Lingering Threads of Hope, Part 4 - The Men that Must Return

It was two in the morning when Makoto woke up with a couple of rings on her doorbell. Still half-asleep, she opened the door to her apartment and saw the secondary Tuxedo Mask, looking weary and hurt.

"Huh... What happened to you?" the brown-haired girl asked concernedly while rubbing a finger on her eyes.

"No big deal," he assuredly answered. "Check to your left."

Makoto obeyed, and the sight was shocking enough to fully awaken her - None other than Miyage Shinozaki, his head properly in place, laying down in his coma.

"How... How did you..." was all she could manage to say as she nervously rose her hands to cover her mouth.

"A little bird told me of his whereabouts, and not only he was far away in an isolated fisherman's village, but the path to come and go was also filled with demons. That's all you need to know."

Makoto crouched to where her beloved was and put her hand on his face. "I cannot thank you enough... Leave him to me now, please."

"I'm afraid I can't," he interrupted. "Me and my allies are mounting a place where the bodies of the Royal Consorts can be kept safe while they await their resurrection. I brought him here to assure you that Miyage is and will be safe and sound. If he stays with you, I'm afraid he will be an easy target. Things are only going to get harder for all of you, and keeping the boys with you will be just yet another burden to all of you."

"I see." The Guardian could only lament the wasted chance, but trusted the mysterious hero enough to entrust him with this mission. She then leaned in where Shinozaki sat unconscious and spoke to him while putting her forehead onto his. "Soon enough, we'll be together. I hope..."

"Don't worry now, I give you my word he'll be safe," Tuxedo Mask assured her while carrying Shinozaki on his back. "Now if you don't mind, I'll take him to the base. Oh, and first thing tomorrow in the morning, tell Ami of this and tell her I will retrieve the body of his beloved from her care and into the safe space. Be seeing you."

"Wait," Makoto said. "Looks like you had a hard time retrieving Shinozaki already. Let me help you bring him over to the place you said he will be kept safe."

"I don't see why not," he answered while giving out a faint smile.

(xx)

Setsuna woke up rattled after an uneasy dream. Still, she didn't feel the usual anxiousness. In fact, she felt light and giddy, except for the piercing pain between her legs.

For the first time ever, she had felt the heat of the company of a man right next to her, skin against her skin in a passionate way. Nowhere, from the first kisses and caresses to the eventual climax, even through the pain of her breaking maidenhead, did she see anything about Soichi Tomoe's inevitable decease and whether it would happen soon or later on, or how it would happen. The curse was broken, after all.

"Something wrong, my dear?" Soichi softly asked her.

"I... Had a strange dream," she answered. "Nothing you should worry about."

"If you say so," he said jocosely as he smiled and pulled her next to him once more. Setsuna couldn't help but chuckle at what she was doing. "

"All this time, I thought we Sailor Guardians could only compromise ourselves to our duty. Turns out... I was wrong. I am now free to love and to pursue that which my human side wishes, and so are the other Guardians. Just like Astar had said..."

"Heh, totally not jealous here," the Professor jested.

"Oh, sorry, I totally forgot how you men get flared up when discussing other men," Setsuna permitted herself to be equally jesting. Both shared a tender embrace. "Ouch!"

"Did I hurt you?" he concernedly asked.

"No, no, not at all! It's just... I still feel pain between the legs. It felt so good while we were doing it, but now it feels bothersome."

"It's only natural. You'll get used to it the more we do it."

The more they do it. It sounded so strange yet so enticing, that she couldn't help but snuggle even further into her beloved's arms. It was a comfort she felt she needed, especially after such a strange, ominous dream. The thought of it briefly erased the innocent smile on Setsuna's lips.

Queen Serenity... Why did you do this to me? Can't I have any moment of peace and love for myself?

(xx)

As per Makoto's request via her communicator, Ami carried the comatose Ryo all the way from her apartment to the Osa-P jewelry store. She found the request strange, but felt she could trust her friend and sister-in-arms. Once arriving there, she rang the doorbell to the facility, which was still closed. "Open up, please," she said to herself.

"The password," a girl asked through the interphone.

Ami rolled her eyes for a bit and answered the code Makoto had informed her earlier: "Lazarus."

Immediately after, the front door opened briefly. Inside, she saw Kotono Sarashina, who carried over the duty of keeping the place devoid of infernal presence with every evil-warding technique she knew, as well as Naru Osaka and Gurio Umino. They led the Guardian and her unconscious beloved to an unused inventory room in the back of the shop, without questioning how each came to know of her duty as a Sailor Guardian.

Four futons were spread in the back of the room, replete with talismans and candles. On one of those laid Miyage Shinozaki in his stasis, which confirmed Makoto's presence earlier on.

"Lay him down in the first one," asked Kotono. "It has Mercury's symbol on it."

The blue-haired girl obeyed, now slightly amused at the detail Kotono added. As a matter of fact, the other futons had the symbols of Mars and Venus, with the one Shinozaki laid on having obviously the symbol of Jupiter glowing green.

The miko apprentice then kneeled in front of him and started a prayer while rubbing some beads on her palms. The Mercury symbol imprinted on the futon's cover then emitted a dim blue light.

"There you go," Kotono proudly announced. "As long as they remain here, no hellish creature will come in."

Ami then sighed in a mix of relief and apprehension. "It's still far from over... A demon took over Daisuke's body, and Yuuichirou's family did not permit Rei to retrieve his body after the cremation failed to burn him to ashes."

"There was no other way, so Fengari went out to pick the latter up," Umino mused. "His family won't like it one bit, though..."

"We'll do whatever it takes," Naru spoke. She had kept herself silent up until that moment.

"Naru... I can't imagine how you must be taking all of this." Ami commented.

The strawberry-haired girl released a short sigh, then started to speak: "All this time, I thought Usagi was just being weird and even insensible. But to think she is the one and only Sailor Moon, and her duty with you girls taking such a toll on her... When Umino revealed this to me, not only it shook me, but made me realize I have not been fair to her, even if I was in the dark all this time as to what was going on. I've been her best friend for quite some time, and now that I know who she is and what she does... I want to help her out the best as I can."

"You sure are, Naru," the blue-haired girl reassured her. "And you can be sure Usagi will be forever grateful to you for this."

"Thank you very much," Naru added, now with a small but confident smile on her lips. "Whatever we can do to help you out, we are ready to go, risking life and limb."

"And whatever you do will be of great help," Ami confirmed while giving back a smile of her own. "Thanks, guys. I hope everything goes well. Now if you excuse me..."

Just as she waved goodbye and turned around to leave the makeshift hideout, the doorbell rang. Kotono went to address it, and when she returned, she brought in Fengari as Tuxedo Mask - This time, with Yuuichirou on his back.

"Well, what do you know," the mysterious hero gladly said when he faced the Guardian. "Could you guys help me out? The big guy here weighs a ton."

The others helped him lay the comatose body of Yuuichirou upon his assigned futon, with Kotono repeating her ritual for protection.

"I can't even imagine what you must have been through to retrieve them, and we're certainly grateful and trusting of you," Ami told Fengari. "But, if it's not too much to ask... Who are you exactly? And why are you helping us out?"

"Heh... It seems today is the day I should reveal myself to the world, huh?" Fengari quipped, reminiscing about how Makoto had asked him the same thing earlier that day.

"Sooner or later you'd have to do that anyways," Umino said half-jokingly.

"Guess you're right. My real name is..."

(xx)

"MAMO-CHAAAAAAN!"

Usagi was the sole girl to receive Mamoru as he arrived at the airport. To the young man, it was more than enough. Both shared a much-needed embrace and a kiss.

"It's a shame that the girls didn't come, but you see, they're busy," Usagi excused herself.

"Ah, it's okay, really," Mamoru answered. "We'll have all the time in the world to catch up with them... When this ordeal is over, that is. Shall we go home now? I want to make up for all the time we've been apart."

The offer was unrefutable to the blond girl. For all intents and purposes, it was a quiet day with no report of demon attacks. Both cooked lunch together, took a stroll downtown and returned to Mamoru's apartment in the early afternoon.

"Check this out." Mamoru showed the copy of the Book of Titor he had photocopied so he could further read into it. Even if it was a mere facsimile, he could still read well its language.

And as it turns out, so did Usagi. Both spent the rest of the afternoon reading the parts concerning the fall of the Silver Millenium, the social struggle the planets went through, the need for the ritual slaying of the Heavenly Kings, and how the structure of the Galactic Commonwealth worked... But what truly caught the Guardian's attention was the part about the rise of the so-called "Palace of Sheer Crystal" - Both knew it talked about Crystal Tokyo, and that both her and Mamoru were the ones who would govern the world from it.

"The more I read, the more I get unnerved. I mean, it makes perfect sense. But none of this sounds like a good thing, you know..."

"So, what do you think we should do? Go ahead with it?"

"I really don't know," the girl answered in a nervous tone. "The world has suffered too much under the hands of evil people, and I hoped we could make a difference by becoming Serenity and Endymion once more. But who can guarantee we could be better sovereigns? How can we know we will be fair and just monarchs?"

"This is something I've been questioning myself over and over again as well," the young man spoke with a tint of pain in his voice. "We saw the future. We saw the utopia that awaits us. And we saw it won't be devoid of struggle, of injustice, of suffering for the people. What would be the point? What good would it be for?"

Usagi felt the power of the words weigh in on her head, so she leaned into his bosom for some kind of support. "Mamo-chan..."

He retributed the sweet gesture with a tender and protecting embrace. "Ah, Usako... This is such a tough fate that fell on us. But we've been through a lot together already. We can go through this as well."

"As long as we are still together, right?"

"Of course. Forever and ever." He lifted his hand, and on his ring finger was his own pearl-encrusted engagement ring, the same one Usagi wore. "It's a promise that I'll never break."

"I've felt so much saudade for you..."

"So did I, my love." Mamoru knew the meaning of the word, and knew it was exactly what he felt as well in regards to the woman he loves. He then lifted her chin and prepared for an even more heated kiss.

"Uh, wait... Umm, I think I'm not ready to go there." the girl spoke when they parted their lips.

"There?" Mamoru spoke out, slowly realizing what she meant by that. "Oh, you mean sex?"

The blond girl got embarrassed upon hearing the word 'sex' and just nodded.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't rush it. Whenever you're ready, it will go naturally," he reassured his beloved.

Usagi answered with a frank smile. "I knew you'd understand. See, it's not just about me and my, umm... Insecurities, you see. It's about the girls. They haven't had a chance to be with the boys they love yet. It would be unfair for me to go all the way like this while they can't. I did the same back when you died while under the influence of Beryl, and I wish to do the same now."

"That's exactly what I like about you," the young man proudly said. "You think and care of everything. If everyone thought like you, this world would be a much better place for everyone... But don't worry. The boys will come back in no time." He got up, rummaged briefly through a backpack to the side of the couch in the living room, and then retrieved four green jewels - the Shadow Gems that were to be inserted in the bodies of the Royal Consorts, once they completed their training. Usagi's eyes shined with delight upon seeing the items.

"I totally forgot to tell you!" Usagi reminded, a bright of joy lighting up her expression. "Naru is keeping the bodies of the boys in a room at Osa-P. All but one are under her care."

"Nice! I do wonder where is the last one, though."

"It's Minako's boyfriend. His name is Daisuke... and the demons took him already."

(~~)

Diary Entry

How did my human part become a Royal Consort, even after all this time? The human part of the man who single-handedly destroyed the Silver Millenium, he was graced with the chance of love and compassion with not just anyone, but with the reborn Princess of Venus... And why could I not have a chance at this?

It was supposed to be me, by all damned Gods and demons! Why couldn't it be me to take over what is mine by right? Now I have to suffer this lowly wretch Valak having his filthy, pecaminous way with the woman I once loved! All because my father wishes to impregnate the Sailor Guardians with the physical seeds of the Royal Consorts but tainted with demonic presence, to guarantee the next batch of Sailor Guardians will serve solely him, the Lord of Light, the Fallen Angel, the Wretched One, the damned creature who never saw anything and anyone other than either means to ends or mere amusements, not even his own offspring. Like me.

No. I'm getting carried away by emotions once more. I cannot let Valak taint the young woman with sin and violence. I have to retrieve the body of Adonis and see if I can take over it myself.

And now, I have a moral conundrum of my own. If I do this, I will go against the will of my father. If I don't, the Sailor Guardians rise up and reform the Galactic Commonwealth. Then again, I never really stopped to think why I am doing what I have been doing. I simply thought impeding the rise of the Sailor Guardians would be of benefit for humanity... But suddenly, he wishes to take over them and rise Carcosa nevertheless...

Where do I go from here?

(~~)

"Hey, Eurynomus," asked a generic horned demon to his companion while waiting under a dried tree in the Hades. "When do ya s'pose those kids will appear? Belial said they'd be here soon."

"Dunno," the one named Eurynomus answered while still filing its claws on its pointy teeth. "But I reckon they'll be easy pickings, so don't work yerself into a frenzy just yet, eh?"

"Ayy, speak of the Angel and they appear!"

"Giddy up, Grishnak!"

The Heavenly Kings, the four current-day lovers of the Sailor Guardians and the Angel Astar all came running through the rocky passage.

"Stop right there, ya scum!" Eurynomus bellowed out while pointing its claws towards the heroes.

"To the side," Jadeite told the boys and the Angel. "We'll take care of it."

"Nuh-uh! You ain't goin' nowhere!" Grishnak said as it blocked the passage of the five, and immediately spat out a stream of hellfire against them. However, when the stream stopped, the five stood there still.

"What da!?" Grishnak blurted out upon seeing that Daisuke used his power to deflect the fire and protect the others.

"Wind Blade Kusanagi!" called Yuuichirou as he swung his sword, which formed hundreds of air blades that cut through Grishnak's unholy flesh.

"TIGER DRIVER!" shouted Shinozaki as he picked the demon up, rolled it into some kind of ball and slammed it on the floor with all of his might.

And to finish it off, Ryo used his Great Youma powers to lift Grishnak and bite out its head in large chunks. Its body then twitched violently and burst into flames.

In the meantime, the Heavenly Kings dispatched of Eurynomus in a simple manner: Zoisite floored it with a short gust of wind, while Jadeite and Nephrite pinned it on the stony floor.

"Ye gonna need far more than that!" the fallen demon spoke as it tried to get up.

"I'll gladly oblige you!" Kunzite affirmed as he skewered light blades through its body.

"Heh, yer all idiots," Eurynomus gasped out his death throes as it, too, burst into flames. "The Legions of Hell are advancing. There is nothing... Nothing you pukes can do..."

"Who said there isn't?" the voice of Helios affirmed as he materialized in front of the heroes. "Boys, the situation is starting to get too dangerous for you. I believe you will be safer in the Dreaming with me."

The suggestion raised a lull of confused and even displeased murmurs. Nephrite protested: "But, the training of the prospects is far from complete, and the closure of the gates..."

"No time for it anymore, I'm afraid," the Warden of Dreams argued back.

"Still, the portal can only be closed from the inside," Astar reminded. "And we need at least eight people for it. There is no other way, we have to contact the Sailor Guardians, so they can join in with the Kings to close the portal. Their powers should suffice. I must speak to Usagi as well. Something... Long overdue."

"But then, the surface world will be left defenseless," Kunzite intervened. "And besides, how do you suppose they will enter the Hades if not by dying? The gate is made solely for the demons to go through from Hell to Earth, not the other way around."

"There is another way," the Angel insisted. "Helios, please... Take me and the prospects to the Dreaming. The Kings will stay and fend off with any other demon that may come in the way. I must contact Melinoe, or better yet, Sailor Saturn. She may not know it yet, but she has some degree of control over the Underworld. I will contact her through her dreams. As for the prospects... Each of you may have a few minutes with the women you love in their own Dreamscapes as well."

The expressions on the young men's faces lightened up. All they had done up until that moment was with the hope of seeing the Guardians once more, and even if for just a few moments inside their dreams, their objective would be reached.

"In this case... We'll have to improvise the vows," warned Kunzite. "The four of you, form a row and kneel."

Ryo, Yuuichirou, Shinozaki and Daisuke obliged the silver-haired King. In front of each, their respective predecessor, master and murderer put a hand on their shoulders. The prospects' eyes emitted glows of pale blue, red, green and orange, in accordance to their respective Sailor Guardian.

They then spoke in unison: "I have spilled my blood, the source of my life, and I have seen my own death, the end of all journeys. I have crossed the Styx and Still I shall rise from the realm of the dead, undaunted and unhurt, to carry the will of the Universe and of my fellow people. From this moment on, love and justice reign over me until the true end of my days. I have knelt on the grounds of the Hades as a man of decaying matter, and I shall rise from the grounds of the Hades as a Heavenly King."

The Heavenly Kings then knelt in front of the prospects and gave each a quick kiss on the other's lips. The eight of them got up, and one by one, the new Heavenly Kings spoke out their own vow.

"My name is Ryo Urawa, son of Sosuke Urawa and Chisato Kotobuki. I hereby take the name Zoisite, swear eternal love to the Princess of Mercury and become heir to the Throne of Hermes to rule and serve by her side. My values are Wisdom and Temperance."

"My name is Yuuichirou Kumada, son of Koutetsu Kumada and Aya Shishiko. I hereby take the name Jadeite, swear eternal love to the Princess of Mars and become heir to the Throne of Ares to rule and serve by her side. My values are Strength and Perseverance."

"My name is Miyage Shinozaki, son of Yuutarou Shinozaki and Hiroko Nozomu. I hereby take the name Nephrite, swear eternal love to the Princess of Jupiter and become heir to the Throne of Odin to rule and serve by her side. My values are Trust and Honor."

"My name is Daisuke Aizawa, son of Satoshi Kiryuu and Tomie Aizawa. I hereby take the name Kunzite, swear eternal love to the Princess of Venus and become heir to the Throne of Ahura-Mazda to rule and serve by her side. My values are Bravery and Humility."

"I bless your bodies and your reigns with my holy anointment," Astar then spoke. He briefly licked his right thumb and rubbed it on the new Kings' foreheads. "This is but a symbolic gesture from an Angel to four mortal men, blessed with the love of the most powerful women in the Universe. Use your powers with prudence and care, for the greater good of humanity."

And upon saying this, the normal clothes that the four wore gave way to special dark-blue uniforms, trimmed in the colors of their guardian planets, with ethereal capes on their backs hanging from golden epaulets on their shoulders. The metamorphosis was now complete, and both the new and the former Heavenly Kings couldn't be prouder.

"Very well then, now we are ready to go," Helios finally added, having kept himself at a distance. He used his power to teleport, leaving behind the now-former Heavenly Kings to carry the duty of fending off the forces of Hell as best as they could.

From afar, a female figure watched. She knew the time for her to act was near.

(xx)

Minako woke up from her lethargic nap with some strong tapping on her bedroom window. When she got up to open it, the sight couldn't have been more terrifying.

It was Daisuke. Somehow, he had risen from his grave. He was literally wearing the same grey suit he was buried in, reeking pungently of mold and dampness, a result of Valak not even bothering to change his clothes ever since he took over Daisuke's body.

"I'm here for you, my love..."

Minako was too shocked to react further. Could it be that her friends were right? The dead loves would really come to life and be with them?

"Mina, DON'T!" the voice of Artemis called from the same window. "That's not Daisuke! It's a demon who took over his body!"

"He's lying! Can't you see I'm the real Daisuke? I came all the way from the realm of the dead to be with you!"

"The only liar here is you, buddy!" the wise cat exclaimed as he leaped towards the possessed man, who swiftly slapped Artemis down and away.

"What the fuck!?"

"It's going to go in through good or bad means!" Valak growled.

But the more the possessed Daisuke approached her, the more Minako felt a dark, downing aura, and the more she realized Artemis was right. "No... NO! GET OFF OF ME!"

Before he could force himself on the blond girl, however, some kind of purple flash hit the man and made him plummet to the ground, bereft of life once more. Behind him was another blond man, wearing policeman garments.

"Who are you..."

"I am..." Dis Pater, still taking over the body of Inspector Wagaki, stopped short of saying who he truly was, or thought he was. "I'm Inspector Toshio Wagaki from the Juuban Police Department. I'm here to help."

Dis Pater/Inspector Wagaki spoke to her before leaving through the window. "Tell the others... Lucifer wishes to take over the bodies of the men you love. Take care now."

At the same time, Minako kneeled to check on Daisuke. He was no worse for wear, still breathing but unconscious, waiting for his real soul to return for his body. The damp smell was still there, but didn't perturb the blond girl any longer. To know he was there, somewhat alive, it filled her heart with something pleasant and made her realize that Usagi and the others weren't lying after all. Even if her head spun into place from the information overload, she knew it was right.

"Death. Rebirth. Long life..." she spoke the words that Daisuke, as Phantom Ace, told her before he was slain as she picked up her deactivated communicator. She knew she could no longer sulk and wallow in her self-pity anymore, and that she needed to defend herself in the one way she knew she could: by becoming her fated form of Sailor Venus.

"Mina..." Artemis finally managed to climb towards his partner's room, despite the pain all over his small torso. "Are you alright?"

"I can't escape my fate," Minako melancholically stated while still drawing a short smile, partly out of resignation, partly out of joy. "But there is hope. There is always hope!" Having said this, she picked up the communicator and turned it on once more.

The plot thickens!

Gracias una vez más a litakino1987 por sus aportes y charlas. Podrás ser la única que comenta, pero lo hace valer todo la pena!

Next chapter: More revelations to push up the ante in the Holy War.

Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.