Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Princess Mercury: her past and her promise ❯ The temple of Dark Moon ( Chapter 1 )

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Chapter Two
The Temple of Dark Moon


"Lucky spell, lucky spell I ask of you Sailor Mercury - what do you see?"

The kanji on the paper in Rei's hand flared red as she chanted.

Artemis and Luna watched as Rei began her divination.

The remaining three Sailor Scouts were scouring the city for Amy at that very moment.

Rei however had opted to find her through arcane means.

The two intellectual cats waited to see the outcome of Rei's divination.

The kanji flared as bright as flame as the spell reached its peak.

Then it happened. The parchment burst into fire.

Rei cried out and dropped the burning mass into a dish of water in front of her.

The incense burners flickered violently as the cats realised that Rei was breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Luna asked after a while.

"I took too long and the parchment expended itself." Rei panted.

"Well? What did you find out about Amy?"

"Sadly" said Rei. "Nothing. Something got in my way. Either Amy is very far away from here or...someone doesn't want us to find her."

Artemis shook his head slowly in disbelief.

Oh man...

~*~*~

"I'm leaving now." Amy's voice was flat. "You're not going to get away with this."

Merula did not answer her. The brown eyed girl simply continued to gaze unnervingly at her across the table with that enigmatic smile on her face.

"Never come after me again." Amy went on as if only to defy the passive silence. "I have friends and you'll regret this."

"Amy" Merula's voice contained something strange which struck Amy. "Don't try to rally against your destiny. It can't be done."

Amy's eyes narrowed.

She had no idea what her hostess meant but she did not care.

Amy spread her arms.

Her voice with its accent was as clear as polished ice.

"Mercury Star Power! Make Up!"

Amy had uttered these words many a time in the past.

After the destruction of the Moon Kingdom she had been sent to this planet along with her fellow Scouts and the Moon Princess.

For a while her true memories had been lost and she had lived as an ordinary girl.

It had only been while she had been caught in between a battle between Sailor Moon and a warrior from the Negaverse that had placed her jeopardy that Amy had once again become Sailor Mercury.

But now...

Something was wrong.

The power of Mercury which had begun to rise within her was retreating.

As she glanced at the Transformation Pen in her hand Amy gave a gasp as she saw that the blue light of Mercury in it was fading into nothing! She was losing her power.

Amy had failed to become Sailor Mercury.

She dropped her arms as Merula spoke.

"Come along Amy. Do you really think I'd be sitting here casually chatting to you about the weather if you were free to power up?"

From her sleeve she drew a blue crystal rose. As she held it up the light caught it causing Amy to wince in shock.

"Recognize this?"

Amy felt strangely woozy as she looked into the sea-blue depths of the rose.

Yes...

There was a strange familiarity about the rose in Merula's hand.

Looking at it Amy was positive that it should mean something to her.

She just couldn't think what.

Then she felt IT.

The power.

Something was coming. The like of which she had never felt before.

A small ball of light danced in through the wall as if it were an illusion. Amy watched as the light stopped in mid-air.

It began to increase in size.

Soon it stood as tall as a pillar a feet taller than Amy and began to fade into colour and take shape.

A humanoid form was materialising in the room.

~*~*~

He cried out sharply.

Fargo had been draped lounging against a wall his head down minding his own business in the shade with his eyes narrowed.

Then he had felt a incredible presence.

A power he had never thought he would experience again.

All the hairs on his head...no all the hairs on his very body had stood on end as the sensation spread through his body.

The power of this presence could only belong to HIM.

Fargo's tense eyes were now almost serene.

He began to prepare himself to set off in the direction of the power source.

He knew that it was time.

~*~*~


The newcomer gave a sinister smile.

Amy was the target of his smile and she shuddered. The stranger was a boy a few years older than her, rich blonde hair fell to his shoulders. His eyes were golden and seemed to glow in the dullness of the room.

A sense of foreboding crept over Amy.

Those eyes.

Those terrible eyes.

He stepped forward to her.

Instinctively she stepped back.

A hand was placed on her back and pushed her back. Merula had gotten up and walked up behind Amy without her noticing.

"Thank you for bringing Sailor Mercury to me Merula." the newcomer's voice was light but had a strange compelling quality which could not be denied.

"Have I done well?" Merula pushed Amy closer.

Her breasts were touching the stranger's broad chest now.

"Yes."

He turned his gold eyes back to Amy's blue.

A tremor went through her as those eyes glimmered at her.

She had no idea who he was but in that moment Amy knew something for sure.

She hated and was terrified by those eyes and it seemed to her that she had been for longer than she realised...

"Beauty that could break a thousand hearts." he said more to himself than her. "What yonder dove greets my eye?"

"Stay way from me!" Amy cried but she knew it was useless though.

He ignored that as he raised a black gloved hand.

As Amy watched a pink dust appeared and began to turn over and over in his palm.

Then the powder sprayed into her face causing her to breathe sharply and inhale it.

A dizziness struck Amy and as she collapsed into his arms she realised what was so strange about his eyes.

They had no pupils.

~*~*~

People were gathering in the streets below to see what was causing the commotion.

An arc of blue light soared in a straight line through the sky. It left a trail of blue energy behind it.

Fargo was in flight surrounded by the aura of flight as he blazed his way towards his destination.

The total lack of solidity around him.

The feeling of the wind in his hair.

He hadn't flown in a long time and it felt good to be in the air again rather than crawling around on the ground.

Fargo had not felt so free in a long time.

Then his eyes narrowed as he increased his speed.

He realised that he must not forget the urgency of what was happening.

He had made a vow long long ago and he took it very seriously.

~*~*~

The temple of Dark Moon had lain in silence and gloom since being abandoned countless eons ago.

Until now.

Now the incense burners had been rekindled and once more blazed to light the darkness of the altar chamber.

The flames illuminated the great stained glass window on the ceiling.

Pure white beamed down to the vast hall below for the image it depicted was of a full moon.

One side of the moon was milk-white and the other a foul black.

On the altar of cold hard stone there lay a slender form.

Amy now wearing an elegant yet flimsy silk night-gown. Her delicate hands were lain across her chest as if in prayer.

Her eye-lids closed as the fact that she was still alive was shown only by her shallow breathing.

Amy was still under the power of the sleeping spell.

Merula stood before the altar of Dark Moon now in ceremonial dress.

The blonde-haired teenager who had bewitched Amy stood over her sleeping form.

The torch-light did not so much illuminate his face but to fore-shadow it. Outline its hard features.

His eyes glowed deeply.

"Ages ago the Moon Kingdom was brought to an end by the power of the Dark Queen." he spoke at last. "In the eleventh hour Queen Serenity asked me for my help in saving the lives of the chosen ones. I agreed with her request to send the Sailor Scouts and Prince Darien to Earth at a price. Serenity was unwilling to agree to what I asked of her but the significant one made the decision. So it was that the Sailor Scouts and Prince Darien were sent to Earth moments before the Moon Kingdom was wiped out by the Dark Queen and Serenity lost her own life defending her kingdom to the end. Much has come to pass since that fateful day. The Dark Queen made an attempt to take over the Earth but she and her generals were crushed by the Scouts and Darien. Now that all has been completed I have decided to claim my payment for saving the lives of Darien and the Sailor Scouts."

Merula had been growing bored of this.

All she wanted was her agreed reward for bringing Amy to him. "Now to settle what remains."

Mu took the crystal rose Merula had used to block Amy's power the day before.

It flashed and became clear in the fire-light.

A spiral of blue-light flowed from the rose and down to Amy.

The spiral entered her womb and dark-blue light began to flow up through the spiral and into the rose. A few droplets of blue dripped from the rose and into a vial in Mu's hand.

Then it ended.

The light faded away and Amy was left lying on the altar...somewhat changed.

Mu put away the rose and passed the vial to Merula who took it eagerly.

Then the world exploded.

Well not literally.

The altar-chamber filled with a red-blaze of light as a large section of the wall was blasted in.

The temperature shot up.

The smoke cleared away to reveal a red-haired figure standing in the massive whole that had once been the wall.

Fargo stared in at the scene within.

He had been able to tell from the various power out-puts what had just happened.

Looking across he saw that Amy seemed perfectly safe and unharmed.

But he knew that he had already failed in a way.

Well it can't be helped, he thought, I can't quit because things aren't how I want them to be. I have no choice but to go forth.

Lowering his hand and allowing his energy to go down, Fargo addressed Mu.

"I'm taking her out of here. Stand aside Mu....NOW."

His initial surprise passed and Mu sneered.

"So you're still shuffling around this mortal coil. A problem I think I'll rectify right now."

As Mu reached into his pocket Fargo closed his eyes and began to power up.

Obviously Mu did not intend to tackle him personally. That was heartening since from what Fargo had sensed so far Mu's power was even greater than ever so he had not been relishing the thought of taking him head-on.

Mu chuckled as he drew out four black pearls.

"Serenity always enjoyed using children to do her work." he threw the pearls into the air where they spread out.

All four of them landed on all of Fargo' sides and exploded on contact with the ground.

A thick cloud of smoke filled the chamber stinging his eyes.

Not that it worried him.

Four figures had materialised in the chamber. Skeletons carrying bronze shields and scimitars now stood surrounding him.

"Get a load of MY kids!" Mu laughed mockingly as the skeletal warriors surrounded Fargo who licked his lips.

~*~*~

Rei cried out in fear.

Something terrible had stole over her as she has sat, her eyes closed, in a trance.

She was trembling and had broken into a cold sweat.

"Death...." she whispered, her voice wavering.

~*~*~

"Y'know from another point of view a skeleton wielding a sword may be considered funny."

"Aha! The ox bellows!" Mu taunted him.

A screech of metal striking metal echoed throughout the chamber.

Sparks burst as the scimitars clashed missing their mark as Fargo launched himself straight up into the air.

Fargo turned in mid-air with uncanny agility and landed on the top of one of the skeletons shields where he balanced.

He back-flipped over the scimitar which went for his back and instead it went straight through the head of the warrior whose shield he had 'borrowed' shattering it completely.

Fargo landed on the back of the attacking skeleton and held on.

A third warrior thrusted it's shield straight at his back with a speed that would have broken it.

"Care for a quick spin?" Fargo asked the skeleton he was holding and at the last minute he swung the skeleton around to take his place and let go of it.

There was a crash and the second skeleton's frame fell to the ground battered beyond repair.

"Whoops. Guess that guy was afraid of flying. Two down." Fargo addressed the last two of undead. "Pretty inconvenient seeing as I really need to scratch the back of my foot right now."

Mu watched growing increasingly concerned.

Meanwhile Merula had slipped out of the temple carrying the vial of blue.

The blue which contained the essence of Mercury.

With two skeletal warriors on both sides Fargo realised that it was time to come out of the closet.

As his inner-power rose the aura of flight surrounded him as he rose into the air.

His eyes became pure white and lightning crackled between his fingers.

"LIGHT OF DEATH!" Fargo screamed, his voice waking the echoes of the temple.

The light gathering on his finger-tip burst as the energy was released.

A spiralling beam of energy shot down to the floor. The skeleton on the right was the first to go. It's bones were blackened and reduced to a pile of dust on the floor.

Turning his cupped hands a little to the left Fargo changed the direction of the beam.

The sole surviving skeleton was unable to avoid the path of the beam of destructive energy and was disintegrated on the spot.

Breathing heavily Fargo dropped back down to the floor, the threat averted.

The Light of Death had really cost him more energy than he could afford but he had had to end the fight quickly in case Mu made off with Amy.

A glance at the altar satisfied him that Amy still later there in magically induced slumber.

With narrow eyes he fixed gazes with Mu.

The blonde villain stood with his arms folded and seemed quite unconcerned by the young warriors show of power.

"Fargo you haven't changed a bit. Serenity made a wise decision in choosing you when she could have chosen one more worthy of her trust."

"What are you going to do?" Fargo asked ignoring the taunt which made his hackles rise.

"Well right now? I'm leaving." Mu twinkled his fingers at him as a farewell gesture. "We both know I could crush you with a flick of my finger. However it would hardly do to endanger the lady." Mu's eyes glowed deeply. "I take my leave of you now. I'll leave Amy in your hands but I will return for her one day very soon. Remember Fargo...Emperor Mu always takes what is owed to him."

Mu's body began to glow and became a pillar of light which shrank down into a sphere of ethereal energy.

Fargo watched glaring coldly as the ball floated across the hall and disappeared through a wall. Then he turned attention to Amy who lay in slumber as if nothing had happened.

His breath quickened. She was as beautiful as always. He had not seen her for several centuries after the fall of the Moon Kingdom but the one and only time he had met her before now he had been struck by her pure and innocent loveliness.

Perhaps that had been why he had been so willing to accept Queen Serenity's offer.

But there was no time for this now.

Fargo picked up Amy's sleeping form in his arms and began to carry her out of the temple.

~*~*~

Something was wrong.

Fargo was half-way across the moonlit field when he realised that Amy was not sleeping naturally.

He laid her gently down in the grass and inspected her.

Amy's breathing was shallow but there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her.

Fargo still found it hard to believe that she had stayed asleep throughout all that had happened in the Temple of Dark Moon.

Then he remembered that the people from Mu's time had possessed incredible gifts including sorcery.

Amy must be under the influence of a spell of some kind.

He thought the problem over in his mind.

A portion of his energy might be enough to awaken her.

But how to transfer it into her...

Then he had it.

A tingle spread through his body and not only because he had begun to raise his energy.

Placing his right hand beneath Amy's head Fargo knelt down beside her and lowered his head over her own.

He closed his eyes as he found her lips to be tingly and pleasant.

His body started to glow a violet light as the energy travelled through his body and into Amy's. Amy's eye-lids fluttered as she sighed deeply.

Fargo's hands were trembling as he released her and Amy got up and looked around as if in a dream rather than having just come out of one.

Fargo's heart kicked the side of his ribs.

In the moonlight Amy's blue eyes and hair shone making her seem like a goddess.

Amy had noticed how cold the breeze was and was staring at her flimsy night-gown.

The last thing she was able to remember was a stranger with rich gold hair and eyes.

She'd noticed Fargo by now and looked to him for an explanation.

"Amy." Fargo decided to save the explanation for later. "We are in great danger here. Come with me and I'll explain everything you want to know." he offered her his hand. "But for now just please...trust me?"

Amy blinked.

Here I am standing in the middle of a field at midnight, semi-naked and a weird boy asks me to trust him? she thought.

But something told her that the strange boy's intentions were good and true.

She couldn't understand where this strange assurance came from but it felt as if she should go with her feelings.

She extended her hand.

"I trust you." Amy answered. "Yes I trust you."