Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Betrayal ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

It wasn't long before we arrived back at our apartment. I remembered this place so well. I spent my first year of high school here. But there was no time to still back and admire the surroundings or the memories they gave.

"Haruka, WHAT'S going on?" Michiru asked, pulling away from me the moment we walked in the door.

"Michiru, listen," I said. "You need to get your transformation pen. Where is it?"

Michiru reached into her pocket and drew forth the little wand. Quickly I grasped the pen and Michiru's hand holding it.

"Listen," I said sternly. "I want you to take this thing, and bury it, burn it, whatever you have to do, just get rid of it."

"W-what?" Michiru stuttered. "Haruka, what are you talking about?"

"Just listen to me!" I said, stronger this time, tightening my grip around her delicate wrist. "I don't have time to explain things."

Michiru winced. "Haruka, that hurts!" she said.

"So," a voice said behind us. "This is a touching scene." My body froze. Tell me I didn't hear that voice. They couldn't have gotten here already. I was almost afraid to turn around. But I couldn't stop myself.

There perched on the open windowsill was Lead Crow. She took a jump into the room, quickly followed by Siren and Nyanko. I positioned myself in front of Michiru.

"Haruka, what's going on?" Michiru asked fearfully. I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to answer her. I didn't want to tell her what I had become, even though now it seemed there was no choice. In one clean movement, I threw off my street clothes, revealing my Sailor uniform underneath. I held out my hand, my Space Sword appearing by my silent command. Those monsters would never get to Michiru. I would protect her with all my life. But Lead Crow only laughed off my threatening pose.

"Oh, put that thing away!" she teased. "Who was it who said earlier she didn't possess the ability to defy Galaxia? Wasn't that you?" She glanced over my shoulder at Michiru, still perplexed and somewhat frightened, but always strong.

"Well? What are you going to do? Are you going to stand here and let her fight alone? Sailor Neptune?"

Michiru glared back at Crow. I saw her fingering the transformation pen in her hand. That incredible fighting spirit within her. She would not back down from a challenge, especially if it was to save me.

"No, don't!" I cried.

"That's it..." said Crow. "If you're a real senshi, you'll transform in front of us." Michiru narrowed her eyes. This was it.

"Neptune Planet Power! Make-up!" I reached out to take the pen away from her, but I was too late. Before my hand I saw the brilliant blue light swallow Michiru's body. I heard the roar of the sea, and then there she stood. Sailor Neptune.

"Michiru, please stand back!" I begged.

"Haruka," said Neptune coolly. "It is not a Sailor's duty to run away when there is a problem. She has sworn to protect those she cares about from danger."

"Michiru, you don't know what you're dealing with!" I yelled. "You can't protect me now! Please get away from here! I don't want... to lose you too!" At those words, Michiru's face fell from its battle-ready gaze, her eyes softened as she took a step towards to me. I gritted my teeth so as not to show the tears.

"Lose me too?" Michiru questioned. "Haruka, what happened?" At that moment, I wanted to tell her. Just break down on her shoulder and tell her everything. About how I abounded my duty, betrayed all my friends, and lost the one person I tried to save for it.

"It's too late for questions, don't you think?" Lead Crow asked. Just then I felt my arms being pulled back from behind me. Nyanko and Siren.

"Let me go!" I snarled, kicking and twisting my body in an attempt to get free. "Just let me go!" I proceeded down a list of every kind of profanity I could think of, but Lead Crow only chuckled as she turned to face Neptune. She held up the bracelets, the green and purple gems glowed with power.

"Show me your Star Seed!" she commanded.

A loud clash, and the golden lights circled the room. Neptune tried to dodge the hit, but she never had a chance. The blow hit her in the back, just like it had Taylor and me.

"Neptune!" I screamed. "Neptune, no!" I felt my heart pierced with the same pain as before. I watched helplessly as a delicate flower opened from Michiru's chest, and inside the flower, a shimmering aqua crystal.

The crystal floated over to Lead Crow who gazed at it greedily.

"A true Star Seed," she said. "Galaxia will be pleased with this. Let's go."

The source of her power gone, Neptune collapsed onto the floor. Slowly, her body began to fade.

"Michiru..." I whispered. The sound of a fading heartbeat echoed in my mind. Then, loudly as my throat would let me scream, I bellowed out, "MICHIRU!" Hysteric and in tears, I began kicking and screaming again.

"Miss Crow!" Siren cried out. "Miss Crow, I don't think I can hold her!"

While Siren cried for help, I continued to struggle with all the strength in me. I was so close, I was almost free. Then something hit me in the head. Hard. It took a minute for the pain to come. For just a moment, the world seemed to darken, and I felt horribly dizzy. I was right after that when my head felt like someone had tried to split it in two. I suppose someone just did. Lead Crow stood to the side while Nyanko and Siren released my arms and I fell onto the floor. I lifted my head to see a somewhat blurry and distorted view of the room. Neptune was still there, but her body was growing so faint, I could see the wall behind her.

"Haruka..." she said weakly, reaching her hand out towards me. "I want you to know... I... I for..." But she couldn't finish. And even if she could, I wouldn't have heard it. The moment Michiru's hand fell and her eyes closed, mine did as well. I could only assume that Crow and Siren had to drag me back to Galaxia's chambers as I laid there unconscious.

It was strange, I thought. After taking one blow of death, I thought I second one would come easier. It didn't. Whatever state of hysteria or depression I was in after I lost Taylor, it was magnified ten-fold after I lost Michiru.

What did I have to live for now? I asked myself the question over and over again, even now as I stood here staring into the rays of the setting sun. Why did I bother to go on? Michiru and Taylor... the two most precious people in the world to me were gone because of my own foolishness. As long as I continued to live in this state, I was a danger to those closest to me. Even to my princess.

The solution to my dilemma seemed simple enough. I would have to kill myself. It shouldn't matter anyway, right? And it would be better this way. My princess would be safe. And I would no longer have to feel this pain in my heart. That was the worst part. The sharp agony of waking up every day to face the fact that I'm responsible for the deaths of two innocent people that I loved dearly. Death seemed a haven in comparison to that. But how to do it? It would have been easy to just drive the blade of the Space Sword right through my chest. That would end everything quickly there, now wouldn't it? But the thought of dying with those cursed bracelets still strapped to my wrists was a haunting future that I could accept. No, if I was going to die, I would do it in defiance of Galaxia. I would strike one last blow against her. I knew I couldn't win against her power. But for the sweet taste of revenge on behalf of Taylor and Michiru, even the smallest injury inflicted on her would be worth it. And then I could die with some sort of peace, by Galaxia removing the bracelets that kept me alive, even though without my Star Seed, I should have been dead.

So went my plan. And now all that remained was to decide how to attack Galaxia. That was why I decided to go to this meeting Lead Crow seemed so intent on hurrying me to.

As I entered Galaxia's throneroom, I saw that Crow, Nyanko, and Siren were already there. Last again. All of them glared angrily at me as I knelt down and waited to be slapped or yelled at for being late. But for some strange reason, I was not the one Galaxia was interested in reprimanding today.

"Aluminum Siren!" she barked out. The timid girl with long sky blue hair stepped forward.

"Y-yes, Madame Galaxia," she stammered.

"Tell me, have you found a true Star Seed for me yet?"

Siren nervously pulled at her fingers.

"N-no, Madame, not quite yet, but you see..." She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence before she fell to the ground by Galaxia's blow. I winced just a bit as I watch the girl hit the floor. Out of all the Sailor Ani-mates, Siren was the only one who had exhibited any kind of compassion towards me. Not that I felt sorry for her. She was there watching Neptune's death just as much as the other two were.

"Please Madame," Siren begged, getting back to her feet. "If you just give me a little more time..."

"More time?" Galaxia asked. "Nyanko brought me the Star Seed of the Uranus princess, and Crow brought the Star Seed of the Neptune princess. Why is it I've yet to see any results from you? Or have you forgotten what became of Sailor Iron Mouse when she failed to show results?" Siren bit her lip and kept a solid gaze on the floor, afraid to speak or even move.

"I think..." Galaxia mused. "That perhaps you've worn out your usefulness."

"What?" Siren gasped. "No... Galaxia please! I promise I can find a Star Seed. Just give me another chance! Please!"

"Please, Madame Galaxia!" echoed Lead Crow. "Siren can do it! I know she can! Just... don't do THAT!" I scoffed as Lead Crow stood and pleaded for her friend's life. There was no way I would feel sympathy for her. I wouldn't let myself. How could Crow take two people's lives with not so much as a tear and yet now she stood there begging so earnestly for Galaxia to spare Siren? It didn't make any sense. And it apparently didn't phase Galaxia either. She merely raised one finger. Siren's wristbands began to let off a soft golden glow.

"No!" she screamed, violently shaking her head. "No, please! Madame Galaxia, no!"

There was not a bit of movement on Galaxia's part. The two bracelets appeared in her hands and just as they did, Siren fell onto the floor, her body quickly fading away. Without Galaxia's power to support her, she was nothing. I turned my face towards the cold ground, unable to watch what would happen next. The memories this scene brought to me were too heavy to bear. All I saw was Neptune laying there as her body grew fainter and fainter, reaching out her hand towards me. Taylor's final scream echoed hauntingly in the ears of my mind. And now Siren had had the same fate bestowed upon her. I couldn't stand it. Not about Siren, but to see another death at Galaxia's hands. How much more could I be expected to take? Of course, Siren was different from Taylor and Michiru. She had already surrendered her life to Galaxia a long time ago. Just like me. And now Galaxia had chosen to take the objects that sustained that life away. In a few moments, the girl had all but vanished completely. I turned sharply and walked out of the room, but I could hear Crow crying, staying at Siren's side until the very end.

A few days later, I decided to talk to Lead Crow. I had no idea what I would say to her. My first thought was to spit in her face. Ask her how it felt to lose someone like that. But then I didn't know if I would have the nerve for those words. Somehow or another, though, I still found myself standing outside Crow's room.

Cautiously, I opened the door and peered in. The girl was sitting there on her bed, her face buried in her palms. Whether she was crying or not, it was impossible to tell.

My hands shook violently as I stepped inside. Strange, a part of wanted to take hold of her and comfort her. To tell her that I understood her pain, everything she was going through. But then another part of myself reminded me that this was the same person who had caused me that pain, and any sympathy I had for her quickly dissipated as I approached her.

"Serves you right," I said coldly as I came up to her side. "I bet Taylor cried for mercy just like Siren did, didn't he? How does it feel to have that pain inflicted on yourself?"

Lead Crow turned to look at me with raging eyes of flame. "Shut up! Just shut up!" she yelled.

"Why should I?!" I screamed back at her. "You took away the two most important people in the world to me! I have nothing left to live for because of you!"

"Nothing left?" Lead Crow asked tauntingly. "Nothing left, huh? How sad for you, Uranus. And to think it might be true... if your knight really had been killed."