment as a compliment or an insult.
The two exited the noisy marketplace and traveled down a long elegant stone pathway. Sparkling marble fountains and tall green trees decorated the path empty pathway. Occasionally, the two would meet palace guards traveling down the path who would nod at Souichi.
"Almost there."
Haruka just nodded. Back at home, they didn't have a pathway that long leading to the castle. If they had, Haruka might not have gone out adventuring as often as she had. Not that she would tell her mother that in case she decided to install one just to keep Haruka home in the future.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the front gate of the palace.
"Halt. State your name and business," A guard beside the gate called. The man blinked and quickly bowed his head as he saw Souichi. "Sorry professor, I didn't recognize you there."
"No problem," the man replied lightly. "I thought I would wear some simpler clothes to the marketplace today."
"Who is he?" A guard asked, nodding at Haruka.
Souichi placed a protective arm around Haruka's shoulders. "He is with me."
The guards nodded and stepped back, letting the two into the palace.
Haruka breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to be able to find Michiru after all.
Haruka straightened out the white collared shirt she wore and looked over her outfit. She wore a sandy colored vest over a white collared shirt and dark black pants that stretched to her knees. Her shoes were black and she wore long white socks. The outfit was a little too tacky for her tastes but she apparently had no choice.
They were to serve at the banquet tonight hosted at the palace. The blonde had begged the professor to let her serve at this banquet so she could have the chance of seeing Michiru. Souichi reluctantly agreed on the condition that Haruka would behave. So it was agreed that during the banquet, Haruka would be standing by Souichi and attending to his needs. Grabbing a towel from a rack, Haruka exited the room and headed towards the great hall.
Arriving in the Great Hall, Haruka scanned the room and found Michiru seated in a table near the end of the hall.Michiru had her head turned so Haruka did not have the chance to catch her attention. Haruka fought the urge to run over to the princess and ask her why she did not want to return to Pluto at that instant. Instead, Haruka shook her head and remembered to keep in line.
Haruka walked along the edge of the room and past the many tables that were lined on the side. Various smells floated in the air as dinner was being prepared in the other room. The guests politely chattered to one another as they waited for the feast to begin. Haruka noticed that Souichi was seated next to a man with long gray hair and pale eyes. The man sat at the table with a serious look plastered on his face. His eyes stared off in the distance as if he was deep in thought. No doubt he was of high status since he was sitting with Souichi.
Souichi lifted his goblet of wine and swirled it around, as if thinking about something. "What do you think of our Queen's decision Malachite?"
The man beside Souichi blinked and slowly turned to Souichi. His cold eyes were calculating as he stared at the professor. After a moment of silence, the Malachite spoke in a low voice, "What else could she do? The King has passed away. Michiru needs a suitor."
Suitor? Haruka's eyes widened when she heard the news but she stayed perfectly still behind the two men. Michiru was... Haruka felt her entire body numb. Why didn't Souichi tell her before?
Souichi nodded towards a young man seated on the other side of the hall. "Kou Seiya... He is a fine young man. So she has already chosen him?"
"This is why we are all here in the banquet. The Queen intends to discuss the engagement with them over the week," Malachite said with distaste.
Haruka felt herself shaking. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Michiru was getting engaged to this Seiya person? Haruka glanced over at the raven haired man. Michiru couldn't like him. The blonde glared at Seiya, picking out the undesirable traits of the young man. Michiru couldn't like him Haruka decided, she couldn't let Michiru marry him. It would be a big mistake.
Dropping her towel, Haruka made her way towards the end of the hall where the royal family was seated. For the moment, Haruka had forgotten all common sense. All she cared about was stopping Michiru from getting engaged to Seiya. The blonde was jerked back as she felt someone grip her wrist.
"Let go of me!" Haruka yelled, causing half the guests in the hall to stare at her direction.
Souichi leaned towards Haruka and whispered quietly, "You will be killed without thought by the bodyguards before you reach the princess. It would be too late when they discover that you are Princess Uranus --not that the Queen would feel any regret for you. Is it worth it?"
Haruka was about to argue that it was, but stopped herself. She wouldn't achieve anything if she was killed. Breathing in deeply, Haruka tore her wrist away from Souichi's grasp and nodded.
"Let go of me!"
Neptina's eyes snapped in the direction of the shout. The voice... It was very familiar. It had been a long time since she had heard that voice but it stirred something in her memory. The Queen frowned as she searched for a buried memory. When nobody came to mind, Neptina turned to examine the young man. He was one of the people serving in the banquet. There seemed to be nothing special about him. Neptina closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. Using her powers, the Queen reached forward with her mind towards the young man. Upon touching him, Neptina gasped in shock and nearly dropped her goblet. The aura... His aura felt like Urana's. Yet how could that be? Her eyes narrowing, Neptina decided to keep an eye on the young man.