Pre-Notes: This chapter is particularly special to me in that it sets the pace for the rest of the story. The meat and potatoes of the storyline truly begins here, so get ready, because you're in for quite the ride if I do say so myself. That being said…
"Xxx" is talking.
'Xxx' is thinking.
Xxx is writing and/or dream sequences.
Xxx is typed text.
"Xxx" is mental/psychic communication.
Chapter 6: Memories of the Lost
Yesterday marked the 17th year since her death . 17 years since she had been able to smile about anything. Grief had struck her for 2 years before she had begun to make an attempt to move on. She knew that it was eating her up inside. She knew that it was getting in the way of her duty to her people. She also knew that, at the time, she did not really care at all, because at the end of the day it changed nothing. Neo-Queen Serenity, Eternal Sailor Moon, or more commonly known to her Senshi, advisors, and husband as Tsukino Usagi, had failed her daughter.
She should have noticed what was going on. She should have felt the distance that was being created between her daughter and her more keenly. She should have done something about it, perhaps she should have sought her out more often, spent more time with her, talked to her more, perhaps. Perhaps she should have been less controlling. Perhaps she should have given her daughter more liberties, more choices. Looking back, she could remember her own mother during the Silver Millennium, and how she too tried to set her up with suitor after suitor, trying to get her to marry some foreign dignitary or another. She also remembered hating it all. Perhaps she should have looked back in hindsight and learned from her own mother's past mistakes. Perhaps she didn't because it was, ironically, through that very method which she had first even heard mention of the name Endymion, of the man that was now and forever her husband. Perhaps… but for naught now, for it was too late to do anything anymore.
An eerie silence had befallen the Crystal Palace since then during the night. Usagi had taken to wandering the halls late at night, almost as if she where haunting it's halls, the shadow of guilt reflecting in her eyes everywhere she went. Selene bless her Senshi, they where trying their best to run things during her time of need, but she knew that they could not handle such things for much longer. The state of Crystal Tokyo had been deteriorating ever since the Black Moon Family tried their heinous take-over, but during the last 17 years the state of the city had plummeted in her grief. Corruption had wormed it's way into the heart of man once more. Crime was abundant amongst the humans again, and the youma where starting to act up in the outskirts. Western Tokyo was considered to be a lost cause to the Senshi, she knew. The corruption of man had turned it into a cesspool of crime, greed, and corruption the likes of which had not been seen since the late 20th century to early 21st century.
Tonight found her on the balcony of her late daughter's room, gazing out at the stars, reminiscing to her more innocent days, to a time when she was just 14 years old. It was a time when she believed in the good of all man, when she believed her future was secure. A time of peaceful turbulence, as she thought of it now. Evil queens, threats from the future, Chaos itself, those where dealt with. The good times though, those outweighed the bad ones by years. She remember posing as her daughter's cousin back then, the arguments and fights that they had, the tender moments that they shared. The laughs and the tears, the fights and the heartfelt apologies. The shakes at the Crown, the arcade games, Chibiusa making fun of her every time she lost at Sailor V…
There was a minor shift in the air, and Usagi knew she was no longer alone in the room. "What can I do for you Setsuna?"
"Just checking in, your majesty. All is as it should be at the Gates," was the response as always.
"Good," said the otherwise quiet royal, her gaze out towards the moon.
Setsuna stayed there for a minute, just taking in the view of her queen looking out towards her kingdom with those sad eyes. Finally, she spoke.
"Are you well Usagi-chan?" she asked.
Usagi shook her head, being honest with Setsuna. "No Sets… I haven't been ok for a good while now."
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" asked Setsuna, her voice almost in a whisper as she stepped closer to hug her queen.
"Setsuna… I…" was all she got out before the first tremors reached the palace. The abrupt earthquake shook them to the core as they grabbed onto the rail to steady themselves, secure in the knowledge that it would not break apart unless the wards tied into the building collapsed.
"What's going on?" asked Usagi, bewildered at the strange phenomenon taking place. While earthquakes where not uncommon, their frequency was progressively getting less and less. The last earthquake they felt was…
"I don't know your majesty, but we're about to find out!" shouted Setsuna, her gaze over the horizon. Usagi looked towards the spot that Setsuna was looking at just in time to see the pillar of light shoot out from the Earth towards the full moon. Finally, the earthquake began to subside, allowing the girls to steady themselves and actually look at what was happening.
It was like de-ja-vu. It was exactly what they had seen the night she had felt her daughter slip away from her. Her hand went to her mouth in shock as her jaw dropped at the sight. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she realized what this phenomenon might mean. The clap of thunder sounded off all around as rain started falling, a storm starting up mere seconds after the lightshow began.
"Setsuna…" she said softly, her voice wavering. "Find out what is causing this. Go, now."
"At once, Usagi-chan," said Setsuna, snapping back into place as she teleported back to the Gates to begin her investigation.
Finally alone again, she allowed the tears to start falling. She started sobbing heavily, allowing the walls that she had build around her heart over the many years past to crumble away completely. She now knew, looking at the pillar of light before her, that she still had something to live for. For the first time in 17 years, she felt an emotion that she thought would forever elude her again.
She felt hope.
0-0-0-0
*Flash*
"My hat! Someone catch my hat!"
*Flash*
"Hi, my name is Hotaru."
"Hi Hotaru, I'm Chibiusa! You want to be friends?"
*Flash*
"I know you have the Imperial Silver Crystal, give it to me now!"
*Flash*
"Come on Rini, we can't stay here tonight, it's not safe."
"You sure Lina-chan? I'm sure I can take on whatever is out there."
"I'm sure… c'mon, I see a bridge in the distance, maybe we can stay under there tonight."
*Flash*
"By the light of Selene, Rikku, what have you done…"
"Who, me? I didn't do nothing. The fire did it. It saved me… it made me feel safe…"
*Flash*
"I want my mommy!"
"So, the Rabbit has finally been trapped! Time to die!"
"Not so fast Rubeus!"
*Flash*
"Jeez Usagi, how many times are you going to play that game? You're going to waste all of your allowance on that machine."
"I'm just gonna play one more squirt, now hold still!"
"No way, you still owe me a milkshake from last week!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
*Flash*
"Wow Serena, I didn't know you knew how to DJ so well!"
"It's not that hard Miki-chan. This synthesizer and these turntable are pretty old though, where did you find them?"
"They belong to the orphanage, they're putting on a play in a week, and they're using this for the sound!"
*Flash*
"Stay… away… from me…""Heheheh, not so tough now, are you little girl?"
"Can we keep her, boss?
"Yeah boss, can we have some fun with her?"
"Looks like we found us some entertainment for tonight boys. Strip her!"
*Flash*
"Well, I gotta get going, I'm meeting some friends up north in order to get settled in. Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Sure, I'll definitely keep an eye out for you. I'm Hotaru, by the way. Tomoe Hotaru."
"Basara Serena, at your service. But all my friends call me Rini-chan!"
*Flash*
"Don't you remember your cousin? Tsukino Chibiusa?"
"She's not my cousin!"
*Flash*
Serena…
*Flash*
Usagi…
*Flash*
Rini…
*Flash*Chibiusa…
*Flash*
"Wake up, chosen one. Wake up and live, be my voice, my will. Awaken, my avatar, for your journey has just begun!"
*FLASH!*
0-0-0-0
Usagi walked into the situation room, deep below the Crystal Palace where Artemis the now-human Mao and Ami Mizuno, aka Eternal Sailor Mercury where working on the much-upgraded Mercury Super-Computer, a console taking up the entire north wall. Tied to the wards that protected the palace, it also served as a powerful surveilance tool for the surrounding area and one of the most comprehensive databanks in existence.
"Status report," said an authorative Usagi as she walked up to her oldest friend and the first true scout to ever awaken.
"The pillar of light came from the west, from an estimated 28 kilometers from the city," explained Ami. "The readings I'm getting from it suggest that the energy was composed of a combination of Golden and Silver Millennium energy. The only explination I can think of is a simultaneous use of the Golden Crystal and the Imperial Silver Crystal, which is impossible due to the fact that both objects are currently residing in this very building and have been inactive for the last 30 years, ever since the Black Moon Family attempted its take-over."
"Have you been able to learn anything else about it?" asked Usagi anxiously.
"Not yet Usagi-chan, we're still analyzing the data that was recorded," said Artemis, who was pulling up graphs and charts of the energy expenditure caused by the strange phenomenon.
"I, too, have yet to find much else in relation to the pillar," said a new voice. Usagi and the others turned around to see Setsuna standing in the southwestern corner of the room. "It is unnerving. The Time Gates cannot discern what caused it. It is almost as if they are purposefully keeping this information from me. I'm currently in the process of tracking down the events that may have lead to it's formation, but it will take some time before I find anything."
Silence reigned for nearly a minute before Usagi broke it. "Is it in any way related to the pillar of light we saw 17 years ago?"
"There's a 97% chance that it is, though until the Mercury Computer is finished analyzing the data from the energy outburst currently in progress I cannot confirm that with absolute certainty," said Ami.
"I don't see how it can't be connected though," said Artemis as he inputted more commands into the massive console before him. "This outburst of energy is, up until now, identical in every form to the one that was recorded 17 years ago. The odds of it not being related are astronomical."
"I do NOT want to make any assumptions about this Artemis," snapped Usagi, making the poor Mau jump out of his skin for a moment. "I want to be absolutely certain that there is a connection. Chibiusa had a hand in the phenomenon of 17 years ago, and if she has had a hand in this one then I want no mistakes made. IF there is a chance that my daughter is the cause of this then I want all the information we can get on this pillar of power as we can get. Location, make-up, intensity, everything we can gleam to get us closer to the truth."
She went to the console and stared at the images being projected from the screens, a look of melancholy on her face. "If there is even an inkling of a chance that my daughter is alive… I will do everything within my power to find her."
Setsuna walked towards her majesty with a look of longing in her eyes, finally coming to a rest beside Usagi. She put a comforting hand on her left shoulder before saying, "Worry not your highness, if there is a chance that Small Lady is alive, then we will find her."
"Small Lady is not the cause of this power surge," said a new voice from behind the group.
Everyone turned to stare at the new comer. She was female, and covered in a black cloak with purple trim, a deep hood over her face. There was no mistaking who she was, however, for the Silence Glaive in her hand could be wielded by none other than it's mistress.
"Hotaru?" questioned Usagi. Having not been seen in the palace proper ever since her isolation on Titan Castle, it was indeed a surprise to see her.
"The energy released 17 years ago was the mark of a passing, a release of pure life energy. This energy, however similar, is much different. It has a feel of something I have not felt in years," she said, walking towards the group to take a better look at the pillar of light.
"What do you mean, Hotaru? Are you saying that there is someone else out there capable of doing this?" asked Setsuna. Usagi just stared at her, waiting for the cloaked Senshi of Death and Rebirth to continue.
"Chibiusa died 17 years ago. Of that I can assure you. I felt her passing from the darkest catacombs of Titan Castle. She is not the cause of this. The person who is, however, feels so similar to her that she has drawn me back. I now know what my purpose is."
"And what is this purpose, Sailor Saturn?" asked Usagi, now even more curious at what could possibly draw the reclusive Tomoe Hotaru out of hiding and isolation, be it her isolation off-planet or her hiding in plain sight within the Northern district.
"To nurture, protect, and guide a new breed of Soldier," she said.
The group stared at her in shock. Had they heard right? A new Soldier? "Saturn… are you saying that this is the sign of the birth of a new Sailor Senshi?" asked Usagi.
"Indeed I am," replied Hotaru, a smug-like tinge now present in her voice. "I have felt her creation. Finally, after countless millennia of being defenseless save for it's Prince, this planet has, at long last, given birth to it's first Sailor Senshi. A Sailor Senshi of the Earth."
"But who? Who is the one that was chosen to be the new Senshi?" asked Artemis, his voice sounding faint from shock.
"That," said Hotaru, "I cannot answer, for it is not my answer to give. I WILL say this, however - tonight marks the rebirth of a most potent power. This much I can feel."
With that said, the cloaked Sailor Saturn turned and faded out of the room, teleporting to Selene knows where. The remaining group stood there in shock, contemplating what they had learned from the Senshi of Death and Rebirth. No one could move, too unnerved to attempt to do anything but process what had just been revealed to them.
Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Usagi gave the command. "Everyone, head back to your posts. Keep an eye out for anything unnatural. The moment this new Senshi surfaces, I want to know."
They all looked to her, surprised to see tears streaking down her cheeks. Her eyes where ablaze with emotion, but outward, save for her tears, she betrayed nothing. Not a sob nor a whimper. Despite having her hopes of seeing her daughter alive again stomped on by Sailor Saturn, she still had a determination in her. Something was driving her, something just out of their sights.
Usagi stared at the monitors for a moment longer before she turned around and started to walk out, She stopped just outside the entrance of the doorway, however, and turned around, and said these parting words to the group. "I will meet with this new Senshi myself… even if it means having to become Eternal Sailor Moon one last time to do so."
0-0-0-0
I awoke to the pitter-patter of rain falling from the sky. I don't know how long I've been lying there in the rain, all I can tell is that it was long enough for my clothes to be thoroughly soaked. I shivered, the water was cold, but I just don't have the energy to move. My head is pounding, memories assaulting me at barely a moment's notice. It's too much. I can feel myself blacking out again. Pain…
0-0-0-0
This time it's the sunlight that wakes me up. I can feel the evil light trying to drill it's way through my eyelids and into my eyes in an attempt to fry my brains… well, maybe I'm over-exaggerating, but the headache I have makes it feel like I'm not. I groan as I use my arms to sit up, my eyes still closed.
What happened yesterday? I know it's something of great signific -
*Flash*
"TERRA CRUSHER!"
*Flash*
An inhuman wail piercing the night.
*Flash*
Dodging claws, threats, wanting to render flesh.
*Flash*
I cover my eyes with the palm of my hands and try putting pressure on them to try to alleviate some of the pain, flashbacks assaulting me left and right. I feel around and found the root of a tree which I used as a brace to try to stand. I didn't even last 3 seconds before I fell back down on my butt -
*Flash*
"Usagi, you're such a clutz!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
*Flash*
"Oomph!"
"Gomen-nasai!"
'Kawaiiiiiiii…"
*Flash!*
I gasp as the pain hits me again, the wind knocked out of me by the fall, the pounding of my head not giving an inch. I whimpered in pain. I was so dizzy that I could barely breath. I was so short of breath I was sure that I'd pass out soon from lack of breathing. I gulped in air like there was no tomorrow, trying to calm my nerves down as much as I could. My body shivered, I was cold and wet. It was the first time I noticed just how thoroughly soaked I was. I needed to warm up soon or else I was going to freeze or get sick. I tried to get on my knees to crawl for cover. I made it maybe a few inches before I collapsed.
I saw the darkness edging around my vision before I started feeling faint. I knew I was about to pass out. I do my best not to give in, despite the hopelessness that was now settling into my chest. I know if I give in again I won't wake up again. I was fading and fading fast. In desperation, I try to call out.
"H… he… he… he-el… hel…p…he-el…p… he…lp…" was all I could get out before my breath left me. Is this the end?
*Flash*
"You are not yet fully recovered, my child. Rest, I will watch over you. I will not let you go again. Rest, chosen one. All will be well."
*Flash!*
This voice was different. While the previous one was female, this one was male. While the previous one gave me strength and purpose, this one gave me hope. Hopelessness turned to relief, and I let out a therapeutic sigh of contentment. I had gotten the message. I embraced the darkness, now sure that I would survive this. All will be well.
0-0-0-0
The fields of Elysion stretched out for miles and miles, bright roses of different colors scattered throughout the lands. The sky, however, was dark, the air chilled. It was only a matter of time before the very roses of the land started dying once again. Off in the distance, well beyond the confines of the Shrine of Elysion, the pillar of light had just finished fading out of existence. Helios, First Priest of Elysion, was currently inside the heart of the shrine at the altar, kneeling before the King and his Golden Crystal and praying for guidance. Ever since Small Lady passed on, Helios has had nothing but the power of the Golden Crystal for guidance. The loss of his first and greatest friend had left him lost. It was only due to Endymion's intervening that he still had the power to protect this land from the corruption of the outside.
He was aware of Neo-Queen Serenity's plan to try and marry off her daughter to him. He had summoned the King that very evening to try and get him to dissuade his Queen for the sake of his Princess, for he knew that such a move would drive her to the brink of destruction.
He was right.
Now, the King sat before him, deep in meditation, the Golden Crystal spinning silently between his cupped hands, the power of Creation channeling through the focus. They where like that for hours before the King started stirring. Finally, the Crystal stopped glowing and fell back into his left hand. He closed a light fist around it and opened his eyes.
"Her rebirth is complete," he said. Helios looked up to his king.
"I'm glad," he responded. "Her life will not be easy from here on out," he said.
"It was never easy to begin with," he said, a melancholy look in his eyes. He stood up and stretched before turning away, his eyes shining with tears as he remembered. "When I first found her she was about 11 or 12 years old. She had just finished tapping into the Earth's energy for the first time. The state that she was in was enough to make any man sick. The sight of her that night still haunts my worse nightmares."
He shuddered at the thought. Small Lady reborn, her innocence lost. It was more than he could ever bear to contemplate. "What will you do now that her rebirth is finished?"
"Guide her, of course," said Endymion. "Reincarnation or not, that girl is still my daughter, and late as I was finding her, now that I know what she is and, more importantly, who she is, I will make sure that I am there to teach her what she needs to know to carry on the will of the planet."
The two of them made their way out of the temple and into the fields. So many roses scattered about. Endymion plucked one out of the ground and stared at it from the top. It was a beautiful red rose, deep in color. He flipped it over to look at the bottom. Ashy grey was the color that he now stared at.
"It has begun at last," he murmured. "The damage done to this planet is beyond repair. Earth is dying."
Helios shuddered at the thought. "How is it possible? This is the planet of Life," he whispered in disbelief.
"Life can still be snuffed out if it is not nurtured," replied Endymion. "But take heart my brethren. For where there is still the will to persevere, so too is there hope." And with those parting words, Endymion's form flashed gold for a moment before disappearing altogether.
Helios looked back from the spot where his King previously stood to look at the fields that now surrounded him. Endymion was right on one part at least. If something did not get done soon, this planet would perish.
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: I wrote this chapter REALLY slow on purpose. This chapter is supposed to set the tone for the rest of the story, as mentioned before, so I wanted to make sure that I had everything worked out the way I wanted it to go. The final part was a huge twist, I know, I'm sure no one saw that coming! So now both Hotaru and Mamoru know about Rini, how will this progress?
It's incredible how I spent nearly 2 months planning out how I wanted this to go before even starting to write it and I still feel the need to add in stuff that I never even really planned for in the end. A lot is changing right now as far as the story goes. My original synopsis has become more of a guideline than a sure-fire guide like I originally meant it to be. This story is taking on a soul of it's own, a scary thing all things considering. For all I know this story could take a completely different turn from the one I have planned for it, however, I'm sure that the key elements of it will stay intact. The scene in Elysion is important, keep it in mind throughout the story, and if you remember the SuperS manga, you will know why the symbolism in that scene is so important.
As always, feedback is much appreciated. For now though, I'm off to start planning the next chapter.
Till next time folks, I'll be watching…