Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Chapter Twelve
Seleine P.O.V.
"That's just great. Just what we need, another damn curse," Yaten scoffed.
"This is not a curse," I sighed. I hesitantly looked over at Usagi. Mamoru had a hand on her shoulder. It looked like his hand was floating over her shoulder. His eyes were watching his hand intently. "There have never been two Moon Princesses before. The Heart of Darkness and the Light of Hope might change all of that. I was evil before, maybe everything has balanced out. She might be able to make the choice of what side she's on. That's the first time since the Moon Kingdom was created."
"Michiru saw it," Taiki insisted. "'This is not a curse.' Are you insane? Have you completely lost your damn mind?"
"This is just a vision. It's the future! The future is constantly changing. Visions are just a possibility. Our actions and decisions that haven't happened yet shape our future. The future never stays the same," Setsuna reasoned.
"When have your visions ever been wrong?" Yaten asked Michiru.
Nobody answered. The Starlights didn't know, but now they do. Never, not once have her visions been wrong. They all played out in some way. I looked at everyone. They were avoiding eye contact with each other. They were all thinking about their future. They were wondering what was going to happen. They looked as if they had already been beaten. Everyone was quiet. I looked over at Usagi. Mamoru's hand was nowhere to be found. He had even taken a step away from her. I clenched my fists. 'How dare he leave her alone at a time like this?' I had to force myself to look away from him and look at Usagi stare blankly at the ground. It was hard to see but impossible to look away. She was so isolated.
"-it's just a vision like Setsuna said. They don't always play out like the way we think it will," Rei was frantically searching for some small sliver of hope. She didn't want to believe her princess, no her best friend could turn evil. She was in denial, completely freaked. "Usagi-"
Rei had latched onto Usagi's arm. There was a loud noise. Rei's head was turned and her hand came up to touch her face. Through her messy hair, you could see a bright red patch in the shape of a hand on her cheek. Usagi's hand was turning red. Usagi's hand was balled into tight fists.
"What's done is done," Usagi said flatly. "We can't change what has happened, we can only try to change our future."
She turned away from us mechanically. Then she began walking away. "Usagi, there is more you need to hear," I called after her.
"I don't want to hear any more."
"Usagi!" Minako cried.
I took a step forward ready to go after her. "No Seleine. She needs to sort this out," Luna said. I looked as my sister turned her back to us once again. "Let her go."
The small cat sat at my feet. I knew her heart was beginning to break as she watched her friend, no her daughter walk away. Queen Serenity may be Usagi's birth mother, but Luna is the one that's here.
Everyone watched as their future queen walked away. Everyone was undoubtedly thinking the same thing. We are doomed.
"How did you find all of this out?" Hotaru asked me.
The purple-haired girl stood before me. She is much older than she was the Moon Kingdom. "The Moon Queens of that past told me."
Everyone looked up at me. They were shocked to hear I was still in contact with them.
"That's not possible," Setsuna stammered. "Not even I am allowed to have contact with them."
"Well you aren't a Moon Princess either," I said. Setsuna closed her mouth in defeat. I didn't want to snap at her like that, but they need to hear me and ask questions later. "They don't contact me often. Not even when a new enemy comes around. They mostly stay silent and watch as we try to make sense of the catastrophe we are dealt with. The old witches enjoy watching us suffer," I chuckled to myself.
"They have only come to me twice. When Beryl came the first time and then again when Galaxia came. Both times they gave me the same message, 'Don't interfere Seleine.' They told me you needed to go through your own perils in order to become strong for the future. Now the situation has changed. This time, I called them. This was not meant to happen. You weren't supposed to face Beryl again. Usagi and the Inners were supposed to defeat her for the final time. I don't know who is coming, and neither do they. They know what the future holds and all of the outcomes, but this is different."
*Three Hours Ago*
I bowed to the eight Moon Queens before me. The wonderful women before me, I learned about all of their time on the throne of the Moon Kingdom. I learned that they would strike fear upon any mortal who dared to lay their eyes upon them.
"Oh look at that. She's showing her appreciation to us answering her call," Queen Ishtar said. She hated me the most out of all of them. She had short dark brown hair and wore little clothing. Even I was repelled at the sight of her. Of course, I was, she was my great great great grandmother. Ishtar is the fifth Moon Queen. There are nine that have existed and only eight of them are here.
"Enough Ishtar," a queen said. Queen Lucina. Ishtar is actually her mother. For some reason, they don't use mother or grandmother here. When a princess ascends the throne, they no longer have a mother. It's a silly thing to me, although, I don't call my mother's mother anymore. Except for Serenity's sake of course.
"How is my dear granddaughter You never pray to me anymore. I miss hearing your beautiful voice," Queen Metzi said. Metzi is the oldest queen to ever live. Her blonde hair began to gray in the most beautiful way when she died, but that was Metzi. Metzi would always be utterly beautiful. Metzi is Queen Serenity's mother, making her Serenity and I's grandmother.
"I'm fine Metzi," I reassured her with a smile. I look around the room for a face. I don't know if I hope or dread to see her face.
"Give her time dear. It was hard for her to leave the Moon Kingdom so suddenly," Queen Diana said. Diana had long dark brown hair. She was one of the great queens. During her reign, she brought the Moon Kingdom back to peace after so many wars.
"Of course it was hard for her! She watched as her eldest daughter killed the senshi. And you can't forget to leave the Moon Kingdom in such a disarray," Queen Marici said. Marici is the fourth queen. She was different than the others. I didn't read much about her. She didn't do much as queen. Marici was tall, about as tall as Haruka. She had blonde hair with a hint of red in it.
"Ladies that's quite enough," Queen Amaterasu said. Amaterasu was the first Moon Queen to ever take the throne. All of the queens grew silent. As she began to get up from her seat, all the other queens stood and bowed their heads. I got down on my knees as she stood before me. Out of all of them, she is the one I feared the most. She created everything. She created the entire Universe. On earth, they call her 'Shining in heaven.' She never did anything that should make her feared, except create everything of course.
I looked up at her and saw her silver eyes. Those eyes could entrance anyone that looked upon them. I felt like I was looking in her eyes for an eternity. Her silver hair flowed over her shoulders. It was like her hair had a mind of its own. A piece of it came to my face and caressed my cheek.
"Now tell me, my child, why have you called us?" She asked me.
"Is it true? Is it possible that the legend is real? Please. Tell me the truth," I asked of the eight queens before me.
"What right do you have to demand something from us?" Ishtar bellowed. Amaterasu's hair abandoned my face. My face grew cold without her hair there.
"What right do I have?" I seethed. "A vision. Neptune had a vision of Serenity turning evil and causing chaos. She mutilated Prince Endymion." Ishtar's eyes grew wide as she sat back in her chair. Amaterasu backed away and sat back in her chair as well. I stood back up and forced my shoulder's back.
"Because of that vision, I think I have a right to know if it is true."
"How do you know of this legend? Only the queens should know," Queen Thanatos asked me.
Thanatos is beyond beautiful. Her blonde hair swayed passed her long black dress. She is the only Moon Queen who chose to wear black over the sacred white they were supposed to wear. Unlike Amaterasu, it was difficult to look her in the eyes. She had such intense green eyes.
"I read the forbidden books. It was my job to protect them all. I had to know of every demon or warrior that would possibly exist to annihilate us."
"She read the forbidden books. If I were still queen, her hands would have been cut off!" Ishtar screeched like a banshee.
"Then I suppose it's a good thing you are not still queen!" Metzi defended me. Ishtar was about to fight back when Kaminari intervened.
"Enough!" Boomed Kaminari. She had remained silent until now. Kaminari had red hair down to her knees. My hair was almost completely identical to hers, except my hair had an orange tint to it, it made the fire look more luminescent. "The issue is not about the forbidden books. She wishes to hear the truth. I think it's time she knew."
They all nodded except for Ishtar. Even Marici reluctantly nodded her head. Amaterasu sighed deeply. "Very well."
"This is the first time we have spoke of it in over one thousand years," Amaterasu said finally. "How many queens are there?"
I blinked confusedly. "Nine of course," I said confidently.
"Wrong," Amaterasu said. "There are twelve. Lilith, Nyx, and Hekate. They are the three evil Moon Queens.
"Lilith is the second queen, my daughter. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew when she was born. Her eyes were dark."
Marici moved uncomfortably in her seat. "Hekate was my daughter. I saw it in her eyes too, but I couldn't bring myself to ending her. She was just a baby," she choked.
"Hekate was my mother," Ishtar said flatly.
'Well that explains it,' I thought.
Ishtar turned toward me, her eyes were furious. "You think that's funny?" She screamed. "I lived with her for a century before I could become queen. When I was born, she saw the light in my eyes. I should have been killed! That would have been the easy way out. She poisoned me and tortured me!"
Lucina put a hand on top of Ishtar's. Ishtar looked at it for a moment and calmed down. Ishtar gave it a tight squeeze before she sat back down.
"After Lilith, there was another evil queen. My mother, Nyx," Thanatos said. She didn't look nearly as flustered as Ishtar did. "I was born evil, or so they say anyway. When I was crowned, the light shined in me. My mother died almost immediately. After that, they called me the 'Shadow Queen.'"
"How did she die?" I asked.
"The same way I died," Amaterasu said. "When a queen switches sides, to the light if they were born dark, or to the dark if they were born light; the previous queen dies immediately."
"Wait. I thought all of the previous Moon Queens died when their daughter takes the throne," I said.
"They do, it just happens a few months later. Mostly of natural causes," Diana said.
"When Lilith became the queen, she cast a spell. When a queen switches sides, the mother dies immediately and painfully," Amaterasu said.
Marici and Ishtar fidgeted awkwardly in their seat, while Thanatos stayed perfectly still.
"That's a lot to process," I said. I looked down at my feet. I tried piecing everything together but found myself unsuccessful. "What will happen to Serenity? The Heart of Darkness and the Light of Hope have never been sisters before."
They all looked at me with saddened eyes. "We do not have an answer for you," Metzi replied regretfully.
I looked down at my feet again in defeat. "We would appreciate it if you didn't inform Serenity of this." I shot my head back up to argue when all I saw was my black leather sofa. I looked back down and let the tears climb their way out of my eyes. I crashed to the floor in defeat.
*End Flashback*
Everyone stared at me. They looked at me like I had just told an insane story.
"Why did you tell Serenity?" Asked Jadeite.
"I couldn't keep this from her," I said.
"The queens will not be happy with you," Zoisite added.
"I will deal with my consequences later," I replied.
They all looked at me as if I had just said the craziest thing.
"So that's it? No one knows what's going to happen?" Seiya asked. He had been silent this whole time, listening intently.
"No. I wish I had more to tell you," I sighed.
"Wishing won't get us anywhere," Kakyuu said. "But planning will."
"No. Kakyuu, that is not an option," I growled.
"What isn't an option?" Makoto asked.
"Seleine becomes the Moon Queen," said Kunzite.
"No! She is the Heart of Darkness. We will all surely die!" Michiru shouted.
"If Serenity goes dark, she might be our only chance," Nephrite reasoned.
"We can't just replace our princess," Ami said.
I sighed feeling defeated. All I wanted was to go home and take a nap that would last for days.
I looked over at Haruka. She hadn't said anything at all. She was looking at her shoes, her face was dark.
Just then I heard a familiar chuckle. That chuckle was one I hadn't heard often on the Moon Kingdom, for he was banished rather quickly.
"Such a surprise to see you Seleine. Oh, I know, you're playing with your prey again aren't you my dear seductress?"
I turned and looked in a tree a few yards away only to see silver hair. "I was wondering when you were going to grace us with your presence Diamonde," I said with a grin.
"Oh my dear succubus, I have missed you," he said smoothly with a sly grin.
Yaten scoffed, "Is there anyone you haven't slept with?" I winked at Yaten and he blushed.
As I was turning, Haruka inhaled deeply. Her hands were balled into fists. I sensed three other figures nearby. This was about to get ugly.
I called my sais and turned to see Diamonde behind me. "Let me see your hands my pet," he said reaching for my hand.
"So you want to see my hands do you?" I said striking my sai forward.
Hey guys another chapter in two weeks! I'm hoping to post twice a month. I already have thoughts on the next chapter! Enjoy:) -J
