Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ In Darkness In Fire ❯ The Chosen Path ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: xzero 
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Martial Arts | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.07.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 918 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Martial Arts | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.07.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 918 | Status: Completed
Grouping together, they could only retreat, perhaps if they retreated, they would be able to get some answers. Saturn was the only one to not move, she was frozen in place, crying for what they had done. She knew that she had done nothing to help the other soldiers, but she could not help but remember the pleading faces of the people from the last Saturn's final hours. She could only allow herself to be surrounded by her friends who helped the wounded amongst their number join the circle and let their transport carry them to safety. "Why?" She whispered to herself, "Why?" No one answered her question, no one heard her speak, but it could be surmised that even if they had, none of the inner senshi could answer, they were all still reeling from the scene.
It was not until late that night, after no answers had been forthcoming, after a dream that woke her in a cold sweat, along with all the other inner senshi, did Usagi realize what had been done. Only then did she realized that she had murdered that boy's mother, taken him from her without provocation. It was in the name of the future, and of the safety of earth, right? She came to understand that they had only seen a tiny bit of what would inevitably come from this. That boy's power was immense, enough to rival even her own when she was at her peak, enough to level the entire planet. What sort of enemy had they made that day? Would he come for revenge? She shuddered as she lifted her body to wash her face clean of the sweat on her brow, feeling the clammy slimy skin of her forehead. The warm water helped her feel better, but when she looked up from the sink, and into her own eyes reflected in the mirror, she saw the haunting fear that she felt. She spoke then words that were repeated many times that night, by several other teenage girls. "Dear god, what have we done."
In Darkness In Fire
By: XZero
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 6 - The Chosen Path
The night surrounding the Tendo home was neither particularly dark, nor stormy, but in the air there was a certain heaviness that hung like a shroud. Even Kasumi sat lethargic in the living room. The news was just coming on, something Nabiki insisted upon watching, something about keeping with current events. The lethargy that kept them still was broken quite suddenly when the news began with footage of a house in ruins, a house they all recognuized immediately. That was the Saotome dojo in flame.
"Oh my!" Broke the silence, and Genma and Soun both turned their attention away from the Go board to look at them all, the smoke rising from dojo sent the bulky martial artist on alert, his abject fear causing him to rush toward the television. Nabiki turned up the volume and the reporter on-scene's voice echoed in their ears.
"Welcome to the 6 o'clock news, tonight we have a special report. On the outskirts of Minato ward, a terrible crime has been committed. A home gone, with witness reports claiming the sailor senshi responsible. These accounts say that the senshi attacked and destroyed the dojo, engaging in a rather loud and violent struggle that shook the neighborhood. The occupant of the house was said to be home, but no traces can be found other than torn clothing and blood suspected to belong to one Saotome Nodoka. Investigators say that a young man was seen dashing from rooftops moments before emergency teams arrived, in the direction of Nerima ward. Police have yet to file an official report, and we will keep you up to the minute on this apparent betrayel by our nation's greatest heroes. I'm Kaneda Ichiro with Channel 7 news."
The report was devastating, and the entire household was in shock. Their world was swiftly becoming unraveled by the news, and it did not help when the urgent knock at the door came. Kasumi, shaken from her reverie, set herself back into the mask of courtesy and rose to answer the door, receiving another great shock when it was Ranma who she found. It had started to rain, and the normally raven haired young man, was a busty scarlet haired vixen at the moment. The eldest Tendo daughter became frightened at the bundle she carried in her delicate-seeming arms. The care with which she held her burden was all the more convincing of what it contained.
"Kasumi..." The shaken young woman whispered, her voice hoarse from the tears that seems to have mixed with rainwater. "Where's pop?" She managed, albeit after a moment for the sobs to once again wrack her body, expression was gone from her features, she looked hollow. Had Kasumi not been sure to the contrary she would have expected that the young woman was malnourished, but she had eaten just yesterday, and as far as Kasumi knew, there was no way that Auntie Nodoka would allow her child to not eat breakfast this morning.
"Please, Ranma, come in." She ushered him in, calling out to her family urgently. "Everyone, come quick!" She hollered, gaining their attention much faster than usual, as Kasumi never screamed, never raised her voice, was always polite. It took seconds for them all to arrive at the door, where Ranma stood, tears streaming, though they appeared to be slowing.
"Ranma, what is the meaning of this?" Soun asked, his expression horrified at the sight before him. Genma was unable to speak, and could only stare blankly at what he just knew could only be his wife's prone form. His son must have carried her here, but, no. His wife was immeasurably powerful, stronger than he, he knew that, accepted it, she couldn't be gone. Genma felt heat on his cheeks, and when he raised a hand to one, he found it wet.
"No-nodoka?" He managed weakly, using his moist fingertips to point vaguely at the bundle that his son carried. To his utmost horror, though one he knew he had expected, the redhead nodded faintly.
"They, they..." She couldn't continue any further, and began once again to weep, though this time, unlike the wracking sobs, she wept silently, quickly enveloped by a soothing embrace. The eldest Tendo girl, such a blessing. Though it seemed that it wasn't the eldest, and that, totally uncharacteristically, it was the youngest who held Ranma in her arms, making soothing noises in her ear, rocking the smaller girl back and forth. It continued in that way, an entire family stricken silent, Nabiki staring blankly, Kasumi shedding silent tears, and the two men of the house collapsed to their knees. They had both lost someone today, one man had lost his wife, the other could only be reminded of the loss of his own wife. Everyone was silent, the entire house was silent, no sound, nothing.
The next morning brought Ranma out of the nightmare with a firm shock, she rose, gasping and sweat soaked. It was just past dawn, and she felt so incredibly tired. She looked around frantically, she was in the room she used to share with her father at the Tendo home, but what was she doing there? She was staying with her mother this weekend. That was when things began to bleed back into her mind, the fight, her mother's death, her empty return to the Tendo's but from there, everything blurred. One fact that did not escape her was a warm embrace and soft comforting whispers in her ear. Akane... They'd talk later, but for now, all she wanted to do was sulk.
Genma sat in a drunken stupor on the porch, looking dazedly at the Go board, unable to concentrate at all. He wobbled and wept, prompting his long time friend and training partner to rest a caloused hand on his shoulder, reassuring him in a soft tone. It all degenerated from there, the taller man would be in no position to do much anything for some time to come.
Kasumi moved through the kitchen dejectedly, slowly going about her morning routine. Akane and Ranma would be going to school this morning, despite the events from yesterday, Ranma could not afford any more missed days, Akane was going with him for support. As Nabiki had once predicted, without the pressure of the engagement hanging over them, Akane was a great deal less volatile toward him, she had no reason to be. Even if she did believe that boys were a bunch of perverted jerks, Ranma had more than had all the opportunity in the world to trap any one of them in a relationship that would have left them at the tender mercies of any perversions he had. He hadn't, instead, he had gone out of his way to be the complete opposite, he had done things for their family that were not only hazardous, but downright torture. She felt a smile cross her features briefly as that thought came through, but just as quickly it vanished, taken from her by recent events.
Days went by, and the cold emptiness that had settled over the Tendo home remained, Nodoka's funeral was to be that evening. As per custom, a Buddhist funeral was held, the master swordswoman’s remains were passed about in delicate ceremony, and at the end, the Saotome man, and Nodoka’s student sat amidst those offering condolences. Ranma though, did not accept them graciously as his former father did, instead, he burned with a depressed rage. He knew who had taken his mother, and he would make them pay. He gazed upon the urn that sat atop the shrine next to that of Tendo Kimiko, there was no longer a Saotome home to house the shrine. He swore then, his mother’s murderers would pay. That night, the ronin called Ranma fled the Tendo home, resigned to begin his bloody quest. He would start with the scrolls that held the final test, something his mother was planning to guide him through, now he’d have to learn on his own, and learn he would.
Ranma was not the only one horrified and outraged by the actions of the senshi, the Prime Minister called a meeting, and it was decided that the ‘heroines’ of the Minato ward were to be named public enemies. The news the next morning would reach the ears of the citizens of the world simultaneously, and with this, a campaign would be waged. Genma refused to take part in it, he had been injured grievously by the death of his wife. He stated to the man, over the phone, that a young man, a ronin who Nodoka had taken as pupil, would carry the blood feud in his stead.
Tsukino Usagi awoke just as she had the past few nights, a cold sweat coating her skin. She had taken a human life, or at least, aided greatly in taking it. Setsuna had been wrong, none of the evils they had faced, no battle they had fought prepared her for what she felt now. That woman’s face, her son’s anguished cry, it had all taken its toll on her. Here it was, only a handful of days later, and already she could not eat. Something her family noticed. She couldn’t explain to them, she couldn’t find the rationale of it herself, how could she expect her family to understand?
She tucked herself into the fetal position and wept, remembering the meeting yesterday, after the senshi had had time to gather themselves, recover from the battle. Come to terms with their actions.
Flashback
The Hino shrine was by its nature a warm place, but the leaden clouds looming overhead and the lull of the sacred fire detracted from the warmth it lent to the rest of the home and temple. Nine women sat in the young priestess’ room, none comfortable with speaking first. Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, broke the silence with her usual monotonous tone.
“That woman was, what was known in the age of the Silver Millenium, as a Dark Knight. Her very existence was a danger to our world. No matter what comes of this, none of you must ever doubt that she was our enemy, and given enough time, she would’ve destroyed us all.” She spoke with all the correct inflection. She paused and strengthened her tone at all the right places, but they could all see the fanaticism beneath her mask of cool indifference. It was something they had never seen in the hunter tressed woman, a bloodthirst that frightened them.
The meeting ending soon after and the outer senshi excluding Hotaru left the shrine house. The diminuative senshi of Saturn expressed her wish to remain, and stay over with the other girls, haruka was hesitant at first, but she and Michiru acquiesced after a short but intense barrage of puppy-dog eyes. It was only an hour later that the thoughts bubbling in the minds of the teenage girls overflowed causing a break in the girlish giggles and seemingly never-ending argument between Usagi and Rei.
"What should we do? The news is showing us as murderous vigilantes, Setsuna insists that what we did was right, but can any of you say you don't regret what we did?" Usagi asked, a rare moment of clarity showing through the often flighty superheroine. "Setsuna told us this woman was a monster, but did she ever do anything like our enemies in the past have done. She was at home, in a dojo. Something tells me this is all wrong." She confessed in detail, drawing the awed stares from her friends.
Ami was the first to collect her thoughts, gathering them into detail, and beginning her statement. "While her motives seem suspect Usagi, Setsuna has never led us astray. I don't believe she would just tell us randomly to attack someone, there must be precedent. She must not be telling us something." The senshi of Mercury's voice, while worried in tone, had a clinical air, one that was likely the reason for her reputation in school. Ami was always looked upon as cold, though she smiled, others felt her intelligence created a boundary between her and others, or at least, they would if they stopped to wonder why they felt uncomfortable around her.
In tried and true fashion, ever passionate Rei was next to put forward her opinion. "I trust Setsuna, but perhaps a fire reading would help, the Sacred Fire can answer even the most confusing questions. The others nodded in agreement, but even as they began to stand the others one by one piped in their general consensus to Setsuna's conclusions, each moment, Hotaru became more and more nervous. When finally it came to her, the others were shocked to say the least.
"Um, the other day, when all of you had that dream, I didn't want to say anything but I had a dream too..." She paused summoning the nerve to continue, tears welled in violet eyes, threatening to pour forth even as she choked out the rest of her tale. "Everything was dark, and I was Saturn, the old Saturn. She was fighting, I was fighting, there were people everywhere, I was killing them, at first I thought they were soldiers, they were all strong, and had weapons, b-but they started not having weapons, starting getting smaller. Children, mothers and their children. I was murdering them. The soldier men came again, they were all really strong, we heard something, it sounded like Setsuna's voice, telling us to use the Death Reborn Revolution. We followed orders, and then I woke up." Hotaru was crying now, tears of pain and remorse spilling down her porcelain features. The others looked at her in shock, not truly understanding, Rei was deep in her meditation during the entire thing, and so missed it. The inner senshi, plus Hotaru leapt in shock when the flames jumped skyward, the heat intensifying as an image began to form within the wildly flickering flame.
Darkness enveloped the room, swallowing all but the images captured within the blaze of the sacred fire. Blurred edges and flickering permeated the picture, but the scene within cleared in moments, becoming a crystalline display. Foreboding overtook them, and they observed. A dark shrouded man holding high his head was their first glimpse into this ghastly sight. He stood, surrounded by the pretty soldiers, daring them, his awesome might dwarfing their own. It was when things began when they truly became horrified, he seemed to be everywhere at once, a cold and murderous glint in his eyes, which even in the blurred conflict, shone out like beacons. His mouth moved, but no sound other than the crackling of the ancient inferno came to their ears. As quickly as it began it ended, each of the inner senshi dead, their lives taken by fists, the edge of the same crimson blade that he held, or even shockingly, by the same magic they had seen the woman wield. It was only when all her soldiers were dead, that Sailormoon brought forth the strength to fight him, an epic battle for what it was, he would strike again and again at her, and the shield summoned from the crystal weakened as the blows rained against it. Finally, their conflict ended, a sword through the silver princesses heart, while a shard of light pierced his eye. Both fell, and around them, the ruined remains of Tokyo burned.
Shocked gasps issued from the collected sailor soldiers, terrified by what they saw within the sacred fire. Rei's eyes opened as she gasped in air, sucking it down like a drowned woman. Her chest heaved and the tears that refused to spill in her eyes told the story. What they had seen in the fire had been a pale comparison to one such as her, she was more sensitive to the energies surrounding the flame. When she turned to look at them, she was unsurprised that the sacred fire had shown them the same answer it had given her. "I asked what would happen, what we had done, whether it was right, and it answered." She whispered, frantically praying that this fate would be spared them. Usagi was most affected it seemed. She alone had withstood the test of time, she alone remained after every encounter that took the lives of her fellow senshi, when Beryl's minions killed them, she was left alone, when they were cast aside by wiseman, she and Chibi-Usa stood alone against inconceivable odds. She would see her senshi die again, and would only live to die stopping him.
"Is this really how things will be, will he really kill us all? No enemy has had feelings, none of the demons before have had someone to love them, no one had come for revenge." She didn't want to die, moreso, she didn't want her friends to live in fear. Her thoughts, and those of the inner senshi were interupted when the voice of confidence filtered through the room.
"This is what I had been hoping to prevent, the Dark Knights were dangerous, and that was the power of a Dark Knight. I don't know why you had this reading, but perhaps now you will believe me when I say that this threat must be eliminated, for the safety of the future, and the present." On that final note, Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, disappeared with a negligant motion of the Time Key.
Each of the inners was left with a sense of dread, something about this didn't seem right, but then, Setsuna was correct, no matter what, they must proceed forward, he would attack them now, and all they could do was hope that they stopped him before he killed them, and all that they knew. Crystal Tokyo must be preserved.
End Flashback
All had most definitely not ended well, she didn't want to take anyone's life away, never again, it already ate at her conscience, the look on her face as Setsuna's blast caught her, the feeling she received as she watched her own attack inflict the lethal strikes. Tearing into her chest and stomach. She tried in vain to banish that from her mind, tried to push it back and prepare for school, though she did not feel up to attending. It would take too long to convince her mother she was ill, so she trudged to the bathroom, showering only momentarily before dressing and lifting her bag as she left her room. She didn't put her hair up as she usually did, instead gathering the blonde tresses at the nape of her neck. She shambled stoically toward her school, not taking notice of the world around her. Today would not prove a good day, of that, she was sure.
To Be Continued...
A/N: I know it has been a long time since my last update, however, I want to let you all know that I was flooded. You see, I graduated just awhile ago, and so I was busy until very recently. I will be leaving for Portola (obscure Californian town an hour from Reno, NV) for awhile, which might help improve the rate of update, as the last couple chapter were written there. This chapter, and the next might not be to my usual standard, though I'm trying to keep them such, but please, bear with me. One last thing, review, I know it seems all too common to read that word in author's notes, but receiving those seems to revitalize my muse in ways Mountain Dew will never be able to manage.
It was not until late that night, after no answers had been forthcoming, after a dream that woke her in a cold sweat, along with all the other inner senshi, did Usagi realize what had been done. Only then did she realized that she had murdered that boy's mother, taken him from her without provocation. It was in the name of the future, and of the safety of earth, right? She came to understand that they had only seen a tiny bit of what would inevitably come from this. That boy's power was immense, enough to rival even her own when she was at her peak, enough to level the entire planet. What sort of enemy had they made that day? Would he come for revenge? She shuddered as she lifted her body to wash her face clean of the sweat on her brow, feeling the clammy slimy skin of her forehead. The warm water helped her feel better, but when she looked up from the sink, and into her own eyes reflected in the mirror, she saw the haunting fear that she felt. She spoke then words that were repeated many times that night, by several other teenage girls. "Dear god, what have we done."
In Darkness In Fire
By: XZero
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 6 - The Chosen Path
The night surrounding the Tendo home was neither particularly dark, nor stormy, but in the air there was a certain heaviness that hung like a shroud. Even Kasumi sat lethargic in the living room. The news was just coming on, something Nabiki insisted upon watching, something about keeping with current events. The lethargy that kept them still was broken quite suddenly when the news began with footage of a house in ruins, a house they all recognuized immediately. That was the Saotome dojo in flame.
"Oh my!" Broke the silence, and Genma and Soun both turned their attention away from the Go board to look at them all, the smoke rising from dojo sent the bulky martial artist on alert, his abject fear causing him to rush toward the television. Nabiki turned up the volume and the reporter on-scene's voice echoed in their ears.
"Welcome to the 6 o'clock news, tonight we have a special report. On the outskirts of Minato ward, a terrible crime has been committed. A home gone, with witness reports claiming the sailor senshi responsible. These accounts say that the senshi attacked and destroyed the dojo, engaging in a rather loud and violent struggle that shook the neighborhood. The occupant of the house was said to be home, but no traces can be found other than torn clothing and blood suspected to belong to one Saotome Nodoka. Investigators say that a young man was seen dashing from rooftops moments before emergency teams arrived, in the direction of Nerima ward. Police have yet to file an official report, and we will keep you up to the minute on this apparent betrayel by our nation's greatest heroes. I'm Kaneda Ichiro with Channel 7 news."
The report was devastating, and the entire household was in shock. Their world was swiftly becoming unraveled by the news, and it did not help when the urgent knock at the door came. Kasumi, shaken from her reverie, set herself back into the mask of courtesy and rose to answer the door, receiving another great shock when it was Ranma who she found. It had started to rain, and the normally raven haired young man, was a busty scarlet haired vixen at the moment. The eldest Tendo daughter became frightened at the bundle she carried in her delicate-seeming arms. The care with which she held her burden was all the more convincing of what it contained.
"Kasumi..." The shaken young woman whispered, her voice hoarse from the tears that seems to have mixed with rainwater. "Where's pop?" She managed, albeit after a moment for the sobs to once again wrack her body, expression was gone from her features, she looked hollow. Had Kasumi not been sure to the contrary she would have expected that the young woman was malnourished, but she had eaten just yesterday, and as far as Kasumi knew, there was no way that Auntie Nodoka would allow her child to not eat breakfast this morning.
"Please, Ranma, come in." She ushered him in, calling out to her family urgently. "Everyone, come quick!" She hollered, gaining their attention much faster than usual, as Kasumi never screamed, never raised her voice, was always polite. It took seconds for them all to arrive at the door, where Ranma stood, tears streaming, though they appeared to be slowing.
"Ranma, what is the meaning of this?" Soun asked, his expression horrified at the sight before him. Genma was unable to speak, and could only stare blankly at what he just knew could only be his wife's prone form. His son must have carried her here, but, no. His wife was immeasurably powerful, stronger than he, he knew that, accepted it, she couldn't be gone. Genma felt heat on his cheeks, and when he raised a hand to one, he found it wet.
"No-nodoka?" He managed weakly, using his moist fingertips to point vaguely at the bundle that his son carried. To his utmost horror, though one he knew he had expected, the redhead nodded faintly.
"They, they..." She couldn't continue any further, and began once again to weep, though this time, unlike the wracking sobs, she wept silently, quickly enveloped by a soothing embrace. The eldest Tendo girl, such a blessing. Though it seemed that it wasn't the eldest, and that, totally uncharacteristically, it was the youngest who held Ranma in her arms, making soothing noises in her ear, rocking the smaller girl back and forth. It continued in that way, an entire family stricken silent, Nabiki staring blankly, Kasumi shedding silent tears, and the two men of the house collapsed to their knees. They had both lost someone today, one man had lost his wife, the other could only be reminded of the loss of his own wife. Everyone was silent, the entire house was silent, no sound, nothing.
The next morning brought Ranma out of the nightmare with a firm shock, she rose, gasping and sweat soaked. It was just past dawn, and she felt so incredibly tired. She looked around frantically, she was in the room she used to share with her father at the Tendo home, but what was she doing there? She was staying with her mother this weekend. That was when things began to bleed back into her mind, the fight, her mother's death, her empty return to the Tendo's but from there, everything blurred. One fact that did not escape her was a warm embrace and soft comforting whispers in her ear. Akane... They'd talk later, but for now, all she wanted to do was sulk.
Genma sat in a drunken stupor on the porch, looking dazedly at the Go board, unable to concentrate at all. He wobbled and wept, prompting his long time friend and training partner to rest a caloused hand on his shoulder, reassuring him in a soft tone. It all degenerated from there, the taller man would be in no position to do much anything for some time to come.
Kasumi moved through the kitchen dejectedly, slowly going about her morning routine. Akane and Ranma would be going to school this morning, despite the events from yesterday, Ranma could not afford any more missed days, Akane was going with him for support. As Nabiki had once predicted, without the pressure of the engagement hanging over them, Akane was a great deal less volatile toward him, she had no reason to be. Even if she did believe that boys were a bunch of perverted jerks, Ranma had more than had all the opportunity in the world to trap any one of them in a relationship that would have left them at the tender mercies of any perversions he had. He hadn't, instead, he had gone out of his way to be the complete opposite, he had done things for their family that were not only hazardous, but downright torture. She felt a smile cross her features briefly as that thought came through, but just as quickly it vanished, taken from her by recent events.
Days went by, and the cold emptiness that had settled over the Tendo home remained, Nodoka's funeral was to be that evening. As per custom, a Buddhist funeral was held, the master swordswoman’s remains were passed about in delicate ceremony, and at the end, the Saotome man, and Nodoka’s student sat amidst those offering condolences. Ranma though, did not accept them graciously as his former father did, instead, he burned with a depressed rage. He knew who had taken his mother, and he would make them pay. He gazed upon the urn that sat atop the shrine next to that of Tendo Kimiko, there was no longer a Saotome home to house the shrine. He swore then, his mother’s murderers would pay. That night, the ronin called Ranma fled the Tendo home, resigned to begin his bloody quest. He would start with the scrolls that held the final test, something his mother was planning to guide him through, now he’d have to learn on his own, and learn he would.
Ranma was not the only one horrified and outraged by the actions of the senshi, the Prime Minister called a meeting, and it was decided that the ‘heroines’ of the Minato ward were to be named public enemies. The news the next morning would reach the ears of the citizens of the world simultaneously, and with this, a campaign would be waged. Genma refused to take part in it, he had been injured grievously by the death of his wife. He stated to the man, over the phone, that a young man, a ronin who Nodoka had taken as pupil, would carry the blood feud in his stead.
Tsukino Usagi awoke just as she had the past few nights, a cold sweat coating her skin. She had taken a human life, or at least, aided greatly in taking it. Setsuna had been wrong, none of the evils they had faced, no battle they had fought prepared her for what she felt now. That woman’s face, her son’s anguished cry, it had all taken its toll on her. Here it was, only a handful of days later, and already she could not eat. Something her family noticed. She couldn’t explain to them, she couldn’t find the rationale of it herself, how could she expect her family to understand?
She tucked herself into the fetal position and wept, remembering the meeting yesterday, after the senshi had had time to gather themselves, recover from the battle. Come to terms with their actions.
Flashback
The Hino shrine was by its nature a warm place, but the leaden clouds looming overhead and the lull of the sacred fire detracted from the warmth it lent to the rest of the home and temple. Nine women sat in the young priestess’ room, none comfortable with speaking first. Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, broke the silence with her usual monotonous tone.
“That woman was, what was known in the age of the Silver Millenium, as a Dark Knight. Her very existence was a danger to our world. No matter what comes of this, none of you must ever doubt that she was our enemy, and given enough time, she would’ve destroyed us all.” She spoke with all the correct inflection. She paused and strengthened her tone at all the right places, but they could all see the fanaticism beneath her mask of cool indifference. It was something they had never seen in the hunter tressed woman, a bloodthirst that frightened them.
The meeting ending soon after and the outer senshi excluding Hotaru left the shrine house. The diminuative senshi of Saturn expressed her wish to remain, and stay over with the other girls, haruka was hesitant at first, but she and Michiru acquiesced after a short but intense barrage of puppy-dog eyes. It was only an hour later that the thoughts bubbling in the minds of the teenage girls overflowed causing a break in the girlish giggles and seemingly never-ending argument between Usagi and Rei.
"What should we do? The news is showing us as murderous vigilantes, Setsuna insists that what we did was right, but can any of you say you don't regret what we did?" Usagi asked, a rare moment of clarity showing through the often flighty superheroine. "Setsuna told us this woman was a monster, but did she ever do anything like our enemies in the past have done. She was at home, in a dojo. Something tells me this is all wrong." She confessed in detail, drawing the awed stares from her friends.
Ami was the first to collect her thoughts, gathering them into detail, and beginning her statement. "While her motives seem suspect Usagi, Setsuna has never led us astray. I don't believe she would just tell us randomly to attack someone, there must be precedent. She must not be telling us something." The senshi of Mercury's voice, while worried in tone, had a clinical air, one that was likely the reason for her reputation in school. Ami was always looked upon as cold, though she smiled, others felt her intelligence created a boundary between her and others, or at least, they would if they stopped to wonder why they felt uncomfortable around her.
In tried and true fashion, ever passionate Rei was next to put forward her opinion. "I trust Setsuna, but perhaps a fire reading would help, the Sacred Fire can answer even the most confusing questions. The others nodded in agreement, but even as they began to stand the others one by one piped in their general consensus to Setsuna's conclusions, each moment, Hotaru became more and more nervous. When finally it came to her, the others were shocked to say the least.
"Um, the other day, when all of you had that dream, I didn't want to say anything but I had a dream too..." She paused summoning the nerve to continue, tears welled in violet eyes, threatening to pour forth even as she choked out the rest of her tale. "Everything was dark, and I was Saturn, the old Saturn. She was fighting, I was fighting, there were people everywhere, I was killing them, at first I thought they were soldiers, they were all strong, and had weapons, b-but they started not having weapons, starting getting smaller. Children, mothers and their children. I was murdering them. The soldier men came again, they were all really strong, we heard something, it sounded like Setsuna's voice, telling us to use the Death Reborn Revolution. We followed orders, and then I woke up." Hotaru was crying now, tears of pain and remorse spilling down her porcelain features. The others looked at her in shock, not truly understanding, Rei was deep in her meditation during the entire thing, and so missed it. The inner senshi, plus Hotaru leapt in shock when the flames jumped skyward, the heat intensifying as an image began to form within the wildly flickering flame.
Darkness enveloped the room, swallowing all but the images captured within the blaze of the sacred fire. Blurred edges and flickering permeated the picture, but the scene within cleared in moments, becoming a crystalline display. Foreboding overtook them, and they observed. A dark shrouded man holding high his head was their first glimpse into this ghastly sight. He stood, surrounded by the pretty soldiers, daring them, his awesome might dwarfing their own. It was when things began when they truly became horrified, he seemed to be everywhere at once, a cold and murderous glint in his eyes, which even in the blurred conflict, shone out like beacons. His mouth moved, but no sound other than the crackling of the ancient inferno came to their ears. As quickly as it began it ended, each of the inner senshi dead, their lives taken by fists, the edge of the same crimson blade that he held, or even shockingly, by the same magic they had seen the woman wield. It was only when all her soldiers were dead, that Sailormoon brought forth the strength to fight him, an epic battle for what it was, he would strike again and again at her, and the shield summoned from the crystal weakened as the blows rained against it. Finally, their conflict ended, a sword through the silver princesses heart, while a shard of light pierced his eye. Both fell, and around them, the ruined remains of Tokyo burned.
Shocked gasps issued from the collected sailor soldiers, terrified by what they saw within the sacred fire. Rei's eyes opened as she gasped in air, sucking it down like a drowned woman. Her chest heaved and the tears that refused to spill in her eyes told the story. What they had seen in the fire had been a pale comparison to one such as her, she was more sensitive to the energies surrounding the flame. When she turned to look at them, she was unsurprised that the sacred fire had shown them the same answer it had given her. "I asked what would happen, what we had done, whether it was right, and it answered." She whispered, frantically praying that this fate would be spared them. Usagi was most affected it seemed. She alone had withstood the test of time, she alone remained after every encounter that took the lives of her fellow senshi, when Beryl's minions killed them, she was left alone, when they were cast aside by wiseman, she and Chibi-Usa stood alone against inconceivable odds. She would see her senshi die again, and would only live to die stopping him.
"Is this really how things will be, will he really kill us all? No enemy has had feelings, none of the demons before have had someone to love them, no one had come for revenge." She didn't want to die, moreso, she didn't want her friends to live in fear. Her thoughts, and those of the inner senshi were interupted when the voice of confidence filtered through the room.
"This is what I had been hoping to prevent, the Dark Knights were dangerous, and that was the power of a Dark Knight. I don't know why you had this reading, but perhaps now you will believe me when I say that this threat must be eliminated, for the safety of the future, and the present." On that final note, Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, disappeared with a negligant motion of the Time Key.
Each of the inners was left with a sense of dread, something about this didn't seem right, but then, Setsuna was correct, no matter what, they must proceed forward, he would attack them now, and all they could do was hope that they stopped him before he killed them, and all that they knew. Crystal Tokyo must be preserved.
End Flashback
All had most definitely not ended well, she didn't want to take anyone's life away, never again, it already ate at her conscience, the look on her face as Setsuna's blast caught her, the feeling she received as she watched her own attack inflict the lethal strikes. Tearing into her chest and stomach. She tried in vain to banish that from her mind, tried to push it back and prepare for school, though she did not feel up to attending. It would take too long to convince her mother she was ill, so she trudged to the bathroom, showering only momentarily before dressing and lifting her bag as she left her room. She didn't put her hair up as she usually did, instead gathering the blonde tresses at the nape of her neck. She shambled stoically toward her school, not taking notice of the world around her. Today would not prove a good day, of that, she was sure.
To Be Continued...
A/N: I know it has been a long time since my last update, however, I want to let you all know that I was flooded. You see, I graduated just awhile ago, and so I was busy until very recently. I will be leaving for Portola (obscure Californian town an hour from Reno, NV) for awhile, which might help improve the rate of update, as the last couple chapter were written there. This chapter, and the next might not be to my usual standard, though I'm trying to keep them such, but please, bear with me. One last thing, review, I know it seems all too common to read that word in author's notes, but receiving those seems to revitalize my muse in ways Mountain Dew will never be able to manage.