AN: Enjoy!
Miya had ran to find Small Lady and informed Pluto about what had happened.
In the mean time, the Senshi and Starlights were fighting against hundreds of wraiths that were swarming the palace grounds.
Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune were outside the Palace trying to fend them off. But they were quickly overwhelmed and beaten. The wraiths had a hold of them tightly around their necks as the girls continued to struggle.
Mars and the Starlights were each engaged in separate fights in the corridors. They had managed to immobilize a few wraiths but were still overpowered as their own attacks were fired back at them.
Venus and Mercury found Serenity in the grand hall facing Endymion, who was clutching tightly on to the forearm of a crying Small Lady.
"Let her go! Why are you doing this Endymion?" Serenity yelled at the man who simply smiled at her.
"I just want to protect the two people I love." He walked up and forcefully grabbed Serenity's face. "You know I love you and I love our daughter more than anything. I'm just making sure that no one will destroy our family." And for a moment, from his sincere smile… Serenity believed him. But it was short-lived as the doors to the hall flung open. The wraiths were dragging all the senshi and Starlights in. They threw all the defeated soldiers in the middle of the hall as hundreds of wraiths filled the hall around them. Serenity quickly ran down to their side, helping them up.
"You! I should have known." Jupiter had gotten up and started to charge at Endymion.
In one swift movement he had thrust his sword through her stomach. "Yes you should have." His face was impassive as she staggered back and fell to the floor.
"JUPITER!" Screams and cries from her comrade were heard throughout the hall.
"Always the head strong one." Endymion sneered. It was followed by mad cackles around the hall. It died down as he spoke again, "My wraiths have taken over Crystal Tokyo and you senshi are now under my control."
He walked up towards the group and spoke gently to Serenity. "You'll never defeat me. You don't have the power anymore."
With a determined look on her face, she walked in front of the group and closed her eyes with her hands cupped in front of her. A light shone through her hands – the Silver Crystal. It was getting brighter and brighter, filling the hall. Endymion watched with a look of boredom on his face.
"Guys, we have to gather our powers to help Serenity!" Venus commanded.
The Sol senshi closed their eyes and concentrated. The Silver Crystal was getting brighter but Serenity had stumbled slightly as her knees weakened. Tired of waiting, Endymion pulled out his sword from Jupiter and walked quickly towards Serenity. Fighter had seen him and jumped out to protect her
He smirked smugly as his sword plunged through Fighter's chest. Endymion had known Fighter would die to protect Serenity and he moved swiftly so the Starlight would not have time to fire her attack. He pulled the sword from her body and Fighter started to fall.
The light of the Silver Crystal had vanished. "FIGHTER!" Serenity had rushed to catch her as she fell. She kneeled on the floor, cradling Fighter's body.
"Odango…" she detransformed to Seiya and lifted his hand to caress her face. "Don't cry." He smiled softly as he finally told her, "I love you. I'll always love you…" His arms dropped as he drew his last breath. Dark crimson blood was steadily trickling on to her pure white gown but she didn't care… nothing mattered now. It was as if time stopped as she continued to hug and cry over his lifeless body. Serenity had never found out that Seiya loved her but now that she heard his confession, she was happy yet devastated. Knowing that he loved her, she felt her heart lighten. It was momentary though… as Seiya took his last breath, it was as if he breathed the life out of her as well. She felt her heart shatter as she cradled his lifeless body. It was then that Serenity finally understood her true feelings for him. Sobbing, she whispered back, "I love you too" Into ears that would never hear her.
But everyone else heard her; Endymion heard her and it made him furious. He yanked her away from Seiya's body, attempting to drag her out of the hall. Small Lady, until that point, was too afraid to move. But when she saw that her mother was going to be dragged away, she ran up to her parents and tried to stop him. Endymion paid her no attention and swiped his fist at her face, knocking her to the floor. When he exited the hall, the wraiths had surrounded the remaining senshi and Starlights to take them to the dungeons.
By now, there wasn't a single dry face in the room. Mako and Seiya were shaking in anger after hearing their deaths. Usagi had buried her head in Seiya's chest while she cried; he embraced her tightly like he feared to let her go. Others were crying on each other's shoulders. Setsuna and Miya simply looked at the floor in pain while tears flowed from their eyes.
"Like I said before," Setsuna was trying hard to keep her voice strong, "Usagi-chan needs to follow her heart. Because she ignored her love for Seiya, the Silver Crystal was starting to lose its power. So when Seiya died," she hesitated for a brief second to compose herself, "the Crystal never shone again because Neo Queen Serenity lost the will to fight."
Haruka pounded her fist on the table so hard that a few of the drinks had spilt onto the floor. "We couldn't have lost! The rest of us are still alive!" She was trembling with anger. Michiru placed her arm on her lover's forearm and Haruka turned around to hold her.
Setsuna sighed. Miya shook her head violently as more tears streamed down her face.
As they were being dragged to the dungeons, Uranus had materialized her Space Sword and broke the chains that were binding everyone. She, along with Neptune and Saturn charged at the wraiths so that the others could escape. Wraiths surrounded them and grabbed them, as if to tear their limps off. Uranus and Saturn had sliced through most of the wraiths' bodies but more surrounded them.
"Saturn, we'll hold them back. Go back to the hall and get Small Lady!" Neptune had shouted at her. Saturn nodded and jumped high above the wraiths to escape the herd. Some tried to catch her but were beaten down by Uranus and Neptune. It was the last time she saw her adoptive parents as they were swarmed by the oncoming wraiths.
"They're gaining on us!" Mars yelled. She was running down the halls with Venus, Mercury, Maker, and Healer. "I'll hold them off! Run!" She turned around and flames surrounded her as she threw her attacks.
"MARS!" Venus yelled.
"Venus, keep moving. We're almost outside. We have to keep you safe!" Healer kept pulling her to run. They were running outside in order to escape to Kinmouku and from there they could strategize a counter attack. So they kept running in the dark palace… but it was so dark. They were close to an exit until Healer and Mercury were yanked to the side by a few wraiths hidden in the dark. Venus and Maker turned around and attacked the wraiths, only to be blasted back.
"Maker! Just take her and go!" Healer yelled desperately as she wrestled with the wraith who had grabbed her. But Healer's shouts were drowned by Venus's screams as she was thrown to the floor. Several more wraiths had joined the fight and overwhelmed them. Maker and Mercury were busy fending off the wraiths as Healer was trying to reach Venus to protect her.
But Healer was too late. The wraiths had slit open Venus's flesh as she continued to struggle and scream. Pinned down, Venus couldn't attack the wraith that had tore open her swollen abdomen and pulled out her baby.
"Gin…" she cried softly. And just before she fell into unconsciousness from blood loss, she saw the wraith fling her child aside. Then she heard two thuds as her unborn child hit the wall then landed on the floor… dead.
"NO!" Healer released a strong burst of light and the wraiths surrounding her had stumbled back slightly, giving her enough time to run to Venus. She lifted her lover's limp body into her arms and sobbed. But she was careless… too wrought with emotion that she didn't notice the wraith that ran its hand through her back, straight through her body. Healer's body fell forward, landing on top of Venus.
"Venus! Healer!" Mercury and Maker had seen from the corner of their eyes what had happened. They didn't even have time to mourn for their friends when Mercury was struck in the head. She fell and Maker tried to rush over to pull her up. She had foolishly fired an attack before running to Mercury's side. Her attack was fired back at her, hitting her squarely on the back of her head. Her body flew forward in front of Mercury. She was killed instantly.
Lying on the floor, Mercury started crying as she stretched her hand to reach Maker's body. She had lost hope of defeating the wraiths when everyone around her fell. She just wanted to touch her lover one last time. "Taiki. Miya." Inches from Maker, Ami looked into her husband's dull lifeless eyes for the last time. And a wraith plunged into her chest to rip her heart out.
"I went to pick up Small Lady and we had disguised ourselves as wraiths. We were heading outside when we saw them." Miya spoke as calmly as she could but tears were still streaming down her face as she recalled the death of her loved ones. She knew if she lost control now, she wouldn't be able to continue again. "Gin was 8 months along. He never even took a first breath."
Yaten and held on so tightly to Mina that his knuckles were white as he buried his face in her hair, crying quietly. She didn't feel his tight grip though… she just bawled loudly into his chest. Ami and Taiki were holding each other as they looked heartbreakingly at Miya with tears pouring down their faces. Miya avoided their gaze – she couldn't bear to see them like that.
Afraid of the answer, Rei whispered, "What happened to the rest of us?"
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