Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Bringer of Silence ❯ Senshi of Death ( Chapter 3 )

Author's Notes: Thanks for being patient with me, guys! You're reviews are what convinced me to continue this story, let alone post it on ff.net. Thank you all! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last few!

Note: I also forgot to change everything in the earlier chapters.

Chapter 3 ~ Senshi of Death

~3rd person~

Cho bowed to Queen Serenity, a smile on her face. She hadn't seen her dear friend for ages. And Serenity had brought her daughter as well! The young Serenity was gorgeous, even more beautiful than her mother.

"Cho, please, no titles today. I would simply like to be Selenity," the Lunarian queen requested.

"Very well, my friend. But what shall I call your daughter?" Cho asked.

The young princess smiled softly and said, "You may call me Serenity, if you like, your majesty."

"Only if you call me Cho. I insist."

The princess beamed with happiness. She glanced to the two young men standing on either side of Cho.

"These are my sons, Taro and Kiyoshi. They will be showing you around the palace, Serenity," Cho told her, smiling.

"Shall we, majesty?" Taro asked, extending his arm to the young princess.

Serenity blushed and looked behind her where the senshi stood, their expressions stony.

"What of the senshi?" she questioned.

"They can join us, if they like," Kiyoshi said, his voice quiet.

The senshi of Venus looked at Kiyoshi and, without the slightest trace of the joy that she was known for, said, "Serenity goes nowhere without at least one of us. We shall join them, won't we, girls?"

The other three nodded silently.

"Let's go, then," Taro muttered.

"Be careful Serenity," Selenity warned, hugging her daughter. "Stay with them."

"I will, Mama," Serenity replied before joining the group. They left the room, heading towards the gardens.

~*~

"And this is the wing that our chambers are located in."

Taro's strong yet quiet voice echoed gently in the empty corridor. He gestured toward his room, his brother's room, and their mother's room.

Serenity, who was at the front of the group with the two brothers, looked ahead of them. At the end of the hallway was a door.

Gesturing towards the elegantly carved door, Serenity inquired, "Whose room is that?"

Taro and Kiyoshi's eyes widened in fear. As Serenity stepped forward to investigate, Kiyoshi vanished and reappeared before the door. He outstretched his arms.

"Come no further!" he cried, his chest heaving.

Serenity's eyes widened in surprise and hurt. Jupiter noticed the pain in her eyes and yelled, "Don't you dare raise your voice at her!"

"Hush!" Taro hissed. Then, he whispered, "Be quiet! We'll explain in the library!"

The senshi glared at the brothers. Taro saw the shame in Serenity's eyes and sighed, "It's alright, Princess. Kiyoshi and I are protective of... oh dear. We'll explain in a moment. Please, follow us to the library."

~*~

"So, why did you disrespect our princes?" Mercury's quiet voice was stern and controlled, as though she was trying to hold her anger.

<At least she is not staring daggars at us,> Taro thought.

"We are terribly sorry, your highness," Kiyoshi whispered.

"Yes, Princess, we are sorry. You did not know, but we shall explain," Taro said. "18 years ago, when I was 4 years old, my mother gave birth to a child," Taro explained.

"Kiyoshi?" Serenity whispered.

"No, I was 2," Kiyoshi told her.

"Our mother gave birth to a girl. Our sister. All the prophets had premonitions about her. And they turned out to be true. Our sister is a senshi, Princess, but one that can never awaken," Taro explained. His voice was heavy with anger and pain.

"Why?" Serenity asked. None of the senshi offered Taro any assistance, although they already knew of his sister's story and heritage.

"She is the Senshi of Death. The Soldier of Silence, highness," Kiyoshi muttered.

"'Senshi of Death'? I don't understand. What does that mean?" Serenity asked, her voice full of bewilderment.

"There is a senshi for every planet in our solar system, highness, and Saturn is no exception. The Senshi of Death is the wielder of the blade of Hades, the Silence Glaive. She alone has the power to end the world. Should the Silence Glaive ever be dropped, our world would end. Our sister was given that power before her birth," Taro whispered, his voice holding a hint of bitterness.

"When our sister was born, the queens of every planet decided to break an age-old law. The law that Selenity I made. The law against Eternal Slumber. Our sister was put into the Eternal Slumber, never to awaken. That room is her chamber, where she sleeps. Where she is as good as dead."

Serenity's eyes were shining with tears as she threw her arms around Taro and Kiyoshi, hugging the two brothers. The senshi stiffened but did not protest.

"Oh, that's horrible! Forgive me! I did not mean to bring back all that pain! How absolutely terrible! I am so sorry, please forgive me!" Serenity's voice was no longer quiet. Her cries turned to sobs, the sobs that Taro and Kiyoshi no longer allowed themselves to have.

"It's alright, highness. Hugh, there's no reason to be sorry. All is forgiven. It's all right..." Kiyoshi was the one this time to comfort the princess.

<Hotaru...> Taro thought, <would you be like these senshi? So cold and indifferent? Or would you be caring and gentle? Would the gods have cursed you with not only the Gliave, but with stony expressions and unbreakable silence? Or ar these senshi just as you were thought to be? Cold so that they could not befriend those who threaten their princess? Are they truly this cold? Would you have been like this? Hotaru...>

~*~

"Mercury, wake up. Mercury! Oh, Ami, please, wake up!"

Mercury's blue eyes opened slowly, and she determined that the girl waking her was Sailor Mars.

"What is it, Rei?" Mercury whispered. "Is something wrong?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I cannot rest knowing that the Senshi of Death sleeps just down the hall. I need to see this so-called 'Soldier of Silence' for myself. Won't you come along?" Mars asked.

"Why do you wish for me to accompany you?" Mercury inquired.

"Who knows what might be guarding her? I want some back-up, but 2 of us must stay with Serenity," Mars whispered.

"And I am not the strongest. I understand, Mars, and no offense is taken. You are simply putting the princess ahead of everything, as you should. If something should happen, I would not be as able to protect Serenity as Jupiter or Venus. Let us hurry, however; I'd prefer not to be caught."

Mars nodded, and the two girls slipped out of the chamber they were in, leaving the other two senshi behind.

They crept down the hall making no noise. They turned into the royal family's hall, staring at the door directly ahead of them. There wasn't a guard in sight.

"Why would they need a guard?" Mercury asked softly. "Everyone is afraid of the Senshi of Death."

Mars nodded, and the two jumped up silently. They landed half way down the hall without a sound. They repeated the jump, landing silently on either side of the door.

"Do you think there is a spell on the door? Or something that would alarm the guards?" Mars questioned.

"No, Kiyoshi would not have been so protective if there was," Mercury replied.

Mars grasped the brass doorknob and turned it slowly, pushing the door open.

The room was completely dark, and the two senshi were rendered blind.

"Mars, a fireball, if you please?" Mercury requested.

Mars drew her hands to her right side, and a small, glowing orb of fire-energy appeared in her hands. She lifted her hand to light the room like a torch.

The room was still fairly dark. Decorated in dark purples, lavenders, and black, it was no surprise that the room had been otherwise dark. The drapes were closed, hiding the moon from view.

The bed was large for such a small girl. She lay beneath a thin blanket, her skin nearly alabaster next to the dark colors of the room. Her hair was fanner out beneath her, her long, thick eyelashes blended together. She was beautiful.

<But deadly,> Mars reminded herself. This senshi could kill them all.

"Let us go, Mars, before someone comes," Mercury muttered.

They left then, and were never caught.