Lingering Threads of Hope, Part 1: For Love's Sake, You Must
The month started with very little room for celebrations for most of Tokyo. Even if the usual turn-of-the-year celebrations went by as scheduled and had no problems whatsoever, most people still feared something like the Gashadokuro rampage could happen once more. Rumours of martial law and even intervention from the United Nations permeated the city, now in fear of its own existence.
It was a cold but sunny day, with next to no clouds atop the megalopolis. Usagi observed the clear and fresh sky of that morning from the window of her room, a mixture of feelings inside her head that did not permit her to fully enjoy herself. Demons were still prowling across the city, and her companions were just as perturbed as her, if not even more... Considering they all saw their significant others die, just as they let them come inside their hearts.
But what truly worried the heroine at that moment was Minako. Usagi found it hard to believe her close friend and sister-in-arms would simply quit on her Sailor Guardian duties over a dead boyfriend, even if she understood her reasoning. After all, she saw her friends and her own beloved die repeatedly, and the entire world succumb to darkness, and still pressed on forward. But rather than comparing Minako's pain to hers, she wanted to make a difference and still offer her a helping hand in her times of turmoil.
"I can't simply turn my back on a friend," the heroine exclaimed out loud.
Luna leaped off Usagi's bed in an instinctive reaction to that outburst. "What's that all of a sudden?"
"Minako, of course," she answered. "I can't stop thinking about how she is doing... And how she is coping with the death of Daisuke. And..."
"About all she said that day, I presume," the wise cat completed. "We have to understand she was struck with grief and anger when she had her outburst. We are better off leaving her alone for a while..."
"It's been a week already," Usagi interrupted softly. "I know, and you know, it's freaking hard on her already, but she can't grieve forever. That's what bothers me."
"I know, I know... I guess we could try talking to her?"
Hearing this, Usagi's expression lightened up for the first time in quite some time. "Of course! Let's go to Mina's pad and talk her out of her funk!"
"I'll go with you," added Luna, also more alleviated. "Gotta catch up with good old lazybones Artemis as well."
Both darted out of the room, and after speaking to Usagi's mother about where she was about to go, the Guardian and the wise cat went out in wide steps. A few moments later, the Tsukino's matriarch received a phone call.
"Hello? Tsukino residence."
"Hello, this is Mamoru. May I speak to Usako?"
"Oh, dear, she just left to a friend's house."
"I see. Please tell her I wish to speak to her as soon as possible. It's... An important matter."
(xx)
Nephrite had lost his sense of time walking down the banks of the Hades' rivers. All he knew was that he trodded for a very long time, driven only by the mission of finding his substitute as Heavenly King and Sailor Jupiter's consort. To his good fortune, at least, he still had the mark of planet Jupiter as a guide, seared unto his left hand ever since his first death, when his name was still Ayawatha and he was violently chosen by the wraith of the late King Ellestor of Jupiter as his substitute.
But there was only so much suffering and pain his soul could take, still not fully recovered from the frantic swimming across the boiling waters of Cocytus that victimized Adamas to a death beyond death. His spiritual energy, he felt, was fading off the more he walked. And even if he was safe, he knew he had to be quick in finding the shores of the river Styx. But his eyes were giving away, and his body could no longer bear the brunt of more steps, eventually collapsing unto himself.
Forgive me... O, my brothers... Master Endymion... Young Lord...
A dreamless sleep took over Nephrite's battered soul. He knew oblivion drew near. And yet...
"Looks like someone is in dire need of skin grafts," a soft but mocking voice spoke. Much to his chagrin, Nephrite knew exactly who had just waken him up.
"Buzz off, Zoisite."
"About damn time you came, huh?" Kunzite appeared to address him. "Turns out we all arrived even before you."
"Huh... What the!?" the auburn-haired King got up suddenly and saw all the other Heavenly Kings, plus a few others - including none other than his former target and current protegé, Miyage Shinozaki, standing there with his arms crossed and an odd look on his face. "How did you arrive in here?"
"How else?" he answered while showing the green mark of Jupiter glimmering in his left palm.
"Way cool! You guys have those shiny thingamajigs in your hands too," A voice from the shadows spoke out. It was Yuuichirou who just arrived at the enclave while proudly displaying the red glow of Mars' symbol.
"Thank goodness for the embedded beacons in our palms," Jadeite said while showing a similar red glow in his own hand. "Otherwise, the dumb lugnut here would have found a way to a parallel dimension before even coming here."
"What the hell did you just say!?"
"Exactly what you heard!"
"Keep it down, ladies," Zoisite half-seriously said as he parted the two men before they engaged in fisticuffs. "You already partook in a bloody battle up there, and it was one too many already."
"So, I believe we are all here," said Ryo, who kept himself silent up until that moment.
"Not really," reminded Kunzite. "There is still Adonis missing. Or Daisuke, whatever he may call himself at this time."
"Livin' easy, livin' free, season ticket on a one-way ride," sang a decent-looking youngster with shoulder-length silver-blond hair. All attentions turned to the voice of the newly-arrived Daisuke.
"Askin' nothing, leave me be, takin' everything in my stride," Yuuichirou sang along.
"Oh, joy! A man after my own heart!" Daisuke came out and gave a fist bump to the scruffy-haired man.
"And who might you be?" asked Ryo.
"Don't worry, guys," he answered by showing his own left palm, upon which the symbol of Venus glowed in orange. "On your side."
"Well, how convenient, huh?" Zoisite commented gladly to Kunzite, who retributed his smile.
The four of them were finally together at the shores of River Styx. Ryo Urawa, Yuuichirou Kumada, Miyage Shinozaki and Daisuke Aizawa.
"So, you guys got killed by the knuckleheads over there too, huh?" Yuuichirou quipped, to which Daisuke and Ryo nodded in confirmation.
"I heard that, big guy," Jadeite affirmed.
"Well, in my case, some freak in a purple cloak cut off my head," Shinozaki explained. "This is why it took me some time to arrive. Let's say... A guardian angel pointed me the way."
"What I don't get is why did those guys come all the way from Hell to kill us," Yuuichirou continued while scratching the top of his head. "Couldn't they just, like, explain things to us and the girls too?"
"There is a good explanation for all of this," Ryo warned.
"Indeed, there is," the voice of Nephrite resounded, having finally recovered some of his spiritual energy. "You were chosen as the companions of the Sailor Guardians... Or better yet... The Sailor Guardians themselves have chosen you."
"Protocols are protocols, you see," Zoisite justified. "You needed to be killed without much of forewarning. Helps with the emotional outburst the Guardians needed to amp up their own powers."
"Essentially, if you are here, it's because you were also chosen to be heroes of your own," Jadeite continued. "To assume the role to protect this world alongside Endymion, Prince of Earth."
"Endymion..." The word made Yuuichirou think for a second. "Wait, you mean Chiba!?"
"You got that right," jested Jadeite. "Why, you're not as dumb as I thought!"
"Just as the Sailor Guardians serve the Moon Princess, you are to serve the Earth Prince," added Kunzite.
"Uh, can't say my encounter with him was particularly pleasant," Ryo reminisced.
"Neither can I, though I did apologize later," Yuuichirou pondered.
"I don't even know him," Daisuke said.
"Me neither!" Shinozaki added.
"Back in the day, only I knew him in person prior to my ascension," continued Kunzite. "The rest only got to meet him in the day they were ordered to do so."
"But don't worry," Zoisite guaranteed. "Things will come in their right time. Besides, this job comes with its nice perks, so to speak."
"For one, you will also receive the title of Royal Consorts," Jadeite explained. "This means you will be essentially kings of your sweethearts' planets, helping them out in combat and diplomatic affairs."
"And that is assuming Serenity and Endymion go ahead with it," Nephrite added. "Otherwise, on the very least, you'll have conquered death, and be with the women you love."
"So... Does that mean we'll actually get to live again?" asked Daisuke, a tint of anxiety audible in his tone.
"If everything works out as planned... Yes, you will," Zoisite confirmed.
The four prospects looked at each other, giddy at the possibility of rebirth.
"Now that you know the basics, we must go ahead, for there is no time to lose," Kunzite spoke. "If we want to close the gap between Hell and Earth, you must be at your highest possible level. Let us begin now the training of the New Heavenly Kings."
(xx)
Minako had just finished pleasing herself with her fingers, her sole source of joy since she locked herself inside her room. She started and finished her days this way, which left her even more lethargic and fog-headed than usual. Not that she minded - It was winter break at school, and she had virtually no more business with her bandmates, now that the lead guitarist was dead - At the worst possible time, since their debut EP was on the way to be released. Remembering this fact only made her want to weep her way into sleep. Her sole company was that of Artemis, who couldn't do much as it was.
Just as she was about to clean the moisture of her lower parts with a towel, the blond girl heard a couple of knocks on her door.
"Mina?" Her mother called. "It's your friend Usagi."
She only let out a disappointed hum. It was not the first person who tried to approach her since her self-exile, and she refused to even speak to anyone outside of her household since then.
Retsuko intervened. "Come on, dear... This is, what, the twelfth person or so who comes here to talk to you, and you shot them down. How long will you keep yourself enclosed like that?"
"Leave it to me, Mrs. Aino," asked Usagi as she approached the bedroom's door. "Hey, Mina? You know how I am. I'm not leaving until you let me in, even if it is for a short chat. I may even move in until you open that door!"
"She's right, you know," Artemis whispered to his partner.
Again, the only answer out of Minako's mouth was a hoarse groan.
True to her word, Usagi waited just outside her door, in the corridor of the second floor. She was even treated to a cup of tea and some biscuits by Retsuko, and in return and gratitude, she helped out with some basic chores around the house.
In the meantime, Luna and Artemis had a lively chat outside the household, catching up to some information regarding the whereabouts of the lovers of the Guardians. According to the intel given by Artemis, Ryo was still comatose under the care of Ami and her mother; Yuuichirou's body was taken by his family for a private cremation service; Shinozaki's remains were still lost at sea, and Daisuke's body was buried in a western-style cemetery in Yokohama. Minako was too despondent to attend his wake and burial, and true to her word, disabled her communicator so as to cut off any sure way to stay in touch with the rest of the Guardians.
It was almost noon when Minako finally managed to get up and sit in the corner of her bed. "She's still there, isn't she?"
To that query, both wise cats nodded. Minako sighed and finally went to the door in short lumbering steps. When she had her resolve, Usagi wasn't simply a tough nut to crack - She was unbreakable, and the Guardian of Love knew it all too well.
Minako was wearing a striped babydoll, and she did not look anybody in the eye. Just as quick as she had got up to open the door and address the visitor, she went back to her bed.
"You'll have to excuse the less-than-welcoming environment," Artemis excused himself. "She only ever comes out to take showers and use the bathroom."
In normal circumstances, Minako would chastise her cat for oversharing, but she had no strength in her to do that. All she did was to turn on her side, so she would lay on her back.
Usagi tried to liven up the ambient. "It's alright... Whenever I get sad, I also grow lazy and let my room become derelict."
"Keep in mind she's naturally lazy," added Luna.
Was she being honest, or just teasing to see her reaction? Either way, Minako was getting antsy about their presence in her time of grief, but not quite to the point she wanted them out.
"Usagi," she softly spoke. "I... said some very harsh stuff back then. I guess I should apologize..."
"It's alright, Mina. Honest." Just hearing her talk was enough to lighten the general mood of the present.
The blond girl let herself a sly smile. "You know... You let go of grudges quite easily. I wish I could... Be like that."
"Listen... It's not easy for any of us. And it's okay to feel hurt. You've been through a lot, after all. I just hope you can recover yourself. A sad face doesn't suit you."
"I know," Minako answered while turning her face away once more. "But if you're trying to goad me into going back into the fray..."
"I'm not going to ask you to join us again," Usagi uncharacteristically interrupted. "You have to decide it for yourself. What I can guarantee you is that we will be there for you, always. That's what friends are for."
So many things raced inside Minako's head, so many arguments she could come up with, that she couldn't even speak out loud. But rather than curtly interrupt her lingering hope, all the Guardian of Love could muster to speak was a simple phrase. "Thank you, Usagi."
"You're welcome! Now if you excuse me, I gotta go back home. See ya!"
Something about that particular visit had an impact in the blond girl's conflicted mind. It was like an ointment over the burned wound of her mind - It may not close it right away, but it soothed the pain and help it heal in the long run. And for that, Minako was not only grateful. She felt her old peppiness coming back to her body, even if in a subdued manner. It started by her no longer feeling well in staying indoors any longer.
Minako searched for fresh clothes in her wardrobe, picked up a clean towel and went straight to the bathroom. Turning on the cold water faucet, she did not mind the nigh-freezing she felt upon her skin. In fact, it calmed down her nerves and dissipated some of the cloudiness inside her mind. Her head was still a mess, but just by getting up and changing her mind about her situation made her feel slightly more confident.
"I have to go on. I have to..."
(xx)
Each Heavenly King was responsible of their respective pupil, training diligently until they all fell exhausted. Jadeite and Yuuichirou practiced fine swordsmanship; Nephrite and Shinozaki traded martial arts strikes and holds of all kinds; Zoisite created light beacons that led Ryo to use his Great Youma powers; and Kunzite taught Daisuke how to better concentrate his spiritual energy into the tricks he already knew as Phantom Ace.
The four consorts worked out until they felt complete exhaustion throughout their souls. The Kings explained it is perfectly normal - Their energy will return at even greater levels than before, and they all could feel it.
"One question, though," Daisuke spoke. "Why do we do it all here in the Styx?"
"Three reasons," answered Kunzite. "First, this is where the Gods used to make oaths, so it has some symbolic significance. Second, your spiritual energy is set to naturally grow in this place. Third, and perhaps more important, since this is very much the last remnant of Eden in all planes of Existence, the Fallen Angel himself cannot interfere."
"So far, nobody has ever failed the training," explained Nephrite, "but that has more to do with the fact that the prospective Kings were carefully chosen among the populace of the Galactic Commonwealth. In a way, this what we are doing is a risky bet."
"Interesting," commented Ryo. "But... Who exactly picked the Kings back then?"
"I'm afraid the answer to this question will have to wait," a soft male voice spoke out from the waters of the river. The figure of what seemed to be a male child no older than 12 walked on the waters of the Styx towards the eight men, a glowing golden horn produced on his forehead.
"Wait! Who's that?" Yuuichirou spoke out nervously.
"It was me, the Warden of Dreams," the childlike figure said as he set foot on the riverbank.
"Morpheus?" Kunzite seemed to recognize him.
"Yes and no," he answered. "See, upon the death of my father, instead of going to the Wailing Way with the rest of the dead Gods, he was reborn... into me. As such, I have something of a free pass between the realms of dreams and of the dead. Strictly speaking, I am Morpheus as well, but such is no longer my identity anymore. My name now is Helios."
"Oh yes, the Young Lord has been desperately seeking for you," Zoisite reminded.
"This I know, and I shall see to him soon as well, but that too will have to wait."
"I see... But why are you here at the shores of Styx?" asked Jadeite.
"The demons of Hell intend to invade the Dreaming, beginning with the Dreamscapes of the Sailor Guardians," Helios explained. "If my predictions are correct, they wish to use the entropy of the Dreaming, and the wombs of the Sailor Guardians, to rise the Palace of Sheer Crystal before its due time..."
"Carcosa," Nephrite deduced the intention of the Fallen Angel. The others silently mulled over the implications of what Lucifer and his cronies intend to do.
"Correct," confirmed Helios.
"There is no other way," Jadeite lamented. "We shall go to our former betrothed's minds to fend off with the demons within them."
"Can we go too?" asked Shinozaki.
"I'm afraid you can't," Helios answered. "This requires large amounts of spiritual energy, which your souls still don't possess."
"In the meantime, you four take a rest," Kunzite advised. "I believe you will be recovered by the time we return. Our next lesson will involve concentration of spiritual power."
"Be good to each other while we are away," asked Zoisite with a wink. Upon surrounding Helios, the Warden of Dreams rose his right arm, emitted a holy aura that covered the Heavenly Kings, and in a single moment, all five disappeared from the shores of Styx.
"Well, you heard the men," Daisuke said as he turned around to the others. "We can begin by getting ourselves acquainted."
(xx)
Minako's Dreamscape
The Guardian of Love saw herself inside a vast hall, draped in banners of orange and yellow, with marble finishing across its walls and three large windows on its end, reflecting a beige but clear sky. Minako herself was wearing a tight regal peach-colored dress and a rather large pronged tiara in lieu of her usual red lasso. The environment around her also seemed oddly familiar. A lost memory of the Silver Millenium, most likely. It really felt too real to be just a dream. Minako stepped towards the back of the hall, where there was a throne with its back turned towards her, facing the large windows.
She saw a blond, bearded man wearing a golden crown slumped over his throne, with a crimson gash across his entire torso that oozed blood in large quantities, reaching almost to her feet. And right behind her, the perpetrator: A man with shoulder-length platinum-blond hair with a bloodstained sword and a look of shock in his face, even with a smile grafted on his lips.
Minako could hardly believe who that was. "Daisuke..."
"Minako... My beloved Minako, how I yearned to see you," he spoke as he stepped in her direction.
"Were you the one who..."
"Of course," he answered so casually, knowing well the rest of the question. "For you, I'd do anything. You know it all too well."
The words out of Daisuke's mouth were enough to make her tremble. The vision of that hall, and of the men present in opposite conditions, made her want to scream, but at the same time the strength in her bosom faded and no sound came out of her mouth. Even lifting her arms for combat became impossible - Her limbs became heavy all of a sudden.
Daisuke's eyes emitted the kind of red glow that only a demon could possibly display. Minako's body went completely numb at that moment.
"Am I not the man you love?" Daisuke said as he forcefully grabbed Minako. "Am I not!?"
That was not Daisuke, she knew and felt it. The real one would never force her to do anything against her will like he did at that moment. That was a nightmare, but it also felt too real... And as much as she tried, she could not wake up.
But before she was able to force himself any further, Daisuke's image was stabbed from behind by some kind of glittering blade, upon which he released a squirm and faded away. Minako's body and head felt lighter and free from the dark spell, but to her further distress, the man who did that to her would-be violator was none other than Kunzite.
"This was an incubus," he explained. "A holy sigil summoned me here in your mind. I'm glad I arrived in time."
Minako recalled the talisman that Rei had handed her some time ago. "But why you, of all people?"
The Heavenly King remained in silence for a short while before giving out his answer. "Because... Of the bond between our souls. I was your consort in the Silver Millenium, and our liaison was simply beyond spoken vows."
All the Guardian could do was shake her head in denial. "I can't accept it. I simply can't..."
"I cannot tell you to not accept it," he continued. "This is all true, it all happened. You did not ask for this... And neither did I. But this is all in the past. What matters now is that I helped you before you were taken over by the damned incubus. Such is part of my duty, even after all these eons..."
"Does this all mean we are... Destined to be together?" Minako asked while finally looking at Kunzite in the eye. "Isn't that why you killed Daisuke?"
"No," Kunzite immediately answered. "And no matter how much I try to justify myself, you will not listen. I shall take my leave now."
Minako noticed the glimmer of water inside Kunzite's eyes. He, too, was suffering. "Wait..."
"Goodbye for now... Aphra." Upon saying this, the Heavenly King faded from her sight.
"ANIRUDDHA!" She ended up calling without noticing.
(xx)
Minako got up suddenly, catching air. She was fidgeting nervously and her forehead seemed like it was melting from so much sweat. All around her was dark and somewhat frightening, as if it wasn't her room. Inside her, the uneasiness she felt inside her nightmare had grown into real fear.
She covered her face and began to weep, all too softly so as to not wake up her parents in the adjacent room.
"Minako!" called the voice of Artemis from a safe distance. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"Artemis... I'm sorry, I..." She couldn't complete her phrase before resuming her sobbing, muffled by her pillow.
"It's alright. There, there..." All the wise cat could do was to approach his companion and extend a paw towards her back. In response, all the young woman could do was to gently stroke the fur on his back.
"What even am I," she softly asked herself, without expecting an answer. "I can't be free from who I am, and who I was..."
(xx)
From their makeshift base, Dis Pater and Fréamund observed the aftermath of yet another failed mission.
"The blood sigils have faded..." said Dis Pater upon checking the floor ahead of him, completely clean of stains.
"How in all hells did they manage to fend off those incubi?" inquired Fréamund.
"Ah, men... Always so fickle behind your tough façade."
A tempting female voice was heard, materializing into a demonic-looking woman with furry legs, short fiery hair and bare breasts. "Have you considered they were better prepared for this kind of attack, considering Astar's exploits?"
"Spare us your condescension, Lilith," Dis Pater spoke gravely. "Tell us how we should proceed, and no more than that."
"Heh, heh. Of course," the Legionnaire of Lust smugly answered. "You see, to impregnate women, you can also try to lay them in the old-fashioned way. Of course, I don't trust you chuds can convince a bitch in heat to sleep with you, let alone the Sailor Guardians. How about this? Find the men the Heavenly Kings had killed, have some demons take over their soulless bodies, and have them fornicate with the Guardians."
"Huh... How did we not think of this before?" Dis Pater complained, trying to ignore the rest of the diatribe.
"You could have thought of this, if you used the head that actually contains brains to take that kind of decisions."
Fréamund facepalmed. "Argh, get fucked, Lilith."
"Sounds like a plan," the female demon jocosely stated as she started to teleport away in a fiery burst. "But I'd do it first with Mammon than with any of you chumps. Now if you don't mind, I must discuss the next proceedings with your sweet old father. Ta-ta!"
"Well, you heard her," Dis Pater spoke. "We have to find those dead bastards somehow. Question is... Where do we begin this search?"
After silent pondering, Fréamund answered: "Through the files of the Police Department, of course. For that, we need to behave like our civilian selves. Do you understand that, Inspector Wagaki?"
"Umm, sure... Inspector..."
"Naitou Kakusareta," he reminded. "Remember this, we are common human beings now."
I did not forget this fic!
Thanks a lot to everyone who has been following so far, followers and anonymous alike - Especialmente tu litakino1987, eso ya lo sabes ;)
Next chapter: Dis Pater and Fréamund desecrate the slumber of the dead, and a talk between would-be lovers that didn't come to be.
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.