Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Dreams ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter One

As the bells tolled their mournful clanging, the streets of Crystal Tokyo (which, just a few seconds before, were bursting with life) emptied within the blink of an eye. Before the first few tolls had faded, stores were already being closed, and people were rushing to their homes. Before the last toll sounded, the only thing left on the streets was trash that fluttered along in the breeze.

Well, maybe it wasn't the only thing.

Out of an alleyway, a cloaked figure silently slipped into the main avenue. The figure's hood turned both ways before coming further out and risking exposure. Moving silently and without hesitation, the personage moved across the street and into another alley. Standing next to a solid brick wall, the person rapped the barrier twice, then three times, and finally, after a pause of two full seconds, tapped once.

A long pause followed, with the figure glancing nervously around. A faint humming sound soon became audible, and person's agitation increased. Glancing about fearfully, the figure's back was turned as a hidden door opened and a strong arm grabbed the person by the shoulder, and dragged it inside, the door shutting mere milliseconds later. A heartbeat after that, two hover cycles with Crystal police officers cruised slowly by the alleyway, pausing only long enough to shine their floodlights in. A moment later, the hum faded, and all was still again.

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The cloaked figure scrambled up off the floor, pulling off the outer adornment as she did so, revealing a beautiful young woman in her twenties, with a slim, athletic figure, and a face that was framed by short, blue hair. Her aquamarine eyes glared at the tall brunette who stood by the door she had just been dragged through.

"Think you could have cut it closer, Jupiter? I think those cops might have been interested in learning about a secret meeting between the former Guardians."

Sailor Jupiter met her comrade's gaze evenly, her face betraying nothing. Finally, though, she sighed and her shoulders drooped as if the world had dropped onto her shoulders…which, in point of fact, it had. Her normal athletic figure had deteriorated over the several weeks that Neo-Queen Serenity had…changed. Though she was still formidable in a fight, her lack of diligence in training had revealed the inner turmoil they all felt…though some were more vocal and expressive about it than others.

"I know, Mercury, but I was trying to keep Mars from attacking Luna again. She made the suggestion that the Black Poison Crystal that was fired by Nemesis may have corrupted Serenity, and Mars just went berserk. It took Uranus, Neptune and me just to restrain her." Jupiter's voice took on a subdued note here, and she looked the other way.

Sailor Mercury's initial anger softened. Out of all of them, Serenity's 'change' had hit Mars and Venus the hardest. Mars openly dared anyone to suggest that their friend and queen was now the enemy, and Venus seemed to be curled up in a little ball, wrapping herself in a blanket of denial, figuratively speaking.

What none of them could figure out was how perfectly the whole thing was timed. Not two days (not two months, or even weeks, but days) after King Endymion and Princess Small Lady's departure for Europe for a peace conference, the…changes had begun. First, it was a clampdown on all extracurricular establishments and news, then an outrageous tax hike, and finally…

Mercury shivered, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory. Only a week before, Queen Serenity had called her Guardians in and told them, in no uncertain terms, that if she saw them again, they died. Immediately after that, they were all escorted out-not just out of her chambers, but out of the palace. They had been so shocked by the simple pronouncement that they didn't even give thought to fighting back, to asking or demanding for answers. They had only been dragged, in a state resembling alarm, outside, where they had merely gone their separate ways, figuring everything would be back to normal the next morning…

Except that night, 24,000 people were shot, beaten, or disintegrated by Serenity's power, all because they were peacefully protesting the tax hike. Fearful that her wrath would reach them next, the senshi took to hiding, and formed a small (insofar as they were the only members) resistance group.

Shaking off her reverie, Mercury clapped Jupiter on the shoulder, and the two walked into the main hall, where a large table was set up, with seven chairs set up around it. The other members of the senshi, who all stared (with varying degrees of hostility or hope) at the two cats sitting at the head, occupied five. The pair might have ordinarily been dismissed as plain housecats, save for their matching crescent moon markings on their foreheads. But the Guardians knew different. It was Luna and Artemis who had led them through several crises before, and they would do so again.

One of the Guardians, with black hair, and dressed in a purple and white fuku, who had been present from the start, and was obviously the youngest, spoke to the black-furred cat. "Luna, what have you got for us?"

Luna looked at her white-furred companion, who lowered his head and wouldn't meet her gaze. These last few weeks had been hard on Luna as well, and though Artemis was a great source of comfort, she had failed to find any answers to their predicament that didn't involve confronting Serenity. She tried to find a diplomatic way to tell the others that, especially considering Mars, and then sighed.

"I…am afraid that there's no alternatives. She doesn't even want to see me, of all people. I know I was hard on her before the Cataclysm, but to have her actually shun me…" Luna's voice broke, and she wept bitterly, while Artemis tried to comfort her. She'd failed. She had served on the court of Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and now in Neo-Queen Serenity's court…and yet, her queen, whom she had loved so dearly, had become what she would never have thought possible.

"Then…then it's over." The words were barely audible, but everyone flinched as if they had been slapped. Venus looked over at everyone, her eyes shimmering. "We might as well give up, you guys! We don't have a chance against her…"

A fist slammed into the table with such resounding force that even Mars, who had been preparing to jump over the table and attack Venus for such an accusation, was cowed into silence. Everyone turned to look at the Guardian who, in civilian form, resembled a man as much as a girl, with her short blonde hair and masculine features. Uranus looked at each and every one of them, her gaze as hard as steel.

"How dare you, Venus." Uranus said it so softly, that Luna and Artemis might have missed it, had it not been for her lips moving. "How dare you suggest that we just give up. We have been through so much, and now you want us to QUIT!?!"

Mercury shifted in her seat, and then looked up at her comrade. "Uranus, together we might be able to subdue her, but…" and with this, she glanced at Mars, who had her head down, with her shimmering black hair blocking any view of her face, "it's more likely that we'll kill her. We have to fight the cause of this evil, not just the face. 'There are a thousand people hacking at the branches of evil compared to one who is striking at the root.' I don't think Serenity is the real cause here."

Saturn grimaced as she commented, "I've heard a saying, 'Where there is light, there is darkness.' Perhaps, like me, she was..." The young senshi let her voice trail off, the sentence unfinished.

But nothing more really needed to be said for the gist to be understood. Everyone present knew that Saturn struggled constantly, especially in battle, to suppress the cancerous evil that resided within her body, courtesy of her possession by Mistress 9. Despite the fact that only a week ago, the others would have laughed at the thought of their friend and queen becoming possessed by a similar evil, no one could find the words to contradict the scout of death.

It was at this point that Artemis stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"I…I think I know where we can get some help, too."

Everyone turned, in almost perfect tandem, to face the advisor, Luna among them. Artemis shifted a bit, then plunged ahead: "About two years ago, I came across a computer reference in the Moon's central database that referred to an event that occurred on Earth called the War of Nations. Details on it were sketchy, but apparently, when things are at their worst, a Paladin warrior, with great power, will come out to help the oppressed." Glancing fearfully at Mars, Artemis continued, "I think…that we should try to find him. He could be a great asset in fighting the cause of this evil."

Mars shifted in her seat for the first time, and spoke, startling everyone. "Then let's find him…before any more innocent people suffer."

Everyone turned to look at her, but her eyes and face were devoid of emotion. She gave a wan smile at everyone, and sniffed. "I know I've been a jerk, beating up on all of you when you were only telling the truth, but…I know that there's no alternative. We have

Shaking her head, Venus took charge. "Alright, Artemis. Do you have any clues as to where we can locate this Paladin?"

At that moment, a section of wall furthest from the group came crashing in, followed quickly by several Crystal soldiers and police. Their leader raised a megaphone, and shouted, "Freeze, Guardians. You are hereby under arrest for conspiracy against Neo-Queen Serenity!"

As soon as the last word passed his lips, several things happened at once.

All seven senshi unleashed their most powerful attacks against the warriors, who scattered. Luna and Artemis took off, presumably to find a safe place to hide for the time being. And once the senshi had finished their attacks, they, too, split up to meet later.

If it hadn't been for the soldier's stun rifles, they would have made it. After a barrage of stun blasts nailed the former Guardians, half of the troops moved forward to gather up their captives, while the other half remained alert for an ambush. Moments later, they located the advisors, who surrendered without a fight. They, like their friends, were dumped unceremoniously into a prison cart. One soldier remarked to the other as they headed for their transports, "Hey, did you count how many a' the guardians we got?"

His companion shook his head. "Naw, didn't need to. We got 'em all."

The first soldier pulled off his helmet and scratched his head. "I dunno, man. I was countin', and I only came up with six, eight if you count the cats. Wasn't there nine all told?"

The second trooper looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "What difference does it make? One guardian ain't gonna do anything to harm us. 'Sides, it's only a matter of time before she's caught, too. That's assumin' we did miss one, which is highly unlikely."

The first nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, come on, beers are on me."

Had the two been looking at the prison cart as it pulled away, they might have wondered about the mockingly triumphant grin on Luna's face.