The Prison
Chapter Eight
Night Six
Death and Life

There was hardly a moment to pause for grief as a swirling black cloud erupted behind the throne. Everyone was thrown back, knocked away. The body of the prince the only one that remained stationary. Serenity looked up in horror as the mass of darkness tried to enter her prince. In anger and fear she held up her hand. Her voice rang in a command so strong that even Metalia, as the darkness was called, was forced to halt.

Never before had Serenity issued a Royal command. Behind it was all the power of the Moon Kingdom, and every generation of queen who had ever ruled there. She stood, her hand still outstretched. "You may not have him," she said, her voice now quieter, but no less demanding.

She stepped forward, toward Metalia, and the mass encircled her. The other warriors screamed out in fear as the mass entered the form of their princess. A moment later there was a disembodied scream as another wave of light erupted from Serenity. She lifted her arms high and the massive shadow fled.

"Sword!" Her voice rang, echoing off the walls of the chamber. A silver sword, accented with pink scrolling lines on the hilt and blade, appeared in her hands and she stepped forward slowly.

"You have destroyed everything I love, more than once," she said, her voice sad, almost hollow. "But I will give you one last chance Metalia. One chance at forgiveness if you will leave this planet and go back to wherever it was you came from."

There was a moment of silence before harsh, shocked laughter filled the room. Metalia's form shook with glee. "Why you kind hearted girl. No wonder I defeated you when you think like that." More laughter erupted. "Your mother was very like you, though she didn't give me a second chance. No, she sealed me away. For eons I was forced into my prison. And twice I have escaped. What makes you think you can keep me locked away now?"

"I don't intend to lock you away," Serenity said, stepping forward. As much as Usagi's forgiving heart filled her, she was still the heir to the Millennial Kingdom, and it was her responsibility to see the world protected. The prison of stone and ice could never keep the monster contained. She had no other choice. "If you don't leave, you will be destroyed."

"You cannot destroy me!" Metalia laughed again. "You've never had the strength." She was mocking, but Serenity wasn't listening. She turned to the rest of the Senshi.

"Lend me your strength," she said. Each Senshi, each Shitennou, each Hogosha, closed their eyes and willed their power to Serenity. She took another step forward as she turned. Graceful steps brought her closer and closer to the malevolent force until she was within arms reach of the roiling mass. She lifted the ancient sword of Queens and willed the Silver Crystal to fill it with the pure light of the moon. It glowed silvery white, filling the chamber with bright light. The strange eyes of Metalia closed against it.

"Will you leave our Galaxy?" Serenity asked.

"No," came the voice from within the shadow.

Serenity did not speak again. She lifted the sword high and brought it down into the mass. Metalia, who had thought she could escape because she was not in corporeal form, screamed in agony as her mass decreased, making her smaller and smaller. She couldn't think through the pain, and then there was nothing but a small black stone on the floor of the chamber. Serenity lifted the sword again, and brought the blade down on the obsidian, cracking it into small pieces.

She took one small shard into her hand, then stepped back as the others moved in. Each took one piece, leaving a dusting on the green marble. She knew they would hide the pieces throughout the world. Metalia would never be able to completely form again. It would have to be enough. She watched as they formed into pairs and disappeared.

She stepped lightly across the chamber to her prince, placed her hand over his heart, and was gone in an instant.

In a small, deserted park, once filled with beautiful trees and an incredible rose garden, a young woman stood. Tears fell from her face as she clutched a small rose pin to her chest. No sob escaped from her tight lungs. Instead, her tears were silent, as silent as her soul, which seemed to be dying a slow and painful death.

Her long blonde hair, once carefully set in two blonde buns with flowing streamers of gold falling beneath, was now tangled, in a different style, and was drenched with her own tears, and near the ends, the blood of her only love. She looked up at the night sky, filled with stars, and the moon, which was close. So very close. And yet so far away.

At her feet lay the body of her soulmate. Her Soul-Bonded. She couldn't bear to look down and see his pale, lifeless countenance. She held herself in check, hoping beyond hope that she could take just one more breath, see the moon for just one more minute before her world collapsed completely.

In agony, she released the scream that she had been holding for so long. She threw her hands wide and let the anger, the pain, the devastation loose. A brilliant flash of white light flowed from her, encompassing the city of Tokyo as the sound of her heartache echoed from the park and onto the walls of nearby buildings. The scream continued as she raised her arms.

It was one word only and filled with such longing it made the stones weep. A shattered woman's last utterance. Beneath her feet the sodden grass changed, though in her anguish she did not see it. She saw nothing but the lifeless corpse before her. Even when she closed her eyes she could not escape the pain of her loss.

His body began to lift, until it was on a raised dais in front of her. The ground seemed to swell upward, though she took no notice. A shimmery material, all silver crystal began to form around the two of them as she collapsed over his chest. She wanted him to wake, or she wanted to die, whichever would bring them back together.

Is this what it was supposed to be? She wondered as her tears spilled across her only love. He had protected her, loved her, for such a short time in this life. He had deserved life, love, happiness. She couldn't help but believe his death was her own fault. Weak with despair she climbed up beside him on the widening dais and lay next to him, willing herself to stop breathing.

'I just wish he would wake, and we could be together forever,' she thought, and closed her eyes once more. The walls continued to build around them, closing them off from the world inside what was quickly becoming a beautiful palace. 'Perhaps a tomb for us to share forever,' she added sadly. She was tempted, so very tempted, to take his sword, as she had done in her past life, and impale herself. It couldn't possibly hurt as much as the idea of living without him.

There was nothing left for her if he no longer breathed. She could only think to close her eyes and drift into eternity with him, forever bound.

Sleep took her. Quiet, gentle, healing sleep. The walls continued to build into a large chamber, silver crystal, now edge with golden crystal scrollwork in the shape of the crescent moon, seeming to hug the planet earth. Her sad sigh filled the air as she turned to her lover in her sleep.

Outside the walls of the chamber the building continued to expand, becoming an incredibly beautiful castle. And beyond, around the edges of the park, stood the Senshi, and the Shitennou, and the Hogosha, who had come to their aid in the final moments of the battle with Metalia. Tears flowed from their faces. Tears of sorrow and pain and guilt. Each wondered if they could have done something more to protect their prince.

They watched in silence as the castle continued to build itself around the royal pair. None of them questioned that they would never see either of their savior's faces again. They all knew there was nothing to be done. No hope for a future of laughter and children for the pair who had endured so much in their last life, and in this. Moments flashed in their memories.

Usagi holding her hands out as she prayed, reaching for the others as she gave what comfort she could to the dead. The love she felt for the little black feline who had so recently entered her life. Her admittance that she had known stealing the money to send her family away from the horrors of Tokyo would mean her imprisonment. Her tears at the memory of her father's death. The joy in her eyes when she fell in love with Mamoru. The moment when in desperation and anger she had brought a small girl back to life.

Mamoru, holding his arms protectively in front of them, helping them to adjust inside the prison. His quick grin when they were alone in their cell. The lessons he had taught them about defending themselves and each other. The light in his eyes the first time he had seen Usagi. The hope he carried with him, wrapped around all of them like a warm blanket. His lessons to them, teaching them to defend themselves. His ability to see more in them than they could see in themselves.

And all of them stood, silent sentinels in their grief. Two holding felines on their shoulders. They knew, come morning, that they would be forced to aid in the rebuilding of Tokyo. So many had been lost, but there were still others alive. Others who needed them. The missing, the dead, the bereaved and the ill would be there, asking for aid and comfort. It was their duty to remember their protectors and fulfill their promises.

"Do you see that?" Whispered a child, coming to stand beside North Knight. His silver hair was in his face, hiding his tears, but he looked down at the girl. Serena. Behind her, one hand on her shoulder, was Darien. He wondered how they had arrived. He saw that she was pointing and followed her aim to look around the edges of the Crystalline Castle. Roses were blooming now, beautiful roses in shades of silver and gold and shining, luminescent white.

The two children walked forward a few steps, and the girl, who looked so much like their Usagi, let out a small laugh, her blond hair swirling around her shoulders as she spun to look at the incredible palace forming before their very eyes. She turned back to them and smiled. None of them knew what to say. How could they tell this little girl that her angel would never come back? She raised her arms, the boy coming up behind her.

"I never thought I would see this," she said, her voice tinkling in the darkness. "It's so beautiful," she whispered the last words and turned back to the castle, which was now several hundred feet high, and even wider at its base, with a small bridge covering the stream.

She grabbed Darien's hand, and raced toward the completed structure. The others tried to call for them, to stop them, but the two were gone in a flash. The Shitennou and the Inner Senshi looked at each other and stepped forward. None of them wanted the two children to see what they knew was inside. They did not want to disturb their princess, but it was up to them to protect her and their prince, even in death.

With heavy hearts they all stepped forward and followed the children. The Outer Senshi as well as Shingo and Haruki took positions around the structure, guarding it from anyone who would attempt to enter the final resting place of their Royal Couple. Tears fell on the grass at their feet, and flowers sprung out of the ground around them, though in their grief they were blinded to the sight. Others joined them as they stood silent watch. Yuzuki, Takeo, Helios, and many they did not know, but who glowed with an inner light and the need to serve faithfully the ones who had saved them.

Mars led the way inside, West Knight just behind her, one hand on her shoulder in comfort. Sobs wracked her frame as she took in the beauty around her. The crystalline bridge, the steps leading up into a long hallway that led into what appeared to be a throne room with one Silver Crystal and one Golden Crystal throne. No one spoke when they beheld them, but every cheek was wet with tears.

Two other doorways, one along each side wall, led away from the large room, and a smaller doorway, this one closed off by a door with scrollwork roses was barely visible in the tiny space between the two thrones. It was to this door that Mars felt drawn. She opened it onto a long, narrow hallway with many doors on either side. But she was drawn deeper down, to the very end, past several chambers that were open and appeared to be living spaces.

Another door, also carved in crystalline roses, was closed at the end. Mars nodded, and West Knight stepped forward to open it. The others followed them inside. On a dais lay the Prince and Princess. Both looked so still that Mars let out a sob of anguish and fell to her knees. The others soon joined her, all crying out their grief and pain.

"What's wrong?" North Knight looked up, startled at the question, and at the voice. So deep and concerned. So familiar. He gasped and nearly fainted in shock. His eyes took in the worried question in the midnight blue ones that held his gaze.

"Mamoru?" He asked, and his was not the only voice crying out in joy and fear. Had the princess already taken her own life? Would they now have to witness his grief as well?

Suddenly, the blonde-haired princess stirred beside him, the long-tangled hair lifting as she raised her head. "Strange," Usagi murmured. "I thought I heard Mamoru speak." She opened her eyes and saw him sitting up beside her and her eyes closed briefly before she reached out one trembling hand and touched his shoulder.

"Are you real? Have I already died? I thought surely it would take so much longer." She smiled. "At least we are together at last." She lifted her hand to his cheek.

"Princess?" Mercury spoke cautiously. "You aren't dead." She lifted her Mercury computer. "And neither is Mamoru." She sounded shocked. It was understandable, considering she had checked his life signs so recently, and they had been non-existent.

"How?" Jupiter whispered.

No one spoke for several long minutes. The princess finally let out a cry and threw herself at the prince. He gathered her into his arms and for a long time held her while she sobbed. "You can't die! You can't leave me again." Her sobs were heart wrenching. No eye in the room was dry, even those of the prince who held her.

"What happened?" Mamoru finally asked.

"You died!" the horrified scream was followed by Usagi passing out in his arms. He gently kissed her forehead and pulled her even closer to him, holding her tightly to his chest as he kissed her gently on the forehead.

"It is the beginning of Crystal Tokyo," said a young female voice, and all eyes turned to look at the two children who had come into the room. Serena and Darien stood together, and for a moment there was silence as they beheld one another.

"What is Crystal Tokyo?" Mamoru finally asked.

"Your kingdom." Darien grinned. He looked so much like Mamoru that for a moment he wondered if he was looking at another reincarnation of himself. "My liege, Neo-King Endymion," he continued. "We weren't supposed to arrive until this moment, but there was a problem in the vortex and we got lost. We have come to give you this."

The boy held out one roll of parchment, the girl another. Mamoru shook Usagi awake gently and she stared at the children. "They have come from Crystal Tokyo."

"Future Crystal Tokyo," clarified Serena. "My liege, Neo-Queen Serenity. Please accept this." She drew closer and took Usagi's hand in her own, placing the parchment into her palm and closing her fingers around it. Darien had stepped forward at the same time and gave his parchment to Mamoru.

"We have to go now," Serena said, but she killed the back of Usagi's hand. "Thank you for saving me Majesty."

The two children backed out of the room, and before anyone could stop them they had disappeared. Mamoru looked down at the parchment in his hand, Usagi the parchment in hers. Neither knew what they held. They looked to each other before sliding fingers under the seals and opening them.

Tsukino Usagi,

You are probably very concerned about recent events, but I want to assure you that Beryl truly is gone, and Metalia will not reform. You must hide your piece of Obsidian on the Moon. In the throne room, behind the dais, there is a door. Enter this and you will find a chamber where only those of Royal Lunarian descent may enter. Place your piece of the stone here for safe keeping.

I know it is not your wish to rule, but you and Mamoru are the only ones who can keep the planet safe and well run. You must hide your true name, so you can continue as Sailor Moon. No one must know you are also Tsukino Usagi. This will also save you grief in the future. I wish I could explain more. For your own safety and for that of those you love, you must be careful not to let anyone discover all that you are.

You will go as Neo-Queen Serenity when you are inside the palace. As Mamoru will be Neo-King Endymion. When you fight to defend the city, you will be Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, and keep that identity separate as well. Your other names must be saved for your lives outside.

You will face a new enemy soon. Sets (Pluto) tells me I must not give you too much knowledge regarding this. It could negatively impact the timeline, and we have done everything in our power to ensure the safety of the people. This must not be changed.

Once you have healed the city, you will begin to assume the responsibilities as Royals, though it will be slow at first. Work together, love together, pray together. Your sorrows are not ended, but if you stay together there is hope. Always. I wish you well, though that seems a little self-serving coming from me.

Soon you will meet two young ones who will drive you nearly to distraction. They will be sad, and perhaps a little angry. Give them all of your love. That is the only thing that can help them heal.

Neo Queen Serenity,

Tsukino Usagi

Chiba Mamoru,

There is much I wish I could tell you, but we have learned from Sailor Pluto that meddling in the past can be dangerous. According to her it can create alternate timelines and just become a great big mess. Only events that we already remember should be recreated, and so we decided to send the messengers anyway, even knowing their near demise. They were not made aware that we knew, and we are just so thankful you were able to save them.

Soon you and Usagi must turn away from your old names and until then, you must keep those identities a secret from the world. You must never let anyone recognize that the two young people are also the Royals. Luna and Artemis remember glamouring. They only need to be reminded of the word. Ask them to glamour your royal selves so that no one connects the two of you with them.

You will discover a new enemy very quickly. I wish you well in that battle. You must always remember that you and your Soul-Bonded can speak to each other from anywhere on the planet. And that is the only hint I will give you. Artemis says it's already cutting it close.

Neo King Endymion,

Chiba Mamoru

Post Script. If you ever see a little pink-haired child disrespect our wife (get that done tomorrow please) put her over your knee and give her a spanking!

After everyone had read the two letters, Usagi asked for a few minutes alone with Mamoru. She didn't know how she had this second chance, but she was not going to waste a moment of it. She cuddled against him, holding him as tightly as she could.

"So, you will marry me tomorrow?" he asked again.

"Yes," she hid her exasperation. Apparently he was feeling insecure, which was a strange thing for her to accept. The man who was top dog in prison was worried about how she felt about him? It didn't even begin to make sense.

"I love you Usako!" He said, then swooped in for a kiss.

"I love you Mamo-chan," she replied when she got her breath back.

No one disturbed the two for a long time. In fact, none of the Senshi or the Shitennou were in the palace. They had gone outside into the park and were now celebrating with the others who had remained to guard them. Happy tears flowed now, and laughter rang through the night. Where so much despair had festered, now there was hope. They could see it in each other, and in the eyes of the people who came to gaze upon the Crystalline Castle, pointing and crying aloud that the saviors of Tokyo lived there.

Original Chapter 8 Reviews- Note (all reviews listed under chapter 7 are actually for chapter 8 as a new chapter was added)

Sailor MH chapter 7 . Oct 7, 2018
Well written.