For all those who are still bothering themselves to follow this, thank you very much!
I've been sick with the flu (May or may not be Covid-19 despite being fully vaxxed) and as such, it took me a while to retake my daily routine.
WARNING: There will be a semi-explicit sex scene later on.
The Men that Must Die, Part 1: Mark of the Unsavior
"Miss Meioh, may I speak with you for a moment?" A young man asked Setsuna as she was taking a look at several medical reports with similar symptoms, all of them taken after Shoggoth sightings.
"Of course," she answered, finally seeing him. "Though, do I know you?"
"Pardon my manners, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Gurio Umino"
"Very well, Mr. Umino. How may I help you?"
"I see everything."
"Excuse me?"
"Ever since the attack of those uncanny creatures over at the Juuban plaza, when I temporarily lost my sight, I seemed to have gained access to my previous life's ability to see all past threads of fate, as well as possible paths in the future. A favor I gained from the Fates, it appears. As such, I know you are Sailor Pluto, for example."
Setsuna remained incredulous to the young man's explanations up until that point. "If that's true... Tell me something only I know."
He wasted no time in obliging her request. "Despite no longer defending the Time-Space Gate, you are still able to predict the future by touching people."
This was the one piece of information she did not want to be reminded of, yet it was a good argument to prove Umino's powers. "You... You're correct. So, how do you think I could help you?"
"For one... I could tell you about the source of the creatures that are assailing the city. And how the Sailor Scouts could help."
(xx)
Neither Ami nor Sosuke Urawa could believe, despite seeing the fact with their own eyes, that Ryo was still somehow showing signs of life. Nothing about his body showed any traces of the colon cancer that was killing him from inside, or any of the fatal wounds dealt by Zoisite not too long ago. In fact, his body composition had returned to a healthy tone, and even his hair had grown a little.
However, he was in a deep coma, and nothing they did woke him up. He breathed normally, his body felt warm, and he had a weak but palpable pulse in his wrists and in his jugular, plus audible heartbeats. Rather than leaving him still at the University Hospital, Ami and her recently-recovered mother agreed to take care of him in their own apartment.
"It's as if the Gods were playing some kind of game with us," Sosuke said with an anguished tone. "We both saw him get stabbed by that monster. And before that, he was at a terminal stage of his illness. I just... Don't understand how or why this is happening to my son..."
Ami wasn't sure if this phenomenon was related to Ryo's background as a Great Youma or if it was a direct consequence of her killing the revived Zoisite, or even due to some other unrelated reason, so in her uncertainty, she preferred not to say anything.
"I hope it is not much of a hassle to leave him here," Sosuke told his daughter-in-law.
"None at all," Ami answered with a small smile. "Mama and I will make sure to take utmost care of him. Besides, you must have spent quite a fortune to aid Ryo already."
"The money isn't important if it's to save my son, but thanks for the consideration," Sosuke answered, retributing her kind smile. "I guess I should be relieved he's still alive, but I'm not sure for how long, and that's what tortures me. It feels like... It is prolonging our own anguish, you see. I can only pray for the best now. Now if you excuse me, my job requires me. Have a good day, Miss Mizuno. And you too, Ryo, if you can hear me..."
Ami accompanied her father-in-law to the door and waved him goodbye. She quickly returned to her beloved's side.
Don't worry, Ryo. I may not know why or how you survived, but I'll make sure you come back. The Guardian then leaned in and gave a kiss on his forehead.
(xx)
Earlier that day, before going to school, Rei had decided to take a detour to the local record store, if only to see if it had more material from the bands that Yuuichirou had put in the mixtapes he sent her. She went straight to the one that
"Good afternoon!" Greeted a decently-groomed chubby clerk. "How may I help you?"
"Hi there! I'm looking for tapes or CDs of any of these bands."
She gave to the clerk the two tapes that Yuuichirou had gifted her. He checked their backs, scratched his chin briefly and then stated: "Well, I do have something from most of these artists. Just a minute." After taking a brief leave from the counter and shuffling through several of the CD racks that permeated the place, he took a few of those and brought them over to the Guardian of Fire.
"For instance, this Jeff Buckley fellow has one and only album. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us, so this is all we'll have from him, I'm afraid."
The information somewhat sank Rei's heart. Of all the songs on the "Soft Rock" tape, that one by Jeff Buckley was the most heartfelt to her.
"Also, Radiohead just released a new album. My goodness, it is unlike anything I have ever heard before, and likely after. Though I think you could be also interested in the one that has this particular track."
They spent about ten minutes discussing about the albums, before she would be able to settle for five of them in cassette versions, since those were cheaper and could be played in her small boombox.
"Oh, and sweet necklace you got," the clerk commented.
"Ah, thanks! It's a gift from my cousin. Check this out." The Guardian showed him the trick to separate the pendant. "I intend to give one of these to... My boyfriend, who is overseas. He is the one who gave me those mixtapes."
"Way cool!" He answered with an earnest smile. "He's got some good taste, that's for sure. I hope I hear from you both later on. Enjoy the tapes, and 'till next time!"
(xx)
Shinozaki's work as the resident handyman at a convenience store was mostly comprised of dull duties, such as keeping the store clean and counting the money at the end of each turn. At night, when the customer movement winded down, he kept himself amused reading the latest issue of Shonen Magazine, a habit from his childhood he never bother growing out of.
"Good evening," a familiar voice called him. A glance over his manga tome, and there she was, his beloved Makoto, wearing a wonderful and earnest smile on her face.
"Oh, hi there, Mako!" Shinozaki brightly answered. "Can I help you with something?"
She put some cleaning products over the counter. "I came for these, but also..." She paused before she said what she wanted, her green eyes darting all over the place in search for the words to say. The awkward silence also made the young man uneasy, especially since he too wanted to say something to him.
"Are you free this Saturday?" Both spoke at the same time, and blushed in the same time frame. "Yes I am," both spoke in unison again.
Now alleviated from the strange situation, Makoto finally spoke: "Tokyo Dome World, eight o'clock?"
"Sure," Shinozaki answered, knowing well what is going to take place there. "Let's take this slow and steady."
To make up for it, Makoto gave him a peck on the cheek and a peppy wink. "That's exactly what I like about you, Mr. Responsible. Don't forget, Saturday night! See you!"
(xx)
All of Minako's bandmates went to receive her at the Hameda airport, as she took the entire week to attend the wedding of her long-time friends Alan and Katarina. She couldn't be happier to see them, though she did wish her always-busy parents were also there.
"So, how was your travel to England, girl?" Daisuke asked.
"Ah, it was great! Been there, done that, cried a lot... But it's a page from my life I needed to turn." The reminder made Minako turn pensive for a short while, but she quickly shook it off. "So, practice on Saturday at the usual place?"
They all agreed, and after a big of chatter to catch up with the news during her absence, and then she went to Daisuke's apartment with him.
Daisuke seemed aloof for some reason. He already wasn't much of the talkative type, but did loosen up around his friends. But during the whole day, he seemed and acted taciturn, unusual even for him. Even when both watched a rented movie at the young musician's pad holding onto each other, he seemed out of it with no concentration other than in something disturbing him.
"I'd love to get married to you someday, you know." She commented to see his reaction.
"Hey, one step at a time," he teased, but in a deadpan tone.
But even with his own issues, Daisuke still treated her with some degree of warmness. Some cuddling and a foot massage later, and Minako fell asleep on the couch. It gave him enough leeway to walk to the balcony as he often did.
"You're such a tease, loverboy..." the Guardian moeaned out in her slumber.
The real reason for Daisuke's distant behaviour that day were the visions he saw earlier that morning, after receiving a mysterious package containing two jewels and a coin with a strange pattern. He saw hundreds of corpses across the streets. He saw a dead king slumped over his throne, and a bloodied sword on his hands. He saw Minako with a shocked look on her face as she tried to wake up the dead man he had just slain. He felt like a monster in the guise of a human.
"Just what the hell am I?" he asked himself. "Minako... Could it be that you and I..."
As much as he shook his head, slapped his hands across his face and tried to distract himself with miscellaneous frivolities, the visions did not leave his head. He went out for a breath of fresh air in an attempt to, at least, calm down his mind. His other calming habit, he felt, had to be done away with.
What a terrible fucking time to quit smoking...
(xx)
Setsuna's Dreamscape
When Setsuna opened her eyes, she saw herself naked and lying on her back, mounted by an olive-skinned man with non-descript facial features. She felt a pleasing and warm pain between her legs, with the man suckling voraciously on her breasts. Indeed, they were in the middle of sexual intercourse, and for all she knew, this felt pleasurable enough for her to keep going.
"Soichi... Is that you?"
When the man made his face visible, however, he was not who Setsuna thought he was.
"Astar!?"
Whoever it was, it looked exactly like him. Only, this figure had a malicious look on his face, with not a single trace that denoted his true origins as an Angel.
"Ah... You're... You're not Astar..."
"Indeed I am not," the incubus answered while still above her. "Instead, I am that what you wish for yourself. Do not deny it, and do not fight it. This what you yearn. This is what you crave for. The allure of a man touching you, possessing you, ravaging you!"
At that moment, his eyes emitted an eerie red glow in an attempt to paralyze her and for him to continue his perfidious deed. "Liar! Get off of me!" Having still retained her free will, the Guardian screamed as she got up and pushed the incubus away from her.
(xx)
Setsuna woke up in a sudden but silent rush, and saw nothing unusual in her shared room with Professor Tomoe. She did sense some other presence just outside, so she silently got up from her bed and went out of the manor, just by the front porch. As she thought, there was some kind of impish creature trying to hide beneath the garden's bushes. It attempted to escape, but the Guardian of Time was quicker to grab it by the neck.
"Some nerve you have to invade my dreams," Setsuna said as she strangled the imp with all her might. It was a rather small creature whose features did not denote anything that resembled attractiveness in any way. It eventually stopped moving around, bereft of life.
Only then did it dawn on her that the tryst could have the same effects that briefly afflicted Ami, Rei and Makoto not too long ago, so she decided to test her luck. "Pluto Planet Power, Make Up!"
Her transformation went without a hitch, and she did not feel any weaker. It appeared the copulation must reach its natural climax in order to deactivate her powers, but she would only be certain of it at a later date. But more importantly at that moment, there was no more room for doubt about Umino's prediction: There were similar demons all over the city, and their source must be dealt with.
"It's time. I better contact the others," Sailor Pluto told herself as she adjusted her communicator to call for Haruka and Michiru.
(xx)
Mamoru had just finished his weekly phone talk with Usagi when he plummeted on his dorm room's bed, sweating bullets and fidgeting. He had grown increasingly exasperated over the recent happenings in Tokyo with the Sailor Guardians and their strange encounters with otherwordly creatures that have no qualms in hurting and destroying anything around them. The fact that he's been feeling constantly exhausted and irritated without any particular reason also indicated something terrible upon the planet.
"How selfish of me... I should be there with Usako and the Guardians, helping them in any way I can," he told himself. "But at least it won't be long since I can go back there during winter break."
It's been little more than a year since he's resumed his postgraduate course at Harvard, and he did not expect anything unusual to happen. Something was going on, and he needed to support the women he swore to protect for the greater good of the Universe.
A knock on the door suddenly broke Mamoru's concentration. "Come in, it's open," he answered.
"Yo, Mamoru!" A young Japanese undergraduate greeted while he entered.
"Oh, hi there, Asanuma!" Mamoru greeted back with a smile. "How's it going?"
"Doin' just fine. See, I came here because I wanna request some help on a research task I'm conducting. Check this out." He drew forth a book with a rather disturbing demonic face on its cover. "It has no title, you see... But my goodness, me and the Linguistics department are going ballistic over deciphering its contents. Every day we discover something new about this."
"Really? What did you guys find out?"
"Well, first of all, it is written in several idioms that at first seemed odd... But as it turns out, they're perfectly identifiable and were simply twisted in a way that an untrained eye would not be able to read it at first glance. We identified the use of ancient forms of Japanese, Latin, Sanskrit and Mapundungun, which dealt with different civilizations that apparently once formed and lived on Earth."
The yellowed pages Asanuma showed to Mamoru described a map not unlike that of the Earth itself, but with notable differences. Apparently, there were only five countries, with one particular place standing where Jerusalem currently stood serving as its main hub. The other capitals were located in present-day Kyoto, Rome, southwestern Canada and in the island of Socotra.
"So, according to this tome, there is an entire palace made of crystal beneath the Earth, ready to rise whenever some kind of prophecy takes place. Ooh yeah, and that it is a hub between dimensions. You could access Heaven, Hell, and even the world of dreams through it."
"Umm, interesting," Mamoru, barely concealing his nervousness over the description of the place. "I'd be glad to help out your research on this codex in any way that I can. If only the parts in garbled Japanese."
"Really? Oh, you'd be a pal for that!" Asanuma answered excitedly. "You'd be saving us some skull-cracking moments here, and I'm sure you can contribute well. Now if you don't mind, I think I overstayed my welcome here." He picked up the strange tome and bid his farewell. "I'll pass by tomorrow for lunch where we can discuss more about how you can help, okay? See you!"
After greeting him once more, Mamoru turned back for a much-needed shower, where he could mull some more about the entire situation. That book... I feel it has to do with the Silver Millenium somehow, and with me as well. My goodness, what the hell do I do now? Where do I go from here?
(xx)
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn waited in front of what once was the Hanekoma household, where Umino had warned them about this being the source of the dreaded Shoggoths and, as of that night, incubi and succubi.
"What exactly is the plan here?" asked Sailor Saturn.
"You and I, together with Uranus and Neptune, are to close this forsaken pit. If what that damned figure says is right, we are Demigoddesses, and as such, we retain some power over aspects of Existence, which permits us closing this gap."
"Hope we didn't keep you waiting," a strong female voice spoke. And indeed, Sailors Uranus and Neptune had arrived.
"Haruka! Michiru! It's been so long," Saturn greeted them with visible warmness.
"I hope you've been behaving well, little Hotaru," Michiru told her.
It did not escape Sailor Pluto's sights the visible changes in Uranus and Neptune's uniforms, as well as their fresh and strengthened battle auras. "You haven't told me about this evolution in your powers. But that explanation is set for another day. Let us focus on the task at hand."
The four Outer Guardians formed a row in front of the derelict house. Their eyes emitted glows and so did their hands, as they silently cast forth a spell to close the gap between the two planes of Existence. They fully concentrated on their powers at hand, though it literally made them lose their senses as they were covered by a non-descript shock throughout their bodies.
When they came back to their senses, they saw nothing unusual. The portal, for all they knew, was still open.
"It appears you have tried something without the necessary numbers." When the Guardians turned around, they saw the white-clad figure of Phantom Ace, illuminated by the rays of the half-moon.
"Four-of-a-kind. Four Kings. Today's prediction says that four men down below will be important for this particular mission." He then tossed out those cards and shuffled his deck, from which he drew five cards. "They must be gambitted in the following plays, but these will pay off... into a Royal Flush. Do not pass it by."
"You..." Sailor Pluto seemed to recognize Phantom Ace, and she instinctively pointed her rod towards the hero. "You were responsible."
"Of what, may I ask?"
"Of everything!" She answered in an uncharacteristically upset manner. "The breaking of the Crests that kept the boundaries between all planes of Existence from merging... The Third Cataclysm that pitted those unholy creatures from Hell against the Lunarian Kingdom... The end of the First Age of Humanity, when Beryl snatched the troops of the Five Kingdoms of Terra, and invaded the Moon along with the powers of Chaos and those of Hell itself! All because of you and your selfishness!"
The masked man took a step back in his confusion. "I'm sorry, lady, but I have no recollection of this."
"I could help you with that, Adonis," spoke a male voice. All attentions turned to a figure completely covered by a purple cloak, accompanied by another man of tanned skin and long white hair wearing street clothes.
"Oh no..." Sailor Pluto muttered, seemingly recognizing the figure.
"What's the matter, Pluto?" Sailor Neptune asked.
"Ah, dear Setsuna," the cloaked man spoke once more. "Our story goes way back. Not to the Silver Millenium, mind you. Just from our years in present-day high school. You let me live, and for that you have my eternal gratitude. This will help avoid the rise of the worst thing that could possibly afflict humankind."
"State your business already!" Sailor Uranus exclaimed. "Who the hell are you, and why are you here?"
"Call me Fréamund," he answered. "I am carrying on the wills of the Fallen Angel and of the one named Adonis."
"I feared it would come to this," Kunzite affirmed. "I guess I have no other choice."
"Don't be so hasty, Aniruddha," Fréamund told the Heavenly King. "Remember, Dis Pater requires him alive. For he is the human part of his being."
The information shocked all the presents, especially Phantom Ace.
"Dis Pater... Adonis..." Sailor Uranus muttered to herself, unable to make heads and tails out of it. "It makes no sense whatsoever! Why do you want him?"
"It makes sense if I explained. See, when Dis Pater came out of the dimensional rift you pushed him into, the human part of his soul somehow detached itself from the demon part, and was able to find its way to the stream of death and rebirth of the Hades. As such, he was able to be born in this day and age. Why would he choose to be a tacky, card-tossing fop, I have no idea nor do I care to know. What matters is that at his current state, Dis Pater is but a shadow in need of constant effigy changes, with diminished powers. But once he is reunited with this Phantom Ace fellow, he will be whole again, and the process to stop the rise of Serenity and Endymion will be greatly enhanced to the point of inevitability. As for the portal to the Hades you see ahead of you... Not even the Demigoddesses can close it. Deal with it."
Something inside the white-clad hero clicked at Fréamund's explanation. Meanwhile, the Outer Guardians were at a loss at what to do. Should they fight it out against Phantom Ace as well? Or does that mean his explanation of having no recollection of his unspeakable deeds in the Silver Millenium hold ground?
"Aniruddha, mark the man," Fréamund ordered his companion. Without looking at him, Kunzite jumped towards Phantom Ace and effortlessly grabbed him
"Unhand me!" he demanded. But the Heavenly King did not stop, and then pointed his right index finger right on his chest, burning some kind of branding through his clothes and his skin.
"This is the mark that will denote who you truly are. Even when you detransform, it will be there. And so will we go after you, when the time comes." He then leaned to whisper something in his ear: "I now see you are not evil. But be prepared for Hell, where you need to be soon."
"Death Ribbon Revolution!" Sailor Saturn called for an ethereal attack that constricted both Phantom Ace and Kunzite. The former simply used one of his cards to cut through the tape before it sapped through his life force.
"Stay put!" Sailor Neptune pointed her trident Trishula towards both men.
"If I were you, I would worry more about the strange creatures coming out of the portal," Fréamund told her as a large fiend tried to attack her. "Our mission is done, Aniruddha. Let us go."
"Wait, Naitou!" Sailor Pluto shouted for him, but he simply turned away and ran. Kunzite followed soon after.
"What do we do now," Sailor Uranus asked.
"We have no other choice but to pursue and eliminate those things coming out of the portal," the Guardian of Time answered bitterly. Both went to where Sailor Neptune had just finished skewering the first demon to help her out in that night's newest mission. The prediction spoken by Umino was correct, but there was nothing about its direct solution. At least, not at first sight - At that moment, she thought of Phantom Ace's strange prediction.
Four men... Sailor Pluto thought. I think I'm starting to understand the plan that the Young Lord is devising. I hope it's not too late...
(xx)
Far from the sights of anybody else, as dawn started to break, amateur musician Daisuke Aizawa picked up three items he carried with him: Two jewels, one green and one red, and a strange coin. Sitting on a dock of Tokyo's harbor zone, he peered into his shirt and saw the mark that Kunzite had brandished on his chest.
With a shaking hand, he picked up a menthol cigarette pack and his lighter, putting one of the cigarettes in his lips and lighting it up. Only when the chemicals hit his lungs and his bloodstream did Daisuke calm down enough to properly analyze his situation.
"So, I am really marked to die." Another puff, and then he permitted himself to sob hopelessly. "To pay for my past sins... Forgive me, Minako... Forgive me."
litakino1987: Si no fuera por ti, estaría increíblemente desencorajada a proseguir con este fic. Gracias por acompañarma, y mejoras para ti también!
Next chapter: Showdown! Sailor Jupiter and Shinozaki vs. Nephrite.
Greetings from The Hospitaller Knight