Chapter 46
Usagi's Eternal Wish: A Brand New Life
Outside of the crater, in the Arctic Circle, Usagi and Sora could see a great darkness emanating from within it. They had found the lair of the Dark Kingdom, but Usagi remembered the promise she made to her friends, Ami, Minako, Rei, and Makoto, who did not survive their battle with the DD Girls, but she swore that she'd give it her all until the end. At the same time, Sora glanced back one more time at his friends who were battling the Heartless Queen Beryl had sent to try and finish them off at their moment of weakness.
"Good luck you guys, and may your hearts be your guiding key," he said quietly, making Usagi glance at him.
"So you're finally here," Queen Beryl said from within her throne room.
She could see both Sora and Usagi glaring up at the entrance, knowing that they had come to finish her off.
"I will personally see to it that you will both be destroyed by the darkness," she said.
The instant she said those words, Sora and Usagi whirled round to see a red orb coming towards them. It captured them both and disappeared into the throne room, where Queen Beryl was waiting for them. Once inside the orb containing both Usagi and Sora vanished, dropping them to the ground. Sailor Moon landed unceremoniously on the floor, but Sora landed in a crouch, and rose up to his feet, his Keyblade held at the ready.
"Welcome, Princess. And yes, you two, Sora, Guardian of Kingdom Hearts. You did good to get this far. I commend you for that," Queen Beryl said as she stepped out of the shadows.
"So, Queen Beryl. We finally meet face to face," Sora said bravely.
"Yes, the one and only in the flesh," replied the evil empress.
Then she slowly parted the darkness away to reveal Mamoru kissing her hand, making them both gasp in shock.
"Endymion, make yourself useful. Eliminate them both," she said to Mamoru.
"As you wish," replied Mamoru, who stood up and bowed his head to her.
Usagi was shocked to see Mamoru again, but Sora readied his Keyblade and prepared to battle him.
"We're not gonna lose to you," he said to Mamoru.
"Oh, we will see about that," Beryl said with a wicked smile, as Mamoru leaped into the air.
He drew his sword and swung down at them, forcing them to dodge to the side. But Sailor Moon was prepared to free him from the darkness and readied her moon stick with the Silver Crystal on it.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" she cried.
A brilliant surge of light burst from the crystal and began to affect Mamoru, but nothing happened.
"Useless! Even with the Silver Crystal, you're still inexperienced as a princess. You won't be able to dispel Queen Metallia's dark energy from within Endymion's body. Stop your futile efforts and hand over the Silver Crystal like a good girl," Beryl said pridefully.
Usagi was aghast. She saw Endymion jump towards her. Then she was struck by his sword sending her crashing to the ground, making Sora lunge furiously at him. Both warriors engaged in a deadly dance of Keyblade against Sword which amused Beryl. But then, Mamoru forced Sora back and turned his focus towards Usagi.
"Sailor Moon, die," he said in a monotone voice, flicking a black rose he had summoned towards her.
To Usagi's shock and horror, the rose soon transformed into a pair of ropes with black roses upon it, and began to zap her. Sora could hear Usagi's scream of pain and anguish, which made Beryl laugh as if it was like music to her ears.
"Mamoru," gasped Usagi through the pain.
"Mamoru, you gotta snap out of it! Come on, Mamoru Chiba!" called Sora.
But Mamoru didn't hear her, he continued watching Usagi writhe in agony. When the bonds vanished in a burst of dark lightning, Usagi collapsed to the ground, as Mamoru approached her, and delivered a powerful kick, which made Sora even more angry. He tried to help Sailor Moon, but some new Heartless tried to stop him.
"Out of my way!" he shouted, and began cutting them down as Mamoru picked Usagi up by the throat and began to blast her with dark lightning, that burst from his fingertips.
Sora glanced back, knowing that he had to help her, but several more Heartless continued to materialize around him, as Beryl laughed wickedly.
"Very soon, the entire sun will be consumed by darkness. And finally Queen Metallia will be resurrected," she said with evil triumph.
Without hesitating Sora lunged at the Heartless and struck them all down with a powerful killing blow, as Beryl commanded Mamoru to cease his torture of Usagi and finish her off.
"Bring me the princess's heart. I'm sure that Maleficent will take great care of it," Beryl said with a sadistic smile.
Weakened but still unwilling to back down, the wounded Usagi tried to reach for the Moon stick, when Pete stepped in front of her.
"Sorry, Little Miss Moon Princess, But your Moon Healin' Escalation ain't gonna save him!" he laughed pridefully.
"Now Endymion, strike her down! Bring her heart to me! And eliminate Sora!" cackled Maleficent.
"Once Queen Metallia is resurrected and back among us, she will have the strength to unleash the Silver Crystal's full power, and she will plunge this world completely into darkness forever. Everything you and your friends have fought for is now coming to an end," added Beryl.
But suddenly Usagi remembered her friends' words about how they would always be with her, no matter what, as Mamoru raised his sword for a killing blow.
"No! NOOOOOOOO!" Sora roared with unrelenting anger, having finally had enough of Beryl's twisted desire.
He charged at him, but Mamoru jumped out of the way of his attack and landed behind him. Sora whirled around to see Mamoru charge at him, barely blocking the blow, but managing to lock blades with him. Both combatants jumped back, then charged again in a far more furious clash of blades that left Queen Beryl's throne room ringing with the sound of clanging metal. Mamoru struck at Sora again, with a powerful two-handed blow from his sword, but Sora quickly forced him back with everything he had.
"I will not sacrifice Sailor Moon. We've had too many compromises; too many setbacks. You destroyed the Moon Kingdom, and we fell back! You hurt a lot of people, and we fell back! Well, not again! The line must be drawn HERE! This far, NO FURTHER! And we will make you pay for what you've done! Don't talk about Sailor Moon's friends like they're meaningless! Especially in front OF ME!" screamed Sora, his body overflowing with light that burst out.
Sailor Moon nodded in agreement, as she felt new strength flowing through her, pulled off her tiara, and struck Mamoru with her Moon Tiara Action at point blank range. Mamoru was shocked to see that Sailor Moon had managed to fight back, but Sora quickly rushed to her side and gently pulled her into a comforting hug, as the brainwashed prince collapsed to the ground, followed by her Tiara which landed with a loud clang.
"You did it, Sailor Moon," he said, as they both glanced at Mamoru's defeated form.
But their victory didn't last long, as Mamoru glared furiously at them, making them gasp in shock. Crying out in fury, Mamoru struggled to his feet, clutching at the part of his chest where Sailor Moon had struck him.
"Ha, we made sure the darkness seeped into every part of Endymion's being. You'll need to come up with more than that to defeat him," said Beryl.
Sora readied himself for round two, as Mamoru glared at Usagi. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Please stop," she begged quietly.
"If you strike down Usagi, Queen Beryl will eliminate you too," added Sora.
"Sailor Moon!" growled Mamoru.
"Stop it," Usagi said, raising her voice a bit.
"You don't need to fight her! you can still turn away from the darkness!" Sora said, trying to reach out to his heart.
"The darkness is all I have! Now DIE!" roared Mamoru, raising his sword.
"STOP THIS, NOW!" cried the two friends.
The instant she said it, she pulled out the music box and held it out to him.
"Please, try to remember. It's me, Princess Serenity. Long ago, we pledged our love to each other. I'm Serenity of the Moon Kingdom," Usagi said.
"Anyone who dares to defy the Dark Kingdom, must die!" shouted Mamoru.
"No, you're wrong! You were everything Serenity loved about you! Queen Beryl made you throw it away!" cried Sora.
"You've been poisoned by bad energy that's made you cruel, but kindness still beats in your heart," added Sailor Moon.
"You know that Sailor Moon doesn't want this Mamoru, and neither do you. So, please, you don't want Sailor Moon to strike you down, and then use your sword to take her own life, just like the star crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet," said Sora.
Mamoru looked at them, his expression softened, and he lowered his sword.
"Please," they said together.
Mamoru extended his hand and touched the music box. Then his body was engulfed in light.
"What!? What is that!?" cried Beryl.
Thinking quickly Sora then channeled Namine's power of seeing people's memories, and sifted through them, until he found one that seemed to be very important.
"What happened? Who am I? I can't remember anything. I'm all alone," said a young Mamoru.
"No you're not," two voices said.
He looked at both Sora's spectral form and Usagi standing near him.
"I'm here for you," she said.
Mamoru suddenly glanced up, as he felt Usagi's hands touching his.
"You're not alone. We'll always be with you," Sora and Usagi said.
The light faded, and Usagi and Sora looked upon Mamoru as he dropped his sword to the ground. Then he dropped to his knees.
"Mamoru!" they said.
"Usagi, Sora, thank you," he replied.
Usagi was so happy as she hugged him, and even Sora gave him a thumbs up.
"Mamoru, you're back," she said.
"Yeah, welcome back, Mamoru Chiba," added Sora.
"You'll pay for this, you fools! I cannot and will not forgive you once again for trying to take Endymion away from ME!" shouted Beryl.
They all looked to see her throwing a gigantic crystal at them, but Mamoru shattered it with his rose which struck her, sending the shards flying everywhere. Sora jumped in front of them to deflect them with his keyblade, but one plunged into Mamoru's back. Sora looked back, a look of fear in his eyes, when he heard Mamoru's pained cry.
"Mamoru!" they cried.
"Endymion, why must you protect that little girl, with that boy!? If you had chosen me, you'd be ruling as King of both the Moon and the Earth!" howled the wounded Beryl.
"Silence you wicked witch! You're finished!" shouted Sora.
"What's happening!?" cried Beryl, looking at her chest.
She saw that Mamoru's rose had indeed wounded her, and began to over take her.
"Mamoru, don't die!" Usagi cried out.
"Why!? Why is his rose able to defeat me!?" Beryl asked, feeling fear once again.
"Is it his energy!? Is the power of Endymion's love for that girl so strong that it could destroy my whole body!?" she gasped.
"It's time I told you the truth Queen Beryl. By embracing the power of darkness Metallia gave you, you ultimately became a slave of her twisted will. That's why Endymion's refused to love you. But after chasing after him so that you could win his affection, you were consumed by lust, one of the most dangerous of the Seven Deadly Sins," explained Sora.
"I refuse… I refuse to believe that!" she choked, as she faded away.
"Come Pete, we must depart immediately," said Maleficent.
"But what about Queen Beryl?" asked Pete.
"She is beyond help now. Now she is nothing but a puppet of the Heartless, just like Metalia," answered the Dark Fairy.
They soon disappeared into the dark corridor, leaving them behind.
"Please wake up, Mamoru!" cried Usagi, as Sora walked towards them.
"Leave now, get out of her quickly," he said.
Usagi and Sora looked at him.
"Go back to being an ordinary girl without any worries. Find yourself a really cool boyfriend," he continued.
"Nobody's cooler than you, Mamoru," replied Sora and Usagi.
But he fell still, and they knew now that Mamoru had fallen. Usagi cradled him in her arms, and she cried out in anguish, while Sora looked solemnly at her.
"Usagi, I, I'm so sorry. I know we tried to save him, we really did. But… but he was lost in darkness, when we fought him," he said.
Usagi looked up at him, as he turned his face away from her.
"I'm sorry," he said.
But Sailor Moon got up and hugged him.
"No, you don't need to apologize. You helped me save him, in the end. Thank you. Thank you, Sora," she said, as Sora gently hugged her back.
In another part of her lair, the wounded Beryl had managed to reach Metalia's pod, and bowed to her.
"Queen Metalia, I beg of you, please grant me your energy. Just enough power to crush those despicable fools. Please, Queen Metalia, I will do anything," she groaned.
"As you wish," replied Metalia.
Her Spectral form resonated within the pod.
"The time has come to instill hatred and greed onto all living creatures in the Realm of Light. Queen Beryl, eliminate all beings who attempt to resist, and turn the worlds into complete darkness!" she cried out.
Beryl watched in awe, as Metalia broke free from her pod, and surged into her, making her cry out in fury. Meanwhile Sora stood with Usagi as she leaned towards Mamoru's still form.
"I'm sorry, but I can't kiss you. Rei, Ami, Mako, Minako. three of them died without having a chance to kiss the boys they liked. Right now, nothing would make me happier than kissing you, but I can't. I'm sorry, Mamoru, but I'm not going to run away. I still have something left to do. Watch over me, I'll do my best," she said quietly.
Sora nodded in agreement.
"No matter how far apart we are, Mamoru, our hearts will always be one," he said.
Then together they walked out of the collapsing fortress of the Dark Kingdom. Outside of her fortress, a great burst of darkness erupted near the crater, and a large plant-like object emerged. It opened up like a flower, revealing Queen Beryl in a far more darker and more powerful form.
"At long last, all the dark energy is mine. I will now rule all worlds!" she cried out with evil triumph.
"Not this time, Queen Beryl!" called a voice.
Queen Beryl glanced behind her to see Sora and Sailor Moon walking towards her.
"You're here, you little irritants," she hissed.
"Wrong Queen Beryl, you're the irritant. You've let yourself be consumed by darkness, lusted after Mamoru for so long, and now you've become the very thing Sailor Moon was born to destroy," replied Sora.
Then you will die where you stand," she said.
She channeled the dark power and sent it surging towards them, but Sora jumped back, as it struck her down. A large spire formed where she stood, but then it extended outwards to create a platform for Sora to jump up to. Queen Beryl looked in shock. There stood Princess Serenity, now in her royal gown.
"As your knight, I'll stand beside you, Princess," he said.
Above the city of Juban dark clouds began forming and everything went dark.
"This is it, the world is coming to an end. Queen Metalia's dark energy has been unleashed upon us," said Artemis.
Luna was in anguish, she tried to go after her, but Artemis stopped her.
"Wait, Luna!" he cried.
"Out of my way! I have to go to the D-point now!" she yowled.
"What for!? It won't do any good! There's nothing more we're able to do!" protested Artemis.
"Don't you think I know that already!? But if we don't somehow stop Usagi, she's going to release the power of the Silver Crystal! And if she does that, you know she'll die like the way Queen Serenity did!" cried Luna.
"I know that, but there's no other way left to save the world now!" replied Artemis.
"There will always be a way, because there's more to light than meets the eye," Master Eraqus' voice said to them.
"Master Eraqus," said Artemis.
"Even in the afterlife, I know that Sailor Moon will overcome Queen Beryl with or without the Silver Crystal's power. Because you've seen her spirit, her heart. Luna, Artemis, some things are stronger than darkness, and confronting it is the destiny of every person who wants to keep all the worlds safe. It's her destiny, as well as Sora's. That's why they'll win," he said.
"Don't do it Usagi! You must not release the power of the Silver Crystal! If you do, you'll be gone forever!" called Luna, despite having listened to Master Eraqus' words.
Meanwhile, in the arctic circle, Riku and his friends had managed to disatche the last of the Heartless, and turned to see Queen Beryl standing against Princess Serenity. He squinted until he could see Sora standing next to her with his Keyblade pointed at her.
"It's up to you now, Sora and Usagi, give it all you got," he said.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Ready, Princess?" asked Sora.
Serenity nodded. Now was the time to finish this battle. Queen Beryl and Serenity soon unleashed their powers against each other, with Sora standing at her side, his hand on her shoulder, and his Keyblade held at his side.
"Tell me, why are you so determined to defeat me!? You dream of a lovely future that will never come to pass! But do you even realize that this world is already full of ugliness and filth!?" she snapped.
"You're wrong! I believe in it! I have faith!" retorted Serenity.
"Faith in what!? Everlasting love!? Indestructible friendships!?" shouted Beryl.
"All of it! We believe in this world! And the people who fought for it!" Sora and Serenity said together.
"You are fools! There's nothing more in this putrid world for anyone to believe in!" roared Beryl, who increased the intensity of her attack.
The intensity was strong, but Serenity never gave up, as she stood firm against her.
"Silver Crystal! Please give me strength! I need everyone's combined faith in love, to fight for the world we believe in!" she cried out.
Memories of Usagi's friends flowed through her and Sora as they told her everything they knew about love.
"My friends," Usagi said through Serenity.
"I won't be sealed away by the Silver Crystal now that all the dark energy's mine!" shouted Beryl.
She sent another burst of dark power, but neither gave ground as they kept the barrier up.
'Everyone, give us all your strength. Please, right now!" Sora and Serenity said together.
The spirits of Usagi's friends soon joined her, their hands resting on the Moon Stick in her hands. Then the Keybladers readied their Keyblades as they all joined her as Sora's Keyblade vanished and was replaced by the X-blade. The time had come to put an end to Queen Beryl's wrath, for good.
"OUR FAMILY IS OUR POWER!" Sora and Serenity cried out as one.
Queen Beryl looked in shock.
'What's that?" she gasped.
"YOUR DEMISE!" shouted Sora.
A burst of pure light burst from their weapons, engulfed Queen Beryl and destroyed her completely. At the same time, Serenity reverted back into Sailor Moon and collapsed to the ground.
"Thank you, everyone," she said.
Then she too fell silent, as Sora dropped down next to his friends, the light coming towards them. Concentrating hard, Donald teleported them to safety. As the light first engulfed Usagi, then Mamoru, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako.
"When I wake up in the morning, I feel the breeze as it rustles the white curtains in my bedroom. My cuckoo clock tells me it's 7:00 am. Then I hear my mom say, 'come on sleepy head, time to get up or you'll be late.' It's so hard to wake up, so I think to myself, 'just three more minutes and I'll get out of bed.' Of course, I'm late for school everyday, Miss Haruna makes me stand out in the hall, and all my tests are covered in red marks. On our way home from school, we all stop for some crepes, and go check out the party dress out on the store window. It's those simple things that made my life so happy and fun. I wish… I wish I could go back to just being a normal girl, before Sora and his friends came into my life," Usagi's voice said.
By the next day, Usagi awoke, and was now rushing out of the house, and off to school.
'It's a miracle. Not only did the dark spots on the sun disappear, but all of the girls have been reincarnated," said Artemis.
"It's sad. I feel sorry for them. Every single memory they had together is completely gone now," replied Luna.
"That's okay, they always have the chance to become good friends again," assured Artemis
"Yeah," agreed Sora.
"You're right," added Luna.
"So what now, are we gonna allow them to have their memories back?" asked Namine.
"No, it's better this way. One day a new dark force will rise to challenge them. And someday soon, they'll be needed to confront it," replied Sora.
"Yeah, I hope so," agreed Donald.
"And if we do see them again after their memories have returned, I'm sure they'll be happy to see us again," said Goofy.
"Yeah, they're part of our hearts," added Riku.
"No matter how far apart we may be, we'll never forget their heroic deeds," said Kairi.
"And I know that Queen Serenity will be proud of us," smiled Aqua.
"Well this is all well and good, but how will we know if they face new challenges?" asked Axel.
"The crescent emblems on our hands will let us now when danger is calling to us again," replied Roxas.
"That's right, I'm sure we'll help them again, when they need us," said Xion.
"And when they do, we'll fight for them as their Knights," added Terra.
"Cause that's what friends do. Stand together against all odds," grinned Ventus.
"So what now, Sora?" asked Mickey.
"Whatever new challenges await us, we'll be sure to fight with all our hearts. But still, I know that Queen Serenity will be watching us with a smile on her face," said Sora.
He then turned to his friends.
"Let's now take to stars beyond, and fly through the winds of adventures like the Skylark," he said.
Everyone nodded, as they returned to the Gummi Ship, and blasted off into space.
Back in Juban, Usagi complained about her test, and threw it aside. Mamoru complained to her about how she should be careful, but Usagi grumpily took it back and stormed off into the distance. Their adventure with Sailor Moon may have ended, but many more would come to follow in the future.
"It appears that Queen Beryl has failed in her appointed plan to rule the world she came from with an iron fist," said Ardyn Izunia, the chancellor of Niflheim, who stood in the throne room of the Lucian Citadel in Insomnia, gazing at Beryl's image.
"Indeed Ardyn. The fool who lusted after Mamoru was destroyed by the Princess and that boy, Sora. Who knows what they could be doing the next time he sees her?" replied Maleficent.
Suddenly a burst of time energy erupted and soon parted away to reveal the sorceress Ultimecia, standing with several individuals bearing a black crescent mark on their foreheads.
"If it pleases you, Maleficent. I think the Black Moon Clan would be more than happy to welcome your help," she said.
"Yeah, we'd be honored to have you helping us," added Rubeus.
"Very well then, may I ask who you are?" asked Maleficent
"Of course. I am Wiseman, leader of the Black Moon Clan," a cloaked figure said.
"I am called Prince Demande," a young man said in a regal royal outfit.
"I'm Saphir," the other man who resembled Mamrou said.
"I am Esmeraude," said the green haired woman.
"My name is Koan," a girl in a dark violet dress said.
"My name is Berthier, nice to meet you," she said in a cutesy tone.
"I'm Calaveras," the third girl said.
"My name is Petz," said the fourth girl.
"And I am Rubeus," added the man with red hair.
"Then I welcome you to our council," replied Maleficent.
"We are honored to stand in the presence of the mistress of evil, even though we are aware that you perished for the final time," said Demande.
"Do forgive him, he does tend to speak about what recently occurred in his time," assured Ultimecia.
"Your forgiveness is noted," replied Maleficent.
"So, what are we gonna do about those Sailor Bozos?" asked Pete.
"A very good question Pete. What we intend to do with them is to disempower them in the past, and prevent the formation of Crystal Tokyo on their world, with the malefic Black Crystal," explained Wiseman.
"I see. Then that destiny will be rewritten by your hands, and plunge all the worlds into darkness forever more, so that Kingdom Hearts can be in your possession," replied Sephiroth, who arrived.
"As it was written, in the Book of the Stone: On all lands under one destined sky, shall darkness prevail, and light expire, forevermore," said Demande.
"Then we are in agreement, Black Moon Clan," replied Maleficent.
She turned to Ultemicia.
"Ultimecia, how long until you have prepared your attack against them?" she asked.
"When the lost little rabbit has come to this timeline, that's when we will strike and eliminate them all, one by one," replied the time witch.
"In that case, I'll grant the Black Moon Clan, a beautiful gift. The power to command the Heartless," said Maleficent.
"You have our thanks, Maleficent. The Heartless will help out nicely in our time of need," replied Wiseman, whose face was covered by his hooded robe.
Then he, along with Ultemcia and the entirety of the Black Moon Clan, all vanished into the time portal.
"Are you sure we can trust these?" asked Pete.
"Indubedebly, Pete. Once they have found this rabbit, we'll take this opportunity to turn her into a Heartless," replied the dark fairy.
"Yes, indeed. And I believe they do require some compensation for their work, even if they do come from another timeline," chuckled Ardyn.
Inside his tower, Master Yen Sid soon received an unexpected visitor. She was dressed in a Sailor Guardian outfit that looked very much like Sailor Moon's, but the collar, skirt, and boots were black, while her bows were maroon, and the brooch was bright red. The gemstone in the center of her tiara was bright red as well. Her choker was black with a red bauble at its center, and her gloves had black padding. In her hand was a strange object, which Master Yen Sid knew as the Garnet Orb, one of the three sacred talismans.
"Master Yen Sid, I have bad news," she said.
"Speak, Sailor Pluto, and I may hear what you have to say," replied the former Keyblade Master.
"Small Lady, from Crystal Tokyo in the Thirtieth Century, has gone missing," said Sailor Pluto.
"How has it happened?" he asked.
"I believe the Silver Crystal that belonged to her mother has vanished, allowing the Black Moon Clan to launch an all out attack and ravage Crystal Tokyo. Now, they are coming here to this timeline, to prevent it's creation," explained the Time Guardian.
"Now, now. We must remain patient until the time Sailor Moon and her friends are needed once again. To that end, I ask that you return to the time-gate that Queen Serenity asked you to guard with your life. But, although I am aware that there are loopholes in some of the taboos to your posting, I am pleased that you have come to me to forewarn me of this new crisis this Black Moon Clan is plotting. Thankfully, this orb of time has allowed me to see into what will transpire in your world, and it is as I feared. The dark entity called Death Phantom is plotting to use the Black Moon Clan for his own benefit, in order to become a god of Destiny. Sailor Pluto, I ask you to alert Sora and his friends, and tell them to meet at my tower shortly," explained Master Yen Sid.
Sailor Pluto bowed respectfully to him, then she returned to the time-gate, knowing that she would be ready to alert this strange ragtag group of knights to come to the Mysterious Tower.
