Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
Tying Ends
"So you two do not think Souichi is behind all the attacks?" The smooth sheets slid down Haruka's shoulders as the blonde moved in to a sitting position to face her mother. A look of relief flashed across Haruka's face.
Queen Uranus nodded, looking amused at her daughter's expression. Urana had to admit that she had missed her daughter a lot during the past years. It seemed like such a long time since she last seen her daughter's stormy eyes, her angry frown, and her indifferent tone of voice. Yet, now as Urana looked at Haruka, she had realized that her daughter had changed as well. Urana tilted her head to one side as she examined her daughter. Urana no longer saw the little girl who liked to rebel against her mother and run thoughtlessly with the wind. Now Haruka seemed to emit a sense of calmness and control. Time seems to pass by so quickly.
Haruka raised an eyebrow at Urana and the Queen suddenly found herself looking into a pair of deep gray-green eyes that shone with experience and knowledge. Yes, Haruka had really changed. Smiling slightly, Urana asked why Haruka seemed to like Souichi so much.
"Souichi… did me a very important favor. If he hadn't helped me, I'm afraid I would have lost something very important to me."
Urana raised an eyebrow at the comment. Now that she thought about it, why was Haruka on Neptune instead of Pluto? When she and Setsuna met up, she explained that Haruka had business to do on Neptune but she never had the chance to ask what. Haruka had everything she needed on Pluto, what did she have to do on Neptune? Curious, Urana examined her daughter's expression carefully as she asked, "What was so important?"
Haruka blinked and looked away from her mother's piercing eyes. "It's… "
Haruka's head shot up as she remembered something. Spinning to face her mother, Haruka said, "I forgot to tell you that I think I know who—"
Suddenly the door burst open and a messenger rushed in. Panting, he bowed down to Urana before gasping, "Queen Neptina has collapsed in the Princess' room. Queen Pluto has requested your majesty's assistance."
Jumping to her feet, Urana didn't wait for the messenger to lead and dashed past him. Haruka scrambled out of bed and followed the frantic messenger. Haruka knew that she wasn't allowed out of bed, but she didn't seem to care. Honestly, the blonde actually felt fine. Clearly the healers on Neptune knew nothing about Uranians. They were a strong race and easily healed. If she had stayed in bed another day like the healers instructed her to, Haruka believed that she would have strangled someone. Haruka twitched as she remembered how close she had come to strangling Seiya when he came to visit her. If it weren't for the healers holding her back, she would have murdered the man for kissing Michiru. In addition, she had to sit in the bed listening to the residents of the palace gossip about it during her entire stay.
Haruka followed the two up a set of unfamiliar stairs and in to a quiet hallway high above the palace grounds. The blonde felt her breath catch as she gazed out a nearby window and at the magnificent view below her. Beneath her, she could see the ocean stretch out for miles reflecting the bright sun on its calm surface while birds circled above calling out to one another.
Haruka paused as they stopped in front of a room. The messenger stood outside the room, biting his nails and looking from one side to another nervously. Frowning, Haruka stepped into a room. It felt strangely pleasant. The walks were painted a soft aqua marine color and the scent of jasmine flowers drifted in the air. Though the room was large, it didn't feel empty and cold. The furniture was arranged just like her joint room at Charon Palace and beautiful paintings decorated the wall.
"How is Neptina?"
Setsuna stood by an oak bed with Urana beside her. Both had serious expressions on their faces.
"This isn't normal. From what Michiru told me, she collapsed for no reason at all."
Haruka turned to the corner of the room and found a young woman comforting Michiru. The aqua haired girl was sitting in a couch, with her legs pulled up in front of her. From time to time, Michiru would glance worriedly over at the Queen.
Setsuna and Urana's heads both shot up as they sensed Neptina moving. The Queen opened her eyes and looked at Urana and Setsuna with a strange expression on her face.
Urana leaned down to look at her friend in concern. "Neptina, are you—"
"Don't touch me."
Urana moved forward, her brows furrowed. "Neptina…"
The Queen of Neptune pulled the sheets closer to herself as she glanced from Urana to Setsuna. "You have to leave now. Both of you."
Neptina drew out her transformation pen and started to call out the words required for her to transform.
"Please Neptina, stop!"
Urana and Setsuna both grabbed Neptina's arms but the Queen struggled against them. The bed sheets became tangled as the Urana and Setsuna tried to prevent Neptina from moving. Everything seemed to be in chaos.
"Neptina, calm down."
"Let go of me right now!" Neptina cried, struggling against her friends.
Michiru glanced over at the Queen and started to run over to her but stopped when she felt a hand grab on to her shoulder and hold her back.
"Haruka…" Michiru looked surprised as she looked at Haruka, clearly not noticing her friend had come in. Michiru's look of surprise dissolved in to relief.
"Michiru what happened?"
The aqua haired girl shook her head, shaking slightly as she looked over at Haruka. "One moment mother was fine. She was talking to me and then… "
Michiru's voice cracked and it sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Suddenly there were two screams that joined in with Neptina's angry cries. Michiru and Haruka spun around just in time to see the three women being engulfed by a dark light.
Haruka's hand loosened on Michiru's shoulders as she gazed transfixed at the scene before her. A dark presence had filled the room. A cold wind whipped through the small area. The curtains fluttered angrily and the sheets on the bed flapped around like a wailing child. Urana and Setsuna both seemed unable to move as if something was holding them back. Suddenly Haruka saw a dozen strands of dark threads shoot out from Neptina's body and wind themselves around Urana and Setsuna.
Urana gasped as she felt the threads twist themselves around her arms and legs. She pulled away in an attempt to break them off and gasped as they pulled back. As she continued to struggle, she could feel herself become weaker. Urana grasped the bedpost weakly as she examined the threads. Her eyes widened as she realized that they were taking in her energy. No, she couldn't let this happen. Urana weakly tried to fight against the force but to no avail. The blonde could feel her eyelids grow heavier. Her limbs felt like noodles and everything around her began to blur.
Setsuna could feel her energy draining away by the second. Now she understood why Neptina wanted them to leave. If only she understood before. The time guardian shook her head and breathed heavily. If this were to continue, they would lose their lives. She couldn't let this happen. Beside she could see Urana collapse onto the floor. Setsuna fell to her knees gasping for breath. Closing her eyes, she called her time staff to her.
Haruka saw a flash of light and the entire room was filled with a white light. The dark presence stopped growing but was replaced by something cold and dense. Michiru instantly rushed forward towards the three women.
"Stop. Don't touch us Michiru or else you'll be captured in the spell." Setsuna whispered softly as she clutched onto her staff for support. "I have momentarily stopped the spell from continuing, but I don't know how long I could hold it off. When I could no longer hold off the spell, all three of us would be taken to the underworld."
"No, you can't let that happen," Michiru cried, as she stood staring at Setsuna with tears in her eyes. What could they do? Everything was going horribly wrong. She couldn't just stand here and watch them die. She just couldn't.
"How long can you hold it off for?" Haruka questioned.
"Fifteen minutes at the most." Setsuna replied weakly. "If I hadn't lost so much energy, it could be longer, but unfortunately…"
"Michiru and I will use this time to find the person behind this then."
"You won't be able to defeat him," Setsuna argued. "Not with your training."
"He will be weakened after all the spells he had done lately," Haruka argued.
"No, I want you to run while I hold off this spell. The mage won't be unable to do anything else while occupied this spell. Fifteen minutes would be enough time for you to leave the planet and alert Queen Serenity."
"I can't let you die." Haruka yelled.
"Even if the mage is occupied, fifteen minutes isn't enough time for you to track the person down," Setsuna argued. Her grip on the time staff tightened as she strained. "There isn't much time left, you have to leave now."
Haruka gazed sorrowfully at Setsuna. The time guardian's long green hair flowed limply around the woman as she strained to hold off the spell. Setsuna's crimson eyes were closed and sweat trickled down her face. She couldn't let her friend die. She just couldn't.
"What if I have a pretty good idea who the mage is?"
"You still won't have enough time," Setsuna gasped painfully, her eyes still closed.
"What if I add in all my remaining energy as well?"
Haruka's head shot up as she heard her mother's voice.
Urana weakly reached forward and wrapped her fingers around Setsuna's time staff.
"I'm adding in my share as well." Neptina said softly as she reached forward with her hand.
A dim glow filled the room as all three Queens' focused their energy on Setsuna's staff.
"Trust in them Setsuna," Urana murmured as she opened her eyes to look at her friend.
The time guardian closed her eyes, quickly evaluating the situation. She trusted in Haruka and Michiru but the risk was too high. She couldn't afford losing them. Setsuna took in a shaky breath. Precious seconds passed by as she sat here thinking. A million things could go wrong while Haruka and Michiru chased after the mage. For one thing, they could die. If not that, they could most certainly be captured and used against Queen Serenity. Then again, like Haruka said, the mage was probably weak, plus he was still holding the spell on Neptina, Urana, and her. Setsuna weighed her options.
"Setsuna, you must trust in yourself."
The time guardian's head shot up as she glanced at Urana.
"I know you did I good job training them. They will do fine."
Setsuna relaxed and nodded.
"Thirty minutes," Setsuna said softly as she turned to look at Haruka and Michiru. "That is all you have."
"Setsuna…"
"You two are my students. I believe in you." Setsuna smiled shakily at the two princesses. Her cherry colored lips formed a faint smile as she remembered all the days they trained together on Pluto. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew that they could do it. "The mage should be occupied in holding the spell on us. You can attack him while he is busy."
"We won't let you down." Michiru whispered.
"The threads," Neptina said softly. Her eyes traveled around the room. "They should lead you to where the mage is…"
Michiru glanced around the room and her eyes widened as she took in the threads. Haruka had noticed them too but had learned from experience that they faded out of sight. Michiru bit her lip as her eyes trailed the magical threads wrapped around the three Queens and led into thin air.
"But they disappear—"
"Mirror."
Michiru's eyes widened as she realized what her mother meant. Walking over to her bedside table, Michiru carefully picked up the aqua mirror. Someone had picked it up after she had fainted and left it by her bedside table. Michiru silently thanked the person. Glancing to the side, Michiru nodded to her mother and Setsuna.
"Come on." Haruka wrapped her hand around Michiru's wrist and led the smaller girl outside the room. Michiru stumbled after Haruka, still not feeling fully coordinated after waking up from her injuries. "I can see them for some distance but then they disappear."
"If mother hadn't mentioned them, I wouldn't have noticed them either. However, even if I focus, they disappear into the air." Michiru eyed the threads for a moment before shaking her head as she followed Haruka. The young woman could feel the warmth from Haruka's hand melt in to her wrist and wondered what Haruka thought about her confession. Michiru glanced distantly at the passing portraits on the walls as she thought back to her conversation with Queen Neptina. Unconsciously, Michiru dug her nails in to the palm of her hand.
Their footsteps echoed as the two princesses ran down the hallway. Michiru held her mirror in front of her with one hand as the threads faded into the air. The two skidded to a stop as the hallway split into two separate paths. Michiru glanced down at her reflection and focused on the mirror, willing it to see the invisible threads. When Michiru opened her eyes and saw nothing in her mirror but her own reflection, the young woman bit her lip and glanced worriedly at Haruka. The blonde glanced down both hallways, mentally counting down the remaining time they had to finish this.
"Haruka… I—" Seeing the anxious look on Haruka's face, Michiru closed her mouth and focused again on her mirror. They didn't have time for this. Michiru glanced worriedly down at the mirror. Setsuna had never instructed them on how to use their talismans, because Michiru and Haruka were not able to summon them yet. Michiru's mirror appearing was not intentional. Grinning wryly, Michiru recalled that she was barely conscious when the mirror appeared.
Placing a hand on Michiru's shoulder, Haruka smiled and said confidently, "I believe you can do it."
Letting her eyes slide shut, the princess concentrated on the mirror, willing the mirror to show her what she wanted. Michiru focused her urgency and need, and felt the mirror respond. Feeling a spark of light flicker in front of her, Michiru snapped her eyes open to find the aqua mirror glowing softly. Michiru wrinkled her brow as she tried to interpret the faint image in the mirror. Shining boldly at her were a dozen threads that pressed into the wall leading to the left. Michiru's eyes shifted as she caught a glimmer of a thread separate from the ones leading to the left, however when she focused on it, it disappeared. Frowning, Michiru decided the threads leading to the left were far more pressing.
"We turn left from here," the young woman said as she looked up from her mirror.
"What did I tell you?"
Michiru grinned at Haruka and momentarily forgot the situation they were in.
Time seemed to freeze as the two stared into each other's eyes. However, the sense of urgency soon came crashing back down. Turning away, Haruka started heading in to the direction Michiru had indicated. They needed to hurry. Rushing down the hallways, and skidding around corners, Michiru's eyes widened as she realized where the threads were leading.
"The cemetery."
The two princesses skidded to a stop as they stepped through a doorway and gazed into the gloomy gray hills before them where the members of the royal family were buried. Narrowing her eyes, Haruka scanned the clearing and spotted a figure with gray hair standing under a tree.
Haruka mentally evaluated the situation. Malachite was supposed to be busy holding the spell on Neptina, Setsuna and Urana. She and Michiru could attack him without him noticing while he did that. Out of the corner of her eye, Haruka saw Michiru draw out her transformation pen and settle into her battle stance. The blonde reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her own pen. Glancing back at Malachite, Haruka's eyes widened. The figure turned to face the two princesses and was holding a ball of blue energy.
"Michiru!"
The aqua haired princess leaped out of the way in time as the ball of energy came flying in to their direction. Haruka barely had enough time herself to jump out of the way as she felt the ground beneath her rumble and bits of rocks stream past her. Landing gracefully some distance away, Haruka realized their mistake when she saw that Malachite had been trying to separate them.
Michiru quickly glanced over at Haruka, not wanting to take her eyes off Malachite for too long, to make sure her partner was fine before focusing once again on her enemy. Michiru couldn't understand. The spell on Setsuna, Urana and her mother was still in effect –Michiru could sense the energy from the other three senshi slowly draining away as they fought to hold the spell. Malachite couldn't be doing that and attacking them at the same time. Unless… Michiru's face paled as she realized what was happening. Malachite had divided his magic and placed a small portion elsewhere to perform its duty while he was free to do something else. The separate thread –Michiru's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. If they had followed that thread, then they could have destroyed the spell. Instead, now they were faced with a battle with Malachite and the spell was still in effect. Michiru berated herself for her mistake. There were so many lives at stake, how could she have tossed away the other thread so lightly. Nails digging into her flesh, Michiru glared angrily at Malachite.
"Ah, Princess Neptune. I'm pleased that you have found me. If only you have been more cooperative, it wouldn't have needed to end this way."
"I have no idea what you are talking about Malachite," Michiru said coolly.
"I was simply referring to the fact that you wouldn't die." The man formed another ball of energy in the palm of his hand.
Michiru's eyes widened as she dropped to her hands and feet and rolled away. Now it made sense --the people who were after her life, at the carnival on Pluto and Mimet. Michiru coughed into her hand as dirt swirled around her.
Malachite's magic should be even weaker if he divided it. If Haruka could find the spell, then there might be hope after all.
"Haruka! The spell is somewhere in the palace. You have to destroy it to free Setsuna and them."
Michiru gasped as another ball of energy struck the ground beside her and she was sent skidding across the grass. Breathing heavily, the aqua haired girl used her arms to push herself off the grassy ground. She could feel her arms shaking beneath her and closed her eyes tightly.
"Michiru!"
The aqua haired girl looked up at her partner. Setsuna and their parents didn't have much time left. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Malachite preparing for another attack.
"Haruka, escape. You have to live to complete our task."
Haruka's eyes widened as she heard these words and remembered a promise they made so long ago.
Michiru stared distantly out the window, her eyes glazed over. Her hand was laid delicately over the cold glass as she watched the snow outside flutter down onto the ground.
"What is bothering you?"
Haruka stood patiently by Michiru's side like a statue, staring out the window at the snow-covered ground.
Michiru tilted her head to one side and let her hand slide down the glass panes. Her ocean blue eyes shifted to her partner and remained on Haruka for a second before flickering back to the scene outside.
"I was thinking about the test Setsuna gave us today."
Haruka remained silent, waiting for Michiru to continue on. The aqua haired princess turned to Haruka, her soft wavy hair swaying as she did so.
"What did you put down for the question asking which one is more important to you: your partner, or the mission?"
Haruka glanced down at her partner and gazed into Michiru's blue eyes. "The mission."
Michiru unclenched her fist and gazed sadly out the window.
"Same," she lied.
When Haruka had read that question, she had thought back to what she had heard about the battle on planet Pluto and how they lost the last Sailor Pluto. The senshi back then had to choose between their partner and their mission. From what she had gathered, the difference in opinions had caused the drift between the planets Neptune and Uranus. She didn't want this issue to be in her way.
"Let's make a promise," Haruka announced suddenly, causing Michiru to raise her head. The blonde furrowed her brow as she glanced down at Michiru. "If something happened to one of us, that we wouldn't go back and help out. The one who survived would go and continue the task at hand."
Michiru closed her eyes and nodded. "So it is settled."
Haruka opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted as Malachite sent an attack in her direction. Jumping back so that she was even closer to the castle, the logical side of Haruka decided that it was best to hunt down the spell. Spinning away from Michiru as another explosion took place near her, Haruka ran towards the castle, not daring to look back.
Haruka found that her feet carried her automatically as she traveled through the twisting corridors in the palace. She knew where to go. Even though she was not familiar with the palace, it seemed that a force towards the source of the spell pulled her. Haruka raised her hand and wiped away a tear from her cheek. Why was she crying? She had been the one who had suggested the promise in the first place. Yet, somehow, back then, she didn't expect herself to become so attached to Michiru. She didn't expect herself to fall in love with the girl.
Haruka quickened her pace, feeling her boots dig into the soft-carpeted hallways. Her heart thudded heavily against Haruka's chest as she forced herself to run faster. Skidding around a corner, Haruka found herself running down a familiar looking hallway. Coldness seemed to surround the blonde as she continued to penetrate into the dark corridor. She was close. Haruka remembered Anna leading her here and pausing in front of an old oak door. The blonde dug in her heels as she passed by a picture of a burning city.
This was it. Not bothering with toying with the lock, Haruka transformed into her senshi form and smashed the door open. From past experience, she knew it was better to come into Malachite's office as Sailor Uranus rather than Haruka. Striding across the office, Uranus ducked under the threads that surrounded Malachite's desk, not wanting to be snared by them like last time.
Flinging a drawer open, Uranus was surprised to find that it was empty. It had to be somewhere. The office was filled with a foreboding aura. There wasn't much time left. At most, she had five minutes left. Uranus swept under the threads again and started pushing the bookcases over, scattering books across the floor. Sweeping her eyes at the mess she made, Uranus moved onto the next bookcase. She didn't have enough time.
Growling angrily, Uranus wished that Michiru were here with her mirror. She was sure the aqua haired woman could find the spell using her mirror. Uranus swept her eyes around the room once more, realizing that there should be a thread from Setsuna, Neptina and her mother that led to the spell. Uranus' heart fell as she failed to find anything. If Michiru was unable to see it in her mirror, what chance did she have of seeing the thread?
Uranus fell to her knees and stared at the books lying scattered around her. Was one of the books holding the spell? No, the item had to be glowing. Uranus glanced around the room once more and shook her head. She had to be missing something. Perhaps it was invisible. That would take away the obvious glow. Uranus' heart sank as she looked at the numerous piles of books on the floor. She didn't have enough time for this.
"Where is it?" Uranus growled. The blonde raked a hand through her hair in frustration as her eyes darted around the room. If it was invisible… Uranus' eyes widened as she something passed her mind. Picking herself off the floor, Uranus stood up and strode over to the desk once again.
Her eyes sweeping the drawer once again, Uranus concluded that there was something suspicious about the desk. Reaching in to the drawer, Uranus felt something prick her hand. Uranus narrowed her eyes as the space inside the drawer suddenly became blurry. Where there was nothing, a doll had suddenly appeared. Uranus gently picked up the doll, avoiding the needles as she turned it back and forth in her hand. Haruka swept a finger over a lock of marine colored hair was pinned to the doll. This didn't feel right.
The spell was definitely placed inside the doll. Uranus could feel Malachite's magic radiating out from the doll. She had to destroy the spell. The blonde's hand hovered over the doll for a second before drawing back again. She couldn't destroy the doll. What if it killed Queen Neptune? Then again if Malachite had wanted Queen Neptune dead, wouldn't he have destroyed the doll already? Yet Malachite might be the type of person that liked seeing other people suffer. Or perhaps he didn't want it to look suspicious. Uranus remembered that Setsuna and Souichi had mentioned King Neptune had passed away because of a mysterious illness. Perhaps Malachite was slowly killing King Uranus using this method. Uranus bit her lip as she felt the seconds roll by. She needed to make a decision quickly.
Uranus' eyes lit up as she spotted the glimmer of the thread that led away from the doll. Perhaps if she broke the bond… Uranus formed a golden ball of energy in her hand and moved it over the thread. The thread shimmered brightly as the ball contacted. Suddenly, an explosion of light threw Uranus back.
Sliding across the carpeted floor, Uranus prayed that she hadn't done anything stupid.
Back in Michiru's room, Setsuna felt the threads wrapped around their bodies tighten painfully. The Senshi of Time tightened her grasp around the staff and bit her lip to contain her scream.
Uranus shakily rose to her feet. She was temporarily out of breath as she held on to the wall for support. Closing her eyes, Uranus felt her body slowly healing itself. She couldn't waste time standing here. Striding out of Malachite's office, and down the hall, Uranus was left with a difficult choice. Turning her face left, Uranus bit her lip. Should she check the well being of Setsuna, Queen Neptune and her mother? Uranus rotated her head towards the path in front of her. What if Michiru needed her?
The blonde felt herself being tugged towards Michiru's direction. Her feet seemed to act on their own will as they slowly walked forwards. Setsuna, Queen Neptune and her mother could take care of themselves. Uranus couldn't leave her partner. Suddenly, Uranus broke into a run. Somehow she could sense that her partner needed her.
Neptune was trapped. Behind her she could feel the rough bark of a tree dig into her back while around her, she could see threads circling her like a hunting tiger. The aqua haired warrior was helpless as the threads suddenly sprang forward, tying her onto the tree.
"All of this could have been done with a lot less bloodshed," Malachite said quietly, stepping towards Sailor Neptune.
"Why?"
"Why?" Malachite laughed bitterly. "Revenge. Sweet revenge. They drove me out of my home, they forced my out of the solar system after I had served them so loyally. I swore that I would return and regain all that I lost and make them pay."
Neptune shook her head.
"Such a pity that a pretty thing like you would have to die so young. I needed power. I needed to become the King of Neptune. Neptina wouldn't let me marry you, so you were no use to me. You were to be disposed. So I tried gaining Neptina's love. She refused. So I figured that killing the entire family would be the best plan from there. It's a bonus that I caught Queen Pluto and Uranus in this web."
"You killed father?"
Malachite smirked.
Neptune shook her head, fighting against the threads that bound her to the tree. "He didn't do anything. Why?"
Tears trickled down Neptune's face. "Why…"
"Let me tell you something," Malachite said, facing Neptune. "The world isn't fair."
A blade appeared in Malachite's hand. "Your time is up princess of Neptune."
"World Shaking!"
Malachite's eyes widened and the man leapt out of the way just as a golden ball hit the spot where he was standing moments before.
"Touch her and you die."
Malachite turned to glare at Uranus. "Have you come to die as well?"
Uranus aimed a kick at Malachite's stomach however the silver haired man grabbed Uranus' foot and held the warrior in place. Growling, Uranus threw a punch at her enemy. Malachite let go of Uranus' leg and blocked the punch. Uranus leapt back, panting slightly. Her eyes darted to her partner tied to the tree and back to Malachite.
"I do not intend to die today." Uranus said as her eyes settled on to Malachite's face.