PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE

Chapter 58: Preparations for War

Hikaru leaned over the sleeping Chibi-Usa and gazed at her peaceful face. Any stress she had during the battle was gone, which greatly relieved him.

"Small Lady has been victorious," Setsuna said. "You must have been beside yourself with worry for her, Helios."

"I believed she could do it, no matter what. I just didn't know how strong the enemy was until I saw all three of them struggling against the Black Apple. Those in the Syndicate are indeed terrifying adversaries. I wish there was more I could do to help the princess in this upcoming battle."

"I think being her main pillar of emotional support is more than she could ask for. I'm sure she would need a shoulder to cry on during this impending war, especially now that Inuken Midori has revealed her role in this."

Michiru held the Deep Aqua Mirror, which had shown them the entire conversation in Midori's dream, and added, "It's hard to imagine that Sailor Zarnik was trying to solve this conflict by herself. What was she thinking? This battle has become too huge for her to handle alone."

"No matter what has happened with her in Alkima, the fact remains that everyone in the Syndicate is an enemy of ours, no matter what their motives are," Haruka glowered. "The Little Lady better not falter with her conviction to protect Earth, even if it means having to fight Sailor Zarnik."

"Even so, if she's able to talk to the Camarilla and make them see that she cares about their plight too, then perhaps we could gain some valuable allies on our side."

"I wouldn't count on it."

Michiru could only frown at her skeptical partner, but she completely understood where Haruka was coming from. All she could say was, "Then we'll have to leave this issue with Chibi-Usa and Midori. I'm sure they'll figure out a solution that benefits everyone."

That was when the three sleeping girls finally began to stir awake. Chibi-Usa and Hotaru woke up first, lifting their heads off the bed and rubbing their groggy eyes. Chibi-Usa looked up at Setsuna and beamed, "Puu! You made it!"

"I'm sorry for being late, Small Lady. Hikaru called us over after you and Hotaru had fallen asleep."

"Thank you for sending your powers over to us! It really saved us!"

"Yes, we were in real trouble there," Hotaru added.

"Are you okay?" Haruka asked.

"There's nothing to worry about. We managed to drive Eris out of Midori's heart without affecting her own inherent darkness."

"Ah… Speaking of which, did you two find out the source of Sailor Zarnik's darkness?"

"Not really. But Eris did say that they were born from the same darkness, so if I had to guess, I wager they both originate from the ultimate source of evil in this world – Chaos."

"Chaos, huh? I can see why Eris would want to take over her body then," Michiru murmured, staring intently at Midori as she winced in pain from a throbbing migraine. "But how can there be a Sailor Soldier who represents Chaos, yet isn't evil herself?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Setsuna replied sternly, "but there is a theory I wish to do some research on. If she really is related to Chaos in some way, it might explain the mystery surrounding Sailor Zarnik's darkness."

"Then I'll leave that to you."

While the women were talking, Midori groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Although her skin appeared healthier than before, she still looked absolutely exhausted. It took her a minute or two to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the hospital room.

"Are you all right now, Midori?" Hotaru asked while feeling her forehead for her temperature. "Wow! Your fever's gone up a lot!"

"Ugh… I feel miserable…" the sick girl moaned. "My head's pounding… And I can't see straight…"

"Hang on. I'll get the doctor!"

Hotaru and Haruka left to go find someone to treat Midori. She stared at the overly worried Chibi-Usa, then said, "But at least this pain proves I'm alive…"

"Heh heh… I'm so glad you're okay," Chibi-Usa wiped her tears. "Even with everything you told us, at least you're safe from Eris."

"I'm sorry… for doubting all of you…"

"Don't worry. What matters is that you told us the truth. Now we know the full story, and you don't have to burden yourself anymore."

"But the Camarilla… And the Silver Crystal…"

"One thing at a time, okay? You should focus on resting."

"Hm…"

Haruka and Hotaru returned with the doctor, and the small crowd backed out of the way to let him examine his patient. He told them that she indeed had a high fever due to the flu and malnourishment, and advised that she remained there for at least three days. Once he was finished and left the room, they congregated around her again.

"Haruka," Michiru said to her partner, "You should bring everyone else home. I'll stay here for the night."

"What for?"

"I'm worried that Eris or any of her minions will see this as an opportunity to attack Sailor Zarnik while she's incapacitated. At least one of us should guard her from such a potential threat."

"That's true. Then you, me and Setsuna can take turns until she recovers."

"No objection here," Setsuna offered. She placed her hands on Chibi-Usa's shoulders and said, "We should go home for the night, Small Lady. The doctors can take care of Midori."

"Okay…" the young girl relented. As she was about to say good-night to her friend, she remembered that Midori actually wanted to talk to her after the lecture at Infinity Academy was over.

"Midori? Just before I go, you said before that you wanted to confess something to me, right?" Chibi-Usa asked.

"I did."

"Then was all of that-?"

Midori nodded gently. "It isn't necessary to worry about that anymore. What you saw and heard was the truth."

"I still have a hard time believing it…"

"Chibi-Usa," Hotaru said. "Now that she is willing to cooperate with us, we have to let the king, queen, and everyone else know what's going on. There's a good chance that the Animus Syndicate is preparing for an all-out war with Crystal Tokyo as we speak. We need to stop it before this city suffers another crisis like when the Black Moon Clan invaded."

"You're right."

"Hmm?" Midori murmured. "Once I get all of these affairs sorted out, I wouldn't mind hearing the details behind what happened then."

"Oh, that's right! I wanted to tell you all about the troubles I went through back then, thinking that you would feel better if I told you that I knew what it was like to be alone and scared…" Chibi-Usa said. "I thought that was why you were feeling depressed; because the Syndicate was deliberately targeting you, and you weren't able to tell us why."

"No, that's not it at all."

"I understand that now. You don't need to handle this alone anymore. Let's work together to stop the Syndicate and save your old comrades from their madness."

They held hands as a symbol of that agreement. Midori frowned and murmured, "I don't know how willing they'll be to listen. They'll think I've betrayed them."

"Don't worry. We'll all do our best to convince them."

Hotaru said, "Once you're feeling better, we'll bring you to Crystal Palace so you can have an audience."

"Very well," Midori replied and closed her eyes. "I'm so exhausted…"

"Have a good rest, okay?" Chibi-Usa said, then left the hospital with Haruka, Setsuna, Hotaru and Hikaru, leaving Michiru behind to guard the sick girl for the night.

In Upala Acropolis, Sailor Upala stood before her golden throne, with the Tree of Discord standing tall behind her. She stared at a squadron of 50 young women all dressed in identical grey Sailor Soldier uniforms. They looked incredibly rugged and worn out from the years of abuse at her hand, but they had followed her with only one purpose in mind; to escape the destruction of Alkima and become part of Upala's forces if they wanted to live.

"My Sailor Soldiers," she began, completely ignoring the indignation emanating from the embittered women, "it is finally time to fly the colors of battle once again! Too long has this lone blue planet reaped the benefits of the Silver Crystal. Neo Queen Serenity has claimed all of its glorious power to herself, denying the rest of the universe its miracles! It is our sworn mission to dethrone that tyrant and claim the Silver Crystal if we are to rebuild Alkima Galaxy into a world without war and strife! Nay, the new Alkima will become the epicenter of the cosmos from which peace will reign supreme for all eternity!"

All at once, the Sailor Soldiers placed their fists upon their chests and chanted, "For Alkima!"

"Soon, this acropolis will emerge before Crystal Tokyo, symbolizing the end of our long, arduous journey. All of your training and mental discipline will be put to the ultimate test in this battle. Earth's warriors may have been valiant at resisting our Erisian attacks, but they will fall before the might of Alkima's experienced Sailor Soldiers. Kill any and all who stand in our way of restoring Alkima's former glory! Fear not, for the Goddess of Victory is on our side! Defeat will never be an option!"

"For Alkima!"

"And to those who have betrayed our cause, may death be their only sentence!" Upala added, showing them digital projections of Naja, Varan, Gyps and Apis. "My former Camarilla have failed me time and time again to retrieve the Silver Crystal, and they lost a significant number of Erisians to Earth's warriors. If you see them, kill them on sight! They are nothing more than traitors and fugitives! Succeed in your tasks, and I shall grant you the exalted positions of being the new Alkima's most powerful guardians!"

"For Alkima!"

"Now go, my elite warriors! Overthrow the diabolical Serenity and her kingdom! Kill the traitors and bring me the Silver Crystal! For Alkima!"

"For Alkima!" the Soldiers chanted one more time, then simultaneously leapt out of the throne room and headed straight for the castle's exits, eager to begin the assault they waited so long for.

Upala watched them leave with a delighted grin, then she sat down, stared up at the Tree of Discord and asked aloud, "So it's finally time, isn't it?"

"As I have predicted, it is the perfect opportunity to bring a swift and mighty defeat to Neo Queen Serenity," Eris' voice projected itself through the tree.

"I understand that you were rather preoccupied yourself, Lady Eris. I had called for your presence numerous times, but you never responded to me."

"My dear, I was but only scoping out the capabilities of Earth's warriors myself. I had hoped to take possession of one's body and assist your troops with their battle, but alas, I was unable to do so."

"Hm?" Upala raised an eyebrow. The Goddess of Victory, losing? She wasn't sure what to make of this news.

"Are you perhaps displeased by what I said?"

"Not at all. It was simply Serenity and the Silver Crystal granting her Sailor Soldiers more power than what the Victory Crown can grant me. But I have complete confidence in your blessings. As long as you are around, I will never fail."

"So what do you intend to do? Surely you don't plan on sitting by the sidelines and watching this spectacle unfold."

"Of course not," Upala chuckled, then summoned a multicolored whip in her hands. "My blood is also boiling with the thrill of battle. I cannot trust those mindless peons to handle the Royal Family themselves, so I will have the pleasure of making them kneel before me myself."

She stood up and cracked the whip once at the marble floor, then added, "Besides, I don't trust anything but my own power. All those Soldiers will be good for is keeping Earth's warriors distracted. Even if by some miracle they did manage to take the Silver Crystal, there's no guarantee that they'll actually give it to me. They might have delusions of trying to overthrow me as well."

"Indeed. I sensed their corrupted minds brewing with feelings of hatred and jealousy of your incredible might," Eris said.

"As to be expected. They could only dream of reaching the lofty heights that I have achieved. Well then, Lady Eris, I will be out hunting. Will you be sending Erisians to provide backup?"

"Of course. We will defeat Crystal Tokyo with sheer numbers in this climatic battle."

"I'm getting excited already," Upala shuddered with glee, then strutted out of the throne room with purposeful clicks of her high heels. Once she was gone, Eris let out an exasperated sigh.

"It is such a pain to pretend to be subservient to that egomaniac."