Lingering Threads of Hope, Part 5 - Red Day
Little by little, the new Heavenly Kings woke up and finally saw some traces of light. After spending what seemed like an eternity in the grim halls of the Hades, the sight of crystalline walls and frondous pieces of nature, allied to sweet smells and fresh breezes grazing through their souls was very welcome, if not somewhat bothersome to the eyes and noses that grew accustomed to darkness and filth.
"Umm... Guys?" Shinozaki first spoke out, seeking his brothers-in-arms.
"I'm here," Ryo answered.
"Me too," added Daisuke.
"Me three," Yuuichirou completed. "But, oooh... I feel kinda weak and dizzy... Anybody else feels like this?"
All three gave out sighs in agreement.
"It's only natural, sweetie!" spoke a male voice in a slightly provocative tone. "Your souls spent quite a lot of spiritual energy to be transported from Hell to the Dreaming."
"Huh!? Who's there... Where is Helios? Where is Astar? And who are you?" asked Daisuke frantically.
"Relax, man," spoke another male voice, slightly deeper but still in a tongue-in-cheek tone. "You're safe here. Lord Helios is helping out the former Kings in the Hades, and Astar is visiting a certain person's Dreamscape. We take care of things here in Lord Helios's absence."
"This is Elysion, the Garden of Dreams," a third male voice revealed, more cadenced and youthful but no less mocking than the other two.
Little by little they got up within what their strength permitted and then saw three male figures wearing incredibly flashy clothes standing ahead of them, greeting effusively.
"Eheu! About time you guys woke up, huh?" This time, two female voices spoke in unison. Both young women sported silk dresses and had long lilac hair bundled in a couple of hair buns not too dissimilar to what Usagi normally wore. They brought trays with what seemed to be succulent pastries and four glasses full of juice. The four Kings ate and drank a bit from what they were offered, and almost immediately felt their energies recovered.
"These are delicious!" affirmed Shinozaki after eating from one of the pastries.
"These cakes taste of dulce de leche, cream and lemon," Ryo said after eating his share.
"And the juice tastes of peach and orange," finished Daisuke. "What are these, anyways?"
"Nothing more, nothing less than Ambrosia and Nectar, food of the Gods," the pink-haired man revealed. "Now that you are the Heavenly Kings, you can feast on them to recover your energies, but only once a day."
"This really is the land of dreams, eh?" Yuuichirou spoke out with his mouth full of Ambrosia. "Just wait until Miss Rei and the others get a load of all of this!"
"Speaking of which... When do you suppose we can contact the Guardians?" asked Daisuke.
"As soon as you can control your spiritual energy better," the gold-haired man told them. "Your training shall continue here with us."
"For now, let us get acquainted," the two girls spoke together once more. "We are the Maenads."
"Pleased to meet you, girls," Ryo greeted with a smile. "And how about you three folks?"
The three men then somersaulted towards a single point and spoke out their own names.
"Tigerseye!"
"Hawkseye!"
"Fisheye!"
"And the three of us form... THE AMAZON TRIO!" The three spoke in unison as they struck equally strange poses. The four Kings sweatdropped at the sight, but recomposed themselves enough to shake hands with the Trio.
"Pleased to meet you guys," Yuuichirou told them gladly.
"You can call us girls if you want to," Fisheye said half-jokingly, with a wink for good measure.
"Oh, sorry, uh..."
"It's okay, boys," Hawkseye assured them. "Call us what you want, with due respect."
"Very well then," Tigerseye affirmed. "Now that you four are refreshed, let's get to business and restart your training."
(xx)
Usagi's Dreamscape
With the help of Helios, who had access to everyone's Dreamscapes, Astar's soul managed to reach the inner workings of Usagi's mind, and the sight of the eternal night, the pure marble walls and step ways, and the fresh feeling of peace that the place emanated were enough to elicit a feeling of nostalgia upon him.
"Now I know why this seemed so familiar to me," the Angel commented, reflecting as well on the first time he came into Usagi's dreams as an incubus. "Well, no time to lose. I have to seek for Usagi's inner self."
It didn't take long for Astar to find her, wearing the regal dress that denoted her lineage as sovereign of the Moon. She observed Planet Earth from the front porch of the Mares Serenatum Palace, alongside a familiar figure. A sweet but melancholic tune took over the place when the other man gave a star-shaped trinket to Princess Serenity, and soon after, they exchanged an embrace and a kiss.
"She is dreaming of Endymion," the Angel figured, hidden behind one of the columns of the entrance hall. Only when they separated, with Endymion pursued by the Palace's guards, did Astar come out of his hideout and appeared in front of the Dreamscape's owner.
"Hello there, Usagi!"
"Oh... Oh my God! ASTAR!" The blond girl gladly ran to where her late friend was standing, coming short of embracing him with tears forming in her eyes. "I'm so glad to see you again! This can't be just a dream..."
"It's not," the Angel reassured him with a frank smile. "This is my real soul speaking to you."
For a brief moment, both held hands with each other. "You were gone too soon, Astar... Me and the girls miss you, even though you didn't spend much time with us."
"I'm very glad to hear that! Because... I have so much more to tell you girls. Especially to you, my dear."
This piqued Usagi's curiosity. "Really?"
"Of course. But first things first... This is the only way I could find to speak to you about how things are going in the Underworld. I believe you already know of Lucifer's plans to take over the Universe starting from Earth, and how the four men the Sailor Guardians loved had to be slain by the Heavenly Kings of yore in order to inherit the titles for themselves."
"Yes..."
"The idea was for them to help close the gap between Hell and Earth as well, but... The Legions moved too fast. Even the rebelled Gods couldn't be a match against them. As a result, the four men are residing in the Dreaming. And in order to fully close the portal... I'll require you and the other Inner Guardians. Speak to Sailor Saturn, she will know how to access Hell without separating your souls from your bodies."
"I see... I'll do it, don't worry. Are you sure this will work?"
"Absolutely," he incisively answered. "You have the Holy power that counterbalances the spread of evil and chaos. And this is because-"
Before he could reveal any further, some kind of invisible power pushed him away from Usagi's inner self. Both set their sights on the responsible for the attack.
"Queen... Serenity?"
"Silence! And begone!" With another wave of her hand, Astar was blown away, disappearing into thin air after flying back a certain distance. Usagi only observed this in shock, knowing she couldn't go against her.
"Are you being fed lies by that creature from Hell who tried to violate you inside your dreams?" asked Serenity with gravity.
"He didn't!" Usagi tried to argue against her mother in the Silver Millenium. "He's not a hellish creature, he's an Angel! And he realized the error of his ways... He helped us all in every possible way, even giving up his own human life for it. Why would you turn him away like that?"
"I recognize him from the Silver Millenium," the erstwhile Queen answered, unmoved by her daughter's pleas. "This what he is doing is nothing more than a ruse, several eons in the making. Listen this well, child. All of this conflict with the forces of Hell began because of this creature's actions, and it all goes back to the dawn of humanity itself. You are better off if you no longer allow him anywhere near your soul, do you understand?"
All of this information made Usagi feel uneasy, even inside her own mind. She had never distrusted her past self's mother for any reason, but how true was what she just heard then? Not wanting to prolong the argument further, Usagi had no option but to acquiesce. "Yes... Mother."
(xx)
Following Artemis' directions, Minako and Tomie Aizawa brought the body of Daisuke all the way to Osa-P, where the others were already laid out. She remained silent, speaking only the password that Kotono required.
Rei was there to check on Yuuichirou and help out Kotono with the demon-warding items, while Naru and Umino kept the makeshift hideout clean and safe alongside Naru's mother Mayumi. None of them dared to address Minako while she and Kotono laid the young man's body in his assigned futon, since she was still coming to terms with the situation of Daisuke and the other half-dead young men.
She came out to meet up with Daisuke's mother, who was smoking a menthol cigarette to calm her nerves down. It worked enough to stop the visible shivers but did little to quench the anxiousness in her core. Minako had called her as soon as possible about it, and the shock was enough to give out some kind of sparkle of life in a woman bereaved and unwilling to live.
"Miss Aizawa?"
"Oh, Mina... It's just that it's all so macabre. To see my one and only son like this. To think... Some wretched monster took him out of his grave to do God knows what, and now, to see him alive and breathing... All because of who he is, who he was and who he is supposed to be..."
"I cannot even imagine how much you have been suffering..."
"As any mother would upon seeing their only son dead," Tomie answered while holding back tears. "I never felt an emotional attraction to anybody, and I always felt like I was incomplete, despite having the support of my family, friends and acquaintances that cared about me and despite being successful in the paths I have chosen. My parents and my best friend Satoshi told me that perhaps, just perhaps, I needed someone truly close to me. Not as a partner... But as a child of my own. Satoshi agreed to donate some sperm, and after a few attempts at self-insemination, I managed to get pregnant with Daisuke... And turns out him and my parents were right, Daisuke was the missing piece of my life that I never knew I needed. Seeing him grow, raising him into a good and independent man, to know he was there with me, in an indescribable bond of blood and love, it filled me with the strength I felt I needed to carry on with life. Burying him was like the end of my life, and seeing him alive once more... It gives me hope, and yet..."
Tomie couldn't bear to keep talking before finally breaking down in tears. Minako gave her mother-in-law a much-needed embrace. Both shed tears of commiseration over each other's grief, and relief over the sudden turn of events.
"I know exactly how you feel, Miss Aizawa," Minako told her. "That's exactly how I felt in the days following his murder... Nothing seemed worth it, not even life itself. All because I felt I had... Lost the love of my life then and there."
"Just like you are the love of his life," Tomie said as they separated from their embrace. "My sweet boy really made an impact, didn't he? I hope what you say is true, and he truly comes back."
"He certainly will," Minako reassured her. "He has a mission and purpose with me, and-"
Suddenly, Naru came out of the shop with a look of shock: "Girls, you might want to come in and watch this."
(xx)
Mayor Takashi Hino had called for a press conference to inform the scared city about what was happening across the megalopolis, and what was to be done about it. Alongside him were the Emperor, the Prime Minister of Japan and the General Secretary of the United Nations. All TV stations were airing the pronouncement in extraordinary character.
"In this dossier, I have the exact names of the ones deemed Sailor Guardians. All of them are young women, whose appearance don't show the true extent of their capabilities."
One by one, the Mayor revealed that Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru were Sailor Guardians in a tone of obvious disapproval. By the end of the day, all of Japan and significant parts of the World will know who were the heroines.
"I... I don't believe it..." Naru blurted out. How could they even know about their identities? And why is this a serious issue now?
"It saddens me deeply that among these strange vigilantes is my own sole daughter Rei, but in such circumstances, I cannot allow my personal feelings cloud my judgment of what is to be done, even if it involves my direct descendent."
"Son of a bitch," Rei muttered upon seeing her father pretending to care about her to millions of people that didn't know better.
"But why is he doing all of this?" Kotono spoke out.
The press revealed: "I say all this because... These strange occurrences have been happening in our city ever since these so-called heroines appeared. Lives have been lost, private and public property suffered insurmountable damages, and the inhabitants of Tokyo are in a state of uncertainty that deeply affects every single area of our lives, all because of these vigilantes that cause more damage than good in our livelihoods. This I will no longer ignore and will require all possible help that is offered unto us. I hereby announce Martial Law across all of Tokyo Metropolitan Area, with strict curfew times at all days of the week and reduced public transportation, and with the authorization of the General Secretary of the United Nations, I also announce the deployment of UN troops for armed intervention. The Sailor Guardians are a menace to our society, and I authorize our SDF troops to use force in prudent but necessary quantities to stop them. That is all. We are now open for questions for the press."
As the lull of journalists tried to get more from this announcement, the people in Osa-P who watched the press conference just looked at the TV screen in shock. The other Guardians, and now they were being blamed not only for the demon invasions that have been occurring, but also for every single youma, cardian, droid, daimon, lemure and phage that ever attacked the city.
"So this is why Daisuke died," Tomie said as she started shaking in fear and stepping out of the jewelry store. "I... Oh dear, my head is spinning. I'm sorry... I need some air." But once she left the establishment, she released a loud gasp of fear. The others soon followed, concerned at what made the woman act like that... And soon, they knew and had similar reactions.
"The sky... It's red!" exclaimed Kotono apprehensively.
"This really doesn't bode well at all," added Umino. "And I... I can't see anything from the future. It's all jammed up! I couldn't even foresee this pronouncement from the Mayor..."
"What in all hells is going on!?" Mayumi exclaimed.
Minako tried to reach for her mother-in-law. "Are you alright, Miss Aizawa?"
Instead of answering, Tomie fidgeted all over and collapsed in Minako's arms. Something inside her mind snapped upon seeing the pronouncing of the Mayor and the revealing of the Sailor Guardians as public enemies of Japan and the world at large.
She wouldn't be the only one.
(xx)
"Is it really you?" Ikuko asked Usagi in the dinner table, having just seen the press conference. "You were Sailor Moon this whole time?"
"I... I don't know what you are talking about," the girl tried to lie.
"Don't hide it from us anymore, young lady," the mother snapped back. "You and your friends are the ones causing mayhem all over Tokyo, and that since you were still in middle school."
"What the heck, mom? She saved us from everything! She and all the other Guardians!" Shingo appeared and went in a rare defense of his older sister. "Don't tell me you're going to believe in what that corrupt hack just said."
"Hey, don't speak to your mom like that, young man!" Kenji spat out, visibly altered. "What the Mayor said made perfect sense! I'm sorry, Usagi, but this is just too much for us to handle. It is better off if you give yourself in to the authorities. And if you don't, then I'll personally turn you in!"
Before the discussion could break into a more tense spat, the doorbell rang. All the family members went to it and addressed a singular creature that appeared to them. To Usagi and Shingo, he looked like a large beast with a flaming ox skull for a head.
"May I help you?" Kenji asked.
"Of course," the demon answered half-shouting in mocking rage. "I am Belial, the Legionnaire of Wrath. I am tasked with bringing Sailor Moon to the authorities."
"Ah, of course, Mr. Belial," he casually spoke. "Neither me nor my family wishes to impair your work. I will bring her to you."
"DAD!" Neither Usagi nor Shingo could believe what they just heard.
"Hush it, you two!" their mother complained. "Please come in, Mr. Belial. Take your time."
"You're not taking my sister away! I won't fucking let you!" Shingo cried out as he put himself between the Legionnaire and the Guardian.
"Fool of a child," Belial exclaimed. "I could quash you beneath my feet, reduce you to ashes with my hellfire, or skewer you through my claws. Sadly, Lucifer has no advantage with your death. Stand aside and be a good boy. Your sister must come with me pronto."
"No, NO! UNHAND ME!" Usagi demanded as the demon dragged her out of the front door.
"Please, take her with you already," The Tsukino patriarch encouraged Belial to go ahead with his deed.
"How could you be so calm about that!?" Shingo affirmed exasperatedly. "THIS IS A FUCKING DEMON! HE WANTS TO SNATCH USAGI AWAY!"
What the teenager didn't know was that, for his parents, Belial presented himself as a perfectly normal man in a three-piece suit.
"Enough of this nonsense! You're going to your room, NOW!" Ikuko affirmed as he dragged her son away from where the rest were squabbling.
But just as Belial and Usagi stepped out of the Tsukino residence, the demon's claw was hit by a rose projectile that made him release Usagi from his grasp. It was none other than the original Tuxedo Mask who released it from atop the house.
"Don't you know dragging people out of their houses is a crime?"
"How convenient, it's the real Endymion!" Belial boasted. "Two birds with the same stone. Lucifer will be greatly pleased."
The hero promptly leaped to ground level. "What are you waiting for, Usagi!? Transform!"
"No, I don't think so," Belial affirmed as he carefully knocked the Guardian out, leaving her collapsed on the sidewalk.
"USAKO!"
"She will live, as Lucifer requires," the Legionnaire affirmed. "But you, Endymion... He wants you completely obliterated from all planes of Existence. Begone!"
"SMOKING BOMBER!" came out another voice as a beam of light hit Belial on his back just as he was about to blow Tuxedo Mask away.
"Holy shit! Two Tuxedo Masks!" exclaimed Shingo at the sight as both Tuxedo Masks pointed at each other in confusion.
"So you're the Fengari fellow who's been running around helping out the Guardians in my absence," the original Tuxedo Mask said with some vestiges of relief in his tone.
"Yep," he answered meekly. "Pleased to, umm... Meet you, I guess."
Belial simply found everything mildly amusing and prepared himself to attack again. "Whatever, two for the price of one makes no difference."
"Silence, you wretch!" the second Tuxedo Mask affirmed as he leaped in front of the fiery attack that the demon released. He was the only one hit by it, and as his battle uniform burned, so did the skin of his back.
"NO!" The original Tuxedo Mask shouted as he went to the aid of his double.
"I... I had to..."
"But... But why!?"
"Without you... There wouldn't be me..."
In his vulnerable state, Fengari let away the glamour of his Tuxedo Mask persona fade away, exposing his true self to Mamoru. And without it, Mamoru saw a vision of the future. The same kind of vision he had when he first touched Chibiusa, his future daughter with Usagi.
All it did was fill Mamoru's eyes with tears and his mind with utmost dread. "No... No, this can't be!"
Fengari did the best he could to resist the pain of the wound. "Protect... Mother... And don't... Don't tell her I'm..."
Belial found it all even more amusing, having deduced what just happened. "Is that not wonderful? The kid came all the way from the future to die on his father's arms! The wound on his flesh could grow until all of his skin burns, all his blood boils and all his bones become brittle! But fear not, o Prince of Earth. I shall heal him alright. With the help of the Shadow Gems in your possession, your son shall recover and your utopic kingdom shall still rise just as intended."
"NEVER!" Mamoru shouted. "I know better than making deals with you goddamned ghouls!"
"My dear Endymion, this was not a suggestion. It was a statement of what is going to happen."
The Shadow Gems floated out of his pocket and straight to Belial's clutches. He smashed the four sacred stones, and the Legionnaire blew its crumbles towards Fengari, whose fatal wound closed almost immediately. Mamoru was paralyzed in shock at what just happened.
"Mother... Father... Ugh!" Fengari felt the advance of an evil spell penetrating through his flesh, searing even through his organs and bones and blacking out his conscience little by little.
"Fengari..."
"My real name is... Seiya... Call me... By my name. Please..."
Those were the last words Fengari spoke before being taken over the unholy mass of yellow, which finally formed. Instead of his tuxedo, a tattered yellow robe covered his body. His ballroom mask and his top hat gave way to a phantasmagoric, expressionless mask.
"Arise now," Belial guffawed to the possessed Fengari.
"Yes, Lord Belial."
As the two diabolical figures sank into the shadows, all Mamoru could do was to sit down on the sidewalk beside the unconscious Usagi and weep in pain and impotence. The wave of mass hysteria has turned the majority of the city against them. Fengari, his future son with Usagi, had been taken over by the forces of Hell, and the cost was the Shadow Gems that were supposed to revive the Royal Consorts.
At the edge of despair, as he was, Mamoru did not notice when five guards carrying rifles and wearing powder-blue combat helmets approached him.
"You are Mamoru Chiba, are you not?" asked one of the soldiers.
"So what if I am," he curtly answered, without expression.
"Upon the powers observed to the United Nations, you are under arrest for your allyship with the Sailor Guardians."
Two men picked up Usagi, who was still unconscious, and chucked her body into a metallic safety van that just drove by the street. The other two escorted Mamoru to the same vehicle, and the young hero was too shocked to react to his own prison. Ikuko and Kenji observed the scene relieved, as if what they carried was not their daughter and their son-in-law, but two dangerous felons.
"USAGIIIIIIIII!" screamed a misty-eyed Shingo from the window of his room. There was little the teenager could do, since both the window and the door were locked from outside. He could only observe and break into tears as the UN tank went away with Usagi and Mamoru in tow.
The sun set on that red day and painted the sky with a shade of bloody burgundy. For those unaffected by the diabolical broadcast, this forebode the snapping of the last few lingering threads of hope they still held on to.
(xx)
"Hey look, it's Astar!" Shinozaki recognized the Angel as he walked past the Kings and the Amazon Trio while they meditated in Elysion. The seven men got up to greet the Angel, who approached them with a concerned look on his face.
"Something the matter, sir?" Ryo asked concernedly.
"Just... Repercussions of the past coming back to my mind, it's all."
"Mr. Astar," Yuuichirou tried to reach for him, but Fisheye tapped on his shoulder and shook his head, and the prospect of Mars quickly got the hint that Astar did not want to discuss the matter further. The other Kings also noticed as the Angel went his way in heavy steps.
"He must have seen something terrible in Usagi's mind," Daisuke deduced. "Something that reminded him of past sins, perhaps."
The reflective moment was only broken when a sudden tremor shook the entirety of Elysion. At first it was a soft rumble, but the frequency and the strength of the earth shakes increased gradually. And then, the cerulean sky of the place showed cracks and turned into a somber shade of purple.
"What the hell is that?" Hawkseye cried out.
"Boys, get ready for battle!" advised the Angel.
As the Kings and the Amazon Trio prepared themselves, a humanoid figure came out of the crack formed in the sky. Said figure looked exactly like Astar, with the sole exception that his look exuded malice and evil intent. His mere presence filled the hearts of every witness of pure dread... and the head of Helios on his left hand filled their minds with unquenchable fury.
"What the... Who is that!?" Tigerseye inquired with a shaken voice.
Astar was the one who gave the dolorous answer. "He... He is the Fallen Angel."
Una vez mas te agradezco litakino1987 por tus aportes, charlas y aguante para seguir con mi fic!
And to you too, James Birdsong, ever the silent commenter. :)
Next chapter: Sacrifices must be made.
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight