Hell Awaits, Part 2 - Don't Look Back in Anger
As the helicopter that transported them slowly landed on the high helipad, Haruka and Michiru reflected upon the strange happenings and the urgency upon which they were called. The news about intervention in Tokyo, and the insistence in convincing Michiru's father in cutting short their stay at his Mykonos lodge only stated further the importance of their presence. When they landed, three people in different states of mind awaited: Hotaru was grown into a normal teenager instead of remaining a baby in her natural growth time. Setsuna looked even more tired and depressed than usual. And alongside them, a tall and fairly handsome man with long locks of blood-red hair dressed in a business suit and taking constant swigs off what looked like a bottle of juice.
"So, you're the famous incubus, huh?" Michiru asked with some gravity.
"Indeed."
As soon as Astar confirmed his identity to the couple, Haruka swung a punch to his jaw. The Angel flinched and touched the affected area for a bit, fazed by that strange act. The other three Outer Guardians backed off at the sight.
"Haruka! Why did you do that!?" an indignant Setsuna questioned.
"That was for fucking with the Inner Guardians's heads," the short-haired Guardian explained that seemingly imprudent act.
"Heh... Bold of you to hit me like that," affirmed Astar. He first seemed serious, as if about to hit back at her, but then started to laugh copiously, which made everybody else chuckle for a short while. "Do not worry, I wouldn't hit you back even if I wanted to. Angels do not fight, you see. And besides... I had it coming."
"Well, what do you know, the guy takes things in good stride!" the short-haired Guardian celebrated.
"Oh, my... This really isn't the time for such practical farces," Hotaru stated as she stifled her own amusement. "I mean... What if Astar felt offended?"
"It's alright," Astar guaranteed. "Should have not expected less from my fiercest descendants."
"Wait a minute... Did you just say we are your descendants?" Haruka spoke out bemusedly. "Aren't we Demigoddesses or something? What the fuck is going on?"
"Girls, we have plenty to catch up on," Setsuna explained. "Let's not waste any more time. We need to head to the Hikawa Shrine to meet up with the Inner Guardians."
(xx)
Rei tended to her grandfather as he rested his tired body on his bed. The sole presence of the legions of Hell and the breaking of Hikawa Shrine's divine seals left the old priest susceptible to flu-like symptoms that, while not serious, kept him from doing more harsh movements and from following his daily routine. At the very least, the forces led by Mammon, Legionnaire of Greed, left him alone after dragging his granddaughter to the Tokyo Detention Center.
"Ooh, I hate being of no use," the old man whined as he took some medicine and tucked himself into his futon.
"Don't strain yourself too much, Grandpa," the Guardian of Fire suggested. "It's alright now, none of us suffered anything."
"That does nothing to calm me down, you know... Sure, the curfew was lifted, the skies are blue once more, and for all the people care, this was a collective delirium the entire city suffered for some reason. But what I feel right now... It's more ominous than just being sick. It's like fear deep into my flesh and bones. Fear for you, fear for myself, and for everything around us... Fear that the worse is yet to come. I'm sorry if I sound overly dramatic... But knowing who you truly are, and the kind of battle you are undergoing..."
"It's okay... Now please, rest yourself. Leave everything to us now." She silently smiled and gave her grandfather a kiss on his forehead, then got up and went to the fireplace room, the de facto war room for the Sailor Guardians. The wise cats chatted idly for a bit before seeing Rei stepping into the guest room, then followed her to join the others that had just arrived: Usagi and Mamoru, plus the rest of the Inner Guardians.
"I think I owe you girls an apology..." Minako tentatively told her fellow Sailor Guardians. "I mean... I treated you all like crap, and I was a total mess when..." The trauma of Daisuke's death, of her soaked in his blood and brain matter, made her stop short in her speech and stifle her will to weep and grieve.
"We understand it perfectly, Mina," Usagi stated as she went to her side. She could have said more, but the will to cry lumped her throat.
"It was the same with me," a misty-eyed Rei offered her a friendly hand on the shoulder. "When I saw Yuuichirou die in front of me... Oh, by all Gods, I don't even like to remember..." The raven-haired girl's lips trembled, and she too had to hold her own tears and sobs. Ami and Makoto were no less moved, since they passed through the same trauma - And despite knowing they would all come back to life sooner or later, the scars of seeing their lovers being murdered in violent fashion were still etched on their mind.
They all mulled over the moment in silence, including Mamoru. He was at a total loss as to how to revive those that were supposed to be his New Kings, and felt that no amount of verbal comiseration would suffice to help out the Sailor Guardians.
"But now... We know they are alive," Makoto broke the silence with some hope. "Our families, our friends... The men we love. We just need to figure out a way to bring them back. Once we deal with this infernal mess..."
"There is a Hell, but there is no Heaven... No ultimate salvation, no place for souls to rest. All that lives in the Universe is bound to an eternity of suffering under Lucifer's fists. Is that what everything is fated to?" A somewhat disturbed Luna questioned out loud.
"This is why we need to destroy Hell," a familiar voice sounded from the room's main entrance. "But we'll reach this part soon enough. How do you do, girls?"
When the attendees turned around, they saw none other than Astar, accompanied by the Outer Guardians. His presence alone served to soothe the period of anguish the girls were going through. Even Mamoru and the wise cats felt easier by his side, and they accompanied the heroines that went to greet their old friend.
"I still can't believe you're with us once again, you know that?" Usagi told her father in her past life, barely containing her own joy as she gave a heartfelt embrace to him. The other Inner Guardians nodded in agreement, and one by one hugged him as well.
Afterwards, Astar acted bashful for a while, even rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, I'm very grateful that I count with your trust."
"More than that... You have our gratitude, and our friendship," Mamoru spoke and offered him a hand to shake, which Astar firmly accepted. Both smiled to each other at the same time to solidify their newly-formed bond.
"Very well then, we are all here now," Artemis called back the attention to the matter at hand. "I believe we should start with Astar explaining the big picture. Who he is, what is his link with the Sailor Guardians and with the Devil, and what we should do to save the world... Nay, the Universe from Hell."
"I'm all ears for that," Haruka spoke half-jokingly. "And I'm sure I'm not alone."
Astar then cleared his throat and stepped forward to the platform where the fireplace stood, so as to face the heroes like a professor about to give an important lecture. "First things first, I must reveal who I truly am, now that I recovered my memories. I am not originally an incubus - this was a curse that Lucifer cast on me for interfering in his plan for taking over the Universe. In reality, I am the last Angel, harbinger of the weaving of all things that were, are, and will be. Upon me were bestowed the name Grammaton and the Power of the Word, with which I can modify anything with so much a single uttering. And you, Sailor Guardians... You descend from me, in one way or the other."
"Amazing..." Usagi muttered, with everyone in town equally marvelled at the revelation.
"But how exactly do we descend from you?" Michiru asked.
"The Inner Guardians descend from women I took for momentary lovers in the early days of humanity, while the Outer Guardians were sired by ancient Gods using my remaining seed, which they used in differring manners to create your past selves. As such, the Outer Guardians have some degree of control over aspects of the Universe itself. The cycles of time and life, respectively for Pluto and Saturn, and the firmament of matter in the cases of Uranus and Neptune. This life essence is also what built the Silver and the Gold Crystals that are in the hands of Usagi and Mamoru. This explains why your power is above all the rest."
Mamoru was the most amazed of all, having read the passage of the Book of Titor that told the origins of the Crystals. He secretly cursed himself for not bringing the copy of the tome with him for that encounter.
"And now, this may come as a shock to all of you... But in the Silver Millenium, I was the one who fathered Usagi."
This part was the one that sent shivers to the spine of everyone present, except Usagi who already knew the truth through the dream they shared not long ago. The Angel then proceeded to explain the story of Queen Serenity's deal with Lucifer, and how thanks to the efforts of her late parents, Astar was the one that copulated with the former monarch and thus conceived Usagi's past self.
The reactions were a mixture of bewilderment, amazement and a bit of horror as well. Their illusions about the prosperous and peaceful time that was the Silver Millenium ended up broken then and there. In particular, Setsuna started to find faults in her own mission and oath she had given to the late Queen.
"Are you saying... Queen Serenity wasn't the benevolent monarch we all thought she was?" an incredule Ami asked. "All that we fought for was for the benefit of the Fallen Angel all along?"
"I'm afraid so," the Angel answered. "This is why I intervened, to steer you away from it. Fate had it that I would lose my memories when I was reborn, but everything worked out in the end."
"But then... If we manage to seal the Devil, we would basically undo the future we saw," Makoto reminded.
"I don't think I'd be down with a future where nobody is happy," Minako raised her voice. "Not only us... but all of humanity as well."
One by one, the Sailor Guardians plus Mamoru spoke out to agree and settle that they are better off without raising Crystal Tokyo. Even if that could create time paradoxes in the long run, it would be the best course of action for everything that exists. The final word, of course, was with Usagi and Mamoru... Who unanimously decided that they would leave humanity as it is.
With this agreement by all the present, Astar continued with his plan. "Long story short: In order to impede Lucifer from concretizing his masterplan once and for all, the Sailor Guardians need to use their divine power to break the Hearts of Darkness. There are twelve in total - Four lie in the farthest circles of the Hades, while the other eight are the Legionnaires of Hell themselves. You have to vanquish the children of Lucifer, and destroy the ones that lie in the depths of Hell. The former Heavenly Kings are waiting there for you."
This latter information was the one that caught the present off-guard.
"You mean... Those Heavenly Kings?" Rei questioned, visibly baffled. "Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and Kunzite?"
Astar nodded to confirm it. "The bond you still have with them will guide you to the Hearts. Be as it may, they were your consorts... And you did eventually develop natural liaisons of love and companionship with them, despite their arranged natures. I hope you understand the sacrifices they went and are still going through for you. They loved you back in the Silver Millenium, and they still love you enough to help you out with the men your new present selves have chosen as your own in this day and age. The sacrifice the New Kings went through awakened your Eternal forms, and the shared dreams you had materialized into the holy weapons you now carry."
Upon hearing this, the four Inner Guardians whose beloved were slain stood visibly moved. Their remembrance once more drove them to tears, which had to be held with all their might. Not only for their current lovers... but for the Heavenly Kings of yore as well.
"But... How will I be able to bring them back?" lamented Mamoru, who knew the Guardians want their beloved as much as they felt the need to enter Hell. "Fengari was taken over, and one of the Legionnaires used the Shadow Gems to turn him into a servant of Hell."
"Then we have to heal the source," the Angel suggested. "At least, that's the only solution I can think of. If the transformed Fengari is purified, the Shadow Gems return to your possession and you can use them to bring back the New Kings. They are ready and able to help out their lovers, the Inner Guardians, and their natural leader, which is you, Mamoru."
"Problem is, we have no idea where he went to," Luna reminded. "After fending off with Lucifer, he just walked away, remember?"
"We have no other remedy but first walk into the Hades," Minako dourly commented, trying to curb her longing for Daisuke. "It is the more pressing issue right now. The whole world depends on us."
"It's hard on us, but I agree," added Ami, who caught a brief glimpse of Ryo in her own musings.
"There is still a chance we can bring them back, though," Makoto spoke with some degree of hope, also with Shinozaki in her mind.
"But that will have to wait..." lamented Rei, now fully admiting her love and longing for Yuuichirou.
"This was exactly the kind of conundrum I did not wish you go through," Astar comiserated. "To give up your own trails to fulfill fates you did not chose."
"...I understand perfectly well the pain you have been through," Setsuna abruptly spoke to them. She stared at the floor in apparent shame, anxious to the point of shivering. "I learned of love, of sharing flesh and soul with someone else, something I put aside for my ultimate mission as the Guardian of Time, and I... I lost him. Soichi... He finally made me understand what this all meant, and I... I cannot hold this any longer."
"Huh!? Setsuna... Do you know something we don't know?" asked Hotaru, somewhat shaken as well due to the mention of her father's disappearance.
"It's... It's about Fengari... He came back in time a few months after the battle against Galaxia. He explained to me that he came to the 20th Century... To undo the future. To undo the rise of Crystal Tokyo."
"What!? But... But why?" Usagi concernedly spoke out. "Wouldn't that mean he would no longer exist as well?"
"He knew that, and he still went ahead," Setsuna explained. "In the future, which you are all aware about, conflicts will abound, and no peace will be achieved. Worst of all, the vast majority of the struggles will come from the people that we swore to protect, unhappy with how we would eventually carry the Utopia fronted by Serenity and Endymion. You witnessed the battle against the Black Moon Clan, and as it turns out, it was only one group among many others. Fengari... No, Young Lord Seiya... He observed this, and also grew dissatisfied, not only with how they dealt with the people's revolts, but also... With how you would live your lives, in constant battle, in constant anxiousness and without people close to you. So, one day, he asked his older sister, Usagi Small Lady, to lead him to a place where he could change the outcome of all thing... And she led the Young Lord to the Time-Space Portal. Small Lady wanted to go with him, to correct that future... But her brother told him she would be better off staying behind, for she was the true heir of that Queendom... And his mission may prove fatal.
"So... He is my future son with Mamoru, isn't he?" Usagi bitterly mused, feeling the same omen as she did when facing the Fallen Angel. The fact that she would name her male child Seiya did not escape her either.
"What of Chibiusa?" Hotaru suddenly asked. "Why would she let her brother carry a mission that would cease her own existence?"
"He gave her a Paradox Prism, to guarantee she would still exist even if the Crystal Tokyo timeline is undone," the Guardian of Time answered.
Usagi wanted to feel better to know her future daughter with Mamoru would still remain in the realm of reality, but the more Setsuna spoke, the more she felt uneasy.
"I permitted him to carry his own mission, and he even gave me a Time Key so that, if things went beyond control, I could go back in time and undo his works... Even if it meant killing him in the process. I considered this option many times. But... Now that I know the truth about the rise of Crystal Tokyo, and the real motives behind the only sovereign I ever sworn fealty to... It's better off it doesn't go ahead."
"Setsuna, you are aware that what you are telling us is very serious, aren't you?" Mamoru gravely queried the Guardian of Time as he comforted Usagi. "Why didn't you tell us of this before?"
"I agree with Mamoru. This could have spared us some headaches," Haruka rationalized. "No unnecessary deaths, for example."
"It was... For the sake of our mission as Sailor Guardians," she justified herself. "I took it upon myself to guarantee we would follow everything through..."
"I think I understand your motives," Astar said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This is why you stood by when the Shoggoth killed my human form back then. In a way, I was a hindrance to the ultimate plan of the rise of the Palace of Sheer Crystal, and the subsequent End of History. At this point, I cannot hold it against you, especially since you still helped out when I was being chased by Dis Pater. But now, I take it you wish to go through with this mission to stop it all, yes?"
"Yes!" the green-haired Guardian inmediately. "This needs to be done. I don't want you suffering any longer. I don't want a future without freedom, where children lose their parents and people lose their loved ones to misguided fate. Most of all, I don't want a future built upon a wretched lie, especially if... If I had a hand into its concretization."
"Then I see no reason for any of us to be mad at you." Astar's affirmed, and his frank smile gave back some of Setsuna's lost nerve. "There is no reason to be ashamed of who you are, and what you believed in. What matters now is that you reached this conclusion on your own, and you are willing to help us all. Is that not right?"
The Angel addressed the rest of the attendees, who came to terms that, despite Setsuna's omission, things could still work out in the end. There was no use in cutting her off at that point.
"All of us are important for the ultimate defeat of the forces of Hell," finished Astar. "We shall meet tomorrow in the early morning in the Azabu-Juban Commercial Center, before the shops open up. As we concentrate our powers towards Hotaru's sacred weapon, she will use her power to open a rift between the Universe and the Hades. Remember... Once we enter, there is no turning back until we defeat Lucifer once and for all. So please, spend the rest of the day with your families and personal friends. Show them your appreciation. It is for them you should fight. For them, and for everything that exists and is yet to come."
"And you, Astar? What are you going to do?" Usagi asked.
"I'm going to guarantee things will go smoothly for the Sailor Guardians," he answered. "The world at large knows who you are, right? There are still conflicting opinions about you, and I will try to use my Power of the Word to set them all aright. Not by changing their opinion, mind you... Just see if they can be friendly to you out of their own free will. This is the least I could do to help you, since I do not engage in direct combat."
The heroes got the point right away, and after ushering their parting words, each went to their respective homes.
"Astar, can I talk to you a second?" Minako called for her friend just as he was about to leave.
"Sure, what is it?"
"In reality, I am the one who is going to speak," sounded the voice of Dis Pater.
Naturally, the Angel found himself aghast at hearing his old pursuant speak through the mouth of the Guardian of Love. "Is that... Is that who I think it is?"
"He is," Minako herself answered casually. "He's living beneath my bed, and whenever he needs to speak something, he kinda-sorta uses me. So far, he's helped me through just fine."
"Can we really trust him?" Astar asked with some suspicion.
"Considering it was thanks to him that we brought you back to our plane of existence, I figure we can," Artemis intervened. "I was just as wary as you, but so far Dis Pater has been helping us, so I see no reason as to be concerned."
After some pondering, Astar decided to give Dis Pater the benefit of doubt. "Very well then. I think we'll take what comes our way... Though I imagine you want something in exchange. Go ahead, say it."
"Allow me to be reborn as a normal human being," the former villain spoke once more. "Or at least, let me rest forever... As the wielder of the Power of the Word, I take it you have some degree in dealing with souls. It was, in the end, what I wanted you for, but I was played by Lucifer to do his bidding instead."
"I see... Alright, when the right time comes, I'll see to you, Dis Pater. Rest assured you will have the closure your soul requires. Now come, we'll discuss your role in our mission while I escort Minako and Artemis back home."
(xx)
True to his word, Astar used his all-encompassing power to help out the heroines the best way he could possibly do. As he faced the sunset over an apartment block in the edge of Azabu-Juban, he used his moment of solitude to concentrate and activate his Power of the Word.
May the World find it within their minds and souls to deal with the Sailor Guardians the way they find more reasonable. Be what it may.
"Yo, Astar!" called out a familiar voice just as the Angel had finished his Word utterance. Out came a well-trimmed old man that used to be well-acquainted with him not too long ago. "What're ya doin' here on yer own? This party's for you!"
"Oh, Mr. Kamina! Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts." For all the former homeless guys from Arisugawa Park knew, Astar simply went out on a long trip and returned just then. They even threw a makeshift Welcome back party when word came that he was back in town once more. Now that they were no longer destitute and lived in relatively better conditions on an old apartment block, they felt it was the least they could do to the one person that showed them a new way to deal with the hardships of life.
"Well if it isn't the honorary Okashira of the Astar Congregation," his old friend Akira greeted. "Any words for your old friends?"
"We now celebrate your emancipation," the Angel brightly answered while raising his own glass. "This society may hurt and bring you down once in a while, but as long as you hold on to your pride and dignity, you'll go far. Drink to your hearts' content, boys! To the future!"
(xx)
As usual, Ami spent most of her day by herself - Save for a visit from her father-in-law Major Sosuke Urawa. His eyes denoted tiredness and desolation even if his lips opened a timid smile. The expression on the Major's face denoted the pain he had been through, having lost his wife and undergoing the uncertainty about whether his son would live or die. Yet, deep inside he held onto the hope that his daughter-in-law could bring him back, for he knew who she truly was.
"You've been a wonderful caretaker to my son," Sosuke told her. "And I can't even begin to imagine the burden it must be to carry such indescribable power within you. I am sure Ryo will be in good hands once he returns."
"It is hard... But if it is for the greater good, I accept it," Ami answered with a bit of hope in her tone. "I promise you, Ryo will be by our side in no time."
After one last greeting, the Major went his way. As she observed him stepping out of her apartment, Ami felt once more some - Namely, whether her mother would come home early, and what would she say at long last about her being the Guardian of Waters, Sailor Mercury.
Her answer came not long after. As soon as Sosuke turned entered the elevator, out came Dr. Saeko running from the staircase towards her. Without saying anything else, she gave her one and only daughter a tender and fierce hug.
"Could you ever forgive this old woman for not being there?" the Doctor asked between sobs. "For spending more time caring of countless anonymous people instead of her own daughter?"
"Why wouldn't I?" the blue-haired girl reassured her mother. "All this time you've been away... You were doing it for me as well, weren't you?"
"Of course! But you, Ami... You have a special light within you that makes you a notch above the rest. And all this time, you have not received a single manner of appreciation on my part. In these trying times, it should be the least I could do..."
"Being with me is appreciation enough, Mama."
The much-needed moment between mother and daughter was only broken because the telephone rang loudly, echoing through the silent halls of their apartment. Ami quickly answered it.
"Ami? Is that you?" sounded a male voice. Not just any male voice. Hearing it, even at a distance, sparked the last bit of emotion that still held the Guardian's composure together.
"Dad!? Oh my God..."
"Ami, dear... I'm so glad to hear you once again!" the voice of Hoshinori Usui exclaimed from the other side of the line. "Who knew my little darling would be so important for... Everything, really."
"Thank you so much for calling," the blue-haired girl answered. "Dad, I've missed you so much... I wish you were here with us right now..."
"Once I'm finished with my exhibition tour, I promise you, I'll pass by. There is so much to catch on with your mother and especially with you, little Mercury..."
"Ami... Is that your father?" Dr. Saeko questioned somewhat seriously. "I... Please, hand me the phone. I want to speak to him."
Ami obeyed and soon retired to her room, as if to shield herself from what she expected would be a barrage of screams and insults. From afar, however, she saw her mother smile and lighten up while speaking to her ex-husband. Dr. Saeko was willing to let go of whatever ill will she still bore for Hoshinori, and was finally speaking to him with the coolest mood she could muster. Even if it was for a few moments and only for her pretense sake, Ami felt the confidence she needed for her most daunting task to date.
(xx)
On that night, Grandpa Hino felt some of his usual strength come back to his body and promptly used it to prepare a demon-warding ritual in the fireplace room of the Hikawa Shrine. He felt it was the only thing he could do to help his granddaughter before she went off to face perhaps the strongest and cruelest demon that ever existed.
After their supper together, Rei and her grandfather went each their own way. The Guardian of Fire was ready to call it a day when she heard the chimes at Hikawa Shrine ringing. Who could be praying at that time?
When she went to the Shrine's front yard, the Guardian almost fell on her back when she thought to see Yuuichirou pulling the chimes' strings - Except it was obviously a young woman, and her bright blue eyes reflected the crescent moon, even if slightly hidden by some bangs of wavy brown hair.
"Uh... May I help you?"
"You are Rei Hino, right?" she asked in a painful tone. "My name is Sayaka Kumada. You are my family's only hope, Miss Hino... Ever since my brother died, my parents have been struck with guilt and grief, and so do I. We never realized how much he meant for us until... Until now. We know he's still alive somewhere, and we know you are the one who can help him. Please, I beg of you... Bring him back!"
Rei knew well what Sayaka meant. In the shared dream she had with Yuuichirou's soul, she saw first-hand the mistreatments he went through in his formative years. For a brief moment, Rei thought of giving Sayaka a fierce slap across her face for all she and her family made Yuuichirou go through... But she couldn't bear doing it to a woman that was just as vulnerable as she was at that very moment.
"I'm so afraid, Miss Hino... It's like the whole world is falling apart around me..." Sayaka spoke once more.
"Me too," confessed Rei, even if not only about how she felt about Yuuichirou. "But don't worry. I've been through worse and always pulled through. I'll bring Yuuichirou back, but you have to promise me one thing."
"Yes, anything!"
"You and your parents must apologize to him personally, and let him know he is appreciated," Rei requested.
"Consider it done!" Sayaka answered effusively, her expression lightening up considerably as well.
"Wonderful!" Rei affirmed, her momentary tension finally waning off. "So... Care to enter? It's kinda cold here outside."
"I'd love to!" Sayaka promptly answered. She would spend the rest of the evening forming a good acquaintance with her sister-in-law.
(xx)
"Aunt Shizune? Why are you so early from work?" Makoto asked as she answered the doorbell and saw her aunt catching he breath.
"I told them I got an important appointment," the older woman answered. "And in a way, it is true... The appointment is to see you one last time before your big mission."
Shizune Kino, she who did everything within her power to raise Makoto since she lost her parents, stepped forward and embraced her niece as tight as she could. They could feel each other's tears flowing and staining the shoulder straps of their shirts. The last time they held each other in shared pain, it was the day they received the news of the death of Makoto's parents, and in a way they felt this was also a departure.
"I... I don't wanna lose you, Mako..."
"Neither do I want to lose you, auntie... You are all the family I have now." They then separated and saw each other straight. "But you won't lose me. I fought so many times before, I even... Literally died a few times, and I always came back. This is just another day for the one named Sailor Jupiter."
Shizune couldn't help but chuckle at that, and she once more gave her niece her traditional peppy wink and arm flex to symbolically give Makoto some strength and cheer. "Give 'em Heaven, girl. Because they are already Hell. Now come on, we need to visit a certain someone."
Makoto followed her aunt to the Juban General Hospital - More precisely, to the mental treatment department, where Hiroko Shinozaki had been spending her days since Miyage Shinozaki's disappearance. Losing her husband and son in a short span of time took an inmeasurable toll on her mind, to the point she could no longer be functional in her day-to-day activities, especially upon knowing her son was not dead but under the care of unknown people, hunted by inexplicable forces. Upon arriving at the ward, only Makoto entered the room, to try to speak some sense with her mother-in-law.
"Oh, it's you..." Hiroko said after a brief glance at her. "I guess I owe you an apology for how I behaved myself not long ago..."
"I simply cannot imagine the grief you must be feeling in this moment," Makoto told her mother-in-law, which got no answer. "I promise you, Mrs. Shinozaki... You won't be alone anymore. If your son was gone because of me, I will bring him back as well. He is... The one I love, after all."
By seeing the honesty in Makoto's expression and words, Hiroko felt somehow much better and alleviated, as if a large burden was taken off her back and shoulders. "Thank you, Mako. Thank you very much..."
"Wait," the older woman requested as she saw Makoto turn around to leave. Mrs. Shinozaki then got up and dauntlessly went towards her. "I never thought my son would be graced with the love of such a wonderful woman. If you do manage to bring my Miyage back..."
Makoto smiled upon seeing her regain some of her trust. "This is not a question of if, Mrs. Shinozaki... It is a question of when."
As if on instinct, Hiroko gave Makoto her second emotion-filled hug of the day. "I can hardly wait. Best of luck to you, Jupiter."
(xx)
"Mina, can I talk to you for a second?"
After a somewhat uneventful dinner, Minako was surprised to see her mother Retsuko asking to enter her bedroom just as she was getting ready to go to bed. The blonde girl couldn't help but let her in, especially since she was visibly concerned.
"Something wrong, Mom?"
"I... I want to apologize to you. All these times I've been rough on you... I regret it every single time. More often than not, I was just discounting my frustration on you for some reason. I mean... It was like I blamed you for my life not turning into what I was set to do, but you weren't at fault, not in the least bit. And now that I know who you truly are, and what you have done all this time... All that you suffered as well, I can't possibly compare."
Even if she was taken aback by that sudden apology, Minako knew well what her mother meant: She was barely out of high school when she met Eiichi Kinshibe, and just as she was ready to enter university and follow a career in Engineering, they ended up conceiving Minako. Retsuko saw herself "forced" to raise a family as a stay-at-home mother, while Eiichi took the brunt of bringing sustenance for his wife and daughter, even if it meant overworking himself as an average accountant, partly as penance for what he felt was the destruction of Retsuko's personal ambitions.
"But you and your father are all I have left, and... And I'd hate to see any of you hurt. Especially you, Mina. I haven't acted like I were your mother at all..."
Without saying anything else, the Guardian of Love gave the tenderest hug she had ever given to her mother. They remained this way for a bit, with Retsuko holding back her sobs the best way she could. "It's never too late to do what you want, Mom... When I come back, and when all of this is done with, I'll make sure you'll follow your dream. Whatever it is, I'll make sure you'll have all the support you need, okay? And besides..."
"You are the best daughter any woman could possibly have..." Retsuko felt more tranquil upon that affective demonstration. "Thank you very much for being who you are, my darling Venus."
Just as they held their hands over their laps and looked at each other for the first time as mother and daughter in a long time, the doorbell rang. Both quickly climbed down the stairs and answered the door. Five different people who couldn't be any more different from each other: It was Tomie Aizawa, Daisuke's mother, and right behind her were Minako's bandmates. All of them had pained expressions imprinted on their faces.
"I have no idea how to address you, Mina," first spoke Tomie. "You are so much more than just a girl and an idol in the making..."
"You're freaking Sailor Venus!" the drummer Tange Choushu affirmed with an ounce of admiration. "You don't get any cooler than that!"
"But more than that... You are our friend," bassist Kazuko Maeda softly added. Without her goth-lolita ensemble, she looked rather plain but honest.
"And as such, the least we could all do is offer you some kind of strength," said the keyboardist Shinichi Taue, who could barely contain his nervousness in speaking.
The last to speak would be rhythm guitarist Agashi Okada, but he couldn't say a thing - He simply couldn't contain his own tears and sobs. His friend of a lifetime died, then came back, and now depended on Minako to survive for all he knew. "Please, Mina... Bring Daisuke back. We... We know he's alive after all, and... And... God-fucking-dammit!"
"Guys..." Minako finally addressed her friends. "As you know, I am a Sailor Guardian. This power of mine, I never asked for it... But I wanna make the best use of it. For the world, for my friends and family... And for Daisuke."
All of them huddled together and piled up their hands. One by one, they repeated the same phrase: "For Daisuke!"
"Once we're back, we'll release our album, and we'll go on a big tour across Japan," Minako reassured them. "We'll also play in my wedding, and in the weddings of the other Sailor Guardians as well."
"It's a bit too early to speak of marriage, young lady," Retsuko came out of the house and said this half-jokingly. "Especially since your groom isn't here just yet!"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Aino," Tomie caught on with the easy vibe. "I'm sure my son would not object."
All of the present had a brief laugh, and this was enough to alleviate the quasi-mourning mood of the encounter.
"Well, how about you people come inside for some treats?" Eiichi offered them as he took wind of the conversation. "It is the very first time we even got to know Minako's bandmates. I'm sure my wife will find you all lovely. Come in!"
(xx)
The sun was barely showing its first beams over Tokyo's skyline when the Sailor Guardians, plus Mamoru and the wise cats, reunited in the place requested by Astar.
Not a single one seemed at ease at their situation. Usagi in particular had to stifle her yawns at every opportunity, since she barely slept a wink that night. She still found some degree of comfort with knowing her family was alive and accepting of her role as the leader of Sailor Guardians.
The Angel himself was already there, waiting for their arrival. Once everyone certified themselves they were all present, Astar thus spoke: "Each of you will now transform into your Sailor Guardian forms, then concentrate your thoughts toward your weapons. Once you feel your powers peak, point them at Sailor Saturn. This boost of divine energy shall give her the needed strength to open the portal to the Hades."
One by one, they obeyed. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask did the same, concentrating their own power inside their respective Crystals. Feeling the surge of energy flowing through her veins, Sailor Saturn drew forth her Silence Glaive and hoisted its blade toward the sky.
"Mine are the powers that rule the Underworld, for I am the scion of its creators, Hades and Persephone. The essence of the last Angel runs through my soul, for it carries the True Star Seed of the planet Saturn. I call upon my powers to tear asunder the barrier between the worlds of the living and those of the damned dead." Upon saying this, the Silence Glaive acquired the same pale purple glimmer that painted the Guardian's eyes, and with a simple wave, the bladed end of the sacred weapon was swung and opened the awaited passage out of thin air, as if it tore a piece of fabric. Complete darkness awaited the portal as it widened to permit the entry of the heroines.
"Quick now, enter the portal and walk through the mazes of Hell itself toward our objective."
"Not so fast," came a deep voice from nearby. Both groups stopped in their tracks as the cloaked figure of Abadon materialized in front of them.
"It's him... Fengari!" Sailor Moon recognized her future son. "Or is it Abadon? What are you doing here?"
Without saying anything else, Abadon snapped his fingers. Out of a nearby alley came walking four familiar figures in military uniforms, standing in the same side of the sidewalk as the converted servant: Ryo Urawa, Yuuichirou Kumada, Miyage Shinozaki and Daisuke Aizawa.
The Inner Guardians could barely believe that their loved ones, their New Kings, were alive once more and standing before them. The impossible had happened, through no effort of their own.
"Incredible." Even Astar seemed amazed at the turn of events. He went to where the Outer Guardians stood and used his own power to keep the portal open so as to take a load off Sailor Saturn. The Outer Guardians, for their part, were also dumbfounded as they saw the separated couples running towards each other.
But just as they were about to give their lovers a much-needed embrace, the Guardians were thrown back by some kind of force field that ran a strong shock through their bodies.
"What the- What's going on!?" Sailor Venus bellowed.
"Fengari... What have you done?" Astar complained at his former ally.
"You think I would have brought them back so easily just for you to take them away for yourselves?" Abadon provoked. "Guess again."
When they looked once more at the New Kings, they did not see expressions of joy and relief - They saw hateful men, ready for combat. Ready to engage in a battle to death against the women they loved. Their eyes, shining with the crimson hue of Hell, left no room for doubt.
"Lucifer knows all too well what you are planning to do," Abadon said. "If you want to cross the path to Hell, you'll have to kill the New Kings first."
After God knows how long, I finally managed to continue this fic. Life catches up quickly when you least notice it.
Eternal gratitude to all of you who are still following the tale, either favs/followers or anonymously. Especialmente a tí, litakino1987 :)
Next chapter: Hell breaks loose between the Sailor Guardians and the possessed New Kings.
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.