Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Miyako, Cleo, Lia, Harper, and Owen, as well as a few others, are only figments that have escaped from my imagination.
Chapter Fourteen: The Fight for Nemesis Begins
It had taken a while, but they had finally gathered, ready to take on the last remaining members of the Black Moon Clan, to fight to free Nemesis. Petz was remaining behind with her family. They would come when the fight was over, if everyone survived. Emerald was still being cared for in the palace's infirmary, under the watchful eyes of Sylvanite. Azurite, on the other hand, was coming with them. She refused to set aside her duty. This time, she would be there to protect Sarah, as she should have been when they traveled to the past. It was with an unheard statement that she convinced Tyrolite to remain behind as well. Her husband hadn't been at all pleased with the idea of sending her in without him.
Usagi had finally seen the symbol on the brooch Azurite had been wearing. There was the star inside the pentagon inside the circle. But, in the very center of the star was an upside-down crescent moon, a deep blue the same color as Azurite's hair. It had been a brief glimpse, before a wave of blue light, edged in black, had wrapped around the older woman. But no phrase had been spoken. Not like any other warrior Usagi had ever met. Well, except for Darien and his Shittenou.
When the light was gone, she was dressed in her battle outfit. Like a Senshi, she had a sailor collar around her neck, a deeper blue with white along the edge. Black formed the bodice and the top layer of her skirt. But, over her midriff and the second layer of her skirt were both the same blue as her hair. A darker blue bow fell from the small of her back, the tails falling almost to her ankles, widening as they fell. A buckled choker rested around her neck, matching the buckled bands around her upper arms. Wide silver bracelets covered her wrists. Black fishnet followed her arms, from collar to bracelets, disappearing beneath the shiny metal. Black boots rose, almost to her knees, white bands forming an 'x' at the top, the bottom framing the top of the black boots.
Addy, too, had forsaken her civilian outfit for one more appropriate for fighting. And, when she walked in, Usagi realized immediately who Addy had been reminding her of, since she first saw her. A high-necked, burnt orange leotard covered her, baring both arms and legs. A bow rested at the small of her back, as well, with two sets of tails, both a transparent, filmy white. One set flared out, while the other fell straight behind her. If the outfit had been red or violet, Usagi would have sworn it was Phobos or Deimos who stood there. It had been a long time since she'd seen the human forms of Mars's Guardians.
"Addy, you don't have to come," insisted Sarah, fiddling with her sardonyx shard.
"Nonsense. I am your guardian. It is my duty, as well as my pleasure, to fight beside you," insisted the other girl, brushing imaginary dirt off her leotard.
Miyako stepped in before the two of them could start fighting. "Let's just get going, already. Rising Soul of the Void!"
"Serene Star Magic!"
"Sardonyx Power!"
"Crystal Soul of Aethyr!"
And a silent wisp of power followed behind them, turning Darien into Moonlight Knight once more. And, just like that, they were off to Nemesis, to take down Wiseman. They hoped.
The world was barren and dark. Even worse than their glimpses of Crystal Tokyo had been. Open, flat, dusty. There didn't even appear to be any buildings to break up the landscape, save for the rocky pile around the castle, which stood a short distance away.
"This was the edge of the Wild Lands, where Wiseman and Lapis came from," explained Azurite. "That castle was built when they came to power, after the destruction of the true palace."
Sardonyx straightened. "Enough chit-chat. We have a battle to fight."
She moved forward, silent as the shadows. Without a word, the rest of them followed her. Serene Star wished they had more of a concrete plan. Like, knowing exactly what Wiseman's weaknesses were, what could actually defeat him. If it was to be the Silver Crystal, there might be a little trouble there. She only had the Crystal of the past, which wouldn't work in the future. She remembered that from her lessons with Pluto during the Silver Millennium. Living with Pluto, a great many memories from back then were returning. Not clear, like the memories of her current life. They had more the feeling of dreams, or something she'd read in a book. The knowledge was there, but the feelings weren't as strong. She could see the differences between herself and Serenity, between Darien and Endymion. Similar, but not identical. In a way, they were reflections of their past selves.
She'd asked Pluto about that, during one of her visits, back when they lived in the apartment. The usually solitary scout had explained it was no doubt due to her presence. As Pluto hadn't died, she was still the same as before. The same thing would have happened if Usagi had spent a great deal of time on the Moon. When asked why Luna and Artemis hadn't triggered the same phenomenon, Pluto hadn't quite had an answer. Perhaps it was because of the way Queen Selenity had arranged their survival. After all, the Queen had wanted her daughter and the others to have normal lives, unaffected by their pasts. If Beryl hadn't awoken, no doubt they would have continued on, blissfully ignorant of the past. A branch of timeline which was now dead.
Despite knowing how Wiseman had taken over, they had no idea how to stop him. Would Sarah have to claim the Black Crystal, the way Miyako had needed to pull the Void back from Ichirou? Or would they have to stop him before she could take up her birthright? Not that Serene Star blamed her for wanting to pass off the Crystal to someone else. So many times, during the Silver Millennium, she had wished the same thing. Especially after meeting Endymion. She would have given so much to be able to turn over her own birthright, just to be with him. No need for war between Terra and the Moon. She would have become as Terran as possible, forfeiting all rights to the Moon. But, she hadn't been allowed to do that. Neither of them had been able to abdicate their thrones. Now, she had no throne. The Moon Kingdom was dead and gone, and there was no Golden Kingdom of Terra to worry about, either. At least, not yet.
She kept close to Moonlight Knight. Why had he decided on that name, anyway? His Shitennou had taken similar names, with the new transformations, too. Owen was now Moon Shadow. Kyle was Moon Sword, while Noland was Moon Star. Even Zander had taken a moon name, Moon Snow. Harper had become Moon Soul. When Jadeite joined them, what would he become? Moon Spirit? Wasn't that his 'S'? Each of the Shitennou had a title that began with an 's', didn't they? Spirit, opposite Harper's Soul. Yes, that sounded right. The Moon Knights. But that title didn't belong to them. That title belonged to another group. One of those lessons she hadn't paid much attention to, during the Silver Millennium. Maybe Pluto would remember. She shoved the thought aside. They had work to do. She couldn't be distracted by these thoughts. Not now. Later. If there was a later. No, shove that away too. She had to remain hopeful, optimistic. Cheerful would be good, too. Bubbly Serena. No, not that cheerful. She didn't need to annoy Sardonyx.
She felt a gloved hand grab hers. Turning, she met midnight blue eyes above a cream mask. She gave him a slight smile and a brief nod. She would be fine. Her prince was beside her, once more. She could conquer the world if he was there, beside her. Like she'd told him on Thanksgiving Day. He was her reason for fighting. She needed him there, even if all he did was tell her that he believed in her and that she could win. He remained her guiding light, brighter to her than the moon, itself.
She glanced over to Sailor Element and Knight Aethyr. It was still almost impossible to see him. So much black! And even his plaid shirt was dark, grey and black. Even Tuxedo Mask had that dark rose, almost red lining to his cape and a white shirt to make him more visible. Not so with Knight Aethyr. With the black ball cap pulled low, she almost didn't even have that tawny hair to find him. Like Moonlight Knight, he wasn't far from his princess. In fact, she was sure that, at least twice, they had entwined their fingers. She was glad to see things were looking better for them.
She idly wondered what Venus would make of them. Were they truly bound by the red string or not? That was a gift she'd never inherited, despite there being some Venusian blood on her mother's side. In fact, her mother's father had been the younger prince of Venus. It was his nephew who had been King of Venus during those final days. But, she knew nothing of her father's side of the family. Aside from the fact that the last Queen of Uranus had been his cousin.
Weren't they there, yet? She was tired of these rambling thoughts running through her head, distracting her from their goal. She took a moment to ponder if it would be this bad when she finally faced off against Beryl. She hoped not.
Finally, something stirred between them and the palace. Two silhouettes stood atop a rising shard of crystal. Looking around, she noticed more shards growing up around them, forming a cage.
"The Boule Brothers," called out Azurite, a scowl crossing her face. "Chiral and Achiral. They came to the capitol with Wiseman!"
Sailor Element nodded. "Elemental Energy Strike!"
Her attack blasted away part of one of the crystal shards. But not enough to stop it from growing. Within moments, the crystals had completely surrounded them, as well as the two brothers.
They both had long, flowing pale blonde hair, though not quite longer than Serene Star's, when she let it loose. The one on the left had lighter hair and paler skin, with a blue shirt. On the right, he had darker skin and his hair was a tinge darker, though his shirt was white.
Whatever was in the crystals seemed to be dampening their powers. Serene Star could feel her wand pulse sluggishly, not at all up to its normal speed. The black and violet bursts of energy from Sailor Element were slower, too. Lightning refused to crackle around Knight Aethyr's blade. Sardonyx threw her Star Shards. But even they weren't as bright. The only one who seemed unaffected was Moonlight Knight. His attacks didn't draw on magical energy, not like theirs.
"Magnetic field," exclaimed Addy, aiming a flying kick at one of the brothers.
The two brothers moved in silence. Unlike most droids, they didn't even speak their names. Or were they droids? Serene Star couldn't quite tell. If they were, they weren't like the others they'd fought. But they didn't seem human, either.
"Aquatic Shield!"
Azurite threw up the barrier as the brothers turned towards Sardonyx. A crystal shard, left on the ground after Sailor Element had attempted to destroy it, was now embedded in the water, it's tip mere inches from Sardonyx's head. A few strands of white hair drifted away, cut by the crystal's edge.
"That does it!" Sardonyx growled.
She spun, pulling out her scale. She leapt up over the water barrier.
"Sardonyx Scale Strike!"
But her attack didn't go more than a few inches. The barrier had shorted out her powers now. The only power they had left was going to fueling their transformations. Except the brothers weren't expecting what happened next. A curved sword emerged through the paler brother's chest, Moonlight Knight behind him. At that same moment, Knight Aethyr ran his own sword through the other brother. The two of them collapsed to the ground, and the crystal barrier shattered.
Energy flooded into the transformed warriors, no longer blocked by the barrier.
The two men resumed their places beside their princesses and the group continued on.
"Nice to have someone who doesn't have to rely on magic to attack," commented Azurite.
Moonlight Knight nodded. "It does have its advantages. But it has its disadvantages, too."
They moved closer to the palace. Thankfully, Serene Star didn't find her mind drifting away to other places and people. It had been rather easy to take care of Chiral and Achiral. Almost too easy. As if Wiseman wanted them to take down the pair.
"Wear us down," muttered Sailor Element. "It's the only thing that makes sense. I don't think those two were really even trying."
"No, I don't think they were, either," agreed Knight Aethyr.
Like the Black Crystal Fortress, this castle appeared deserted, as well. But, just when it all looked clear, another droid would materialize and strike. Sailor Element, Knight Aethyr, and Azurite took most of the down. Moonlight Knight kept pushing Serene Star back, with the reminder to conserve her energy to save Sapphire and Diamond. She wasn't sure she'd have the energy to save both. The power of the Black Crystal had been so corrupted, it was so dark. It was sapping strength from her. Yet, underneath that, she could almost hear its plea. She wondered if Sardonyx could hear it. After all, it was aimed for her.
"Midnight Tsunami!"
A wave of water, inky black, slammed into the next droid, flung from Azurite's hands. She was panting now, clearly drained. She was out of practice. And, if Serene Star wasn't mistaken, as affected by the corrupted crystal as she was, if not more.
Sardonyx pressed on, apparently unaffected. Was the Crystal shielding her? Or was she just a better actress than the rest?
Azurite dropped to one knee, her henshin wavering. After several deep breaths, she was able to stabilize it, and they pressed onward.
They had gone several minutes without another droid attacking. Had Azurite's weakness been what they were waiting for? Or was something else going on?
Sardonyx pressed closer to her 'aunt'. In reality, she was more a mother to her than the woman she barely remembered. Especially after she had risked so much to protect and raise her.
"You should go," she whispered to the blue-haired woman. "You've done enough."
Azurite shook her head. "I promised your father that I would protect you."
"Not at the cost of your life! Please, Auntie!"
"I will see you fulfill your destiny, my sweet princess. I'm not going anywhere."
A noise drew their attention. A figure moved out of the shadows that filled the halls. But, this time, it wasn't a droid.
Tall, slim, his dark blue hair fell into his eyes. White gloves and pants shone in the darkness, though the dark blue shirt seemed to blend back into the darkness.
"Sapphire!" Sardonyx breathed.
He stepped forward, and Serene Star tightened her grip on her wand. But, there was no darkness coming from the young man before them.
"Quickly! I've managed to divert the droids away, but it will only last for so long," he explained.
"You aren't working for Wiseman?" Sailor Element demanded.
He shook his head. "I've never trusted him. My brother knows this, but he chooses to ignore it. I've been doing what I can to spy on him, to learn his weaknesses. There aren't many. He was banished from the White Moon shortly before the end of the Silver Millennium, by Queen Selenity. But, he didn't leave the solar system, the way he was supposed to do. Instead, he hid himself on Nemesis, gathering his energy until he was able to influence the Black Crystal."
Sardonyx ran forward to throw her arms around him. "Petz will be so relieved! I'm glad you're alright."
"Chalcey?" Sapphire asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.
She drew back and pushed aside the white bangs. "You better believe it!"
"We're here to stop Wiseman," added Addy, stepping up beside the white-haired scout.
Sapphire looked over the group. "I hope you can save my brother, too."
"We've saved the others, even Rubeus," commented Sardonyx. "I'm sure we can save Diamond, too."
"Speak for yourself. Serene Star's the one who's saved them," scoffed Sailor Element.
"A pleasure to meet you, Sailor Serene Star." Sapphire bowed, taking Serene Star's hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.
Moonlight Knight let out a growl. Knight Aethyr took both of Sailor Element's hands before Sapphire could reach for them. Both princesses rolled their eyes at the pair of them.
Sapphire led them deeper into the palace, without running into any droids. He explained he'd been forced to program them for Diamond and Wiseman. He also explained how his brother had changed after their father's death. Diamond had been willing to abdicate all claim to the throne at their father's funeral. But, after a conversation with Wiseman, away from Sapphire, he had suddenly been willing to step up. And there were other things. Before that conversation, Diamond's heart had fully belonged to Emerald. In fact, he had confessed to Sapphire that he had been looking for the perfect ring, in order to propose. They hadn't yet graduated high school, and he already couldn't picture his life without her. Sapphire had already dreaded getting roped into proposal rehearsals.
And yet, now, he had become obsessed, shoving Emerald away. He didn't elaborate on his brother's obsession, however. No matter how much Sailor Element and Serene Star asked. Even Sardonyx pressed to learn Diamond's obsession.
It turned out, no explanation was necessary. In order to reach Wiseman, they had to pass through the room that had become Diamond's shrine. Holograms rose from pedestals. Each of them was of Neo-Queen Serenity. Image upon image of the pale-haired queen. It made Serene Star a little nauseous, looking at all of them. Moonlight Knight narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his sword. There were a few objects scattered around, too. No doubt taken from the queen. A hair comb, a shoe, a necklace. Thankfully it wasn't the necklace Darien had given her at Christmas. That would have certainly angered him even more. He didn't have to say a word for her to know he wanted to destroy each and every pedestal.
Diamond, himself, stood before the largest hologram, looking up at it in adoration.
"I never thought you would turn traitor on me, little brother," he stated, his voice icy cold.
Sapphire shook his head. "I'm not the traitor. You're the one who betrayed us and all our plans!"
"I've betrayed nothing, Sapphire. Wiseman has opened my eyes to the truth. Nothing more." Diamond replied.
"No, Sapphire's right. You have betrayed everything, Diamond." Sardonyx stepped forward. "Please, Diamond, don't make us hurt you."
Diamond turned to face them, smirking. "No, I'm afraid you're the ones who are going to get hurt. With you all out of the way, I'll finally be able to get to my precious Serenity."
"Don't say anything," Serene Star hissed to Knight Aethyr, Sailor Element and Moonlight Knight. "I don't think he knows."
"He's never going to know," growled Moonlight Knight.
The black crescent moon on Diamond's forehead turned into a sideways eye. Dark energy shot from it, capturing Sapphire in its wake. He struggled against his brother's power. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small vial and flung it. It fell to the floor, shattering with a flash. Diamond drew back, one arm coming up to cover all three eyes, and Sapphire broke free.
"The eye was given to him by Wiseman," he called out. "Don't meet his gaze. He can control you if you do."
The others nodded. Sardonyx pushed Azurite away. "Stay with Sapphire. You too, Addy."
"Elemental Energy Strike!"
"Energy Meditation!"
The two Elemental Warriors didn't aim their attacks at Diamond. Instead, they were aimed near him, to throw him off.
"Star Shards!"
The pieces imbedded themselves at the ground, near Diamond's feet, forcing him to jump back. In retaliation, he shot a beam of dark energy from his third eye. It struck Sardonyx in the leg as she jumped out of the way. Moonlight Knight couldn't get near him, without being in the way of the others' attacks. But, he fell back on an old trick, from when he couldn't transform. Grabbing the shoe from its pedestal, he flung it at the white man.
Diamond threw himself forward to catch the shoe before it hit the ground. Inspiration struck. Moonlight Knight began doing what he'd wanted to do since they walked into the room. He started knocking over the pedestals. He flung the necklace as far as he could, along with the comb. Frantically, Diamond was caught between trying to attack him and trying to right the mess that was being made. Serene Star caught on and started knocking over more of the holograms.
Sardonyx grinned and shot her Star Shards to keep Diamond away from one of the pedestals. Knight Aethyr hooked the necklace on his sword and threw it in the other direction. Addy and Azurite wasted no time in joining them. Blasts of dark energy rang out at them, but they ducked behind pedestals or leapt out of the way. Diamond ended up destroying several of his own pedestals, trying to stop them.
With each attack, Serene Star could feel him weaken. Finally, she seized her chance.
"Serene Healing Radiance!"
There was a struggle as she fought to purge his darkness. She pulled as hard as she could on the power around her. Hope poured from Sardonyx, Sapphire, Addy, and Azurite. Courage rolled off of Moonlight Knight in waves, giving her even more strength. But, it wasn't enough. Not with Wiseman's corrupted Crystal so close. She needed something to aid her. The darkness was covering Diamond, deeper than the others.
And then, she found the chink in the darkness's armor.
There was a speck of light, still reaching out from Diamond. She reached for it, pulling on his sense of justice, his patience, his generosity that fought to free itself from the darkness. Rather than pull the darkness away, she fed the light within Diamond, until he could push it away, himself.
The eye on his forehead faded away, replaced once more by the black crescent moon. He dropped the shoe with a look akin to horror.
"What have I done?" Diamond asked, looking at his shaking hands.
"Thank you, Serene Star," managed Sardonyx.
She and Sapphire ran forward to pull Diamond to his feet.
"Feeling better, older brother?" Sapphire asked, a wide grin on his face.
Diamond nodded. "Thank you. For trying to stop me."
"Foolish princelings!" The voice was higher pitched than Serene Star had been expecting. It was also almost, dare she say it, giddy.
"Wiseman!" Diamond let out a roar.
So, I didn't get to the final fight with Wiseman. That'll have to come next chapter. Oh well. At least I got one of the fights in. Two more chapters to go. If I'd put in the final fight, this chapter would have become longer than I wanted. I already drug it out too long with that rambling in Usagi's mind, earlier. I'm not happy with it, but I couldn't quite get myself to cut it out, either. But, because of it, this is the third longest chapter in this story! I thought you'd all be pleased to hear that! I hope the fight was to your liking, Whiteangel-2003.
Sapphire was spying, because I really didn't want to have to do another fight. Besides, he never strikes me as someone to willing go over to darkness. Diamond, however, I can see. Of course, this time, it was because he let Wiseman corner him, without anyone around to contradict him. Also, I know this one is rushed, again. But, I'm in a hurry to get to the end of this. I really hate writing fight scenes. I never can seem to get them right.
For ShotaroxPhillip, the answer is yes, Serena will get back to fighting Beryl. Not the next story in the arc. That'll be the Heartsnatchers/Daimons arc and the Outers. The story after that will return to Tokyo and the fight with Beryl.
My thanks to both Whiteangel-2003 and ShotaroxPhillip for reviewing!
See you in the next chapter!
Bookworm0913