Aaron Nowack
26th June 2005, 10:53 PM
After far too long, Chapter 4.
The previous chapters and the prequel story, Shades of Gray, can be
found on my website - http://www.mimiru.net/
As is ever the case, I welcome all C&C of any sort.
Shades of Darkness
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack
Chapter 4: Nemesis Rising
"War is Hell."
- William Tecumseh Sherman
************************************************** *********************
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative
talents far exceed my most humble own. Distribution and other rights to
Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own. I
make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters.
However, the text of this fanfic is mine, and should not be used without
permission. Thank you.
************************************************** *********************
Metallia stood on top of the tallest tower of Beryl's palace.
She smiled as she felt first Jadeite, then Nyxan and Ishamanar teleport
to stand behind her, but she did not turn to face them. Instead, she
had eyes only for the titanic, darkened orb that hung in the now-starry
sky overhead. That orb carried stars of its own, specks of artificial
light, visible even from this great distance.
"What... what have you done?" Jadeite asked, his voice tinged
with equal parts fear and awe.
For a moment, Metallia did not answer, instead simply continuing
to take in the view. It had been... far too long since she had seen
this sight. Far too long since she had tasted the air of true freedom,
reveled in the flows of mana that danced from planet to planet. Her
time imprisoned beyond the boundaries of the universe had changed her,
turned her into something far more than she had been even when she had
ruled the Golden Millennium, but she had never stopped longing for this
moment.
Now she was free, and all those who had locked her away would
face her vengeance. There would be no hope of respite, save in
surrender. All that lived would serve her or die, as it always should
have been. Even her unworthy descendant and the Senshi that had
foolishly sworn to her would come to see that truth, and beg her
forgiveness for the sin of opposing her will.
There was a flicker of darkness. Sailor Saturn and Asphara
appeared before Metallia. The youma's eyes widened as she saw the three
Generals standing behind the Queen, and she knelt. Saturn remained
standing and said, "It has been done as you commanded, my Queen."
Metallia laughed, a smile gracing her aristocratic features as
she spoke. "So it has been. You have served me well, Hotaru." The
Senshi bowed slightly, but the Queen's eyes had turned to the kneeling
youma. "Rise, Asphara. I am well pleased with you."
Asphara was on her feet in seconds. "Thank you, Great
Metallia."
Now Nyxan spoke, if cautiously. "You have moved us to Terra's
orbit?"
Now Metallia half-turned and stepped back, so that she could see
the entire assembly. Her eyes caught the countless youma encampments
surrounding the fortress, and she smiled at the frenzied activity she
saw in them. "So I have done, my General."
"Why?" Jadeite asked.
"It will greatly... infinitely ease the transportation of
youma," Ishamanar answered in his rumbling voice. "Even with no wards
between the realms, it would have been more costly than simple
teleportation."
"Even so." Jadeite frowned, carefully considering his next
words. "My Queen, the humans of this age have achieved many things,
even without magic. It is possible - however unlikely - that they might
now find a way to strike at us."
"With the accursed Seal gone, it was only my will that linked
the Dark Kingdom to this realm and kept it from forever vanishing into
the Void," Metallia answered. "That link was a weakness that my
rebellious Senshi or the Champions might have struck at."
She smiled. "Now, they can never banish us. Perhaps once they
might have had the chance to destroy us," she said, and her smile
deepened as her eyes turned to Saturn, "but that power is in my hands
now."
Saturn simply bowed again.
"Now, General Jadeite," Metallia continued. "I have a question
for you."
Jadeite paled slightly, then managed to bring his expression
under control. "I will answer it if I can, Great One."
Metallia's eyes flickered back to Terra. "Why are you still
here?"
Now a fierce grin came to Jadeite's face, and he made no effort
to straighten it. "As you will, my Queen. I and my army will depart
immediately, and Tokyo will be no more."
"So be it," Metallia said, and Jadeite vanished in a pillar of
flame. Metallia's attention turned to Nyxan and Ishamanar, and the two
youma Generals bowed. "I have a task for you two."
"Whatever it is, it shall be done," Ishamanar said.
"We live to serve," Nyxan added quietly.
"It is not only Tokyo that shall feel my wrath. The Dragons
have already begun to destroy another of the Terrans' cities." She
paused momentarily. "I do not recall its name."
Saturn's eyes flicked to the globe overhead. "It is called New
York, my Queen."
"So it is. Leave that city and its region to the Dragons for
now, and leave Tokyo to Jadeite as I have promised. But for the rest of
Terra, allow your Overlords to select their own targets, and have them
strike as soon as possible." Metallia paused, and a terrible smile
again graced her face. "I believe a month of darkness and war should be
enough to convince the Terrans that they can find salvation only in
submission."
"How many youma?" Nyxan asked.
"However many you desire. Spawn more if the need arises. If
the evidence of our first attacks holds true, it should not. The only
foes with the ability to fight us will be besieged by Jadeite."
Both Generals bowed. "By your command," Ishamanar said. The
two then vanished.
Metallia turned back to Asphara. "Now, Overlord Asphara, a
reward."
"My Queen?" the youma asked.
"You have indeed served me well. For that service, I will allow
you to be my fourth General."
"Great... Great One, I am not worthy." Asphara licked her lips
nervously.
"I have decided that you are worthy, and so you shall be,"
Metallia said.
"Your will, Great Metallia," Asphara answered, and beside her
Saturn smiled for an instant.
Metallia looked up at Terra, then returned her gaze to her
servants. "And now, I have another task for you two."
************************************************** *********************
Nemesis's baleful red glow cast the city of Tokyo in a strange
light. The countless shadows seemed more malevolent and deeper. This
was not just an illusion of the oddly colored light, for though it was -
just barely - bright enough to see a short way, Nemesis was no
replacement for the vanished sun. The true moon was also visible in the
sky, but it was a pale, blood-stained shadow of its ordinary silver
brilliance.
"What the hell are we waiting for?" Sailor Venus asked her two
Outer Senshi companions. "We have to get to my house!"
"Venus," Sailor Uranus began, then shook her head. "Let's run."
"Right," Sailor Neptune agreed after a half-second, and the
three set off. Still, the sudden darkness slowed their once-rapid pace
across the rooftops of Juuban, for fear of slipping and falling. The
remaining blocks moved by agonizingly slowly, even as the sounds of
panic filled the air. Gunfire could be heard in the distance, and
Uranus was not certain that it was directed at a youma.
Damn it. Every instinct she had was screaming at her to forget
trying to get to Venus's house and start heading directly to the Shrine
to meet the others. She didn't expect that Metallia was planning to
just turn off the sun and then take a few days off.
Venus paused for a moment. "We're almost there!" she said, her
voice tinged with relief.
"Then keep moving," Sailor Neptune replied. "There's no time to
waste." The younger Senshi took her advice, leaping toward the next
rooftop.
Then, the attack came. There was the sound of countless wings;
an unspeakable chorus of inhuman roars filled the air. A series of
great explosions briefly lit the artificial night, half-seen skyscrapers
on the horizon vanishing in clouds of ash and smoke. The faint sound of
distant gunfire became in an instant the horrible orchestra of a pitched
battle.
Even as Venus landed safely on the other side of the street, the
youma were upon the three Senshi. A black-skinned, winged beast with
eyes of fire dove at Neptune. She leapt backward, barely avoiding the
youma's claws. With a snarl, the demon ripped its hands from the
rooftop, leaving a narrow crater. Without pausing, it pounced at
Neptune.
It was met in midair by Sailor Uranus's golden Space Sword.
Before it had evaporated to dust, five more youma landed on the rooftop,
flinging fire and shadow at the Senshi. A bolt of darkness struck
Neptune's lower arm as she tried to make a counter-attack. She stumbled
backwards, the magic of her Deep Submerge scattered by interruption.
A gray-skinned, human-shaped youma charged her, a wicked, dark
blade appearing in its hands. Neptune reacted instantly, sidestepping
the demon's first strike. Her uninjured hand struck at the youma's
chest. The demon was sent flying back to crash into another monster.
Neptune started at a sudden presence behind her, then relaxed as
she realized that it was her lover. The two Senshi stood back to back,
and Neptune used the moment's reprieve to retrieve the Deep Aqua Mirror.
"Where's Venus?" Uranus asked quietly.
"Don't know," Neptune answered curtly as a dozen youma
cautiously encircled the pair. "Ready?"
She could feel Uranus smile coldly. "Let's do this."
************************************************** *********************
Sailor Venus ignored the sounds of battle behind her as she
leapt to the next rooftop. A youma with an shadowy, constantly shifting
form awaited her. Venus speared the youma with a Crescent Beam and
moved to the next rooftop, not stopping to see if the youma was slain.
A flock of bird-like, black-feathered youma, attracted by the burst of
light, began to circle overhead.
Venus rolled to one side to dodge a strike of dark lightning
from above. She fired a Crescent Beam in response, but couldn't tell
whether it hit anything. It was too dangerous, she realized, to stay on
the rooftops. One of the youma overhead dove at her.
Before it reached her, she leapt to the street below. There
were perhaps a half-dozen youma between her and home. Without thought,
she shouted words of magic, and her Venus Love-Me Chain snapped out like
an impossibly long whip. When its golden coils touched the youma, they
screamed and dissolved into dust.
There was no time to celebrate this small victory, though.
Venus ran, faster than she ever had before. She dodged attacks from
above half-instinctively, counter-attacking whenever she could. Still,
the remaining distance passed agonizingly slowly. She somehow managed a
new burst of speed as her home came into sight.
Then she stopped. The ground cracked open and a circle of black
flame sprung up around her. She threw up an arm to shield her face from
the cold heat. When the unnatural fire died down, leaving a circle of
broken, half-charred asphalt, she was surrounded.
The largest youma which stood before her stepped forward. It
seemed to be no more than an empty suit of dark armor with pale green
flame pouring from every gap. "Surrender," it said in a deep, rusty
voice, "and our Queen may prove merciful."
Venus raised a hand, pointing directly at the youma's chest, and
allowed a golden light to shine from her outstretched finger. "Get out
of my way."
"Then, die in Great Meta-"
"Crescent Beam!" For an instant, the youma stood still, impaled
on the spear of golden light. Then the light vanished, and it fell.
Venus rolled through the sudden opening in the youma circle before the
other demons could react.
She turned to face them. A lupine beast that stood on six legs
leapt at her. Even as its jaws snapped at her throat, she brought up
her hands, shouting "Venus Love-Me Chain!" Again the golden coils
sprang into being, and the wolf youma was flung backwards by their
eruption. Venus directed the chain to follow the flying monster,
wrapping around it and crushing it. Silvery dust rained down on the
other youma, who hesitated for a moment.
Then they attacked. There was no time to launch another magical
attack. Venus met the first oncoming monster with a solid punch. She
grabbed another's arm as it struck at her, sending it flying with a
quick throw. She charged a red-scaled youma, her magically enhanced
speed enough to bowl it over.
This bought her enough time to summon her chain again. It leapt
from youma to youma at her command. When the magic was finished, only
three youma remained to face her. One, a tall, thin creature with black
eyes and yellowish skin, smiled, revealing a mouth full of fangs. Venus
noticed the sound of beating wings above her. She glanced up, and saw
several dozen youma hovering overhead. Taking a step back, she braced
herself.
A ball of orange light crashed into the youma flock, destroying
one of the youma and scattering the rest momentarily. In that instant,
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune leapt down from a nearby rooftop to
stand by Venus's side.
There was no time for words, as the youma onslaught began.
There was an indeterminate time with no thought, the nightmarish blur of
heated battle. When it finally passed, there were no youma visible on
the street.
Neptune panted heavily. "You shouldn't have run off like that.
It's too dangerous to travel alone."
"I had to -" Venus stopped suddenly. "My parents!" She once
again broke into a run, though one slowed by her exhaustion. After a
moment, the other two Senshi followed.
Venus came to a sudden halt as they reached her house.
"Something's wrong," she whispered as Uranus and Neptune caught up with
her.
The front wall of the house exploded outward. A hulking
creature of metal and muscle emerged from the dust, blood clearly
visible on its steely fists. In its right hand it clutched a body, so
mangled that its identity could not determined from a glance. "No,"
Venus said quietly. The youma roared a challenge.
"No," Venus repeated more loudly, shaking. The monster hurled
the body it held to the ground and began to charge. Venus screamed
wordlessly. Unformed golden light flung from her hands in an unending
torrent. Even the unnaturally dark shadows cast by Nemesis were
obliterated by the light, which lit the street with a light brighter
than the brightest noon.
When it finally died down, there was nothing left of the massive
youma. Venus wavered, almost collapsing. Uranus laid a hand on her
shoulder, but could not find the words to speak. Venus shook it off and
slowly walked over to kneel beside the corpse. "My father," she said
coldly after a moment. She rose, and entered the house through the hole
that had been the front door.
After a moment, the other two Senshi followed. When they found
her mother in the living room, Venus paled, shuddering. Uranus knelt
beside the bloodied form, fingers reaching for the woman's neck. She
ignored the sounds of Neptune trying to comfort the younger Senshi
coming from behind her.
"She's alive," Uranus said after a moment. The sounds from
behind her stopped, and in an instant Venus was kneeling beside her.
Her mother let out a shallow breath, her form stirring slightly.
"Can we move her?" Venus asked after a moment, her voice shaking
slightly.
"I think so," Uranus answered. "I don't think she's hurt too
badly."
Venus cradled her mother in her arms and rose in one smooth
motion. "We don't," she said, then paused as her voice cracked with
suppressed emotion. After the slightest instant she began again, her
words carefully spoken. "We don't have any time to waste, do we?"
They left the house the way they had entered. When they reached
her father's body, Venus stopped. "Please," was all she said, her voice
breaking. Uranus picked up the body. Venus shuddered, then wordlessly
began to walk toward the Hikawa Shrine.
************************************************** *********************
Those Senshi and Champions who did not have family in the
immediate vicinity were slightly more than halfway to the Hikawa Shrine
when the invasion began. They quickly attracted substantial amounts of
youma, and since that point had been fighting for every inch of
progress. Ares was certain they'd killed well over a hundred of the
demons in the hour they'd been fighting, but there seemed to be no end
to the onslaught.
It would not have surprised him if there were more youma facing
them now than an hour ago. Their progress kept slowing, and he knew
that if they stopped entirely they would be buried under the demonic
hordes. The last time he had fought a battle like this he had had an
army at his back.
From the sound of gunfire and screams in the distance, the
Japanese military were doing their fair share of fighting already, but
Ares expected the size of the youma attack had already proved too much
for them to contain, much less push back. The first attack had
stretched them to the limit, and it had been far smaller than this.
He did not even want to consider the implications of the strange
new moon that hung over the city, tainting everything with the color of
blood. For the moment, all he could do was face the enemy before him,
and kill them as swiftly as he could.
A winged, slimy beast dove at Ares. His blazing blade was ready
to meet it and cut the youma in two. The halves dissolved before they
hit the ground. Even before that, another monster had charged the
Champion. After that too had been dispatched, Ares had a moment to
survey the battleground.
Hades, Medea, and Poseidon had formed an armored wedge, pressing
forward relentlessly if slowly. Sailor Mars stood slightly behind them,
Sailor Mercury's unconscious form cradled in her arms. Hermes was
fighting his way to their side. At first, Ares could not locate Sailor
Pluto, but then a ball of purple energy flew over his shoulder and
obliterated the youma before him.
That seemed to be the final straw, for the remaining demons
scattered, and the street was clear in moments. It was only a few
hundred meters to the Hikawa Shrine. For a moment, all the exhausted
warriors did was relax slightly, breathing heavily. In Mars's arms,
Sailor Mercury stirred. The other Senshi gently placed her on her feet.
Though she wavered, Mercury managed to stand on her own.
"What's happened?" were the first words out of her lips.
"There's no time," Ares said harshly, interrupting Hermes before
he could finish the first word of an explanation. "Let's get to the
shrine before those youma work up their courage again." The Champion of
Mercury frowned, but nodded.
Sailor Pluto glanced up at the stairway to the Shrine. "It's a
trap," she commented, adjusting her grip on her weapon.
"You've seen it?" Ares asked.
"Yes." Sailor Pluto turned to face the Champion.
"How many youma?" was all Ares said in reply.
Pluto only shrugged.
Hermes and Mercury retrieved their computers almost
simultaneously. "They're massing for another attack, all around us,"
the Champion said after a moment.
"The background levels are too high to get a good scan on the
shrine," Mercury added, her voice still weak.
"Mercury. Are you strong enough to manage a teleport there?"
Ares asked.
She nodded. "With help."
"Mars -"
"You don't need to tell me, Champion," she snapped harshly,
interrupting Ares and grasping Mercury's hand. "Outside or inside?"
"Outside."
Mere seconds later, the street was empty.
************************************************** *********************
Jadeite had meant to teleport directly to the Hikawa Shrine. It
had given him no small pleasure to decide to make that place his
fortress, and perhaps one day his palace. It would be but the first of
many humiliations that would finally be avenged. He had thought long
and hard on what form his vengeance against the Senshi themselves would
take, but had reached no conclusion save that simple death was too good
for them.
In any case, he was not sure why he had instead appeared in an
empty, nondescript alleyway. From the sound of things, he was not far
from the center of the battle that had just erupted, but as yet there
was no fighting here. His eyes flicked warily from side to side,
searching for some ambush.
He was somehow not surprised when a shadowy figure took shape in
the air before him. It was covered in a dark cloak that hid everything
beneath it. The apparition sat cross-legged in mid-air, and Jadeite
found something about it... familiar. The seeming emptiness beneath the
hood somehow managed to watch him expectantly.
"You are the one who spoke to me, in Beryl's palace," Jadeite
said after only a brief moment's thought.
"You reason correctly, Guardian." The deep voice seemed smug,
and Jadeite was certain that the cloaked... man had not forgotten that
he no longer cared for that title.
If the figure wanted some reaction to that, he would be
disappointed. "I am not pleased that you restored the chains Metallia
placed on me."
"You would be less pleased if Serenity had noticed my hand at
work. Until you left her realm, I could not risk leaving any further
sign of my presence." Jadeite's visitor seemed to glance upward at the
blood-red moon in the sky. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I do not think you are here to discuss aesthetics," Jadeite
said.
"You are correct." The figure's hidden gaze returned to the
General. "There is much more we should discuss."
"I would have a name from you," Jadeite said.
The figure seemed to consider this request for a moment. "You
may call me Death."
Jadeite snorted. "I will call you no such thing, phantom."
There was a harsh, grating laugh. "The Death Phantom then.
Will that serve?"
"That is still not a name, but it will do for now." Jadeite
paused. "What is it you would speak of?"
"First, a gift for you, General." The Death Phantom extended a
hand, revealing an ethereal, orange and green claw that still seemed to
have once been human. In it rested a small black stone that seemed to
suck up the dim light cast by the dark moon overhead.
Jadeite took it. "The Void Diamond? But it was lost at Juno!"
"The one you call Metallia retrieved it, and granted it to
Beryl. After her death I took it from her chambers. And now I grant it
to you, as a token of my good will."
"You have told me to seek the Diamonds. Why?"
The Death Phantom somehow seemed to smile. "Because they will
be your freedom."
"How?" was all Jadeite asked.
"At the dawn of the Golden Millennium, Serenity the First forged
the Ginzuishou -"
"- using the Five Diamonds, and bound it forever to her line.
Your point?"
"I would have you match her accomplishment," the Death Phantom
answered.
"Even if I knew how it could be done, a Ginzuishou would do me
little good. I am hardly pure of heart, nor do I believe I have the
strength to turn such an artifact to my will regardless."
"I will provide the knowledge. And never did I say we would
create a mere copy of the Ginzuishou."
"Say more," Jadeite said, "though I think I have grasped your
plan."
"We will create a mirror to the Ginzuishou, a Jakokuzuishou,
dark where the Ginzuishou is light, and its equal in every fashion.
With its power, you will cast down Metallia and be freed."
"And what will you gain from this, Phantom?" Jadeite smirked.
"You will forgive me for not trusting that you would grant me such power
out of altruism."
"You are wise not to trust so easily." The Death Phantom
paused, as though considering what words to speak. "My motivation is
nothing but revenge. I would see the line of Serenity extinguished
forever." He paused again. "If you rise to replace it, I will not
interfere."
"We shall see," Jadeite answered. "But for now, it seems our
goals coincide regardless."
"You are indeed a wise man," the Death Phantom said, then
chuckled at some private joke. "I cannot find the Diamonds precisely,
but I know that one is on this world, and another on Luna. The last I
know nothing of."
"They will be found," Jadeite answered.
The Death Phantom nodded, and began to fade away into
nothingness, then solidified suddenly as a new voice spoke.
"Silence Wall." Sailor Saturn landed in between the two
conspirators, the Silence Glaive alight with an unholy glare.
The Death Phantom snarled. "You. How did you evade my notice?"
Saturn did not answer. "No matter." He extended one of his strange
hands, and dark lightning began to crackle in it.
Jadeite willed himself to summon the power of the two Diamonds
he now commanded to smite the Senshi, but instead found himself simply
slipping the Void Diamond to the same pocket of space where the Flame
Diamond rested. His eyes followed Saturn's trajectory back up to an
overlooking rooftop, where he saw Ishamanar's consort Asphara standing.
"Go now," Saturn said, and Asphara vanished in a flicker of
darkness.
************************************************** *********************
The Hikawa Shrine's grounds were empty when the Champions and
Senshi appeared. No battle howls met their arrival, and for a moment it
was almost possible to imagine that there was no threat. The Shrine was
dark and silent, offering no sign of enemies within. Yet there was
Pluto's warning and the crimson moon overhead to remind them, and none
lowered their guard. A cold wind blew strongly, disturbing a handful of
freshly dropped leaves, but there was no other movement.
Then a shadow passed over the dark moon, a four-winged humanoid
figure - the youma who had led the attack before the sky had darkened.
A blazing arrow formed in the bow it carried, and the youma spoke.
"Die."
Those below reacted instantly, scattering, and the youma
adjusted her aim to track the largest group and fired. It took mere
seconds for the arrow of flame to hit the ground. The massive explosion
sent Medea and Poseidon flying to slam into the walls of the Shrine. A
handful of magical attacks rose to answer the youma. A single beat of
her four scarlet wings carried her away from the counterattacks with
surprising speed.
"I am Rashira, humans," the youma said. Another arrow formed in
her bow. "And in Lord Jadeite's name, I bring you death." She loosed
the fiery bolt.
On the ground below, Ares sidestepped to stand directly in the
arrow's path. His blade turned in his armored hand, and he caught the
missile on the flat. He vanished in a cloud of flame and dust. When it
began to die down, the first thing to be visible was his sword, now
aflame itself.
Rashira snarled, rising higher with another beat of her wings.
She gestured, and the ground below began to churn. Dozens of
monstrosities clawed their way out of the earth amidst the human
warriors. Poseidon, who had just risen, was again knocked down as
another youma burst through the Shrine wall behind him.
Medea decapitated the beast even before it had left the hole it
had made. The other Champions and the three Senshi were recovering from
the surprise of the sudden youma assault. More youma poured out of the
Shrine, and Medea had no time to notice the arrow Rashira was aiming at
her.
Ares's eyes had never left the flying youma. He jumped with
inhuman speed, landing on the Shrine roof. He paused only to adjust his
aim before leaping again, straight at Rashira. She beat her four wings
frantically, but not swiftly enough. With one strike of his blazing
sword, Ares sliced the youma's stone bow in two.
Flames arced between the two halves for a moment, then Rashira
dropped them. She snarled as she dove after the descending Champion.
Ares twisted in midair, pointing his blade at her. "Flame Strike!" A
bar of white fire flashed from his sword at the youma. Rashira
straightened, bringing her wings in front of her to shield herself from
the blast.
Ares landed on his side, his sword falling from his hand.
Rashira stumbled as she hit the ground but did not fall. Again she
spread her wings, and they began to glow brilliantly. "Die," she said
again.
Before she could launch any attack, she was hit from behind by a
Shine Aqua Illusion. She staggered forward, and saw that her minions
had been all but dispatched. A curse on her lips, she began to summon
the energy to teleport.
Moments later, she was vaporized by a storm of magic from all
sides.
************************************************** *********************
"Sending your friend off for help?" the Death Phantom asked
Saturn. "It will not help you. I will be gone before she returns."
Jadeite tried to move, but found himself unable to muster the
will, not even to utter a single word. Had he been able to, he might
have told his tentative ally to finish the business and be done with it.
Sailor Saturn, on the other hand, was certainly able to speak, but
simply chose not to. She held the Silence Glaive before her, its blunt
end firmly on the ground. The flickering distortion of the Silence Wall
surrounded the three in a dome, the only thing keeping the Death Phantom
from vanishing.
"You cannot hope to hold me," the spirit said as dark power
gathered in its outstretched hand. A glow appeared in its hood that
might have been eyes. "If I strike at you, you must divert the barrier
to protect yourself or die. Either way, I will be free."
The Senshi did not respond.
The Death Phantom seemed to consider speaking again, but then
simply allowed the dark energy to stream from his hand. Saturn screamed
when the attack hit her, but stood her ground. She slumped over when
the black lightning was finished, leaning on her weapon for support.
With a snarl, the Death Phantom attacked again, raising both
hands. The pavement beneath the three began to crack and shatter, dark
flames pouring from the chasms that opened. Much to his welcome
surprise, Jadeite found himself freed from his paralysis to dodge the
bursts of cold fire. Saturn did not move, and this time did not utter a
sound as the flames washed over her. When they died down, the Senshi
knelt, seemingly half-dead. But still her glaive stood upright in her
hands, and still the Silence Wall enclosed them.
"Enough," came a new voice, from outside the dome. Jadeite
recognized it all too easily. Metallia. He turned to face her, and saw
Asphara standing half a pace behind the Queen. Saturn slowly pulled
herself to her feet, and at a gesture from the Queen lowered the
barrier.
In an instant, the Death Phantom began to fade away again, and
Metallia smirked. "Don't be so foolish." With an almost negligent wave
of her hand, she yanked the spirit back into solidity.
Saturn collapsed, the Silence Glaive falling from her fingers
with a loud clatter. Metallia glanced at the fallen Senshi. "Asphara."
"Yes, my Queen." The demoness teleported to Saturn's side,
kneeling to examine her wounds.
Jadeite glanced sideways at her. "You've been spying on me.
Since Metallia's return?"
"Yes," was all Asphara said.
"I underestimated you," Jadeite continued. "I won't do it
again." No matter how hard he tried, he could not stir himself to flee,
or even to futilely test his might against Metallia.
In the meantime, the Queen had approached the Death Phantom, who
floated motionless. "Well, well. What is it that has sprung my little
trap?" Metallia said. "I do not recognize you."
"Serenity," the Death Phantom hissed. "I recognize you."
Metallia laughed. "Curious. There are not many who would call
me that name. I thought I was aware of all of them, but you are not one
of those foolish Champions."
The Death Phantom said nothing.
Metallia did not seem to care. "I presume that you are one of
the two who so annoyed my Dragons on Pluto. The dark mage, I would
guess. Who would your ally be?" When the Death Phantom did not break
his silence, the Queen's attention turned to Jadeite. "General, speak
of what you know."
Jadeite felt no compulsion to answer, but he knew it was well
within the Queen's power to create one. "He calls himself the Death
Phantom. He proposed an alliance with me, to -"
Jadeite stopped speaking as the Death Phantom suddenly attacked.
Metallia was flung backward by the unexpected strike, and for a moment
it seemed the dark lightning would throw her through one of the alley's
walls. Then she righted herself in midair, forcing the lightning aside
with a snarl and an angry wave of her right arm.
"That was unwise of you, spirit." Metallia's eyes narrowed as
she studied her enemy, black oblivion gathering in her hands.
The Death Phantom laughed. "It was unwise of you to lower your
guard." He raised both arms, and a pillar of blackness descended from
the unnaturally dark sky, crashing down on Metallia. The Queen grunted
as she raised an arm to shield, staggering under the force of the
strike.
Jadeite felt Asphara's sharp claws pierce the back of his gray
jacket, lightly resting on his skin. "Don't move," she said, and after
a moment Jadeite nodded. He doubted that he could have joined his
tentative ally, even if he had tried.
For the moment, the dark queen seemed pinned by the Death
Phantom's strike, all her energy bent on keeping the dark pillar from
consuming her. However, all her foe's power was likewise spent trying
to overwhelm her defenses. Had he diverted even the tiniest amount to
take advantage of Metallia's focus, she would have easily defeated the
first attack. For long moments the two powers strove to outlast the
other.
Then, at long last, the dark pillar vanished, and the Death
Phantom lowered his arms. For a moment, his opponent slumped, breathing
heavily. Then Metallia straightened herself and smiled. She stretched
out one arm, and blackness gathered in it. "Submit to me, or die."
"I am hardly finished yet, Serenity." Black lightning began to
dance between the Death Phantom's hands.
"A pity. One of your strength would have been a worthy
servant," Metallia said. She sighed, and a beam of darkness leapt from
her hand. The Death Phantom's lightning rose to meet it, but was swept
aside in an instant. He screamed as the ray pierced him. When it
struck the ground behind him, chunks of shattered pavement began to
vanish. The Death Phantom himself wavered, flickering in and out of
existence.
The spirit's screams were not enough to drown out the sudden
gasp from the mouth of the alleyway. "Wiseman?!"
Metallia's gaze went to the cry, and Jadeite's followed. The
instant Metallia's attention wavered, the Death Phantom recovered,
vanishing without a word.
Jadeite took in the three that stood in the street outside the
alley. Sailor Moon. Sailor Jupiter. Endymion. Jadeite felt Asphara's
claws leave their position on his back, and he smiled.
"This should be fun."
************************************************** *********************
This day had not been a terribly pleasant day for Sailor Moon.
It seemed like years since she had left her home for the Hikawa Shrine.
Since then, she had killed an old friend, had his shade thank her for
it, gone on patrol, fought off a youma attack... and that was merely
what had happened before Sailor Pluto had arrived to warn them that
Metallia's true strike was yet to come. Now, the sun had vanished from
the sky, replaced by scarlet Nemesis, and Tokyo was under assault by a
youma force that made even the largest past incursions seem pathetic.
To make things worse, this invasion had occurred before she and
her two companions could reach her house to warn her family of the
coming danger. They had briefly checked Ami's house before the sun had
darkened, but to no one's surprise Ms. Mizuno had not been home.
Perhaps two dozen youma had attacked them since then, and though easily
defeated the demons had delayed their progress further. Then Sailor
Moon had felt a source of terrible dark power along their route, and the
three had had no choice but to investigate.
There were very few things she had expected less to find when
she peered into the alley than Metallia fighting Wiseman, while Jadeite
and a youma looked on. Any thought of remaining unnoticed had fled
Sailor Moon's mind, and a startled "Wiseman?!" had escaped her lips.
Almost instantly, Metallia turned to her, and the Death Phantom
vanished.
"This should be fun." Sailor Moon ignored Jadeite's statement,
staring almost hypnotized at Metallia. It was disquieting, how familiar
she seemed. At Castle Charon, she had hardly noticed how alike they
looked. Now, it was hard to ignore. Metallia's hair, though dark, was
bound into the same style as her own. Eyes of the same shade of bright
blue as her own stared out at her from a face that, though cast into a
sneer Sailor Moon hoped she would never wear, was not terribly different
than how she might look when she became Queen of Crystal Tokyo. The
golden crescent moon on Metallia's forehead glowed softly, and Sailor
Moon could feel a warmth grow under her tiara in response.
"I do not suppose that you have come to kneel at my feet,"
Metallia said after a moment.
Beside Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter growled and acted before
either her Prince or Princess could respond. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
The globe of electricity sped at Metallia, who blinked as it
neared. The dark queen raised a finger, and the ball shattered into a
thousand sparks, vanishing an instant later. Jadeite stepped forward,
flames gathering in his hands, but Metallia waved him off before
speaking. "I hope that is not the extent of your powers, Kino Makoto.
It would not do for me to have such a pathetic servant."
"Why you -" Jupiter began, then stopped as she realized what
name Metallia had used. "You know -"
"Of course I know." Metallia smiled. "My dear Hotaru was very
forthcoming." Her eyes flicked back to Asphara. "How are her wounds?"
she asked, and for the first time Sailor Moon noticed Saturn's still
form lying farther back in the alleyway.
The demoness started. "She is badly hurt, my Queen. I helped
her as best I could, but -"
"Let me heal her." Sailor Moon spoke without thinking, her hand
going to the Ginzuishou.
"Usagi," Endymion breathed, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Metallia raised an eyebrow. "And have you attempt to turn one
of my favorite tools against me once again? I think not." Metallia
laughed suddenly. "Of course, you could always return the Ginzuishou to
me, and I would use it to heal her myself."
Sailor Moon's hand went instantly to her broach, cupping
protectively around it. Even the thought of the power Metallia would
command with the Ginzuishou sent a tremor down her spine. "No," she
said.
Endymion's grasp on her shoulder strengthened. "You said that
she was one of your favorite tools. I doubt you will let her die," he
said.
"You are correct, of course," Metallia admitted. "I am not so
foolish as to let a weapon like her slip my grasp simply to watch the
anguish on your faces." She laughed again. "As pleasant an experience
as that would be."
"You," Jupiter growled, and almost leapt at Metallia before
restraining herself.
Metallia rolled her eyes. "I see you will have much training to
do when you come to serve me, Makoto. Though rabid attack dogs have
their purposes, my Senshi should be more controlled."
Restraint abandoned, Jupiter charged the dark queen. Metallia
casually summoned a wave of darkness that stopped the Senshi in her
tracks. She grunted in pain, stumbling back several steps.
"Did you really think that would accomplish anything?" Metallia
asked, her voice bored. "If it were my will, you would already be dead.
Think on this lesson until I have further time to instruct you."
Metallia gestured again, and bone-white vines sprouted from the
shattered pavement, growing with unnatural speed to entangle and raise
Jupiter, poisoned thorns piercing her flesh. Jupiter screamed, and the
dark goddess smiled. "And now for you, Princess."
"Let her go," was all Sailor Moon said.
Metallia blinked in surprise, and laughed again. "No. I will
not. I will take her to the dark places where the Void draws near and
show her the true nature of the universe. I will break her. I will
reforge her and scourge her of her weakness. She will hate me for it,
and then she will love me for it. She will offer herself willingly to
me, and the next time you see her she will fight at my side."
Jupiter struggled against the vines that bound her. "Never,"
she snarled.
"Oh?" Metallia said with another laugh. "You will be surprised
to learn what you are capable of, given the right encouragement."
The captive Senshi snarled, and managed to free one arm from the
vines. Lightning crackled in her fingers for a moment, then another
white tendril grew with unnatural speed, wrapping itself around her arm
and yanking it to point at Sailor Moon. Jupiter let the half-formed
magic die, and Metallia smiled softly. "Futile," she said simply.
"I said to let her go!" Sailor Moon pulled the Ginzuishou from
her brooch and there was a flare of silver light. When the light faded,
Princess Serenity floated in an aura of power where Sailor Moon had
stood. The crescent on her forehead blazed with a golden brilliance and
the Ginzuishou was a small, silver sun in her hands. The crimson taint
of Nemesis's light was for the moment washed away.
As the silver light shone on the white vines that bound Sailor
Jupiter, they withered away and retreated back into the ground. The
freed Senshi dropped to the ground, bleeding freely where the vines'
thorns had stuck her. In moments, those wounds faded away, and Jupiter
rose, lightning crackling in her hands.
Metallia frowned. "Asphara."
"My Queen?" The youma's voice was nervous, and she shrank back
from the silver light.
"Keep the Senshi busy. Jadeite, deal with Endymion."
Jadeite raised a hand to summon a blade of flame before he
realized what he was doing. Then he paused. How had he fallen so
quickly back into the role of Metallia's servant? The fiery blade
wavered.
Metallia snarled. "Do not try my patience, General. I will not
be so busy instructing my heir that I could not spare a moment to
educate you as well." Jadeite grimaced, but his sword reformed in his
hands.
Jupiter moved first, charging Asphara. With a wordless cry she
loosed the lightning from her hands, and the youma vanished in a crack
of thunder. "Is that it?"
With a flicker of darkness, Asphara reappeared in the air above
the Senshi. "Hardly," she sneered. Blades of black bone sprouted from
her arms, dripping with her own ichor and radiating dark power. She
dove, and her bone weapons nearly removed the Senshi's head.
Jadeite had begun to slowly circle Endymion, his fiery blade
raised in a guard position. The Prince's sword was ready, but he did
not move to attack. After a moment, Jadeite grimaced and hurled himself
at his opponent. Endymion effortlessly blocked the first blow, and
Jadeite retreated slightly.
"Better than I recalled," Jadeite said mockingly, "but not good
enough, my Prince."
Endymion's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Try me."
Metallia simply stood, watching the Princess and the battles
with a slight smile. "Come now, Princess. Strike me, and let us see
what you can do without your servants to aid you."
Princess Serenity frowned, and the Ginzuishou's silver light
redoubled. The sudden brightening distracted Asphara, and Jupiter
managed to get in a good blow and retreat far enough to call on her
magic again. The Princess had no time to notice this, however, as she
attacked.
A protective, flickering aura of blackness came into being
around Metallia as the silver light sped toward her. Waves of power
radiated from an outstretched arm as she prepared her counterattack, but
they faltered and the Queen's eyes widened in surprise as the silver
beam passed harmlessly over her shoulder.
Behind Metallia, Sailor Saturn's still form was engulfed in a
silver glow. By the time Metallia glanced backward to see it, Princess
Serenity's magic was already at work, and the fallen Senshi's numerous
wounds were all but gone. For an instant, a furious snarl appeared on
Metallia's face.
"Clever," she said once her face had smoothed, "but foolish,
Princess." She idly waved an arm, and waves of darkness assaulted the
Princess from all sides. The silver light around Saturn flickered and
died as Princess Serenity was forced to defend herself.
Neither combatant could spare the attention to notice Sailor
Saturn slowly pulling herself to her feet behind Metallia.
************************************************** *********************
Asphara stepped to one side, dodging the Sparkling Wide Pressure
her opponent had thrown while she was distracted by the Princess's
magic. Ichor dripped from the terrible wounds her bone blades had torn
open when they emerged from her arms, but she did not feel the pain.
She smiled and clenched her fists. "My turn," she said, and dark
lightning crackled in her hands.
Jupiter tensed, and the youma threw the two black globes.
Before they reached the Senshi, Asphara charged, moving almost as
quickly as her magic. The first dark ball Jupiter dodged, rolling aside
and letting it impact the wall behind her. The second attack twisted in
mid-air to follow her, but she was ready.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The true lightning collided with
Asphara's attack with a loud crack, and both vanished. Jupiter barely
had time to rise into a defensive stance before the youma herself was
upon her.
The first swipe of Asphara's black blades was far faster than
the Senshi had anticipated. A lock of hair tumbled from her head,
evidence that her dodge had not been quite fast enough. The youma
general smiled, and pressed the attack. This time Jupiter was prepared,
and easily dodged the first two strikes.
The third was too fast, and Jupiter was forced to block the
sharp bone with her gloved forearm. The strange fabric was tougher than
it looked, but Asphara still drew blood. Still, it was better than
losing a hand, and perhaps her life.
Asphara backed off slightly. She raised her arm to her face,
licking the flecks of blood off the bone. "You taste good," she said,
smirking.
Jupiter grimaced and took the offensive. She landed a strong
punch to the youma's gut, but Asphara didn't seemed fazed. A sideways
swipe of her bladed arms was all it took to force Jupiter to retreat.
Still grinning, Asphara attacked, and the Senshi had no choice but to
keep backing up.
When she was only a few steps from the wall, she leapt upward
instead of continuing her retreat. Her magically boosted muscles
propelled her far higher than was possible for a normal human, and she
landed lightly on the rooftop of the building behind her. Asphara
seemed amused. "Do you think that will save you, Senshi?" she asked,
and with a beat of her powerful black wings, she took to the air once
more.
The demoness again moved far faster than Jupiter had expected.
She had no time to launch her magics, but a plan came to her. Without
wasting time on thought, she leapt again, directly at Asphara. Her boot
planted itself firmly on the youma's face, sending her spiraling toward
the ground. Snarling, the youma righted herself with another beat of
her wings.
Jupiter had no such option and landed poorly. When she tried to
rise her legs gave way, and she fell back into a kneeling position.
Asphara laughed and landed a few feet away. "You lose, Senshi." Her
bone blades swung at Jupiter's head.
Jupiter caught one blade in each hand. Asphara's eyes widened
in shock, and she tried to pull away. Jupiter's hands were on fire with
pain. She could feel dark energy and poison seeping into her wounds,
but she tightened her grip. "No," she said. "I win.
"Supreme Thunder!"
************************************************** *********************
"Try you?" Jadeite asked with a laugh. "I have already taken
your measure, my Prince, and found it wanting. The only question is how
long I will choose to take killing you."
Endymion shifted his stance slightly. That was all the warning
the Dark General had before Endymion attacked. Jadeite raised his sword
of fire to block. For a moment, the blades were locked, and they tested
each other's strength. Then Jadeite's sword was forced aside, and
Endymion's struck downward, hardly slowed. The general darted out of
the way, but the tip of the sword scored a light scratch across his
chest.
"You'll find I have hidden strengths," Endymion said.
Jadeite smiled. "As do I." His sword vanished and he extended
his hands, fire gathering in them. "Hellfire!" A pillar of white flame
hurled itself at the Prince. Endymion brought his cloak around to
shield himself, but still the attack knocked him back against a wall.
He almost went through it, but then the fire died out and he slumped to
the ground, sword falling from limp hands.
Jadeite advanced on his fallen foe, a wide grin on his face.
"You have no idea how many thousands of years I've been waiting for
this, my Prince." He laughed. "I might even have to thank Metallia for
this chance."
"Save your thanks," Endymion said, a rose leaving his hands with
a crack like thunder. The unlikely-seeming projectile flew straight and
fast at the general's face.
Jadeite's gloved hand moved faster, snatching the flower mere
inches from his face. For a moment he stared at the rose, a deep red
that was almost black. "Worthless," was all he said.
Then he screamed, as golden lightning burst from the stem of the
rose, crackling all over his body. "Surprise," Endymion grunted as he
forced himself to rise. His sword almost leaped to his hand, and he
charged.
Jadeite tried to dodge, but the blade still took him in the
shoulder, almost severing the arm. Endymion drew black the blade for
another strike, but Jadeite attacked first. His uninjured arm, wreathed
in flames, struck at Endymion's armored chest. The blow staggered his
foe, and Jadeite snarled, his hand going to his wound. Black flames
washed over it, and when he removed his hand the bleeding had stopped.
"I'm through playing with you," he said. Darkness boiled off of
him, streamers of blackness reaching hungrily for his foe. He removed
the Void Diamond from his uniform jacket, and it shone darkly in his
hand. Endymion threw another rose, but it withered away to dust as it
neared Jadeite. The general smiled. "Die, my Prince."
Like hungry jaws, walls of darkness rose from the tortured
pavement beneath Endymion. Even the Ginzuishou's silver light, shining
from the Princess's confrontation with Metallia, could not penetrate the
blackness. As the darkness snapped shut, something seemed to move in
the void it created, something hungry. For an instant, Jadeite was
almost disturbed. Then he laughed, reveling in the power he had
summoned.
Until the darkness shattered, revealing Endymion standing no
worse for the wear. "I am not ready to die yet, Guardian."
Jadeite froze in shock, and his aura of blackness vanished, the
now truly dark Void Diamond almost slipping from his hands. "How?"
Endymion smiled as he threw himself forward, his sword headed
for Jadeite's neck. "You missed. Again."
Jadeite stumbled backward to avoid the blow, snarling as he
remembered how he had somehow failed to kill Tuxedo Mask during the
fateful battle at the airport. He again summoned his fiery blade,
blocking Endymion's next strike. "You have more lives than a mooncat,
wretch. I swear I will be there when they run out."
Endymion only laughed.
************************************************** *****************
Sailor Saturn slowly stirred, her mind afire with conflicting
thoughts and emotions. Part of her wanted to just curl up into a ball
and wait for the turmoil to subside, but both sides to the conflict were
in firm agreement that action was called for. She slowly rose, her hand
unthinkingly reaching for the haft of her glaive.
The cool metal warmed instantly under her touch, and the weapon
resonated with a silent hum of welcome that she knew no other could
hear. Its immense, restrained power offered itself to her, as always
eager to be unleashed. Unlike the warring impulses in her mind, it did
not seem to care where it was directed, and the confused Senshi took
some comfort in that.
She ignored the lesser confrontations, focusing instantly on the
massive spectacle of magical power that was the battle between Metallia
and the Princess. Dozens of beams of silver and darkness lanced through
the air from one to the other, each instantly and perfectly blocked by
its opposite. Neither seemed to have noticed her awakening. Saturn
could easily tell that the elder Serenity was holding back, toying with
her heir.
Part of her knew this meant that her interference was not
necessary, and that she should attend to the other fights, knowing that
her Queen's victory was inevitable. The other side of her felt equally
strongly that this meant that she must intervene at once, before her
Princess could be overpowered. Torn between the conflicting impulses,
Saturn stood paralyzed, and the comforting music of the Silence Glaive
turned frenzied and impatient.
A lucky silver beam darted past Metallia's initial defenses, to
be stopped inches from her face by a dark shield that instantly sprung
into existence. In retaliation, waves of dark fire poured over the
Princess, barely diverted by the flickering silver aura she summoned.
Saturn smiled at this, and half of her raged at the simple expression.
The Silence Glaive vibrated in her hand, again demanding to be used.
It was far too quiet for any of distracted combatants to hear,
but Saturn's unnaturally keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps
approaching along the rooftops. As they neared, her gaze rose to meet
them. Then, all her inner turmoil finally ceased.
For an instant, both sides of her were united in pure rage and
the desire to kill. Here were foes she felt no resistance to facing,
and she leapt into the air instantly, the Silence Glaive's howl of
triumph resonating soundlessly in her ears. As she passed over the
conflict between Metallia and the Princess, the weakened impulses she
now knew to be foreign to her fled, leaving only what she was certain
were her true loyalties.
She landed lightly on the rooftop, intercepting the newcomers
before they could get a clear picture of the battles below. Her glaive
whirled in a low arc, almost removing one of the two's legs at the
knees. They retreated slightly, bringing their own weapons up into
defensive positions.
"Oh, this is just wonderful," Aphrodite said as her blade began
to glow with a golden light.
"Watch yourself," was all Zeus said as the two moved in to
attack.
Sailor Saturn grinned, feeling as joyful as her weapon. "Die,
Champions."
************************************************** *********************
As Saturn leapt overhead, Metallia glanced upward to follow her
path, and saw who it was she attacked. A disturbingly wide smile
appeared on her face. "Good girl," she said, in the same tone of voice
one would use to compliment a pet.
Princess Serenity risked a glance backward, and she trembled at
what she saw. For an instant, her defenses faltered. Metallia pressed
her advantage, striking the Princess a half-dozen times with weak,
deliberately glancing strikes. "Pay attention," the Queen said
mockingly. "I'm your opponent."
The Princess's gaze quickly returned forward, and she managed to
stave off the next wave of attacks. Still, she could feel herself
beginning to tire. The last time she had fought Metallia she had
enjoyed the support of all the Senshi and Champions, and been evenly
matched. Now she was alone and struggling though Metallia had not
unleashed even a quarter of the power she had shown at Castle Charon.
The dark queen was toying with her.
"She will be mine forever, you realize," Metallia said. "The
weak Hotaru you knew is gone, and only my slave remains."
The Princess's eyes narrowed. "I will free her."
Metallia laughed. "Futile hopes are only weakness, girl. You
will fail."
"No," Princess Serenity said. She steeled herself and drew
forth what little power she still held in reserve, flinging another
silver bolt at her foe.
"Because you believe?" Metallia asked. "In love? In
friendship? In trust?"
Princess Serenity's eyes widened. In their final battle that
seemed so very long ago, Beryl - or had it truly been Metallia? - had
asked her those same questions. Now, she gave the same reply.
"Yes," she answered. "I still believe." Nothing in her many
battles had changed that.
"Fool," Metallia said. "They are nothing but illusions. There
is nothing but strength and weakness. But you believe, and because of
that you are weak." She smiled. "You will learn, though. Tell me, do
you believe their love helped your false family escape the youma I sent
to kill them?"
For an instant, Princess Serenity froze. Her dress evaporated,
replaced by her Senshi uniform as she faltered. Metallia's darkness
closed in, and Sailor Moon numbly raised the Ginzuishou again, summoning
forth a weak defense. Strange emotions churned in her. Not even when
Beryl's youma had slain the other Senshi before her eyes had she felt
this way.
It was pure rage, she realized, and her numb disbelief fell away
before it. As her anger overtook her, her defenses faltered again, and
the Ginzuishou grew dim and lifeless in her hands. Metallia attacked
again, beams of pure oblivion racing to obliterate her.
Sailor Moon screamed her fury to the black heavens, and poured
it into the dull gem she still held aloft, forcing it to obey her will.
Silver-tinged darkness sprung from the Ginzuishou, consuming Metallia's
attack and continuing onward. Metallia raised a shield, but still was
thrown backward by the force of the onslaught.
Metallia laughed, and Sailor Moon saw what she had done. She
shuddered, and her attack vanished, the Ginzuishou almost dropping from
her suddenly shaking hands. Metallia applauded, laughing again.
"Wonderful! I see that I have much less to teach you than I had
feared."
Sailor Moon fell to her knees, unable to force herself to stand.
Metallia smiled. "I will grant you a reward for the pleasant
surprise, Princess. Your companions may keep their lives." She
gestured, and Asphara and Jadeite appeared at her side in flickers of
darkness and flame. The youma was barely able to stand, but Jadeite
only looked furious to have been interrupted. "Hotaru!" Metallia called
sharply after a moment.
The Senshi broke off her battle with the Champions above,
jumping backward to land slightly behind the Queen. Her face was
smooth, but her eyes showed her to be even less pleased than Jadeite to
be called away. She did not even glance at the kneeling Sailor Moon.
"Champions!" Metallia said, looking upward at Zeus and
Aphrodite. "You should thank the Princess, for due to the potential she
has shown me today I will grant you a great gift. You alone among your
kind will be allowed to survive my victory and serve me."
"You haven't won yet," Zeus said harshly.
"Is that so?" Metallia laughed a final time, then she and her
companions vanished.
************************************************** *********************
Author's Random Ramblings
1) This chapter took... longer than expected. Hopefully at least a few
people out there remember this story. In a not unrelated matter, this
is one of the few chapters for which completed but unused scenes exist -
including one which I actually dropped for being too dark, believe it or
not. I may decide to release it as an extra.
2) Any and all comments of any sort are most welcome.
3) As ever, many thanks go to Angus MacSpon for prereading this story.
4) The previous chapters of this story and its prequel, Shades of Gray,
can be found at my website - http://www.mimiru.net/
Started: October 23, 2004
Draft Finished: June 12, 2005
Draft Released: June 26, 2005
Final Released:
--
Aaron Nowack
"Never let reality get in the way of a good hypothesis."
http://www.mimiru.net/
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The previous chapters and the prequel story, Shades of Gray, can be
found on my website - http://www.mimiru.net/
As is ever the case, I welcome all C&C of any sort.
Shades of Darkness
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack
Chapter 4: Nemesis Rising
"War is Hell."
- William Tecumseh Sherman
************************************************** *********************
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative
talents far exceed my most humble own. Distribution and other rights to
Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own. I
make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters.
However, the text of this fanfic is mine, and should not be used without
permission. Thank you.
************************************************** *********************
Metallia stood on top of the tallest tower of Beryl's palace.
She smiled as she felt first Jadeite, then Nyxan and Ishamanar teleport
to stand behind her, but she did not turn to face them. Instead, she
had eyes only for the titanic, darkened orb that hung in the now-starry
sky overhead. That orb carried stars of its own, specks of artificial
light, visible even from this great distance.
"What... what have you done?" Jadeite asked, his voice tinged
with equal parts fear and awe.
For a moment, Metallia did not answer, instead simply continuing
to take in the view. It had been... far too long since she had seen
this sight. Far too long since she had tasted the air of true freedom,
reveled in the flows of mana that danced from planet to planet. Her
time imprisoned beyond the boundaries of the universe had changed her,
turned her into something far more than she had been even when she had
ruled the Golden Millennium, but she had never stopped longing for this
moment.
Now she was free, and all those who had locked her away would
face her vengeance. There would be no hope of respite, save in
surrender. All that lived would serve her or die, as it always should
have been. Even her unworthy descendant and the Senshi that had
foolishly sworn to her would come to see that truth, and beg her
forgiveness for the sin of opposing her will.
There was a flicker of darkness. Sailor Saturn and Asphara
appeared before Metallia. The youma's eyes widened as she saw the three
Generals standing behind the Queen, and she knelt. Saturn remained
standing and said, "It has been done as you commanded, my Queen."
Metallia laughed, a smile gracing her aristocratic features as
she spoke. "So it has been. You have served me well, Hotaru." The
Senshi bowed slightly, but the Queen's eyes had turned to the kneeling
youma. "Rise, Asphara. I am well pleased with you."
Asphara was on her feet in seconds. "Thank you, Great
Metallia."
Now Nyxan spoke, if cautiously. "You have moved us to Terra's
orbit?"
Now Metallia half-turned and stepped back, so that she could see
the entire assembly. Her eyes caught the countless youma encampments
surrounding the fortress, and she smiled at the frenzied activity she
saw in them. "So I have done, my General."
"Why?" Jadeite asked.
"It will greatly... infinitely ease the transportation of
youma," Ishamanar answered in his rumbling voice. "Even with no wards
between the realms, it would have been more costly than simple
teleportation."
"Even so." Jadeite frowned, carefully considering his next
words. "My Queen, the humans of this age have achieved many things,
even without magic. It is possible - however unlikely - that they might
now find a way to strike at us."
"With the accursed Seal gone, it was only my will that linked
the Dark Kingdom to this realm and kept it from forever vanishing into
the Void," Metallia answered. "That link was a weakness that my
rebellious Senshi or the Champions might have struck at."
She smiled. "Now, they can never banish us. Perhaps once they
might have had the chance to destroy us," she said, and her smile
deepened as her eyes turned to Saturn, "but that power is in my hands
now."
Saturn simply bowed again.
"Now, General Jadeite," Metallia continued. "I have a question
for you."
Jadeite paled slightly, then managed to bring his expression
under control. "I will answer it if I can, Great One."
Metallia's eyes flickered back to Terra. "Why are you still
here?"
Now a fierce grin came to Jadeite's face, and he made no effort
to straighten it. "As you will, my Queen. I and my army will depart
immediately, and Tokyo will be no more."
"So be it," Metallia said, and Jadeite vanished in a pillar of
flame. Metallia's attention turned to Nyxan and Ishamanar, and the two
youma Generals bowed. "I have a task for you two."
"Whatever it is, it shall be done," Ishamanar said.
"We live to serve," Nyxan added quietly.
"It is not only Tokyo that shall feel my wrath. The Dragons
have already begun to destroy another of the Terrans' cities." She
paused momentarily. "I do not recall its name."
Saturn's eyes flicked to the globe overhead. "It is called New
York, my Queen."
"So it is. Leave that city and its region to the Dragons for
now, and leave Tokyo to Jadeite as I have promised. But for the rest of
Terra, allow your Overlords to select their own targets, and have them
strike as soon as possible." Metallia paused, and a terrible smile
again graced her face. "I believe a month of darkness and war should be
enough to convince the Terrans that they can find salvation only in
submission."
"How many youma?" Nyxan asked.
"However many you desire. Spawn more if the need arises. If
the evidence of our first attacks holds true, it should not. The only
foes with the ability to fight us will be besieged by Jadeite."
Both Generals bowed. "By your command," Ishamanar said. The
two then vanished.
Metallia turned back to Asphara. "Now, Overlord Asphara, a
reward."
"My Queen?" the youma asked.
"You have indeed served me well. For that service, I will allow
you to be my fourth General."
"Great... Great One, I am not worthy." Asphara licked her lips
nervously.
"I have decided that you are worthy, and so you shall be,"
Metallia said.
"Your will, Great Metallia," Asphara answered, and beside her
Saturn smiled for an instant.
Metallia looked up at Terra, then returned her gaze to her
servants. "And now, I have another task for you two."
************************************************** *********************
Nemesis's baleful red glow cast the city of Tokyo in a strange
light. The countless shadows seemed more malevolent and deeper. This
was not just an illusion of the oddly colored light, for though it was -
just barely - bright enough to see a short way, Nemesis was no
replacement for the vanished sun. The true moon was also visible in the
sky, but it was a pale, blood-stained shadow of its ordinary silver
brilliance.
"What the hell are we waiting for?" Sailor Venus asked her two
Outer Senshi companions. "We have to get to my house!"
"Venus," Sailor Uranus began, then shook her head. "Let's run."
"Right," Sailor Neptune agreed after a half-second, and the
three set off. Still, the sudden darkness slowed their once-rapid pace
across the rooftops of Juuban, for fear of slipping and falling. The
remaining blocks moved by agonizingly slowly, even as the sounds of
panic filled the air. Gunfire could be heard in the distance, and
Uranus was not certain that it was directed at a youma.
Damn it. Every instinct she had was screaming at her to forget
trying to get to Venus's house and start heading directly to the Shrine
to meet the others. She didn't expect that Metallia was planning to
just turn off the sun and then take a few days off.
Venus paused for a moment. "We're almost there!" she said, her
voice tinged with relief.
"Then keep moving," Sailor Neptune replied. "There's no time to
waste." The younger Senshi took her advice, leaping toward the next
rooftop.
Then, the attack came. There was the sound of countless wings;
an unspeakable chorus of inhuman roars filled the air. A series of
great explosions briefly lit the artificial night, half-seen skyscrapers
on the horizon vanishing in clouds of ash and smoke. The faint sound of
distant gunfire became in an instant the horrible orchestra of a pitched
battle.
Even as Venus landed safely on the other side of the street, the
youma were upon the three Senshi. A black-skinned, winged beast with
eyes of fire dove at Neptune. She leapt backward, barely avoiding the
youma's claws. With a snarl, the demon ripped its hands from the
rooftop, leaving a narrow crater. Without pausing, it pounced at
Neptune.
It was met in midair by Sailor Uranus's golden Space Sword.
Before it had evaporated to dust, five more youma landed on the rooftop,
flinging fire and shadow at the Senshi. A bolt of darkness struck
Neptune's lower arm as she tried to make a counter-attack. She stumbled
backwards, the magic of her Deep Submerge scattered by interruption.
A gray-skinned, human-shaped youma charged her, a wicked, dark
blade appearing in its hands. Neptune reacted instantly, sidestepping
the demon's first strike. Her uninjured hand struck at the youma's
chest. The demon was sent flying back to crash into another monster.
Neptune started at a sudden presence behind her, then relaxed as
she realized that it was her lover. The two Senshi stood back to back,
and Neptune used the moment's reprieve to retrieve the Deep Aqua Mirror.
"Where's Venus?" Uranus asked quietly.
"Don't know," Neptune answered curtly as a dozen youma
cautiously encircled the pair. "Ready?"
She could feel Uranus smile coldly. "Let's do this."
************************************************** *********************
Sailor Venus ignored the sounds of battle behind her as she
leapt to the next rooftop. A youma with an shadowy, constantly shifting
form awaited her. Venus speared the youma with a Crescent Beam and
moved to the next rooftop, not stopping to see if the youma was slain.
A flock of bird-like, black-feathered youma, attracted by the burst of
light, began to circle overhead.
Venus rolled to one side to dodge a strike of dark lightning
from above. She fired a Crescent Beam in response, but couldn't tell
whether it hit anything. It was too dangerous, she realized, to stay on
the rooftops. One of the youma overhead dove at her.
Before it reached her, she leapt to the street below. There
were perhaps a half-dozen youma between her and home. Without thought,
she shouted words of magic, and her Venus Love-Me Chain snapped out like
an impossibly long whip. When its golden coils touched the youma, they
screamed and dissolved into dust.
There was no time to celebrate this small victory, though.
Venus ran, faster than she ever had before. She dodged attacks from
above half-instinctively, counter-attacking whenever she could. Still,
the remaining distance passed agonizingly slowly. She somehow managed a
new burst of speed as her home came into sight.
Then she stopped. The ground cracked open and a circle of black
flame sprung up around her. She threw up an arm to shield her face from
the cold heat. When the unnatural fire died down, leaving a circle of
broken, half-charred asphalt, she was surrounded.
The largest youma which stood before her stepped forward. It
seemed to be no more than an empty suit of dark armor with pale green
flame pouring from every gap. "Surrender," it said in a deep, rusty
voice, "and our Queen may prove merciful."
Venus raised a hand, pointing directly at the youma's chest, and
allowed a golden light to shine from her outstretched finger. "Get out
of my way."
"Then, die in Great Meta-"
"Crescent Beam!" For an instant, the youma stood still, impaled
on the spear of golden light. Then the light vanished, and it fell.
Venus rolled through the sudden opening in the youma circle before the
other demons could react.
She turned to face them. A lupine beast that stood on six legs
leapt at her. Even as its jaws snapped at her throat, she brought up
her hands, shouting "Venus Love-Me Chain!" Again the golden coils
sprang into being, and the wolf youma was flung backwards by their
eruption. Venus directed the chain to follow the flying monster,
wrapping around it and crushing it. Silvery dust rained down on the
other youma, who hesitated for a moment.
Then they attacked. There was no time to launch another magical
attack. Venus met the first oncoming monster with a solid punch. She
grabbed another's arm as it struck at her, sending it flying with a
quick throw. She charged a red-scaled youma, her magically enhanced
speed enough to bowl it over.
This bought her enough time to summon her chain again. It leapt
from youma to youma at her command. When the magic was finished, only
three youma remained to face her. One, a tall, thin creature with black
eyes and yellowish skin, smiled, revealing a mouth full of fangs. Venus
noticed the sound of beating wings above her. She glanced up, and saw
several dozen youma hovering overhead. Taking a step back, she braced
herself.
A ball of orange light crashed into the youma flock, destroying
one of the youma and scattering the rest momentarily. In that instant,
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune leapt down from a nearby rooftop to
stand by Venus's side.
There was no time for words, as the youma onslaught began.
There was an indeterminate time with no thought, the nightmarish blur of
heated battle. When it finally passed, there were no youma visible on
the street.
Neptune panted heavily. "You shouldn't have run off like that.
It's too dangerous to travel alone."
"I had to -" Venus stopped suddenly. "My parents!" She once
again broke into a run, though one slowed by her exhaustion. After a
moment, the other two Senshi followed.
Venus came to a sudden halt as they reached her house.
"Something's wrong," she whispered as Uranus and Neptune caught up with
her.
The front wall of the house exploded outward. A hulking
creature of metal and muscle emerged from the dust, blood clearly
visible on its steely fists. In its right hand it clutched a body, so
mangled that its identity could not determined from a glance. "No,"
Venus said quietly. The youma roared a challenge.
"No," Venus repeated more loudly, shaking. The monster hurled
the body it held to the ground and began to charge. Venus screamed
wordlessly. Unformed golden light flung from her hands in an unending
torrent. Even the unnaturally dark shadows cast by Nemesis were
obliterated by the light, which lit the street with a light brighter
than the brightest noon.
When it finally died down, there was nothing left of the massive
youma. Venus wavered, almost collapsing. Uranus laid a hand on her
shoulder, but could not find the words to speak. Venus shook it off and
slowly walked over to kneel beside the corpse. "My father," she said
coldly after a moment. She rose, and entered the house through the hole
that had been the front door.
After a moment, the other two Senshi followed. When they found
her mother in the living room, Venus paled, shuddering. Uranus knelt
beside the bloodied form, fingers reaching for the woman's neck. She
ignored the sounds of Neptune trying to comfort the younger Senshi
coming from behind her.
"She's alive," Uranus said after a moment. The sounds from
behind her stopped, and in an instant Venus was kneeling beside her.
Her mother let out a shallow breath, her form stirring slightly.
"Can we move her?" Venus asked after a moment, her voice shaking
slightly.
"I think so," Uranus answered. "I don't think she's hurt too
badly."
Venus cradled her mother in her arms and rose in one smooth
motion. "We don't," she said, then paused as her voice cracked with
suppressed emotion. After the slightest instant she began again, her
words carefully spoken. "We don't have any time to waste, do we?"
They left the house the way they had entered. When they reached
her father's body, Venus stopped. "Please," was all she said, her voice
breaking. Uranus picked up the body. Venus shuddered, then wordlessly
began to walk toward the Hikawa Shrine.
************************************************** *********************
Those Senshi and Champions who did not have family in the
immediate vicinity were slightly more than halfway to the Hikawa Shrine
when the invasion began. They quickly attracted substantial amounts of
youma, and since that point had been fighting for every inch of
progress. Ares was certain they'd killed well over a hundred of the
demons in the hour they'd been fighting, but there seemed to be no end
to the onslaught.
It would not have surprised him if there were more youma facing
them now than an hour ago. Their progress kept slowing, and he knew
that if they stopped entirely they would be buried under the demonic
hordes. The last time he had fought a battle like this he had had an
army at his back.
From the sound of gunfire and screams in the distance, the
Japanese military were doing their fair share of fighting already, but
Ares expected the size of the youma attack had already proved too much
for them to contain, much less push back. The first attack had
stretched them to the limit, and it had been far smaller than this.
He did not even want to consider the implications of the strange
new moon that hung over the city, tainting everything with the color of
blood. For the moment, all he could do was face the enemy before him,
and kill them as swiftly as he could.
A winged, slimy beast dove at Ares. His blazing blade was ready
to meet it and cut the youma in two. The halves dissolved before they
hit the ground. Even before that, another monster had charged the
Champion. After that too had been dispatched, Ares had a moment to
survey the battleground.
Hades, Medea, and Poseidon had formed an armored wedge, pressing
forward relentlessly if slowly. Sailor Mars stood slightly behind them,
Sailor Mercury's unconscious form cradled in her arms. Hermes was
fighting his way to their side. At first, Ares could not locate Sailor
Pluto, but then a ball of purple energy flew over his shoulder and
obliterated the youma before him.
That seemed to be the final straw, for the remaining demons
scattered, and the street was clear in moments. It was only a few
hundred meters to the Hikawa Shrine. For a moment, all the exhausted
warriors did was relax slightly, breathing heavily. In Mars's arms,
Sailor Mercury stirred. The other Senshi gently placed her on her feet.
Though she wavered, Mercury managed to stand on her own.
"What's happened?" were the first words out of her lips.
"There's no time," Ares said harshly, interrupting Hermes before
he could finish the first word of an explanation. "Let's get to the
shrine before those youma work up their courage again." The Champion of
Mercury frowned, but nodded.
Sailor Pluto glanced up at the stairway to the Shrine. "It's a
trap," she commented, adjusting her grip on her weapon.
"You've seen it?" Ares asked.
"Yes." Sailor Pluto turned to face the Champion.
"How many youma?" was all Ares said in reply.
Pluto only shrugged.
Hermes and Mercury retrieved their computers almost
simultaneously. "They're massing for another attack, all around us,"
the Champion said after a moment.
"The background levels are too high to get a good scan on the
shrine," Mercury added, her voice still weak.
"Mercury. Are you strong enough to manage a teleport there?"
Ares asked.
She nodded. "With help."
"Mars -"
"You don't need to tell me, Champion," she snapped harshly,
interrupting Ares and grasping Mercury's hand. "Outside or inside?"
"Outside."
Mere seconds later, the street was empty.
************************************************** *********************
Jadeite had meant to teleport directly to the Hikawa Shrine. It
had given him no small pleasure to decide to make that place his
fortress, and perhaps one day his palace. It would be but the first of
many humiliations that would finally be avenged. He had thought long
and hard on what form his vengeance against the Senshi themselves would
take, but had reached no conclusion save that simple death was too good
for them.
In any case, he was not sure why he had instead appeared in an
empty, nondescript alleyway. From the sound of things, he was not far
from the center of the battle that had just erupted, but as yet there
was no fighting here. His eyes flicked warily from side to side,
searching for some ambush.
He was somehow not surprised when a shadowy figure took shape in
the air before him. It was covered in a dark cloak that hid everything
beneath it. The apparition sat cross-legged in mid-air, and Jadeite
found something about it... familiar. The seeming emptiness beneath the
hood somehow managed to watch him expectantly.
"You are the one who spoke to me, in Beryl's palace," Jadeite
said after only a brief moment's thought.
"You reason correctly, Guardian." The deep voice seemed smug,
and Jadeite was certain that the cloaked... man had not forgotten that
he no longer cared for that title.
If the figure wanted some reaction to that, he would be
disappointed. "I am not pleased that you restored the chains Metallia
placed on me."
"You would be less pleased if Serenity had noticed my hand at
work. Until you left her realm, I could not risk leaving any further
sign of my presence." Jadeite's visitor seemed to glance upward at the
blood-red moon in the sky. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I do not think you are here to discuss aesthetics," Jadeite
said.
"You are correct." The figure's hidden gaze returned to the
General. "There is much more we should discuss."
"I would have a name from you," Jadeite said.
The figure seemed to consider this request for a moment. "You
may call me Death."
Jadeite snorted. "I will call you no such thing, phantom."
There was a harsh, grating laugh. "The Death Phantom then.
Will that serve?"
"That is still not a name, but it will do for now." Jadeite
paused. "What is it you would speak of?"
"First, a gift for you, General." The Death Phantom extended a
hand, revealing an ethereal, orange and green claw that still seemed to
have once been human. In it rested a small black stone that seemed to
suck up the dim light cast by the dark moon overhead.
Jadeite took it. "The Void Diamond? But it was lost at Juno!"
"The one you call Metallia retrieved it, and granted it to
Beryl. After her death I took it from her chambers. And now I grant it
to you, as a token of my good will."
"You have told me to seek the Diamonds. Why?"
The Death Phantom somehow seemed to smile. "Because they will
be your freedom."
"How?" was all Jadeite asked.
"At the dawn of the Golden Millennium, Serenity the First forged
the Ginzuishou -"
"- using the Five Diamonds, and bound it forever to her line.
Your point?"
"I would have you match her accomplishment," the Death Phantom
answered.
"Even if I knew how it could be done, a Ginzuishou would do me
little good. I am hardly pure of heart, nor do I believe I have the
strength to turn such an artifact to my will regardless."
"I will provide the knowledge. And never did I say we would
create a mere copy of the Ginzuishou."
"Say more," Jadeite said, "though I think I have grasped your
plan."
"We will create a mirror to the Ginzuishou, a Jakokuzuishou,
dark where the Ginzuishou is light, and its equal in every fashion.
With its power, you will cast down Metallia and be freed."
"And what will you gain from this, Phantom?" Jadeite smirked.
"You will forgive me for not trusting that you would grant me such power
out of altruism."
"You are wise not to trust so easily." The Death Phantom
paused, as though considering what words to speak. "My motivation is
nothing but revenge. I would see the line of Serenity extinguished
forever." He paused again. "If you rise to replace it, I will not
interfere."
"We shall see," Jadeite answered. "But for now, it seems our
goals coincide regardless."
"You are indeed a wise man," the Death Phantom said, then
chuckled at some private joke. "I cannot find the Diamonds precisely,
but I know that one is on this world, and another on Luna. The last I
know nothing of."
"They will be found," Jadeite answered.
The Death Phantom nodded, and began to fade away into
nothingness, then solidified suddenly as a new voice spoke.
"Silence Wall." Sailor Saturn landed in between the two
conspirators, the Silence Glaive alight with an unholy glare.
The Death Phantom snarled. "You. How did you evade my notice?"
Saturn did not answer. "No matter." He extended one of his strange
hands, and dark lightning began to crackle in it.
Jadeite willed himself to summon the power of the two Diamonds
he now commanded to smite the Senshi, but instead found himself simply
slipping the Void Diamond to the same pocket of space where the Flame
Diamond rested. His eyes followed Saturn's trajectory back up to an
overlooking rooftop, where he saw Ishamanar's consort Asphara standing.
"Go now," Saturn said, and Asphara vanished in a flicker of
darkness.
************************************************** *********************
The Hikawa Shrine's grounds were empty when the Champions and
Senshi appeared. No battle howls met their arrival, and for a moment it
was almost possible to imagine that there was no threat. The Shrine was
dark and silent, offering no sign of enemies within. Yet there was
Pluto's warning and the crimson moon overhead to remind them, and none
lowered their guard. A cold wind blew strongly, disturbing a handful of
freshly dropped leaves, but there was no other movement.
Then a shadow passed over the dark moon, a four-winged humanoid
figure - the youma who had led the attack before the sky had darkened.
A blazing arrow formed in the bow it carried, and the youma spoke.
"Die."
Those below reacted instantly, scattering, and the youma
adjusted her aim to track the largest group and fired. It took mere
seconds for the arrow of flame to hit the ground. The massive explosion
sent Medea and Poseidon flying to slam into the walls of the Shrine. A
handful of magical attacks rose to answer the youma. A single beat of
her four scarlet wings carried her away from the counterattacks with
surprising speed.
"I am Rashira, humans," the youma said. Another arrow formed in
her bow. "And in Lord Jadeite's name, I bring you death." She loosed
the fiery bolt.
On the ground below, Ares sidestepped to stand directly in the
arrow's path. His blade turned in his armored hand, and he caught the
missile on the flat. He vanished in a cloud of flame and dust. When it
began to die down, the first thing to be visible was his sword, now
aflame itself.
Rashira snarled, rising higher with another beat of her wings.
She gestured, and the ground below began to churn. Dozens of
monstrosities clawed their way out of the earth amidst the human
warriors. Poseidon, who had just risen, was again knocked down as
another youma burst through the Shrine wall behind him.
Medea decapitated the beast even before it had left the hole it
had made. The other Champions and the three Senshi were recovering from
the surprise of the sudden youma assault. More youma poured out of the
Shrine, and Medea had no time to notice the arrow Rashira was aiming at
her.
Ares's eyes had never left the flying youma. He jumped with
inhuman speed, landing on the Shrine roof. He paused only to adjust his
aim before leaping again, straight at Rashira. She beat her four wings
frantically, but not swiftly enough. With one strike of his blazing
sword, Ares sliced the youma's stone bow in two.
Flames arced between the two halves for a moment, then Rashira
dropped them. She snarled as she dove after the descending Champion.
Ares twisted in midair, pointing his blade at her. "Flame Strike!" A
bar of white fire flashed from his sword at the youma. Rashira
straightened, bringing her wings in front of her to shield herself from
the blast.
Ares landed on his side, his sword falling from his hand.
Rashira stumbled as she hit the ground but did not fall. Again she
spread her wings, and they began to glow brilliantly. "Die," she said
again.
Before she could launch any attack, she was hit from behind by a
Shine Aqua Illusion. She staggered forward, and saw that her minions
had been all but dispatched. A curse on her lips, she began to summon
the energy to teleport.
Moments later, she was vaporized by a storm of magic from all
sides.
************************************************** *********************
"Sending your friend off for help?" the Death Phantom asked
Saturn. "It will not help you. I will be gone before she returns."
Jadeite tried to move, but found himself unable to muster the
will, not even to utter a single word. Had he been able to, he might
have told his tentative ally to finish the business and be done with it.
Sailor Saturn, on the other hand, was certainly able to speak, but
simply chose not to. She held the Silence Glaive before her, its blunt
end firmly on the ground. The flickering distortion of the Silence Wall
surrounded the three in a dome, the only thing keeping the Death Phantom
from vanishing.
"You cannot hope to hold me," the spirit said as dark power
gathered in its outstretched hand. A glow appeared in its hood that
might have been eyes. "If I strike at you, you must divert the barrier
to protect yourself or die. Either way, I will be free."
The Senshi did not respond.
The Death Phantom seemed to consider speaking again, but then
simply allowed the dark energy to stream from his hand. Saturn screamed
when the attack hit her, but stood her ground. She slumped over when
the black lightning was finished, leaning on her weapon for support.
With a snarl, the Death Phantom attacked again, raising both
hands. The pavement beneath the three began to crack and shatter, dark
flames pouring from the chasms that opened. Much to his welcome
surprise, Jadeite found himself freed from his paralysis to dodge the
bursts of cold fire. Saturn did not move, and this time did not utter a
sound as the flames washed over her. When they died down, the Senshi
knelt, seemingly half-dead. But still her glaive stood upright in her
hands, and still the Silence Wall enclosed them.
"Enough," came a new voice, from outside the dome. Jadeite
recognized it all too easily. Metallia. He turned to face her, and saw
Asphara standing half a pace behind the Queen. Saturn slowly pulled
herself to her feet, and at a gesture from the Queen lowered the
barrier.
In an instant, the Death Phantom began to fade away again, and
Metallia smirked. "Don't be so foolish." With an almost negligent wave
of her hand, she yanked the spirit back into solidity.
Saturn collapsed, the Silence Glaive falling from her fingers
with a loud clatter. Metallia glanced at the fallen Senshi. "Asphara."
"Yes, my Queen." The demoness teleported to Saturn's side,
kneeling to examine her wounds.
Jadeite glanced sideways at her. "You've been spying on me.
Since Metallia's return?"
"Yes," was all Asphara said.
"I underestimated you," Jadeite continued. "I won't do it
again." No matter how hard he tried, he could not stir himself to flee,
or even to futilely test his might against Metallia.
In the meantime, the Queen had approached the Death Phantom, who
floated motionless. "Well, well. What is it that has sprung my little
trap?" Metallia said. "I do not recognize you."
"Serenity," the Death Phantom hissed. "I recognize you."
Metallia laughed. "Curious. There are not many who would call
me that name. I thought I was aware of all of them, but you are not one
of those foolish Champions."
The Death Phantom said nothing.
Metallia did not seem to care. "I presume that you are one of
the two who so annoyed my Dragons on Pluto. The dark mage, I would
guess. Who would your ally be?" When the Death Phantom did not break
his silence, the Queen's attention turned to Jadeite. "General, speak
of what you know."
Jadeite felt no compulsion to answer, but he knew it was well
within the Queen's power to create one. "He calls himself the Death
Phantom. He proposed an alliance with me, to -"
Jadeite stopped speaking as the Death Phantom suddenly attacked.
Metallia was flung backward by the unexpected strike, and for a moment
it seemed the dark lightning would throw her through one of the alley's
walls. Then she righted herself in midair, forcing the lightning aside
with a snarl and an angry wave of her right arm.
"That was unwise of you, spirit." Metallia's eyes narrowed as
she studied her enemy, black oblivion gathering in her hands.
The Death Phantom laughed. "It was unwise of you to lower your
guard." He raised both arms, and a pillar of blackness descended from
the unnaturally dark sky, crashing down on Metallia. The Queen grunted
as she raised an arm to shield, staggering under the force of the
strike.
Jadeite felt Asphara's sharp claws pierce the back of his gray
jacket, lightly resting on his skin. "Don't move," she said, and after
a moment Jadeite nodded. He doubted that he could have joined his
tentative ally, even if he had tried.
For the moment, the dark queen seemed pinned by the Death
Phantom's strike, all her energy bent on keeping the dark pillar from
consuming her. However, all her foe's power was likewise spent trying
to overwhelm her defenses. Had he diverted even the tiniest amount to
take advantage of Metallia's focus, she would have easily defeated the
first attack. For long moments the two powers strove to outlast the
other.
Then, at long last, the dark pillar vanished, and the Death
Phantom lowered his arms. For a moment, his opponent slumped, breathing
heavily. Then Metallia straightened herself and smiled. She stretched
out one arm, and blackness gathered in it. "Submit to me, or die."
"I am hardly finished yet, Serenity." Black lightning began to
dance between the Death Phantom's hands.
"A pity. One of your strength would have been a worthy
servant," Metallia said. She sighed, and a beam of darkness leapt from
her hand. The Death Phantom's lightning rose to meet it, but was swept
aside in an instant. He screamed as the ray pierced him. When it
struck the ground behind him, chunks of shattered pavement began to
vanish. The Death Phantom himself wavered, flickering in and out of
existence.
The spirit's screams were not enough to drown out the sudden
gasp from the mouth of the alleyway. "Wiseman?!"
Metallia's gaze went to the cry, and Jadeite's followed. The
instant Metallia's attention wavered, the Death Phantom recovered,
vanishing without a word.
Jadeite took in the three that stood in the street outside the
alley. Sailor Moon. Sailor Jupiter. Endymion. Jadeite felt Asphara's
claws leave their position on his back, and he smiled.
"This should be fun."
************************************************** *********************
This day had not been a terribly pleasant day for Sailor Moon.
It seemed like years since she had left her home for the Hikawa Shrine.
Since then, she had killed an old friend, had his shade thank her for
it, gone on patrol, fought off a youma attack... and that was merely
what had happened before Sailor Pluto had arrived to warn them that
Metallia's true strike was yet to come. Now, the sun had vanished from
the sky, replaced by scarlet Nemesis, and Tokyo was under assault by a
youma force that made even the largest past incursions seem pathetic.
To make things worse, this invasion had occurred before she and
her two companions could reach her house to warn her family of the
coming danger. They had briefly checked Ami's house before the sun had
darkened, but to no one's surprise Ms. Mizuno had not been home.
Perhaps two dozen youma had attacked them since then, and though easily
defeated the demons had delayed their progress further. Then Sailor
Moon had felt a source of terrible dark power along their route, and the
three had had no choice but to investigate.
There were very few things she had expected less to find when
she peered into the alley than Metallia fighting Wiseman, while Jadeite
and a youma looked on. Any thought of remaining unnoticed had fled
Sailor Moon's mind, and a startled "Wiseman?!" had escaped her lips.
Almost instantly, Metallia turned to her, and the Death Phantom
vanished.
"This should be fun." Sailor Moon ignored Jadeite's statement,
staring almost hypnotized at Metallia. It was disquieting, how familiar
she seemed. At Castle Charon, she had hardly noticed how alike they
looked. Now, it was hard to ignore. Metallia's hair, though dark, was
bound into the same style as her own. Eyes of the same shade of bright
blue as her own stared out at her from a face that, though cast into a
sneer Sailor Moon hoped she would never wear, was not terribly different
than how she might look when she became Queen of Crystal Tokyo. The
golden crescent moon on Metallia's forehead glowed softly, and Sailor
Moon could feel a warmth grow under her tiara in response.
"I do not suppose that you have come to kneel at my feet,"
Metallia said after a moment.
Beside Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter growled and acted before
either her Prince or Princess could respond. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
The globe of electricity sped at Metallia, who blinked as it
neared. The dark queen raised a finger, and the ball shattered into a
thousand sparks, vanishing an instant later. Jadeite stepped forward,
flames gathering in his hands, but Metallia waved him off before
speaking. "I hope that is not the extent of your powers, Kino Makoto.
It would not do for me to have such a pathetic servant."
"Why you -" Jupiter began, then stopped as she realized what
name Metallia had used. "You know -"
"Of course I know." Metallia smiled. "My dear Hotaru was very
forthcoming." Her eyes flicked back to Asphara. "How are her wounds?"
she asked, and for the first time Sailor Moon noticed Saturn's still
form lying farther back in the alleyway.
The demoness started. "She is badly hurt, my Queen. I helped
her as best I could, but -"
"Let me heal her." Sailor Moon spoke without thinking, her hand
going to the Ginzuishou.
"Usagi," Endymion breathed, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Metallia raised an eyebrow. "And have you attempt to turn one
of my favorite tools against me once again? I think not." Metallia
laughed suddenly. "Of course, you could always return the Ginzuishou to
me, and I would use it to heal her myself."
Sailor Moon's hand went instantly to her broach, cupping
protectively around it. Even the thought of the power Metallia would
command with the Ginzuishou sent a tremor down her spine. "No," she
said.
Endymion's grasp on her shoulder strengthened. "You said that
she was one of your favorite tools. I doubt you will let her die," he
said.
"You are correct, of course," Metallia admitted. "I am not so
foolish as to let a weapon like her slip my grasp simply to watch the
anguish on your faces." She laughed again. "As pleasant an experience
as that would be."
"You," Jupiter growled, and almost leapt at Metallia before
restraining herself.
Metallia rolled her eyes. "I see you will have much training to
do when you come to serve me, Makoto. Though rabid attack dogs have
their purposes, my Senshi should be more controlled."
Restraint abandoned, Jupiter charged the dark queen. Metallia
casually summoned a wave of darkness that stopped the Senshi in her
tracks. She grunted in pain, stumbling back several steps.
"Did you really think that would accomplish anything?" Metallia
asked, her voice bored. "If it were my will, you would already be dead.
Think on this lesson until I have further time to instruct you."
Metallia gestured again, and bone-white vines sprouted from the
shattered pavement, growing with unnatural speed to entangle and raise
Jupiter, poisoned thorns piercing her flesh. Jupiter screamed, and the
dark goddess smiled. "And now for you, Princess."
"Let her go," was all Sailor Moon said.
Metallia blinked in surprise, and laughed again. "No. I will
not. I will take her to the dark places where the Void draws near and
show her the true nature of the universe. I will break her. I will
reforge her and scourge her of her weakness. She will hate me for it,
and then she will love me for it. She will offer herself willingly to
me, and the next time you see her she will fight at my side."
Jupiter struggled against the vines that bound her. "Never,"
she snarled.
"Oh?" Metallia said with another laugh. "You will be surprised
to learn what you are capable of, given the right encouragement."
The captive Senshi snarled, and managed to free one arm from the
vines. Lightning crackled in her fingers for a moment, then another
white tendril grew with unnatural speed, wrapping itself around her arm
and yanking it to point at Sailor Moon. Jupiter let the half-formed
magic die, and Metallia smiled softly. "Futile," she said simply.
"I said to let her go!" Sailor Moon pulled the Ginzuishou from
her brooch and there was a flare of silver light. When the light faded,
Princess Serenity floated in an aura of power where Sailor Moon had
stood. The crescent on her forehead blazed with a golden brilliance and
the Ginzuishou was a small, silver sun in her hands. The crimson taint
of Nemesis's light was for the moment washed away.
As the silver light shone on the white vines that bound Sailor
Jupiter, they withered away and retreated back into the ground. The
freed Senshi dropped to the ground, bleeding freely where the vines'
thorns had stuck her. In moments, those wounds faded away, and Jupiter
rose, lightning crackling in her hands.
Metallia frowned. "Asphara."
"My Queen?" The youma's voice was nervous, and she shrank back
from the silver light.
"Keep the Senshi busy. Jadeite, deal with Endymion."
Jadeite raised a hand to summon a blade of flame before he
realized what he was doing. Then he paused. How had he fallen so
quickly back into the role of Metallia's servant? The fiery blade
wavered.
Metallia snarled. "Do not try my patience, General. I will not
be so busy instructing my heir that I could not spare a moment to
educate you as well." Jadeite grimaced, but his sword reformed in his
hands.
Jupiter moved first, charging Asphara. With a wordless cry she
loosed the lightning from her hands, and the youma vanished in a crack
of thunder. "Is that it?"
With a flicker of darkness, Asphara reappeared in the air above
the Senshi. "Hardly," she sneered. Blades of black bone sprouted from
her arms, dripping with her own ichor and radiating dark power. She
dove, and her bone weapons nearly removed the Senshi's head.
Jadeite had begun to slowly circle Endymion, his fiery blade
raised in a guard position. The Prince's sword was ready, but he did
not move to attack. After a moment, Jadeite grimaced and hurled himself
at his opponent. Endymion effortlessly blocked the first blow, and
Jadeite retreated slightly.
"Better than I recalled," Jadeite said mockingly, "but not good
enough, my Prince."
Endymion's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Try me."
Metallia simply stood, watching the Princess and the battles
with a slight smile. "Come now, Princess. Strike me, and let us see
what you can do without your servants to aid you."
Princess Serenity frowned, and the Ginzuishou's silver light
redoubled. The sudden brightening distracted Asphara, and Jupiter
managed to get in a good blow and retreat far enough to call on her
magic again. The Princess had no time to notice this, however, as she
attacked.
A protective, flickering aura of blackness came into being
around Metallia as the silver light sped toward her. Waves of power
radiated from an outstretched arm as she prepared her counterattack, but
they faltered and the Queen's eyes widened in surprise as the silver
beam passed harmlessly over her shoulder.
Behind Metallia, Sailor Saturn's still form was engulfed in a
silver glow. By the time Metallia glanced backward to see it, Princess
Serenity's magic was already at work, and the fallen Senshi's numerous
wounds were all but gone. For an instant, a furious snarl appeared on
Metallia's face.
"Clever," she said once her face had smoothed, "but foolish,
Princess." She idly waved an arm, and waves of darkness assaulted the
Princess from all sides. The silver light around Saturn flickered and
died as Princess Serenity was forced to defend herself.
Neither combatant could spare the attention to notice Sailor
Saturn slowly pulling herself to her feet behind Metallia.
************************************************** *********************
Asphara stepped to one side, dodging the Sparkling Wide Pressure
her opponent had thrown while she was distracted by the Princess's
magic. Ichor dripped from the terrible wounds her bone blades had torn
open when they emerged from her arms, but she did not feel the pain.
She smiled and clenched her fists. "My turn," she said, and dark
lightning crackled in her hands.
Jupiter tensed, and the youma threw the two black globes.
Before they reached the Senshi, Asphara charged, moving almost as
quickly as her magic. The first dark ball Jupiter dodged, rolling aside
and letting it impact the wall behind her. The second attack twisted in
mid-air to follow her, but she was ready.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The true lightning collided with
Asphara's attack with a loud crack, and both vanished. Jupiter barely
had time to rise into a defensive stance before the youma herself was
upon her.
The first swipe of Asphara's black blades was far faster than
the Senshi had anticipated. A lock of hair tumbled from her head,
evidence that her dodge had not been quite fast enough. The youma
general smiled, and pressed the attack. This time Jupiter was prepared,
and easily dodged the first two strikes.
The third was too fast, and Jupiter was forced to block the
sharp bone with her gloved forearm. The strange fabric was tougher than
it looked, but Asphara still drew blood. Still, it was better than
losing a hand, and perhaps her life.
Asphara backed off slightly. She raised her arm to her face,
licking the flecks of blood off the bone. "You taste good," she said,
smirking.
Jupiter grimaced and took the offensive. She landed a strong
punch to the youma's gut, but Asphara didn't seemed fazed. A sideways
swipe of her bladed arms was all it took to force Jupiter to retreat.
Still grinning, Asphara attacked, and the Senshi had no choice but to
keep backing up.
When she was only a few steps from the wall, she leapt upward
instead of continuing her retreat. Her magically boosted muscles
propelled her far higher than was possible for a normal human, and she
landed lightly on the rooftop of the building behind her. Asphara
seemed amused. "Do you think that will save you, Senshi?" she asked,
and with a beat of her powerful black wings, she took to the air once
more.
The demoness again moved far faster than Jupiter had expected.
She had no time to launch her magics, but a plan came to her. Without
wasting time on thought, she leapt again, directly at Asphara. Her boot
planted itself firmly on the youma's face, sending her spiraling toward
the ground. Snarling, the youma righted herself with another beat of
her wings.
Jupiter had no such option and landed poorly. When she tried to
rise her legs gave way, and she fell back into a kneeling position.
Asphara laughed and landed a few feet away. "You lose, Senshi." Her
bone blades swung at Jupiter's head.
Jupiter caught one blade in each hand. Asphara's eyes widened
in shock, and she tried to pull away. Jupiter's hands were on fire with
pain. She could feel dark energy and poison seeping into her wounds,
but she tightened her grip. "No," she said. "I win.
"Supreme Thunder!"
************************************************** *********************
"Try you?" Jadeite asked with a laugh. "I have already taken
your measure, my Prince, and found it wanting. The only question is how
long I will choose to take killing you."
Endymion shifted his stance slightly. That was all the warning
the Dark General had before Endymion attacked. Jadeite raised his sword
of fire to block. For a moment, the blades were locked, and they tested
each other's strength. Then Jadeite's sword was forced aside, and
Endymion's struck downward, hardly slowed. The general darted out of
the way, but the tip of the sword scored a light scratch across his
chest.
"You'll find I have hidden strengths," Endymion said.
Jadeite smiled. "As do I." His sword vanished and he extended
his hands, fire gathering in them. "Hellfire!" A pillar of white flame
hurled itself at the Prince. Endymion brought his cloak around to
shield himself, but still the attack knocked him back against a wall.
He almost went through it, but then the fire died out and he slumped to
the ground, sword falling from limp hands.
Jadeite advanced on his fallen foe, a wide grin on his face.
"You have no idea how many thousands of years I've been waiting for
this, my Prince." He laughed. "I might even have to thank Metallia for
this chance."
"Save your thanks," Endymion said, a rose leaving his hands with
a crack like thunder. The unlikely-seeming projectile flew straight and
fast at the general's face.
Jadeite's gloved hand moved faster, snatching the flower mere
inches from his face. For a moment he stared at the rose, a deep red
that was almost black. "Worthless," was all he said.
Then he screamed, as golden lightning burst from the stem of the
rose, crackling all over his body. "Surprise," Endymion grunted as he
forced himself to rise. His sword almost leaped to his hand, and he
charged.
Jadeite tried to dodge, but the blade still took him in the
shoulder, almost severing the arm. Endymion drew black the blade for
another strike, but Jadeite attacked first. His uninjured arm, wreathed
in flames, struck at Endymion's armored chest. The blow staggered his
foe, and Jadeite snarled, his hand going to his wound. Black flames
washed over it, and when he removed his hand the bleeding had stopped.
"I'm through playing with you," he said. Darkness boiled off of
him, streamers of blackness reaching hungrily for his foe. He removed
the Void Diamond from his uniform jacket, and it shone darkly in his
hand. Endymion threw another rose, but it withered away to dust as it
neared Jadeite. The general smiled. "Die, my Prince."
Like hungry jaws, walls of darkness rose from the tortured
pavement beneath Endymion. Even the Ginzuishou's silver light, shining
from the Princess's confrontation with Metallia, could not penetrate the
blackness. As the darkness snapped shut, something seemed to move in
the void it created, something hungry. For an instant, Jadeite was
almost disturbed. Then he laughed, reveling in the power he had
summoned.
Until the darkness shattered, revealing Endymion standing no
worse for the wear. "I am not ready to die yet, Guardian."
Jadeite froze in shock, and his aura of blackness vanished, the
now truly dark Void Diamond almost slipping from his hands. "How?"
Endymion smiled as he threw himself forward, his sword headed
for Jadeite's neck. "You missed. Again."
Jadeite stumbled backward to avoid the blow, snarling as he
remembered how he had somehow failed to kill Tuxedo Mask during the
fateful battle at the airport. He again summoned his fiery blade,
blocking Endymion's next strike. "You have more lives than a mooncat,
wretch. I swear I will be there when they run out."
Endymion only laughed.
************************************************** *****************
Sailor Saturn slowly stirred, her mind afire with conflicting
thoughts and emotions. Part of her wanted to just curl up into a ball
and wait for the turmoil to subside, but both sides to the conflict were
in firm agreement that action was called for. She slowly rose, her hand
unthinkingly reaching for the haft of her glaive.
The cool metal warmed instantly under her touch, and the weapon
resonated with a silent hum of welcome that she knew no other could
hear. Its immense, restrained power offered itself to her, as always
eager to be unleashed. Unlike the warring impulses in her mind, it did
not seem to care where it was directed, and the confused Senshi took
some comfort in that.
She ignored the lesser confrontations, focusing instantly on the
massive spectacle of magical power that was the battle between Metallia
and the Princess. Dozens of beams of silver and darkness lanced through
the air from one to the other, each instantly and perfectly blocked by
its opposite. Neither seemed to have noticed her awakening. Saturn
could easily tell that the elder Serenity was holding back, toying with
her heir.
Part of her knew this meant that her interference was not
necessary, and that she should attend to the other fights, knowing that
her Queen's victory was inevitable. The other side of her felt equally
strongly that this meant that she must intervene at once, before her
Princess could be overpowered. Torn between the conflicting impulses,
Saturn stood paralyzed, and the comforting music of the Silence Glaive
turned frenzied and impatient.
A lucky silver beam darted past Metallia's initial defenses, to
be stopped inches from her face by a dark shield that instantly sprung
into existence. In retaliation, waves of dark fire poured over the
Princess, barely diverted by the flickering silver aura she summoned.
Saturn smiled at this, and half of her raged at the simple expression.
The Silence Glaive vibrated in her hand, again demanding to be used.
It was far too quiet for any of distracted combatants to hear,
but Saturn's unnaturally keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps
approaching along the rooftops. As they neared, her gaze rose to meet
them. Then, all her inner turmoil finally ceased.
For an instant, both sides of her were united in pure rage and
the desire to kill. Here were foes she felt no resistance to facing,
and she leapt into the air instantly, the Silence Glaive's howl of
triumph resonating soundlessly in her ears. As she passed over the
conflict between Metallia and the Princess, the weakened impulses she
now knew to be foreign to her fled, leaving only what she was certain
were her true loyalties.
She landed lightly on the rooftop, intercepting the newcomers
before they could get a clear picture of the battles below. Her glaive
whirled in a low arc, almost removing one of the two's legs at the
knees. They retreated slightly, bringing their own weapons up into
defensive positions.
"Oh, this is just wonderful," Aphrodite said as her blade began
to glow with a golden light.
"Watch yourself," was all Zeus said as the two moved in to
attack.
Sailor Saturn grinned, feeling as joyful as her weapon. "Die,
Champions."
************************************************** *********************
As Saturn leapt overhead, Metallia glanced upward to follow her
path, and saw who it was she attacked. A disturbingly wide smile
appeared on her face. "Good girl," she said, in the same tone of voice
one would use to compliment a pet.
Princess Serenity risked a glance backward, and she trembled at
what she saw. For an instant, her defenses faltered. Metallia pressed
her advantage, striking the Princess a half-dozen times with weak,
deliberately glancing strikes. "Pay attention," the Queen said
mockingly. "I'm your opponent."
The Princess's gaze quickly returned forward, and she managed to
stave off the next wave of attacks. Still, she could feel herself
beginning to tire. The last time she had fought Metallia she had
enjoyed the support of all the Senshi and Champions, and been evenly
matched. Now she was alone and struggling though Metallia had not
unleashed even a quarter of the power she had shown at Castle Charon.
The dark queen was toying with her.
"She will be mine forever, you realize," Metallia said. "The
weak Hotaru you knew is gone, and only my slave remains."
The Princess's eyes narrowed. "I will free her."
Metallia laughed. "Futile hopes are only weakness, girl. You
will fail."
"No," Princess Serenity said. She steeled herself and drew
forth what little power she still held in reserve, flinging another
silver bolt at her foe.
"Because you believe?" Metallia asked. "In love? In
friendship? In trust?"
Princess Serenity's eyes widened. In their final battle that
seemed so very long ago, Beryl - or had it truly been Metallia? - had
asked her those same questions. Now, she gave the same reply.
"Yes," she answered. "I still believe." Nothing in her many
battles had changed that.
"Fool," Metallia said. "They are nothing but illusions. There
is nothing but strength and weakness. But you believe, and because of
that you are weak." She smiled. "You will learn, though. Tell me, do
you believe their love helped your false family escape the youma I sent
to kill them?"
For an instant, Princess Serenity froze. Her dress evaporated,
replaced by her Senshi uniform as she faltered. Metallia's darkness
closed in, and Sailor Moon numbly raised the Ginzuishou again, summoning
forth a weak defense. Strange emotions churned in her. Not even when
Beryl's youma had slain the other Senshi before her eyes had she felt
this way.
It was pure rage, she realized, and her numb disbelief fell away
before it. As her anger overtook her, her defenses faltered again, and
the Ginzuishou grew dim and lifeless in her hands. Metallia attacked
again, beams of pure oblivion racing to obliterate her.
Sailor Moon screamed her fury to the black heavens, and poured
it into the dull gem she still held aloft, forcing it to obey her will.
Silver-tinged darkness sprung from the Ginzuishou, consuming Metallia's
attack and continuing onward. Metallia raised a shield, but still was
thrown backward by the force of the onslaught.
Metallia laughed, and Sailor Moon saw what she had done. She
shuddered, and her attack vanished, the Ginzuishou almost dropping from
her suddenly shaking hands. Metallia applauded, laughing again.
"Wonderful! I see that I have much less to teach you than I had
feared."
Sailor Moon fell to her knees, unable to force herself to stand.
Metallia smiled. "I will grant you a reward for the pleasant
surprise, Princess. Your companions may keep their lives." She
gestured, and Asphara and Jadeite appeared at her side in flickers of
darkness and flame. The youma was barely able to stand, but Jadeite
only looked furious to have been interrupted. "Hotaru!" Metallia called
sharply after a moment.
The Senshi broke off her battle with the Champions above,
jumping backward to land slightly behind the Queen. Her face was
smooth, but her eyes showed her to be even less pleased than Jadeite to
be called away. She did not even glance at the kneeling Sailor Moon.
"Champions!" Metallia said, looking upward at Zeus and
Aphrodite. "You should thank the Princess, for due to the potential she
has shown me today I will grant you a great gift. You alone among your
kind will be allowed to survive my victory and serve me."
"You haven't won yet," Zeus said harshly.
"Is that so?" Metallia laughed a final time, then she and her
companions vanished.
************************************************** *********************
Author's Random Ramblings
1) This chapter took... longer than expected. Hopefully at least a few
people out there remember this story. In a not unrelated matter, this
is one of the few chapters for which completed but unused scenes exist -
including one which I actually dropped for being too dark, believe it or
not. I may decide to release it as an extra.
2) Any and all comments of any sort are most welcome.
3) As ever, many thanks go to Angus MacSpon for prereading this story.
4) The previous chapters of this story and its prequel, Shades of Gray,
can be found at my website - http://www.mimiru.net/
Started: October 23, 2004
Draft Finished: June 12, 2005
Draft Released: June 26, 2005
Final Released:
--
Aaron Nowack
"Never let reality get in the way of a good hypothesis."
http://www.mimiru.net/
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