Chapter 44
Usagi's Awakening: A Message from the Distant Past
Luna hurried back to Usagi's house in the darkened city one night, with important news, as Usagi now had difficulty sleeping again.
"Wake up, Usagi, it's urgent!" cried Luna.
But Usagi ignored her, and just kept sleeping.
"Usagi, this is important! Sailor Venus and Artemis have finally discovered the entryway into the Dark Kingdom's hideout!" snapped Luna.
"What, are you serious!?" asked Usagi, who awoke with a start.
"Take us to the entrance, Luna!" said Sora.
In a rush they raced off to the location that Minako and Artemis found. Sometime later, all of their friends had arrived at the portal leading into the Dark Kingdom's fortress.
"This is the place everyone," said Minako, now dressed in her Sailor Venus outfit.
"It looks that way, great work Sailor Venus," replied Rei.
"Come on!" called Luna, who jumped in first with Artemis at her side.
"All right, let's take the plunge!" added Sora.
They soon entered what looked like a cavern, and began their search for the Dark Kingdom's lair with Minako leading the way, while Luna and Artemis found another passageway to investigate so that they could find out where it would lead. Suddenly a terrible darkness emerged in front of them.
"What's that energy?" asked Sailor Venus, bracing herself.
The others braced themselves as well, until emerging in front of them was Kunzite.
"I wish I could give you a grand tour of the Dark Kingdom, but at the present time, we're not quite ready to welcome you. But there's a fun place I'd like to take you to instead," he said.
"Stop messing with us!" snapped Makoto, as she unleashed her Supreme Thunder attack.
But it missed him completely.
"Sailor Moon, if you willingly hand over the Silver Crystal, I shall spare your life!" snapped Kunzite.
"Oh, really? Is that right!? Well if you tell me what happened to Tuxedo Mask, then maybe I won't have to punish you!" Sailor Moon snapped back.
"Enough, I've had it with all of you! I'm sending you to the multidimensional chaos world!" roared Kunzite.
"And what's that supposed to be!?" demanded Sora.
"It might be prehistoric Africa, during the age of the dinosaurs, or it might be medieval Europe, during an era of war, bloodshed, and bubonic plague," replied Kunzite.
"Whoa, those totally suck, I don't want to go to either of those worlds, I'll pass!" cried Sailor Moon.
But Kunzite fired a beam of darkness at them, making everyone step up to protect her, but they were blasted back, causing the Moon Stick to fly out of Sailor Moon's hand.
"Now, I'll take the Silver Crystal!" Kunzite cried out triumphantly.
But the Moon Stick struck his hand, as the Silver Crystal began teleporting everyone to safety. They were now caught inside of it's pull, until it took them to a safe haven. The Moon Stick clattered to the ground, and the Silver Crystal deposited them all out onto some ruins. One by one, they all awoke from unconsciousness, and saw the ruins around them.
"Where are we?" asked Usagi, as Sora stood up and walked next to her.
"No idea," he replied.
"What is this place?" she asked again.
"This is what's left of the Silver Millenium. In the distant past, it was the glorious land of the gods," said a voice.
"Silver Millenium?" asked Sora and Usagi.
Suddenly an image of a beautiful woman appeared before them, as she floated down to the ground.
"Who are you?" they asked together.
"I am the incarnation of the Moon Goddess, Selene, here to deliver a message to you from the distant past. My name is Queen Serenity, I am Queen of the Silver Millenium, and I am also your mother," she said.
"What, my mother, how could that be possible?" asked Sailor Moon.
"Even I'm just as stumped as Sailor Moon," added Sora.
"I put Luna and Artemis into cold sleep and then awakened them, so they could watch over all of you. I've been waiting a very long time for this moment," explained Queen Serenity.
The others were surprised at first, until Sora summoned his Keyblade, as if offering it for inspection.
"Queen Serenity, can you show us what happened before?" he asked
Queen Serenity nodded, then engulfed in a white light, transporting them a thousand years ago into the past, as Sora combined his power with hers, to arrive in a projected reality of the past.
"We are a race of beings who were born on the moon. We protect the Sacred Item, the Legendary Silver Crystal, handed down in the Moon's royal family. Our mission is to watch over the earth, and help it advance. Try to remember, Serenity. Open your mind, and remember the time you were a Moon Princess, and allow your friends to see what you once were," said Queen Serenity.
Sora was soon transported into the ballroom where he saw people dancing around him, but they passed through him as if he wasn't there.
"You would often spend many happy hours gazing out at the earth, daydreaming of what life would be like, being surrounded by the wind and the trees of the blue planet. And then, one day, you found love." continued Queen Serenity, as Sora stepped next to her on the balcony.
"Usagi?" he asked.
But the girl she resembled didn't respond.
"No, this is only a projection," Sora said in realization, as he could only watch.
"Princess Serenity," a voice called from below.
The two of them looked down.
"Prince Endymion," Sora and Princess Serenity said together, despite him being in a projection and not the real deal.
"I apologize for arriving so late," said Endymion.
"I've been waiting for you," replied Serenity.
"A terrible thing has happened. It seems that many of my people have been brainwashed by a woman named Beryl," explained Endymion.
"Beryl?" questioned the princess.
"He must be talking about Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom," said Sora.
"This woman has been possessed by an evil energy called Metalia. And as a result, she has convinced many humans that in order to live longer lives, they must take over the Moon," continued Endymion.
Suddenly several guards spotted him, forcing Endymion to flee.
"I'll see you later at the ball!" he called, as he raced off into the distance.
"Hurry back Endymion," said Princess Serenity, as she watched the guards pursuing him.
"So the guards under Queen Serenity's command were afraid there were spies in their ranks, and forced her to declare martial law on the entire kingdom," murmured Sora.
Meanwhile, in the dark caverns, Luna and Artemis were running as far and as fast as their little legs would carry them.
"What happened to the others?" asked Luna.
"Don't know. Looks like will have to find the hideout ourselves," replied Artemis.
They continued running until they reached the exit, until they were beset upon by a blizzard.
"Where are we?" Luna asked.
"It's the arctic!" replied Artemis.
Back inside the Moon Kingdom's palace, Sora with Princess Serenity through the ball room, until she felt a hand touching hers.
"Princess, would you do me the honor?" he asked.
Even in this projected form, Sora was amazed at how beautifully the princess danced, making him smile.
"Why are you wearing a mask?" asked Princess Serenity.
"A bitter war is about to get underway, any day now. Between my people on Earth and your people. I will become your enemy. It wouldn't be good for either of us if I was here, so please forgive my disguise," replied Endymion.
'You, my enemy?" questioned the princess.
"Listen to me carefully, Metalia is not human. She is a being of pure evil energy and Beryl is a sorceress. She's using Metalia's power in an attempt to conquer both the Earth and the Moon," he explained as they danced.
"But she wouldn't stop there, she'd eventually expand her influence to all the other worlds and to Kingdom Hearts, to make herself a god," said Sora, as he followed them to the balcony, where he saw the prince remove his disguise.
"Unless I do something, the Moon Kingdom will be destroyed. I'm convinced, the only way to stop this war, is to stop Metalia, and wipe out her evil energy. That should put a stop to Beryl's plans. I'm going to need you to help Serenity, please believe me, we don't have any time to waste," he finished.
"Yes," breathed Princess Serenity.
The two of them gazed into each other's eyes, and shared a kiss, their eyes filling with tears. Then Sora looked out at the Earth and saw Metalia and a battalion of soldiers charging at them, crying out for blood, when he heard Luna and Artemis telling the people to evacuate the kingdom. There was a massive explosion, forcing Sora to run to the scene of the carnage, as buildings and spires toppled down, in front of him, but he was past them in a few seconds He then saw his friends trying their best to keep Metalia at bay, but they were instantly defeated by her dark power when their attacks had no effect, as the soldiers of Earth charged forward with a several Heartless at their side, followed by Queen Beryl. Sora knew that it was an illusion, but he tried to cut them down with his Keyblade, only for the weapon to pass through them, without affecting them.
"From this day forth, I shall rule both the Earth and the Moon! I will not tolerate any opposition!" Beryl cried out with evil triumph.
She raised her scepter to the air.
"Beloved Queen Metalia, at this very moment, our own Dark Kingdom is born!" she called, sending another burst of darkness at the Kingdom's foundation.
Sora glanced up to see Kunzite alongside Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite, already marching forth to ravage the land, with their troops and the Heartless as Metalia glared down menacingly.
"The princess!" he cried, and raced back to the balcony, just in time to see Beryl appearing before her.
"So you must be Princess Serenity," she said.
Princess Serenity backed away in fear, passing through Sora who tried to catch her in his arms.
"Say goodbye to your pretty face!" she cried out, lunging at her.
Suddenly a rose stopped her, forcing her to glare at Endymion.
"Now that I have your attention, listen to me! I will not let you lay a finger on the princess!" he said determinedly.
He jumped between them as Beryl recognized him as Endymion.
"Endymion, why are you protecting this girl? What loyalty can you have for the moon? You are the prince of the Earth. Marry me, and you can be king of both the Moon and the Earth!" she said.
"No Beryl, don't you see what's happened? Metalia's evil energy has totally consumed you! Come to your senses! Free your heart from Evil!" pleaded Endymion.
"Silence you fool, or I will kill the both of you!" she screamed.
Metalia sent a powerful burst of darkness right at them, destroying several buildings including the two wings of the palace, then began pulling Endymion away from Princess Serenity.
"Don't go Endymion!" called the Princess.
"Serenity, stay back!" cried the prince.
"Endymion, don't leave me!" she cried, rushing towards him.
"Get out of here!" yelled Endymion.
But the princess jumped towards him. Despite his protests, she managed to reach him and take his hand, but they were both blasted by Metalia's dark power. Jumping down to Queen Serenity, Sora stood next to her with Luna and Artemis at her side.
"Serenity!" cried the queen, as she saw their lifeless bodies.
"Princess Serenity!" sobbed Luna.
Sora dropped to his knees, screaming in anguish as Beryl laughed.
"She's dead! The Moon Princess is dead!" Beryl cried out triumphantly, as the Queen dropped to her knees as well.
Seeing her daughter's tears, Queen Serenity fitted the Silver Crystal onto the Moon Stick, which began to glow with power, causing the cats to look at her with concern.
"Queen Serenity, don't! If you release the Silver Crystal's full power, you will die!" cried Luna.
"My life doesn't matter, not when the peace of the Moon and the Earth is at stake," she replied, her eyes filled with grim determination.
She raised the moon stick over her head.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" she cried.
A powerful burst of light surged towards Metalia, and began to harm her immensely, making Beryl feel fear for the first time, as she and her soldiers faded away.
"CURSE YOU QUEEN SERENITY!" she screamed as she vanished.
Back in the arctic, Luna and Artemis struggled through the snow.
"Don't give up, you have to stay strong Artemis!" she said.
"I'm all right, but what about you Luna? Are you getting tired out?" asked Artemis.
"I'm fine, I have no intention of dying until we find that hideout!" replied Luna.
They struggled on, until they had managed to reach a crater where the darkness was leaking out of it.
"Is that?" asked Luna.
"We did it! At last, we've found it! We've finally found the entrance to the Dark Kingdom's Hideout!" replied Artemis.
"We have to tell the others," said Luna.
They had barely begun to retreat when Kunzite appeared.
"Sorry, but you're way too late!" he said, making the two cats glare at him in shock and rage.
Back at the now ravaged Moon Kingdom, Sora stood before the now dying Queen Serenity, with Luna and Artemis.
"Luna, Artemis," she said.
"Yes?" asked the two cats.
"The Silver Crystal can bring peace into the world when used by someone with a pure heart. But, when it is used by someone with an evil heart, it immediately becomes a frightening weapon," she explained, her life force slowly ebbing way from her.
"That's enough, please don't talk anymore!" cried Luna.
"With the power of the Silver Crystal, I was able to seal away Metalia. However, there's no telling when she'll return once again," said Queen Serenity.
"Queen Serenity," Sora said, his eyes filling with tears.
"That's why I need to tell you about the Moon Stick. Only those with royal blood are able to use it. So, in the future, if Metalia is able to break free from her suspended animation, entrust this stick to Princess Serenity, so that she can protect the peace of the world," Queen Serenity continued, her breathing quickening and erratic.
"Yes," replied the cats.
"Princess Serenity, and all the other Sailor Guardians as well, may all your lives on Earth be filled with love, kindness, and hope," she said.
Then with the last of her strength, she allowed the crystal to float away, as everyone watched it. There was a brilliant flash of light, and the souls of those who perished in the war, were now traveling to Earth to be reborn, as normal human beings.
'This is my final wish. Live in peace and happiness…" she said.
Then her eyes clouded, her breathing stopped, the strength, and the life, went out of her.
"Queen Serenity," sobbed Sora.
His head bowed to her as tears filled his eyes once again, then he lifted his head up to the sky.
"QUEEN SERENITY!" he screamed, as the Moon Stick vanished, placing Luna and Artemis in capsules and sent them to Earth as well.
He then felt himself being transported back to the cavern along with his friends, thanks to the Silver Crystal's protective power.
"Queen Serenity," Usagi said softly.
"So that's what happened," added Makoto.
"It all makes sense now," piped in Minako.
"Now we know why we were chosen as Sailor Guardians to protect this planet," said Rei.
"Yes," replied Ami.
"Thank you, Mother," Usagi said, cradling the Moon Stick.
"Yeah, but a lot more has happened to us as well. Look at our hands," said Sora.
"Queen Serenity has proclaimed it. We are the first in a new line of knights to stand by her daughter's side," added Riku, as he and the rest of the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts showed them a crescent shaped emblem, emblazoned on their hands.
The girls were impressed to have new knights fighting with them.
"Then from one King, to the spirit of Queen Serenity, we'll gladly stand with you," said Mickey.
But the moment didn't last long when they heard Luna and Artemis' call for help. They quickly raced to their side, just in time to see Kunzite blast them with darkness.
"Luna!" cried Sailor Moon.
"Artemis, no!" added Sailor Venus.
"Argh! KUNZITE, YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD!" shouted Sora, as Artemis passed out.
"We're not going to let you hurt them anymore!" agreed Sailor Moon.
"Sailor Moon, but how did you…!?" demanded the warlord.
"Oh, you may have tried to send us away to the multi-dimensional chaos world, Big K, but thankfully the Silver Crystal managed to save us and show us all what happened. But, more importantly, we received Serenity's blessing, and became the Princess' new knights. Got it memorized?" smirked Axel.
"It's too bad that things didn't work out the way you planned," added Sailor Jupiter.
"But thanks to you, we've regained all our memories of the past," finished Sailor Venus.
"We'd like to show you…" said Sailor Mercury.
"...How very grateful we are," finished Sailor Mars.
"Grah! Don't be condescending to me, you presumptuous dress up dolls!" roared Kunzite.
"Return Tuxedo Mask, I mean Endymion! You have no right to keep him!" cried Sailor Moon.
"If you refuse, then you will die where you stand!" added Riku.
"And that's a punishment that Sailor Moon doesn't want to give you, even if you force her too!" finished Kairi.
"You're returning him to us, whether you like it or not!" cried Goofy.
"Yeah, you said it!" agreed Donald.
"I'd be willing to let him go, if you'd just hand over the Silver Crystal," replied Kunzite.
"Deceit and Self-Interest will never be virtues that everyone will follow! But by the light of Kingdom Hearts, and the Will of Selene, our journey has just begun!" proclaimed Sora, summoning his Keyblade.
Kunzite then engulfed the cavern in darkness, and summoned twin blades to strike them down. He flung them at Sailor Moon, which cut her down.
"Sailor Moon!" cried Sailor Venus who caught her in her arms.
"THAT'S IT!" screamed Sora.
He charged at Kunzite, and the battle was on between them.
"Heartless, destroy them!" shouted Kunzite, as he was driven back by the frenzy of Sora's attack.
"He's diseased, everyone. Albeit a disease of Queen Beryl's making, but no more," said Riku.
"Riku's right, he's officially become his demise," agreed Sailor Mercury.
"You said it!" added Sailor Mars.
"It is you who's become your demise if your silly attacks can affect me here in my world!" scoffed Kunzite, who began forcing Sora back.
Sora glared furiously at him, while Kunzite smirked pridefully.
"Ah, I see Zoisite was right about you, Sora. You do carry Vanitas inside your heart. While you sometimes have trouble controlling your anger, I could teach you how to focus it, and give you the strength to create a new Destiny. Come, join Queen Beryl, and Metalia," he said.
"I desire just one noble destiny. More than any power you can offer me!" retorted Sora.
"Then accept your doom!" growled Kunzite.
He flung his daggers right back at them, but they endured it.
"We need to put our powers together to protect Sailor Moon! Let's do it everyone!" cried Sailor Venus.
They raised the transformation pens into the air, and the Keybladers readied their weapons, while Donald and Goofy, kept the Heartless at bay.
"Venus Power!" called Minako.
"Mercury Power!" cried Ami.
"Mars Power!" shouted Rei.
"Jupiter Power!" bellowed Matako.
Then the Keybladers channeled their energies into both her and Sora, as Kunzite tried to stop them, but they still endured it nonetheless, until Sailor Moon awoke.
"STOP IT!" she and Sora cried out.
"Even if you went out right now and bought us the hope that transcends designs of our replacements, I can't forgive you for trying to hurt those that are precious to me and Sora! On behalf of the moon, We sentence you to death!" Sailor Moon said furiously.
She then brandished her Moon Stick.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" shouted Sailor Moon.
The power of Sailor Moon's friends also surged into Sora, as well, granting him new strength.
(Play the Shining Finger Sword theme from Mobile Fighter G Gundam for this part)
"Take a careful look, Kunzite. The future is burning SILVER!" he shouted.
Kunzite tried to strike him but Sora jumped out of the way.
"This Keyblade of mine burns with an awesome power! It's burning light tells me to defeat you!" he cried out.
Then he and Kunzite lunged at each other but the young Keyblade Master forced him back, until he was at his mercy.
"TAKE THIS! MY LOVE! MY HOPE! AND THE POWER OF MY FRIENDS!" he screamed.
Then suddenly his Keyblade vanished, and was replaced by the X-blade, making Kunzite shocked.
"I am Kunzite, a proud member of the Dark Kingdom's four Kings of heaven! You will never make me see redemption, EVER!" he roared.
"ANCIENT LIGHT!" he called out.
With a mighty swing, Kunzite tried to strike down Sailor Moon, but she deflected it right back at him.
"Impossible!" he gasped, as he felt the blade pierce his body.
"Go back to the darkness from whence you came, Kunzite!" Sora said, as he fired the beam of light at him.
"To be defeated by my own weapon, and this extraordinary boy. Oh Zoisite, guide me to the world where your heart is residing, I'm coming my beloved!" he cried out, and vanished into nothingness as Sora slashed at him.
He turned to Sailor Moon and looked at her.
"We did it!" Sora cried out in triumph.
"The power these two possess is just incredible," admitted Luna.
"Even greater now," added Artemis.
Sailor Moon and Sora slowly walked to the cats.
"Are you going to be alright Luna?" she asked.
"I'm okay, Usagi, I mean, Sailor Moon. no, you're Serenity, aren't you? The Dark Kingdom's lair is located at D-Point in the Arctic Circle," replied Luna.
"You're going to have to hurry, before the dark spots on the sun spread. There isn't much time left!" added Artemis.
"Okay, we'll storm the Dark Kingdom Immediately! Right everybody!?" declared Sailor Moon.
"Right!" her friends said in agreement.
"But before we do, I want all of you to spend whatever time you have left with your friends and your families," suggested Sora.
"Okay, but in the name of the Moon and Kingdom Hearts!" Sailor Moon said.
"WE'RE PUNISHING YOU!" everyone cried out together.
The time for the final showdown would soon begin.
