Yin - Yang M: you mean Queen Serenity from the moon kingdom? That would be interesting to have her drop in for a moment.
kera69love: no one is killing her cause at the end of the day there's a lot of emotional conflict being had for the girls and her. Luna brought them all into it and has been a source of guidance, a figurehead, so when she attacked Endymion, it threw everyone off and everyone in their own ways to. Usagi, Ami and Rei for a little bit by themselves before the last two came in, so those three have the most evolved relationships with her. Usagi most of all. Ami was trying to play the neutral head cause she doesn't want to see anyone hurt, but knows she can't ignore what's right in front of her to. Hence Zoisite there to not so much ground her but to give her a small reality fact check that she needed.
sabina21: that's going to be a focal point in the sequel I'm writing the story line out for now. All of it will be in the sequel as this chapter is going to be the final one for this story. So stay tuned into the next installment.
bitbit2084: sorry, but the chapter was already getting so long, I had to end it there.
Tonia Rains: I love how you phrased that. Lol that was entertaining to read.
AvatarUzumaki: thank you and Luna's actions will have ramifications to them, it's why there's a sequel happening for this story.
6 reviews, nicely done, well this is it for this installement, but there will be a sequel coming out within the next month, or two. I've already starting working out the storyline so once I get some chapters written up and sent to my wonderful, helpful beta they will be posted up. So thank you again, read, review and enjoy!
The devil within ch.22 'epilogue'
Usagi POV
"Not to mention taking some serious damage to save our butts," Rei added pulling me from my internal thoughts as I was still compartmentalizing things. Trying to figure out what to do with Luna as she was still stuck on the 'I did no wrong' factor and defending her actions which was just making this situation worse and thus giving me a headache. I looked to a shifting Jadeite and saw him to still be wincing from his wounds.
The wrap he had around his arm speaking volumes about how much healing he still had to do despite the factor he was recovering magically. Mamoru, I know from seeing it earlier had wrapped up his own side and was doing his best to avoid agitating it. I check over and see him…Endymion still cradling his own wound. I wondered how bad his wounds were considering it was a sword that was jammed into him.
That knowledge only makes me bold in voicing my own reasoning in this mess the morning has become. "Let's not forget that Mamoru, Malachite, and Jadeite ALL fought against Metallia alongside us and helped us win," I look to her now, giving her my full attention as my thoughts were settled and my mind on certain matters made up. "It's time to face the facts and accept that you were wrong."
I can see Luna's going to protest though. It's written all over her. "Face facts?" she scoffs as if I'm the one that has a problem and in this case she's right, I do. "Like this fact that you were sleeping with the enemy the whole time?"
She stamps out like it's reason enough to have trust issues on my reasons. I frown at that knowing Luna had considerable issues with my love life regarding Mamoru.
She couldn't get past certain things that had NOTHING to do with her, yet she was constantly trying to interfere or interject herself into the matter.
"Or the fact that you risked everything based on HIS plan?" she called out. "Or the fact that you all could have died yesterday, and you barely made it after the final battle."
She does all she can to stand her ground. She was a stubborn one.
Now the girls and guys are looking back and forth between us like we're some kind of 'ping pong tennis match' or something. I abandon my plate of food which is telling for the girls as they shift around and wait to see what I'll say next. "Yes let's discuss the fact that you still manage to find fault in MY relationship with MY prince, yet again. Both in the past and now in this timeline."
Luna scoffed again. Like a mother who thinks that I'm going into a situation blind she remarks, "This isn't a relationship. It wasn't then and it isn't now. It's just sex for him and you're still too naïve to see it for what it is."
To that Mamoru, or Endymion, I still haven't had the chance to ask yet, gets defensive as his eyes narrow at her. "Hold on a second. It was NEVER just about sex," he throws his napkin down.
Turns fully towards her and adds, "I love her, always have, always will."
Luna scoffs again till Minako jumps in, "He's right and you need to accept it."
Luna turns to her, "You're not helping."
She shrugs, "Wasn't helping you."
Malachite gives a little snort at her response as he muffles his laughter. It's a rare sight to see Malachite stifling a laugh that's not malicious nor full of evil intent. I guess that comes from being with Minako. From what I remember she was the only one to get Malachite to soften up. He always did have a hard exterior, especially considering he took his duties very seriously. Minako did too mind you, but she was more adept at being able to be both hard when needed and soft when the occasion called for it. It was one of the reasons why they made such a good team. She made him loosen up and he grounded her better.
Before I can think much more into it, I can see that Luna is getting ready to berate him now for at this point just responding. I jump back in wanting to prevent her and him from getting into it.
"And yes, I based a LOT on his plan cause not only was it good, and well thought out, but it obviously worked. We're here, we're alive, the evil is dead and gone," I tell her. Luna looks back at me. "We made it Luna. We fought hard, we nearly died but we didn't, and we won."
I stand my own ground now, prepared to go into this mental battle of wits with her. "And I have this…," I look to the girls. "This sneaking suspicious notion that had we NOT had that help, we would have died in there."
It's then that the room goes even more silent than before, and I hate the fact that a single tear slips by.
You could hear the birds chirping outside, it was so quiet inside. Even the rocking motions of Grandpa Hino's chair were heard. No one breathed a word and I wonder if I made the mood worse by voicing my feelings and thoughts.
That is till Rei says in such a low voice that I can tell Luna can just barely hear, "She's right."
Luna looks to her as we all do. She's visibly not wanting to admit to this but still goes on.
Rei looks at us, a nearly unreadable expression in her eyes as they begin to water up knowing what she's about to say is dreadful to even have to express. "I can feel it in my bones even now, we would have all died in there, in the negaverse without their help. We would have decimated Beryl and Metallia, gotten rid of them both, but that's the cost it would have been for us to win…our deaths."
She swipes at the tear that falls as Jadeite puts a comforting hand on her back.
Minako joins in, "She's right, I felt it to,o and even now…going back over everything I know it in my gut that she's right."
Rei nods her thanks for Minako having her back as something akin to 'thanks' passes between them. Luna seems to be taking this all in as if trying to find a way out of accepting the facts as what they are.
"Their right Luna, you have to know by now that they were all battling two very vicious and powerful creatures of the negaverse. It was going to take everything the girls had and then some," Artemis adds on as he tries to tell her how wrong she was. "I'm aware that Beryl and Metallia were powerful forces, but so are the girls and this isn't even about that it's about trusting those that we once fought against." Artemis shakes his head.
"And we've come to accept and trust that they are on our side now. Rei, Minako, all of us are right on this matter. Just like I was about Mamoru being on our side. Yet you still went off and did what you wanted to do, consequences be damned." I get up from my seat and thanks to the added sleep and now the food I feel much better about confronting Luna on the matter and she's not looking pleased that things aren't going in her favor.
"Let's talk about that." She jumps up on the table, making sure to avoid touching the food as she sits herself down on the corner. "You mean about the necessary steps I took to ensure your safety in not having any more negaverse creatures roaming about."
I clenched my fists.
"Or the steps I took to ensure that IF you couldn't heal them, there would be no more nega-energy left in this world. Those actions?" her words only served to piss me off that much further as my fists turned white from my own anger.
"Good kami you friggin' cat don't anger her. Do you have no self-preservation?" Nephrite warns her as she turns to shoot him a small feline glare that is both nearly adorable due to her feline features and just looks like a peeved-off cat.
"He's got a point," Malachite adds on as Luna turns her glare towards him now, "Shut it both of you." Before she turns back to me trying to gain control of the situation.
She was going to find out the hard way very soon that she held NO control in this. "I stand by my decision and look at where we are now. The generals and your prince are healed, even if they are already comfy in here," She turns her nose up to them. "Rei confirmed it herself, so all is well."
My head bowed down at that. Not in defeat mind you but in utter anger and an attempt to regain control over myself. It took all of me to gather my strength up, so I didn't strangle her on the table where she sat as I was currently visualizing myself strangling the feline.
"All is well?" I repeated hoping that I heard her wrong.
"Oh, kami…this isn't going to end well." Jadeite mutters as he backs up and even pulls Rei back a little bit. Malachite pulls Minako back as Zoisite gently tugs Ami out of the area a bit too.
Each guy pulls their respective loves back as they know things are about to hit the fan. I can't help but crack a small smile at this as I see how this is going to play out.
"This is almost funny," I laugh a little bit out loud.
"What is?" Luna asks me as if I'm deranged though perhaps I appear a bit deranged from the bit of laughter.
"That the guys here who can actually take me on in a fight have more self-preservation than you do…," I begin. "You can't and yet YOU'RE the one who actually has what I'm not sure is the audacity or the sheer stupidity to tell me that all is well when things are so, so far from well."
I laugh for a few seconds till I blow up on her in a way that makes me sound like I'm a tea kettle that just blew the lid. "ARE YOU FRIGGIN' INSANE?!" I know I should have kept a better cool on since Rei's grandpa was still within screeching range, but I was to upset at that point.
Plus, it scared Luna so badly that she jumped up on the table and fell into Ami's lap before scrambling back on top of said table. The emotions are pouring out now as I feel the rage coursing through me. My voice lowers but the intensity is not only still there but cracking against the resolve to stay at a lower decibel. I'm honestly tempted to see if grandpa Hino left so that I can let loose and let the feline have it but I didn't want to get distracted.
"You rammed a sword, and not just any sword, but the sword of the silver crystal, the HOLY sword into my prince," I snap out making her wince when I describe the sword's original intended purpose which most definitely was NOT what she used it for. "The only surviving member of the Terrain royal family, and my future husband!" I bark at her. "And you did it AFTER he helped save us."
I breathed in again as I was on a barking mad roll, I was beyond pissed at her for this. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to look at her after this. "AFTER he killed Beryl, and AFTER he did everything that he said he was going to do and did."
She went to talk, "There was no guarantee that it was going to happen."
I balk at her now, knowing she was still making a fleeting attempt to get away with this.
"According to you…," I nearly snarl. "And why did you do this, oh yeah cause of your paranoid delusions that he was evil and couldn't be trusted despite the many, MANY times he's proven himself to ALL of us!"
I am red with rage right now and instead of trying to reason with me, instead of trying to talk calmly to me she mouths off, "And I'm right. He even said he'll be healed when he's 'good and ready'."
She shoots him a glare as if to prove her point. As if that was enough reason to attack him. I stepped up closer to her. "Cause he knew that I was out of energy. We all knew that I was drained after we combined our efforts to defeat Metallia," I say in a lower slightly calmer tone that's still full of anger and aggravation over the situation.
"Everyone agreed and knew it," I snapped at her.
"Mercury even told you how the situation was and yet you still acted!" I nearly bellowed at the end as my rage and anger were taking over. I was so upset with her on this, I just wanted to scream bloody murder. "You were so unrelenting with it that despite my telling you we would heal them all later you pushed the issue and when his back was turned, when he trusted to enough to turn his back, you tried to kill him yourself!" I yelled at her towards the end while Mamoru and Makoto got up and gently pulled me back.
Knowing and seeing how my anger was exploding around me. I pointed my finger and glared at her, the hurt in my voice as I verbally slammed her. "You went after him at our weakest point, when we had just taken out our biggest enemy to date. You knew he was weak, that we all would be and you still…" I was beyond angry and upset right now and it was beyond evident that my emotions were boiling at the top.
"I don't have the same weapons training you all do so yes, it was the only opportunity that I had to take my chance," she told me, admitting to why she did it WHEN she did it, but still not apologizing for it. I stepped closer as Mamoru stepped in front of me. I looked at him as if asking him 'why?' why defend her, especially knowing WHAT she did to him and why, but I knew why he did.
He knew I was reacting through my heightened emotions and I didn't really want to physically hurt her. I was just emotionally and mentally hurt by her actions and wanted her to feel my pain. He was reading my body language and knowing what I would really want to do versus what I could do and stopping me from punishing her out of a reaction versus a well-thought-out action that I could accept later on.
I nodded and let him know that I was a bit more cooled down now.
"Then you shocked us all by healing them. I was very doubtful of your ability to still do so and yet you did it," She told me as if that made it okay. She was trying to push this under the rug as if it were nothing and taking no responsibility for what she did. It only infuriated me further. I pushed Mamoru out of the way wanting to throttle Luna.
It seemed she always found a way to doubt me as it seemed to be the theme of her reasoning for so many things and it was always doubting me and MY abilities. Not anyone else's just mine. This was even after the moon rod bit.
"And it took me out," I admit to her. "I don't remember ANYTHING that happened till I woke up in Rei's bed, which reminds me thanks for letting me sleep in there."
I tried to calm myself down, but it wasn't working and Mamoru was off to the side ready to act again if needed.
"The truly remarkable thing here is that you're still trying to make it seem like what you did is okay and acceptable and it's so definitely NOT."
My words hit home for everyone in the room as she replies, "Usagi I did what was necessary for all of you. I didn't want to have to, but my hands were forced and tied."
She looks down as if she was feeling a tinge of something but looks back up at me with no regret on her face.
"I did what was necessary to protect all of you and the world and if forced to do it again…," she looks over at him. "I absolutely would and that's something you need to accept."
Her words halt me as it hits me that she'd do it again if things presented the same. She doesn't regret it at all. I couldn't accept this though. Not yet. I couldn't stop myself from reacting as I threw the glass I f water I had been drinking at her.
While the glass didn't break on impact, shocking, it did however make her jump in reflex and look at me differently. Like maybe she had gone too far and she had.
"I stand by my decisions to Luna…," I look at her and see that I've perhaps outgrown the need to have her by my side as an advisor…at least for now. "And as the future ruler of this world, you need to know that there are tough decisions that need to be made in this world too."
I pursed my lips on that and knew now what I want her punishment to be. "In fact, those tough choices are the only ones that I will agree with you on," I begin. She nods and for the first time were in agreement. If only she knew it wasn't going to be for something in her favor. "There are some tough choices to be made, one being is what to do about you."
Luna balked like a starfish that just got shocking news. "Excuse me?" she responded.
"I didn't want it to be this way, I didn't want to have to do this, but you've made it clear as day since Mamoru was taken that it's not HIM to question on trust, it's you."
Her mouth is open wide in her shock. Gapping like a starfish that she was could only sputter out the words, "Why I…I…Usagi you can't be serious."
I can't help the snarky remark that hurts but feels good at the same time.
"Yeah, I actually am."
Which makes her sputter out, "I did what I did for the safety of everyone, what you did was for yourself."
"NO!" I yelled loud enough to get even the outside noises to come to a stop for a moment. I merely lowered my voice to avoid attracting Grandpa Hino's attention. "What I have always done since the moment you dropped into my life was to obey your every command."
My voice gets lower pressing the matter as I make sure she knows just how far things have come off their path regarding her issues/ "I've done everything you've ever asked of me since the start." It was true too and she knew it which is probably why she closed her mouth in slight defeat. "Yet when I ask for you to trust in me in matters that I know of you not only deny it, but you tell me to flat out without ANY evidence on your side of things, without care to how it affects others, that regardless of the clear evidence that I bring to the table that I'm wrong."
She goes to stop me, but I cut her off. "No! I've had enough of this! You tell me it's wrong and to only listen to you cause your word is 'law'. That changes now."
Now Luna seemed to be realizing that I'm not bowing down to her demands anymore. I calm down my rage just slightly but it's not enough to not see the memories of what happened just barely a day ago bring her actions to the surface, she needs to be punished.
"While it would be foolish to completely ostracize you considering your extensive knowledge of past enemies and otherworldly potential enemies, I'm done dealing with your issues."
She balks, "What issues? I have no issues!"
She attempts to challenge. I lay the list out for her. "Let's see, your attitude towards me for starters," I begin.
"You were just starting out and were being a whiny crybaby about it," She snaps back.
I can tell Ami and the girls want to say something in my defense, but this is my fight. "Luna I was 14 when you told me I had to fight evil and help save the world from a magical tyrannical bitch that was hell-bent on world domination. How else was I supposed to react?"
Her mouth snapped shut for a moment as she realized how I presented that and how it made her sound regarding my fighting evil.
"Then let's see oh yes, your total disregard for any opinion that doesn't agree with yours unless it came from Rei since you two were both on the same side of seeing me as a whiny cry baby even though I've since changed and become better at it." Which was true, I got a lot better at fighting but it took a lot of hard work and it didn't come naturally to me. I had to work hard and fight even harder to improve on myself so that I could show that I was a good fighter especially when it came so easily to the other girls.
"Your paranoid delusion that Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask WASN'T to be trusted from the start despite the many, MANY times he saved my ass and kept me from possibly getting killed on occasion." Which he did and I was always grateful for that.
"Lang - "
I shut her up, "I don't give a damn Luna!"
She backed up a bit at my biting tone as I was getting fed up with her and not in the mood to deal with her crappy defenses. Not today, not after this.
"The fact that you expected me to fight like a professional when I had never even been IN a regular fight before our battles with the negaverse and lastly the fact that at the end of the day, the one person that I thought I could trust the most, you, turned into the one person I could trust the least." It hurt to say but it had somehow during the course of events become the truth.
She frowned.
"I trusted you, Luna, with so much and you turned around and put a sword through the man I love. You stabbed him in the back literally even after everything that's happened. I might have understood it better if he was beyond the point of being saved. If he was so evil that he took over the negaverse and choose them over us and not only fought against us but killed even one of our own."
It was a harsh way of seeing it but that was the only way I could have accepted his death at her hands.
"I could have lived with it, it would hurt and suck and I'd be in mourning for years to come but I could have lived with your decision. This is NOT that," I tell her as I get myself worked up again. "And you expect me to be okay with it."
She backtracked at my words, "I didn't want to have to but he was still with evil energy in him. I had to do it...I had to."
She was sounding more and more desperate. Yet the fact that she was still trying to defend herself made me grab onto the counter for stabilizing myself as I felt like I was going to have a brain aneurism from the level of crap she was hurling my way. Mamoru was none of the evil things I mentioned, and he hadn't been too far gone when I used the crystal to heal him. Plus he's standing right here listening to the barbs she's tossing his way.
She's making it sound like he said no to being healed for good and not just delaying it till I was strong enough to do it. He knew I was beyond maxed out and yet when I pushed myself I managed and it took me out. The tables are about to be turned and I know that decisions will be made today that will affect us all going forward. She won't be liking any of this but there's no choice nor any turning back. If she had just given me some time this wouldn't be happening and we'd be having a more solitary day instead of this conflict.
Endymion POV
The feline was really pissing me off right now. I was actually glad I wasn't at full power just yet or else I might actually expose myself as still being with the nega-energy just to teach the feline a lesson on not pissing off the wrong people. However, I was still injured thanks to her and since Rei confirmed that we were evil-free, despite the fact that we're definitely not, I know I had to tread lightly around the area.
Usagi was dealing with a near impossible situation that revolved around her advisor whom she cared about and myself who she also cared for. I look at Malachite as he's gone from being amused by the fight to getting upset on my behalf at Luna's feeble mounting defenses as to why she was right to attack me despite the overwhelming evidence that was against her. It still hurts that she sees me in a negative light.
As if nothing I do will ever be good enough for her. Usagi looks like she's holding back at tossing a chair at her and the others are waiting to see what'll happen next while also in a silent 'how do we deal with this?' inner debate too. I see Malachite meeting my eyes as he listens to the two argue back and forth so I give him the go-ahead to speak his mind. Frankly, I think getting more opinions could be beneficial.
Besides, I've seen that expression before, I know he's got some political tricks up his sleeve that he's eager to present to the mangy feline for her intrusion this morning but most for her attack on me less than a day ago.
"If we were back at the Terrain Kingdom right now, you'd be sentenced to life in prison and shunned for life or executed for this," Malachite voices, getting her attention as the room goes silent.
She narrows her eyes at him. No one dared to object to his words though she was now appearing a bit more desperate. I wasn't sure if this was due to his words, her heated argument with Usagi, or both. Either way, she was now getting riled up at Malachite.
Sensing this Nephrite joins in, "He's right, had this happened back during King Damien's reign, being the advisor to Queen Serenity would only grant you so much leniency."
I could tell Luna was going to rebuff them and while I know my Usagi wanted to defend me this was now my fight with Luna, not just hers so I joined in. "Their right." She looked at me. "You attacked me, the last member of the Terrain royal family, a near fatal wound I might add…"
Had it NOT been for how well I had been training by all accounts as I was healing the wound since Usagi's crystal doesn't work that way, healing myself AND bringing Nephrite and Zoisite back from the dead with their memories intact was NO small feat.
It's why I was taking longer than usual to heal up. The sword wound wouldn't have been so bad had I put ALL my efforts into healing it, but I didn't. for me getting the rest of my brother's back was more important. That's when Zoisite jumped in, "By all accounts, according to Terrain law, you'd be judged before a jury of your peers and sentenced for your crimes or even tried as a traitor and executed before us all."
I looked around and could tell the girls were on the fence with this or rather where the conversation was going. Especially with how to feel about that as we all knew they had a deep respect for Luna and had always looked to her for guidance. Yet things were so different now and that was all Luna's fault. She had lost some of the respect and loyalty she once held strongly with the girls.
I knew it was hard for them to even realize that my generals were only speaking the truth, but they were at least listening and NOT defending her actions. This gave me a modicum of hope that my plans to make this world mine again with Usagi by my side were not a lost venture now that the dark kingdom was obliterated. The girls would be with the generals again and things would go back as they should have been once more.
I know the girls wouldn't see it now, but they would eventually. In this case, Luna's paranoia did have some justification to it but her actions had just made her the bad guy in the end and pulled the focus away from 'healing' efforts to me and my brothers. I don't know why yet Rei said we were healed when we weren't, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, I'd ask her later.
Besides I still had to find a way to break it to Usagi that I wasn't healed nor were my generals in any aspect. "Then I guess it's good that the Terrain kingdom is decimated. Long gone. Which means that those laws have long since been put out of notion." Luna's words are her best attempt to dismiss it as I shake my head at her doubling down, even as she's digging her own grave the more she talks.
"Actually, that's not entirely accurate," Jadeite voices as we look at him. He looks at me as he speaks up, "According to the Terrain law as long as one royal family member is alive and of sound mind and body, the laws back then are still in effect so really…"
He looks to me as he motions with his shoulders that I do have the power to put a punishment from the Terrain law in effect on her.
"Being that the Terrain prince is here he can deliver whatever punishment he sees fit for the attempted assassination on his person." Usagi looks at me as I meet her gaze. Her expression is that of 'did you know?' to see the slight shock on my face to then asking me with her eyes 'are you going to follow through?'. She's looking to me to see if I'm going to actually deliver a punishment or leave it to her since Luna is 'her' advisor.
I can see the cogs in her brain working as she debates on asking me something regarding it but in private. Before she can speak through Luna jumps in a slight plea in her voice as her own desperation mounts. For the first time, she's trying to be reasonable and is appearing a bit scared by what's being discussed and is trying to avoid it. "Please even with that being said…," she begins as she clears her throat.
"The Terrain kingdom is no more, which means that the prince has no kingdom to bear his 'demands on' nor any real room to talk in this matter."
This time Minako looks at her and with a pointed expression delivers her some bad news. "Contrary to your point since this IS his home planet, he has every bit of room and leg to stand on."
"It's not so much about having the leg to stand on." I begin. "Minako is right, this IS my home planet and regardless of having a kingdom I AM the prince of this planet and as such I have full rights to be able to carry out any order I choose to."
Luna I can see tries to counter this, yet I can see in her eyes the deep seeded realization that she's bitten off more than she can chew.
"Both Usagi here and Luna have their points…," I make sure to make it clear as anything.
"However, in the end, Luna, what you did, only shows the lack of respect and trust you hold for not only myself but even Usagi. She only ever asked for your trust in her to trust me. I delivered on that trust, time and time again no matter the danger it put me in on the inside of Beryl's kingdom. You were still relentless in your pursuit to see me as the bad guy."
She went to talk as I continued on. I didn't want her to think that she was getting away with this.
"You even pursued your own selfish, paranoid desires by attacking me, and look at what it cost you. You've lost respect and loyalty from those that you've had a hand in training with your partner." She looks over and sees their downcast faces as they have a hard time looking at her. I can even see Ami, the one who was trying to be neutral looking down in shame.
She sulks as she looks at me, for the first time with both regret and anger at me in her eyes yet I can't tell right now which one she's feeling it for.
"Your wrong in this matter and on some level you know you done fucked up by trying to kill me."
She gulps just the slightest bit at my words and takes a cautious step back. I think she still feels threatened by me and in this case, I wasn't going to feel bad about it, she has this coming now.
"I will not let that action slide by no matter how well intended your 'intentions' were," She pipes up in a smaller voice that's not so confident as she initially was. "You were evil, I had every valid right and reason necessary to act as I did. I thought that you girls would realize that what I did was for the betterment of this world."
Yet I can see the girls are unconvinced of this. So I step forward and with a smidgen of the hostility that I feel.
I want her yes afraid of me but not to run away. She had a punishment to receive. "Luna some of the best intentions and acts that were considered 'necessary' and for the 'betterment' of the world that humankind has done have also given birth to the worst results and some of the most tragic and life-altering catastrophes in human history."
She snapped her jaw shut as we also know how accurate and truthful it is.
I decide to further twist this in my favor. "What do you think would happen to this world if the only link to the golden crystal, MY crystal, the only one that has an equal force to the silver crystal is gone? Did THAT ever occur to you to consider?"
It appears I've caught her in a matter she hadn't thought about. Her face twists as realization dawn on her as to what she's obviously forgotten about.
"I had forgotten that that existed," she admits. I can tell she's trying to wrack her brain for something that would excuse her actions but there are none. The link to the golden crystal dies with me and she knows it. I see small glimmering traces of regret in her features at how this is playing out HAD she been successful, but there at war with her stubborn resolve to be right and prove her points.
"So what happens now?" Jadeite asks me.
I turn my gaze to Usagi, "While yes this is my home planet, this is also your home too and was intended as such when we were to marry back on the moon before the war erupted, and as she is your 'advisor' I think you should be the one to decide what her punishment it."
My words give her free reign in deciding her 'advisor's' future but I can tell she wanted me to help her decide on the matter. That's when I sense that all the talk about my former kingdom gives me an idea for the cat's punishment. Luna sees Usagi debating.
"You're not seriously considering this Usagi," Luna steps forward, a plea in her voice. "You can't be, what I did…" She looked around and made her last attempt to help herself. "This is really on you for NOT listening to me when you should have."
"Luna you were supposed to be my friend," Usagi says. "The one person I could turn to in this no matter what and you let me down."
I see her face change expressions. "Usagi I…I did what I know in my gut was right."
Her attempts to defend herself fall flat as I hear Usagi scoff, "What you thought was right? That's laughable. Cause what you did was nothing short of what the enemy has done to us."
Luna's eyes went wide. "I beg your pardon?!" She gets irate as I realize Usagi's point too.
"You attacked him when we were vulnerable and had our guards down," she tells her as I add at the end, "You did essentially become the enemy."
Luna shot's me a glare as she gets some fire back in her as she's called essentially an enemy. I can't imagine that it's easy for her to handle but in this case, it's exactly inaccurate.
"You don't get a say in this."
Her snappy tone causes me to snap back at her. "You stabbed me in the back! Literally! I have every bit of say in this."
She stepped forward. "You were evil I have every right to stab you!"
I began to advance on her as my own anger rose up. Usagi steps in my way as I did to her moments ago, seeing her expression I realize that I'm beginning to let the evil within me use the anger to act out. I calm myself down to not react and show that I'm still evil.
"Besides it was the only shot there was," Luna admits. "It's obvious that if anyone had any inkling of what I was going to do I would have been stopped hands down before I got to you."
She only damns herself with her words.
"Your damn right we would have," Malachite says. That's when Zoisite adds, "It's why she acted when she did."
We look to him, "She knew she wouldn't have gotten through otherwise."
We all know he's right as Ami looks at Luna with sadness in her eyes. Ami wants to be on her side but can't stop seeing the overwhelming evidence against her.
"So what happens now?" Makoto asks, her voice low in the matter as Rei looks to me then to Usagi and tells her, "It's up to you."
I can see something brewing behind her eyes about this matter and I have a feeling it's about us not being healed but she keeps it to herself once Jadeite lends a supporting hand to her shoulder.
"What happens now is Luna faces the consequences of her actions," Usagi begins then looks back to me. "We need to talk. All of us. Luna, you need to leave so we can figure this out."
Luna balks at the order Usagi gives her. "You can't…I'm your advisor."
"Exactly," Usagi tells her as Rei shockingly says, "Luna just give us a few minutes."
Luna looks around the room for support but finds none. She begins to back up, "Your moon mother would not have stood for this!"
I can tell the effect using Usagi's past mother has on her, it's almost cruel in a sense to talk about what someone might or might not do who's unable to be there.
"Just go."
Luna initially tries to stay but ends up conceding to the orders given and walks out as the room goes silent for a beat.
"Seriously guys what can we do? Luna's been there for us from the start," Makoto asks.
"She tried to kill me," I remind her.
She looks at me, "I know and honestly, I'm still processing that. It's just so unlike her."
I nod knowing that this is a tough decision for everyone which is probably why Usagi wanted everyone's opinion on this matter.
"We do have to punish her, but it has to be something that still allows her to help us," Usagi remarks.
Ami adds, "Especially if a new enemy comes up well need her guidance."
The girls were definitely being placed in a bad position here. I see the expression on the guys' faces of wondering if the girls are really going to not want to punish Luna. Minako places a hand on Malachite's shoulder.
"She will be punished it's just hard for us to decide on what to give her." he nods then looks to me. "What should we do then?" Malachite asks, hoping for a reasonable punishment that will make Luna suffer.
That's when I suggest, "Honestly what about having her rebuild the Terrain kingdom. Not from brick to brick but in using her powers."
The girls consider this as Nephrite raises his brow to it, "Something more than that." Makoto looks to him as Zoisite adds, "She turned herself into a human to go for a kill strike."
"I'm aware," I mutter unconsciously putting a hand to my wound. "So Usagi puts a whammy on her that prevents her from being able to turn human again UNLESS it's due to a dire need to protect you or Usagi herself."
I think about this and realize it's not bad.
"So Luna would essentially be stuck in her feline form till she rectifies with herself mentally and with her relationship with the two of you for her treachery as of lately," Ami clarifies as we both nod.
"It would actually help in knowing when Luna has had that moment of clarity hit her and has owned up on her end to what she's done." Jadeite chimes in.
We all nod to this before Usagi asks, "There is a slight problem with the Terrain kingdom part?"
She looks at me. "It is...was the home base of the negaverse."
To this, the girls look at her in confusion on that till I speak up and clarify what she means.
"Beryl confessed to me right before I killed her that after the silver millennium war happened the negaverse took the ruins of the Terrain kingdom and made it their base of operations."
This prompts Makoto to ask, "How's that possible? Wouldn't the Terrain kingdom be way further from the pole?" To which Ami responded, "Not necessarily. Due to the shifting of continents and tectonic plates over the last thousand years, it's perfectly reasonable that the previous kingdom's ruins would have been subsequently relocated."
Makoto nods in understanding as I finish, "It is technically where Beryl wanted to rule when my parents were in power so she got the kingdom when it was at its most vulnerable."
The girls nod as they see the dilemma. Why rebuild the old kingdom where it last stood when it's in the freezing climates it's in AND essentially the previous base of our enemies. "
So she doesn't rebuild it?" Rei asked as I corrected the problem.
"No, she still will." Usagi looks to me in question as to how. "We'll have the kingdom in a different place. Maybe even in the heart of the city here in Tokyo, but hidden away so that until we're ready to take control and rule it won't be noticed by others." She nods though I can see she's wondering how THAT will get accomplished.
"There are a few abandoned buildings that haven't been rented or leased out yet..." Makoto brings to the table making me realize what she's suggesting.
The girls look at her. "I run past them when I jog around," she explains.
"That can theoretically work. I could buy them out, ban them from the public and Luna could work to use her magic every day to build on the kingdom."
Usagi looks at me with more confusion, "Not that I'm not on board with this but those properties aren't cheap and you still don't have full access to your trust fund."
"That's true but with the generals here we can make it happen." I look at them as they each give me glints in their eyes knowing that we aren't going through the usual means of getting the properties. With our powers still in place, we can easily get the deeds and keep squatters out that way Luna can do her penance. It would actually be perfect to have her do this, make her rebuild the kingdom for the man she stabbed in the back.
"True…," she concedes.
"So Luna builds the kingdom back up again through them, now my question is how is THAT a punishment?" Makoto asks as I look at her as I explain in detail why Luna doing this is a good plan. Especially since it would knock down her pride to even HAVE to do it.
"Having to rebuild a kingdom that she attacked the prince of would be like pouring salt on her pride-filled wounds."
Makoto nods and I see Malachite look to me as Nephrite does. Both of them with telling expressions.
"Speak your minds," I press as Malachite goes first, "I understand she has relationships with the majority of you all and has been a source of advisor and a guide to you ladies since the start, but she conspired and attempted to kill the prince of the earth, in full view of everyone." he stood up. "How does that NOT warrant further punishment?"
Nephrite adds, "He has a point, if this were the Terrian kingdom, she'd be tried for treason and sentenced to either life in prison or death."
This makes all the girls appear even more stressed and tense.
"Both of you are right..." Usagi looks at me, conflict on her face as she too wants to punish Luna but she doesn't want to execute the feline. "But we also have to remember that this isn't the dark ages anymore...it's not even the silver millennium era anymore...we follow different rules and regulations."
Malachite looks at her. "You think that if one of the governs right-hand advisors did that to the governor or president themselves that something similar wouldn't happen today?" Malachite replies with accurate reasoning that leaves the room divided.
"He's not wrong…," Minako admits.
"But this isn't the president of Japan," Makoto protests as Rei adds, "No, it's not, it's the prince of Earth...who really holds more power than the president himself in technicality."
Ami stands up now, "This is not right..." She looks to Usagi.
"You know I stand behind you, I know what she did was wrong, but we're still talking about Luna here." She looks to me as well, trying to play the neutral one as her view on Luna has become fractured.
"I know you all care for her and I get why but she did try to kill Endymion," Zoisite expresses.
"I know...I was there...I just..." it's obvious Ami's conflicted by this as are the rest of the girls.
He gets up and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know, she's been an influence on all of your lives and she's obviously been a positive one for you all to come as far as you have, but that cannot excuse what's happened here." She nods.
"I think the punishments we've set forth will be enough. For now at least." Usagi looks to Malachite on it as he accepts it though I know he's not thrilled with what he considers to be a lack of punishment.
When everyone seems to be in agreement, at least on not executing the feline and only giving her a couple of punishments I suggest, "Let her back in, it's time."
Usagi calls her back in. The cat returns back looking less confident than she did a few minutes ago. I'm not sure if she overheard but either way, this will be an ending she won't be pleased with. She does look more perturbed and a bit scared by this point.
"Did you all come to a consensus or your senses?"
Usagi gives a frustrated grunt as I sighed at the cat's ability to stick her paw in her mouth. Malachite looks at me with a 'are we sure the punishments are enough?' expression before putting his hands up in surrender at my own 'yes' expression. "A consensus…," I begin, using a sterner voice than previously as Usagi takes it from there.
"Your punishment will be a combination of two things..." she steps forward. "One you are to rebuild the Terrain kingdom with your powers - "
She cuts Usagi off, "Are you mad?"
Artemis jumps from Minako's side and nudges her into silence. "Just be glad the consensus wasn't worse," he tells her as she looks away in anger but resumes listening to us.
"What else is my 'punishment' for doing the ri - " Artemis steps on her paw. She yelps from it but says nothing more. I feel like a tick is working in my jaw right now and it's almost enough to make dark crackles come from my palms, but I resist.
"Luna shut it, for once in your life just shut it before you dig yourself a hole so deep even our friendship can't survive it," Usagi snaps, her own repressed anger getting the better of her as Luna quiets down and listens to her with far less attitude than before.
"The other punishment is that Usagi will use the crystal to bind you from turning human again unless it's a dire need to protect either Usagi or myself from harm." I give her the second half of her punishment as she raises her furry brows at me.
"I'm sorry?" she deadpans as if she heard that wrong and is looking to hear the 'correct' punishment. She literally has the expression 'did I hear that right?' on her face.
"You heard right, not only are you to rebuild my kingdom to its former glory BUT until you've come to the acceptance of your actions as being what they are, and NOT what you believe they are, you will remain in human form for the foreseeable future."
I see that she's taking my words in and realizing she's outnumbered in this. She looks around, trying to find a friendly face in the many people that are here.
"And you all agree?" she asks the girls and the girls alone. Dismissing the guys in here as she looks pointedly at each of the girls. Ami responds first, "Trust me when I say it wasn't easy."
Rei then remarks, "Not even close to easy." Before Minako adds in, "And let's face it the guys have a point on what could have been done."
Luna's not looking pleased and she even by now appears like she was just struck. Hurt even. She stammers to get the words out, "Were you, girls, really considering..." as she fumbles a bit I clarify it for her. "Your execution?"
She looks to me with newfound anger I hadn't seen before along with the fear that I hadn't expected to see. There's still so much distrust in her towards me that it does actually hurt that after everything she still holds contempt towards me and who I am.
Yet when she looks at the rest of the girls the anger and sadness in her eyes, clear as day. I sigh knowing that despite what she did it would only hurt Usagi further to have to do such a thing to someone she cares so much for, and I don't want her to be in more mental or emotional pain. I may be in pain too but mine's more physical than mental or emotional than hers is and with their relationship, their friendship is being put to the ultimate test.
The punishments we have set for her are enough, for now, to be acceptable. We can always revisit the matter later when Luna has had more time to digress and work on her issues. "While it would be a more fitting punishment, the points that you are still a valuable member are still very much valid and hold merit. That along with other matters are the only reasons why that's not on the table...for now.," I added on seeing the relief on her face hit her.
I don't want her to think she's skirting by here even though it feels like she is. Truthfully if this were in my father's reign, I'm not a hundred percent certain of his leniency. While my father from the silver millennium was in no way tyrannical, he was not above making tough decisions and executing those who did make a move against the royal family when needed which was rare for him since he was such a beloved king.
Luna's position of 'power' as an advisor and her relationship with the girls was all that stood in the way of that happening as I could see clear as day that my generals wanted to handle her themselves for what she did and make her pay. Especially Malachite who had always been one to follow the rules. He was seeing Luna's act against me as an act of possible war from the moon towards me, despite Luna not originally being from the moon and despite the fact that her ward, the moon princess is my intended wife and will always be.
It was a conflict of personal relations as well as the deep seeded knowledge that Luna was useful and was necessary when it came to her extensive knowledge of potential enemies and what to do during tough decisions. She was one of the late Queen's advisors for a reason. It just happened that when it came to me, she held 'issues' to say the least. Plus being that I have a deep bond with Usagi and recalled that the former Queen knew I was a good man.
It just happened to be that Usagi and Luna had a bond as well and that Luna did hold value. Still, her value did NOT release her from what she did to me and that was what was making this a mess, to begin with, that's what Malachite's problem was. At least in technical terms. It was why I know Usagi wanted to have more opinions on what to do since this was such a sensitive issue.
She didn't want to be the one to make such a tough choice that was inevitably going to affect everyone without their opinions on the matter. She valued everyone's opinion, even the generals and I watched as she listened to everyone's perspective and point of view. "This is unbelievable...after all I've done," Luna begins to which I retort to her, "I know the feeling."
She looks up to me.
"Despite all that I've done since I found my Usagi again, I've gotten nothing but negativity from you. It didn't matter what I did to save her, or help the rest of the Senshi out, you still held massive distrust towards me. What kind of prince would I be, what kind of strategist would I be if there wasn't some form of punishment for when the prince, myself, gets stabbed in the back?" I see her bristle as out of reflex she attempts to engage with me.
I cut her off at the pass as I'm done playing the nice guy. "Let's NOT forget that you've held your contempt against me from the start. Your attempts to interrogate me and using the girls to entrap me to do so." She tries to fire back but I tell her, "No! I'm done dealing with your higher-than-thou attitude, it's time you realized that you're not the only one with understanding and wisdom around here."
She looks away, upset, but is silent.
"I didn't realize how that could be seen but he's got a point. We did cut him off and block him whenever we had the chance to," Ami reasoned. Luna wanted to say something but silenced herself when she saw the glare I sent her. It was hitting her how bad this was for her.
"I was never working for the negaverse, but you made the assumption and went with it without ANY evidence to support it," I told her.
She swallowed. "Then when I was kidnapped by them it was as if it became an EXCUSE to you to further your own distrustful agenda towards me." She lowered her head as if wondering to herself if that in fact was the case. "And despite all that I've done you still have trust issues with me. Where does the paranoia end? When do you listen to the girls and accept that you were wrong?"
She appears frustrated. Like she wants to yell out something but is realizing her ground is shaky to stand on. "Where does the distrust end and the growing trust begin?" I ask her as she tries to respond but seems to be having an inner debate with herself. She looks about the room and for the first time, she seems to really be looking past her own issues and seeing where her choices have led her. For the first time I see true regret in her eyes, but I don't know if it's due to her actions catching up to her or if it's due to actual regret over said actions.
"Alright...if this is what must be done…," Luna concedes to defeat. I know she's not seeing how wrong she is yet, but I do hold out hope that she's already beginning to see it and will come to her senses sooner rather than later. Then she and Usagi can have a balanced relationship again and I can have one, similar to Usagi's with the feline as well. It would do me good to have it with her so that this hostility can end and the Terrain reign can begin once more.
Plus, with the evil energy still within me, having Luna rebuild the kingdom will make it easier to work with. Once Luna concedes to it, I look to Rei and see her own inner conflict happening. I know Rei and I still have matters to discuss and Usagi and I have things to discuss too. I already knew that this process was going to take a long time, and this was only the beginning of things to come.
Especially since I was now debating on even being healed for real now as I'm seeing a side to being 'evil' that has been beneficial. I knew that I was powerful in my former life as the prince as I had more access to the golden crystal, but in my life now as Tuxedo Mask, I'm not as powerful as I can be WITH the evil energy still within my body. The only drawback, which to be honest is a big one, is that I'm still not nearly as powerful as I could be with access to the golden crystal...my own birthright.
It still refuses to bond fully with me since the nega-energy is still prevalent in my body. Not that I can blame it, it's trying to bond with me but senses the evil within and is protecting itself from turning evil. Artemis jumps down to lead Luna out as Malachite gets up and he's NOT above accidentally stepping on her. Once they're out of view and range my brother can't help themselves and begin to talk.
"Still think we should have done something more to her," he says as Nephrite adds on as a near suggestion, "Could always have her bound to the temple like a prison of sorts."
Rei shot him a look, "The temple is NOT a prison and should not be treated as one. This is a place of peace, healing…tranquility."
Her words had the effect of shutting down Nephrite's suggestion who responded, "True...alright."
I look over and see Usagi. She's watching Luna leave out but after a moment she turns her face and I know the anger in her still. The pain. The sadness. It hits me that that might only get further worse if I tell her the truth. I knew I had to on my being evil, but I was now debating on it. We just dealt with the Luna issue. Didn't Usagi deserve a break from the drama and the heartache for a while and just live life a little bit?
Yet as I look around and saw that things were seemingly fine for the rest I make a decision. I motioned for the guys to come over and talk. We walked over to Rei's room for some added privacy.
"What's up?" Jadeite asked. I looked to the guys and tell them what I'm considering, "I know we've previously discussed before on getting healed by Usagi..." they nodded.
"What if we hold off on that for a while?" Malachite is the first to respond.
"Is that such a good idea? The moment we use any of our powers in front of the girls the jig would be up," he advises.
"Hear me out…," I tell him. "Usagi thinks we've been healed and Rei for whatever reasons she has, we'll figure that out later, confirmed it. We don't know what new enemy will come up next, so all I'm saying is we hold off on getting healed or even telling anyone till it becomes important enough to do so."
I can see the growing wonderment of what this will mean, "So we keep the fact that we're still pumped full of nega-energy to ourselves? Won't this put discord between us and the girls once they find out?"
I can see why Nephrite would be apprehensive about this. Makoto was, from my understanding very much a big person when it came to honesty. "All we have to do is make sure it's kept on low till we decide it's time to actually be healed." In all honesty, feeling the evil energy coursing through me made me feel stronger as I was now. I didn't want to give that up, not just yet.
"Rei said that were already healed up, we can go to Usagi when it's the right time, in time to be healed up all at once." Malachite gives me a near unreadable expression before I say, "What is it?"
I look around at the other guys. "I just feel that our powers can be of more use to us now before we get rid of them."
I could feel it in me that the evil was growing. It wanted to showcase more true power, something akin to what happened when I helped take out Metallia and when I took out Beryl, there was a fire in me...an adrenaline rush of excitement that came from using the powers I have in me. I liked it and I knew that they could still be useful, more so than a tossed rose. Yes, I could always develop stronger powers but the feeling I got from the power I had now was already strong.
I felt empowered and I can't give that up...not just yet. Yes, I know I'm powerful, much more so WITH full access to the crystal, but I don't have the time right now to work to access it. Even Usagi's power over the silver crystal is limited. With the power I have in me, it feels, charged and ready to take action. I feel able to do anything I want to put action into doing. I accessed a LOT of it when I helped take down Metallia...a LOT of it.
I felt it in my gut that I need to keep this for as long as possible so that I can help Usagi and the Senshi better, to protect what I love better. I see Malachite processing what I'm asking.
"Weren't we supposed to be healed though?" Zoisite asks.
"Yes," Malachite responds as he looks back at me. "But Endymion has a point..."
He looks towards me, putting his faith in me and in what I'm telling them.
"We just got done with a major fight and we don't know what other enemies may be out there so for now, to make sure that we're taking care of those we love we shall keep quiet on the situation."
The other nods as I silently thank him for helping me to convince the others of this. I know it goes in the face of the last thing I wanted us to do but...as I feel it circulating through me I can't stop wanting to keep it in...just long enough to let Usagi get stronger.
Speaking of...she walks in as she gives me a sad expression, one in which I pull her into a hug.
"That was rough," she tells me as I nod.
"I know, but this is for the best."
She nods. "I know, I'm just so upset with her about this. I can't even look at her right now. I don't even want her in my room tonight."
I nod. "Then stay at my place."
She shakes her head, "I've been gone from my parents for a couple of days now." I nodded once more seeing her dilemma.
I know we have the projector at her place still but seeing the expression in her eyes it's not about that, she really does just want to spend time with the family that she nearly lost with the battle today. I hold her tightly. "I understand you need time with your immediate family."
She hugs me. "I do miss them," she admits. I calm her down and decide that telling her would definitely be the wrong move right now.
She needs to process things and work through issues before she tackles this head-on. Yet something tells me that by not telling her, by not letting her know that we all still have Metallia's energy within us and making this decision without her that I've put a small wedge between us that I don't want to examine. I look into her eyes as I kiss her and ignore the nagging sensation in my gut that feels a LOT like Mamoru trying to warn me that this is a HUGE mistake and the longer it goes on the worse it will get...It will work out…I tell him...it must.