Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I own the works of H.P. Lovecraft of Robert W. Chambers.

Chapter 16: The King in Yellow

After Sailor Moon had regained consciousness, she and the others attempted to contact the rest of their team back on Earth, but unsurprisingly they had been unable to reach them. Carcosa was on a planet that was obviously too far out of range. The four realized their only option was to venture into the castle. Sailor Moon and the others passed through the castle's front gate, where they came upon a maze of neatly cut dead hedges leading to the main door. The place looked exactly like what all four of them had seen in the shared dream they had all experienced at the beginning of their current war against Hastur.

Roses of a sickly yellow color bloomed on the dead hedges as the four made their way through the maze. As they all looked around, they could see the maze crawling with hideous alien insects unlike anything that could be seen on Earth or on any sane planet. Some of these insects even had human faces. At one point Sailor Moon noticed a small ash-grey cocoon hanging from one of the branches of the hedge wall. When she stopped to look at it, the cocoon suddenly began to hatch.

Emerging from the cocoon was a small naked female fairy with glowing yellow skin and wavy red hair. On her back was a pair of large black butterfly wings decorated with large yellow eye spots. Sailor Moon was surprised such a beautiful creature could exist in a place like Carcosa. The fairy smiled at Sailor Moon, but suddenly her skin stopped glowing and turned an ashen grey. Her mouth opened to reveal a set of yellow fangs as the fairy flew towards Sailor Moon's face. Kunzite thrust his sword at the fairy and cut the abomination in half with a single skilled cut, and the two halves of the fairy shriveled to nothing as they dropped to the ground.

Sailor Moon couldn't help but shudder. "Thanks, Kunzite."

Kunzite nodded. "You shouldn't let down your guard in this place, Your Highness. We are deep in enemy territory."

"Perhaps Kunzite and I should take the lead for now," Tuxedo Mask suggested. "Venus, you take up the rear and protect Sailor Moon."

Venus nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

The four continued through the maze in a single-file line, with Kunzite in the lead and Tuxedo Mask following right behind. Sailor Moon followed Tuxedo Mask while Venus took up the rear. As they trudged through the maze, Sailor Moon couldn't help but notice that Venus was trembling.

Sailor Moon fell back a little to talk to her friend. "Venus, you okay?"

"Of course I am," Venus responded as she looked around. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't look fine. In fact you seem terrified."

"Okay! So I am a little scared! But I can manage."

Sailor Moon stopped walking and took both of Venus's hands. "What happened in England with Hastur must've been pretty bad, huh?"

A tear rolled down Venus's cheek. "You have no idea how terrible it was being so close to…that thing. He compelled me to walk down the aisle with him as part of some sick joke of a wedding. If Kunzite hadn't shown up to stop it, that thing would've taken me and…I would've ended up like those undead Sailor Guardians you had to vaporize outside the mansion."

"But none of that happened."

Venus reached up and wiped away her tears with her gloved hand. "I know. But I hated feeling so weak and powerless against that monster. That's not how I'm supposed to be! I'm supposed to be your protector! The fact that an enemy was able to get the better of me like that…"

Sailor Moon smiled at her. "Venus, you're one of the strongest people I know. Even if Hastur was able to get the better of you once, I know that I can always count on you."

Venus took a moment to compose herself. "We should catch up to Kunzite and Tuxedo Mask before they get too far ahead."

As Venus and Sailor Moon started to catch up, Tuxedo Mask couldn't help but notice how agitated Kunzite seemed to be. It wasn't fear that seemed to be plaguing the silver-haired general, but rage. From the look in Kunzite's eyes, Tuxedo Mask could tell his old comrade was ready to kill.

Tuxedo Mask pulled ahead to walk alongside Kunzite. "Are you okay?"

"…You needn't concern yourself with me, Your Highness. I'm fine," Kunzite responded.

Tuxedo Mask stopped walking and put a hand on Kunzite's shoulder. "I know you far too well for you to lie to me. What's wrong?"

Kunzite relented and turned to face him. "I can't help but feel as though I'm a failure. First I betray you to Queen Beryl, not once but twice. Then back in England I nearly let Venus fall into the hands of the enemy we now face. Now because of my incompetence, we now find ourselves in the heart of Hastur's kingdom. Clearly I am unworthy to be your protector."

Tuxedo Mask crossed his arms. "I will admit you have faltered a few times, but there's no one else I'd rather have fighting at my side. Why do you think I charged in to save you from Phantom Ace before? I have every confidence that you can help us get through this latest crisis."

Kunzite looked seriously at Tuxedo Mask and nodded. "I will not let you down, Sire."

Sailor Moon caught up to the two with Venus following a step behind. "Everything okay?"

Tuxedo Mask turned to the two Sailor Guardians and smiled. "We're fine. We should keep moving."

Once the four of them finally reached the main door, Tuxedo Mask and Kunzite pushed it open. Beyond the doors was a large entryway littered with yellowed decaying corpses clad in tattered medieval dress. Before the party was a large stone staircase leading upward.

"This is just the way the castle was from our dream," Venus observed.

Tuxedo Mask nodded. "We should be able to use that dream to reach the throne room. Does everyone remember the way they took to get there?"

"I do," Kunzite answered. "Though it might be unwise to assume that each of our dreams had the same route to the throne room."

"True, but its all we have to go on. Let's move."

Sailor Moon shuddered as they began to walk towards the stairs. "Is it just me, or is this place creepier than what we saw in the dream?"

"Trust me. It's not just you," Venus assured her.

The four made it to the top of the stairs and found two more sets of stairs going up in opposite directions. All of them agreed to take the left set of stairs, as it was the same way they had all taken in the dream. They arrived in a long winding corridor littered with more corpses. As the party walked down the hall, they couldn't shake the feeling that the corpses they passed might suddenly come back to life at any moment. Because of this, Sailor Moon and the others were on constant alert, ready to attack if any of the corpses even twitched slightly.

Before long, the four suddenly heard the faint sound of organ music playing in the distance. They ended up following the sound and came upon the open door to a large ballroom. Inside the room they saw several living corpses and skeletons dressed as if they were at a masquerade ball, dancing an endless waltz.

"I don't think we should go in there," Tuxedo Mask decided.

Sailor Moon nodded. "Those dancers would probably just attack us the moment we stepped into the room."

Venus shuddered and turned to leave. "Let's go. We've got a long way to go before we reach the throne room."

Just as she began to walk off, Kunzite grabbed her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just…that ballroom reminds me of the nightmares I had back in England when Hastur was trying to get his hooks into me. Each time I'd be at a ball like what's in that room, waiting for the King in Yellow to arrive."

A worried expression came to Sailor Moon's face. "Venus."

Tuxedo Mask crossed his arms. "Clearly Hastur is trying to mess with us. We should focus only on reaching the throne room."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Venus responded. "Let's move."

The four headed away from the ballroom and returned to the previous hallway. They drew from their shared memories of the dream each time they reached a turn to try and find their way to the throne room. Unsurprisingly there were more corpses littering each hallway they walked down, and all of them seemed like they might start moving at any time. Yet while none of the corpses they encountered actually moved, Sailor Moon and the others had the strong feeling that the dead bodies they encountered were all watching them. Even the corpses that had only empty eye sockets appeared to be looking at what they were doing.

The most unnerving part about walking through the castle though was that most of the place was as silent as a tomb. The four hadn't heard a single sound since the strange organ music playing in the ballroom of the dead. In spite of the deafening silence though, the four of them kept going, guided by the memory of their shared nightmare. During their trek through the castle halls, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask both ended up taking the rear while Venus and Kunzite took point in order to deal with any surprise enemies that might try to ambush them.

"By the way, I never thanked you for bursting in my fake wedding to Ace," Venus told Kunzite. "I mean I realize now that the whole thing was fake, but still."

Kunzite nodded. "Venus...forgive me for asking, but...was there ever a time during the illusion you were in when you and Saijyo were...intimate?"

Venus immediately stopped walking and turned to face Kunzite with her hands on her hips. "Whoa! You're seriously asking if Ace and I had sex in that fake world?!"

"You wouldn't have remembered your true life in that world. It was the same with the illusion I was trapped in. From what little I saw, you and Saijyo appeared more than a little close."

Venus's expression softened a bit. "Okay, good point. I did almost marry the guy. But believe me, Kei-chan. I didn't let him, didn't let him get anything off me. I mean sure, he did try a few times, but it never felt right. I think on some subconscious level I knew it was because I was with you."

Kunzite nodded. "I believe you. It was the same with me with the illusion I was trapped in."

Venus's eye twitched a little. "Wait, you had a girlfriend in the fake world you were stuck in?"

Kunzite began to panic a little. "A fiance actually. Like Saijyo, she was a member of One-Eyed Pete's acting troupe."

Venus crossed her arms. "...Was she hot?"

Kunzite nervously tugged on his collar. "She was attractive, but I felt nothing for her! Somewhere deep down in my mind, I knew I you were the one I was supposed to be with."

Venus let out a heavy sigh. "Okay. I believe you."

"Everything okay?" Sailor Moon asked as she and Tuxedo Mask finally caught up to the couple.

"Oh! Yeah. We were just...comparing notes about what went on with Ace."

"We really should keep moving," Kunzite told the others.

Tuxedo Mask nodded. "Agreed. We probably shouldn't linger too long in these halls."

After what seemed like might have been hours, the four finally reached a familiar pair of large double doors. The doors swung open on their own as soon as they reached them. Sailor Moon and the others looked at each other and nodded before walking into the room. Sitting on the throne as they entered was a familiar figure clad in tarnished silver plate armor, with a pallid mask covering its face. The figure on the throne remained motionless as they approached, but the four knew what they saw was not some ghoulish statue.

Venus stepped forward and pointed at the figure sitting on the throne. "Hastur! We've had enough of your twisted games! Stand up and fight us!"

Kunzite stepped forward and pointed his sword at the King. "We know you brought us here to settle this war you've started! So let's get on with it!"

The King in Yellow's head jerked upward, and eyes like cold black stars glared at the four from behind the creature's mask. Hastur rose from his throne and awkwardly walked down the steps like some sort of marionette.

Sailor Moon stepped forward. "Hastur! For eons you've broken the lives of innocent Sailor Guardians and plunged countless worlds into chaos! You may have gotten away with your crimes for centuries on other planets, but you won't get away with it now! I am Eternal Sailor Moon! The pretty sailor suited guardian of love and justice! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

Hastur's body began to shudder, and suddenly the throne room was filled with a sound like the wind was laughing at them. "Little girl…you stand now in the presence of the living God. How could you ever hope to punish me?"

"How 'bout we soften you up first!?" Venus responded as a heart made of orange light appeared in her right hand. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Darkness Night's End!" Kunzite called as he slashed his sword through the air.

A blade of black star-filled energy shot from Kunzite's sword and joined with the stream of hearts Sailor Venus had fired. The two attacks hit Hastur and created a large explosion, but when the smoke cleared the King in Yellow appeared unharmed.

"Tuxedo Sunlight Slash!" Tuxedo Mask called out as he slashed his sword downward.

A blade of rosy gold light like the rising sun flew from Tuxedo Mask's sword and cut through the tiled floor as it traveled towards its target, leaving a large gash in its wake. Hastur meanwhile drew his own sword and cut into the blade of light right as it was about to reach him, which resulted in a blinding flash. When the light cleared, there wasn't a trace of a scratch on Hastur.

Sailor Moon's staff appeared in her hand and she aimed it at Hastur. "Silver Moon Crystal Therapy Kiss!"

A ray of silver light fired from the staff and blasted Hastur, creating another blinding flash. Once again though when the light cleared, the King in Yellow was totally unharmed.

"No way!" Venus exclaimed. "If Sailor Moon's attack couldn't do anything, how can we even hope to win?"

Hastur slashed his sword horizontally through the air at Sailor Moon and the others, and a massive blade of concentrated air flew at them. Tuxedo Mask and Kunzite quickly tackled Sailor Moon and Venus to the ground seconds before the blade would've taken off all their heads. The blade kept on going and collided into the wall and double doors behind them, leaving behind a massive gouge.

Hastur trembled as he let out another sound like the wind laughing. "You shall all DIE! And in death…you shall become subjects of my kingdom!"

Freyja was waiting in the theater lobby with Gunnr, Sigrun, and Luna when the others finally arrived. Khepri's team was the last to show up.

"Sorry we're late," Eir told the others. "Our mission ended up being rather difficult to resolve."

Uranus crossed her arms and glared at Khepri. "Yeah. We saw the news about the monster attacking London. Just what the hell happened over there?"

"We can discuss the details of our various missions later," Freyja told them. "Right now Sailor Moon and the others are in trouble."

"What exactly happened to them?" Artemis asked.

"Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask charged into a trap Sailor Venus and General Kunzite had fallen into," Gunnr explained. "At some point while they were inside the trap, all four of them were pulled to Carcosa."

"How can you be sure they were taken to this Carcosa place?" Neptune asked.

"One-Eyed Pete showed up to brag about it," Sigrun answered. "Lady Freyja wasted him soon after."

Mercury pressed her earring to cause her goggles to appear. Through her goggles she saw a faint swirling vortex in the spot where the trap sphere containing Venus and Kunzite had been. Lines of numbers and other information appeared around the vortex.

"I'm reading some sort of distortion in space," Mercury reported. "It's not very stable though."

Eir examined the vortex with her own goggles and nodded. "The distortion is closing up slowly. I'm positive though that it leads straight to Carcosa."

"So we could use it to get to Sailor Moon and the others," Uranus realized.

"Yes, but we would need something with sufficient force to punch the distortion open," Eir explained as she deactivated her goggles.

"Leave that to me," Khepri told them as she opened the scarab on her belt.

The armored hero pressed the bottom button inside three times, causing an electronic voice to speak. "SUNRISE CHARIOT!"

On cue, Khepri's golden motorcycle burst through the wall of the theater and pulled up next to her.

"We're probably going to catch hell from the townspeople for breaking a hole in their historic landmark," Jupiter pointed out.

"We've got bigger things to worry about," Khepri responded as she mounted the Sunrise Chariot with Saturn. "We'll bust through and you follow."

Saturn held on tightly to Khepri's midsection as Khepri revved the engine of her motorcycle. The eyes of Khepri's mask glowed, revealing the location of the vortex to her. As Khepri sped towards the vortex, the front of the Sunrise Chariot became shrouded in gold light. When the motorcycle collided with the vortex, a blinding flash lit the entire lobby.

Kunzite fired his Obsidian Lance attack at Hastur, only for the King in Yellow to deflect it. Hastur launched another blade of wind right at Kunzite. Venus tackled Kunzite to the ground at the last moment to knock him out of the attack's path, and the blade of wind hit the wall behind him.

"We're not getting anywhere," Tuxedo Mask realized. "He's just far too powerful!"

"Maybe if we had reinforcements," Venus spoke as she and Kunzite got back up. "But they're all the way back on Earth."

Suddenly a large ray of gold light shot into the throne room, and from the head of the ray emerged the Sunrise Chariot. The motorcycle came to a screeching halt in front of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Hastur seemed to recoil as Khepri and Saturn dismounted.

"Sailor Moon, are you and the others okay?" Khepri asked while keeping her eyes on Hastur.

Sailor Moon nodded. "How did you get here?"

"We just followed the path Hastur left open for us, and we didn't come alone!"

A bluish-grey vortex had been left in the wake of the Sunrise Chariot's arrival in the throne room. Sailor Freyja and the others soon emerged from the vortex and filled the throne room. Hastur let out a horrible hissing sound as Sailor Moon's allies filled the chamber.

"Your reign ends now, King in Yellow!" Sailor Freyja declared. "This will be the day we finish you once and for all!"

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