Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Embers of a Flame ❯ The Holy Sword ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: himitsu-no-hi 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.30.2002 | Updated On: 10.30.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 208 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.30.2002 | Updated On: 10.30.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 208 | Status: Work In Progress
The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 6
By Himitsu no Hi
The night had been one of the darkest the Moon Kingdom had ever seen. Not one word was spoken about the curse but it hung over them all like a dark cloud threatening to rain.
The palace was quiet now as its residence slept, lulled to their beds by the wearied exhaustion of panic and fear. Not all slept peacefully however.
The Martian princess tossed and turned in her bed, the soft cover already thrown aside as she struggled with the images in her dreams. Sweat slid down her forehead as her face contorted with fear, she whimpered silently as tears trickled gently down her face...
~~~~
The Martian palace was shadowed by a faintly red hue as Rei hurried through its familiar yet unfamiliar corridors. The sound of her feet on the marbled floors blended with the faint music, which flowed through the air towards her. She stood still for a moment trying to understand what was happening.
"Fire bird!" her mother's voice seemed close by, yet distant as it echoed suddenly from behind her. The raven-haired princess spun around only to find herself in the middle of the Martian forest. The music was louder and more distinctive here; it held an eerie tone with notes that did not quite harmonise. Rei found herself being drawn to the melancholy melody as she moved unwillingly towards its source. Without warning a thin hand took a hold of her arm, dragging Rei roughly into a dim clearing. The grey woman her father had been talking to stood before her now, reaching out to her with long spindly fingers, which began to stretch and entangle around her like the branches of a tree. They wrapped tightly around her throat, pulling tighter still as the Martian princess struggled against them. Gasping for air Rei once again heard her mother's voice calling to her. The gentle sound freed her from the grasp of the woman, before it faded completely along with the graeae herself. The world around the fire princess darkened and she found herself alone.
"Mama?" she called tentatively into the shadows. The sound echoed threateningly around her, growing louder and louder until the ground beneath her began to shake and break away. Falling into the emptiness her hand stretched upwards; calling for the light.
~~~
Rei awoke with a start, her hands grasping at her throat as she gasped for air. Her eyes darted upwards towards the bed she had fallen from, a quiet sigh escaping her lips as she slowly got to her feet. The images of her dream swirled in her mind making her disorientated-what had they meant? The fire princess had thought at first that being able to receive visions of the approaching darkness and future events would be useful...but if they all appeared to her in a distorted bundle of images and colours like this one they would be in fact completely pointless. Steadying herself on the corner of the bedstead Rei padded silently out of the room towards the bathroom.
The cool and soothing water running from the tap helped to still her mind as she splashed it into her face. Sighing softly she turned to the window where she could just make out the tip of Mars' north pole as it rose over the moon kingdom's horizon, a shiver descended her spine as the feelings of the vision returned to her. A heart breaking anxiety gripped her, the sound of the running water slipping into perfect silence, as the fog in her mind cleared a little leaving behind the fragmented images of the terrible grey woman wrapped around the stony figure of her father.
"Fire bird..."
The echo of movement in the hallway brought her senses back to reality drawing her gaze from the window and allowing the sickening feeling to diminish. Rei's mind turned immediately to the moon princess' safety; she hurriedly ceased the running water before throwing herself into the corridor. The dim lighting given by the fiery torches, which lined the marble hallways of the moon palace, gave just enough illumination for Rei to make out the shadowy form stumbling about outside of the Moon princess' bedroom. Pulling back a little way behind a column Rei reached for the Mars henshin pen, which she kept with her at all times. Whispering the special phrase of transformation the small senshi of fire appeared in a whirl of flames. Peeking back into the hallway Mars spotted the shadowy figure again and positioned herself for action,
"Stop right there intruder from the darkness! I sailor Mars will...mmmfph!"
A small hand rushed forward from the shadows, clamping over her mouth, Mars struggled with all her might but found it almost impossible to move. A muffled cry was heard as the shadow backed away holding their hand,
"Mars why'd ya have to go and bite me...man that hurts"
"Jupiter chan?" Mars asked blinking into the darkness until she focused in on the tall form of the Jovian senshi, "ah! Gomen ne I thought you were a monster sent by the dark lady!"
Jupiter nodded and motioned for the fire senshi to be quiet,
"Well I'm not-but I heard a noise from in there" she motioned towards the princess' bedroom, "I hope its not a monster-but if it is...man will it be sorry for coming in here to hurt the princess." Jupiter slammed a fist into her open palm. Mars glanced towards the marble door as another thump sounded from within
"Maybe you're right Jupiter," she said her voice a little shaky, "We better go in..."
"Right...well you first-"
"Na a you were here first, be my guest"
"No really I don't mind at all..."
"You go-"
"No you..."
"Yo-"
THUMP
The two young senshi exchanged a quick glance before they both charged recklessly into the moon princess' room. Neither got very far however as their feet caught on a large soft lump by the door.
"Ouch-Jupiter get your foot out of my face!"
"My foot isn't in your face, your knee is in mine!"
"..."
Four high-pitched screams were quickly followed by a blinding light.
"Venus chan?" "Mars chan!"
"Mercury chan?!" "Jupiter chan!!"
"Senshi by Selene what are you doing here at such an ungodly hour?"
Four slightly blushed faces glanced up to see a rather irate Luna staring down at them; a short silence was followed by a clamour of explanations.
"Okay okay enough enough!" Luna sighed, her cat like odangos drooped on the sides of her head as she rubbed her eyes tiredly,
"Yes well I see your good intentions, but as you can all see the princess is quite safe and..."
"Purr thnur!"
All eyes turned to the moon princess, who sat sleepily in her cot staring wide eyed at the odd scene before her,
"Purr anhuty?" she gurgled blinking at Luna. The senshi glanced worriedly to Serenity and then to Luna-they'd done it now...they'd woken the princess up and if she cried, everyone in the palace would know about it...
Luna however, smiled. Quietly she padded over to the princess' cot and lay the baby back down while cooing softly to her,
"Did your silly senshi wake you up coochy bunny, well don't you worry they wont bother your sleep anymore...that's right shhh, sleepy byes shhh."
The senshi exchanged amused glances -coochy bunny?
Luna however, did not seem in the slightest bit amused as she turned to face them once again,
"Come with me-there is something I want to show you all."
Quietly the princess warriors followed Luna as she led them deep inside the moon palace. Finally stopping their trek in front of a large silvery marble door she turned to face them with a warning stare,
"This room is most sacred be careful what you do in here..."
As Luna finished speaking the large doors slid open behind her to reveal a room that looked as if it were made solely of pure crystal. The walls glistened as if from their own source of light and at a moments notice they would shimmer with the different colours of the rainbow,
"Luna is this the sacred prayer room?" Mercury's soft voice spoke, yet for all it was a whisper, it echoed harmoniously around the room.
"No, only the queen herself is permitted to enter that blessed place- this is I suppose your sacred room, used by the original moon warriors to house the holy sword."
"The holy sword?"
Luna nodded, moving aside she pointed to the glimmering object in the centre of the room. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter moved forward towards the article, which, as they drew nearer they could see, was encased deeply within a stone plinth,
"This sword is the legendary weapon that protects the princess-it belongs now to all of you as it belonged to your ancestors before you. In a time of trouble you must take the sword from the stone and wielding its power restore peace to this kingdom."
The four senshi gathered around the blade, eyes wide in awe.
"Princesses I brought you here because I can see how much you care for the moon princess already - but this sword and this room must remain a secret...none but senshi are to know of its existence or of its power..."
As the four girls nodded in a united understanding and acceptance their eyes met. A silence passed briefly as each reached out for their bond to the others.
"Lets make a pact, we'll promise to always protect our princess no matter what." Venus began, placing her palm onto the hilt of the sword,
"We wont let anyone hurt her, we'll always be there..." Jupiter added, her voice low and determined.
"Her guardians, her warriors...her friends." Mercury continued softly. The three senshi glanced to Mars, who stared at their hands gathered on the hilt of the sword,
"Today, Tomorrow and beyond, for all eternity..."
****
"Ares, dear sweet Ares...there is but 3 weeks until our victory will be complete..." Enyo hissed almost silently as she moved behind the Martian king's chair,
"Harmony's anni..." Ares began, his voice raspy. His usual blue eyes now as grey and lifeless as stone as they stared endlessly into the warm fires of his study. Enyo smiled,
"Yes brother-the perfect time to destroy everything don't you agree?"
Ares remained silent, his hand curled slowly into a fist as a small flicker of blue flashed in his eyes-so tiny it could be mistaken for a brief reflection of the flames...but Enyo saw its true nature. She spun around so that her face confronted his, sitting herself in his lap as her eye swivelled to the right, piercing into his,
"Tell me Ares...tell me why...why she must suffer...tell me!!"
The fire's light reflected upon his face, once again hardening his eyes,
"Harmony banished you from your rightful home, cursing her kingdom and her planet-she made you suffer sweetest sister and...and Sailor Mars...Sai-she murdered Inanna...my Inanna..." The king's voice droned showing no sliver of emotion, barely recognisable to his usually passionate speech. Enyo gently caressed his cheek,
"That's right brother and the anniversary of the great warrior of fire's death will soon be a much great cause for celebration!"
Enyo gently closed Ares' eyes as she pushed herself closer to his chest; her lips reaching out softly touched his. His fist loosened, and his hand slipping from the chair, hung by his side.
Author's Babble:
I hope that all makes sense...I'm known for confusing people when I think that what I'm doing is perfectly understandable!
Any who enjoy- I'll be posting chapter 7 (which is my favourite so far!)straight after this so um happy reading
^. ^;;
H.n.H
By Himitsu no Hi
The night had been one of the darkest the Moon Kingdom had ever seen. Not one word was spoken about the curse but it hung over them all like a dark cloud threatening to rain.
The palace was quiet now as its residence slept, lulled to their beds by the wearied exhaustion of panic and fear. Not all slept peacefully however.
The Martian princess tossed and turned in her bed, the soft cover already thrown aside as she struggled with the images in her dreams. Sweat slid down her forehead as her face contorted with fear, she whimpered silently as tears trickled gently down her face...
~~~~
The Martian palace was shadowed by a faintly red hue as Rei hurried through its familiar yet unfamiliar corridors. The sound of her feet on the marbled floors blended with the faint music, which flowed through the air towards her. She stood still for a moment trying to understand what was happening.
"Fire bird!" her mother's voice seemed close by, yet distant as it echoed suddenly from behind her. The raven-haired princess spun around only to find herself in the middle of the Martian forest. The music was louder and more distinctive here; it held an eerie tone with notes that did not quite harmonise. Rei found herself being drawn to the melancholy melody as she moved unwillingly towards its source. Without warning a thin hand took a hold of her arm, dragging Rei roughly into a dim clearing. The grey woman her father had been talking to stood before her now, reaching out to her with long spindly fingers, which began to stretch and entangle around her like the branches of a tree. They wrapped tightly around her throat, pulling tighter still as the Martian princess struggled against them. Gasping for air Rei once again heard her mother's voice calling to her. The gentle sound freed her from the grasp of the woman, before it faded completely along with the graeae herself. The world around the fire princess darkened and she found herself alone.
"Mama?" she called tentatively into the shadows. The sound echoed threateningly around her, growing louder and louder until the ground beneath her began to shake and break away. Falling into the emptiness her hand stretched upwards; calling for the light.
~~~
Rei awoke with a start, her hands grasping at her throat as she gasped for air. Her eyes darted upwards towards the bed she had fallen from, a quiet sigh escaping her lips as she slowly got to her feet. The images of her dream swirled in her mind making her disorientated-what had they meant? The fire princess had thought at first that being able to receive visions of the approaching darkness and future events would be useful...but if they all appeared to her in a distorted bundle of images and colours like this one they would be in fact completely pointless. Steadying herself on the corner of the bedstead Rei padded silently out of the room towards the bathroom.
The cool and soothing water running from the tap helped to still her mind as she splashed it into her face. Sighing softly she turned to the window where she could just make out the tip of Mars' north pole as it rose over the moon kingdom's horizon, a shiver descended her spine as the feelings of the vision returned to her. A heart breaking anxiety gripped her, the sound of the running water slipping into perfect silence, as the fog in her mind cleared a little leaving behind the fragmented images of the terrible grey woman wrapped around the stony figure of her father.
"Fire bird..."
The echo of movement in the hallway brought her senses back to reality drawing her gaze from the window and allowing the sickening feeling to diminish. Rei's mind turned immediately to the moon princess' safety; she hurriedly ceased the running water before throwing herself into the corridor. The dim lighting given by the fiery torches, which lined the marble hallways of the moon palace, gave just enough illumination for Rei to make out the shadowy form stumbling about outside of the Moon princess' bedroom. Pulling back a little way behind a column Rei reached for the Mars henshin pen, which she kept with her at all times. Whispering the special phrase of transformation the small senshi of fire appeared in a whirl of flames. Peeking back into the hallway Mars spotted the shadowy figure again and positioned herself for action,
"Stop right there intruder from the darkness! I sailor Mars will...mmmfph!"
A small hand rushed forward from the shadows, clamping over her mouth, Mars struggled with all her might but found it almost impossible to move. A muffled cry was heard as the shadow backed away holding their hand,
"Mars why'd ya have to go and bite me...man that hurts"
"Jupiter chan?" Mars asked blinking into the darkness until she focused in on the tall form of the Jovian senshi, "ah! Gomen ne I thought you were a monster sent by the dark lady!"
Jupiter nodded and motioned for the fire senshi to be quiet,
"Well I'm not-but I heard a noise from in there" she motioned towards the princess' bedroom, "I hope its not a monster-but if it is...man will it be sorry for coming in here to hurt the princess." Jupiter slammed a fist into her open palm. Mars glanced towards the marble door as another thump sounded from within
"Maybe you're right Jupiter," she said her voice a little shaky, "We better go in..."
"Right...well you first-"
"Na a you were here first, be my guest"
"No really I don't mind at all..."
"You go-"
"No you..."
"Yo-"
THUMP
The two young senshi exchanged a quick glance before they both charged recklessly into the moon princess' room. Neither got very far however as their feet caught on a large soft lump by the door.
"Ouch-Jupiter get your foot out of my face!"
"My foot isn't in your face, your knee is in mine!"
"..."
Four high-pitched screams were quickly followed by a blinding light.
"Venus chan?" "Mars chan!"
"Mercury chan?!" "Jupiter chan!!"
"Senshi by Selene what are you doing here at such an ungodly hour?"
Four slightly blushed faces glanced up to see a rather irate Luna staring down at them; a short silence was followed by a clamour of explanations.
"Okay okay enough enough!" Luna sighed, her cat like odangos drooped on the sides of her head as she rubbed her eyes tiredly,
"Yes well I see your good intentions, but as you can all see the princess is quite safe and..."
"Purr thnur!"
All eyes turned to the moon princess, who sat sleepily in her cot staring wide eyed at the odd scene before her,
"Purr anhuty?" she gurgled blinking at Luna. The senshi glanced worriedly to Serenity and then to Luna-they'd done it now...they'd woken the princess up and if she cried, everyone in the palace would know about it...
Luna however, smiled. Quietly she padded over to the princess' cot and lay the baby back down while cooing softly to her,
"Did your silly senshi wake you up coochy bunny, well don't you worry they wont bother your sleep anymore...that's right shhh, sleepy byes shhh."
The senshi exchanged amused glances -coochy bunny?
Luna however, did not seem in the slightest bit amused as she turned to face them once again,
"Come with me-there is something I want to show you all."
Quietly the princess warriors followed Luna as she led them deep inside the moon palace. Finally stopping their trek in front of a large silvery marble door she turned to face them with a warning stare,
"This room is most sacred be careful what you do in here..."
As Luna finished speaking the large doors slid open behind her to reveal a room that looked as if it were made solely of pure crystal. The walls glistened as if from their own source of light and at a moments notice they would shimmer with the different colours of the rainbow,
"Luna is this the sacred prayer room?" Mercury's soft voice spoke, yet for all it was a whisper, it echoed harmoniously around the room.
"No, only the queen herself is permitted to enter that blessed place- this is I suppose your sacred room, used by the original moon warriors to house the holy sword."
"The holy sword?"
Luna nodded, moving aside she pointed to the glimmering object in the centre of the room. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter moved forward towards the article, which, as they drew nearer they could see, was encased deeply within a stone plinth,
"This sword is the legendary weapon that protects the princess-it belongs now to all of you as it belonged to your ancestors before you. In a time of trouble you must take the sword from the stone and wielding its power restore peace to this kingdom."
The four senshi gathered around the blade, eyes wide in awe.
"Princesses I brought you here because I can see how much you care for the moon princess already - but this sword and this room must remain a secret...none but senshi are to know of its existence or of its power..."
As the four girls nodded in a united understanding and acceptance their eyes met. A silence passed briefly as each reached out for their bond to the others.
"Lets make a pact, we'll promise to always protect our princess no matter what." Venus began, placing her palm onto the hilt of the sword,
"We wont let anyone hurt her, we'll always be there..." Jupiter added, her voice low and determined.
"Her guardians, her warriors...her friends." Mercury continued softly. The three senshi glanced to Mars, who stared at their hands gathered on the hilt of the sword,
"Today, Tomorrow and beyond, for all eternity..."
****
"Ares, dear sweet Ares...there is but 3 weeks until our victory will be complete..." Enyo hissed almost silently as she moved behind the Martian king's chair,
"Harmony's anni..." Ares began, his voice raspy. His usual blue eyes now as grey and lifeless as stone as they stared endlessly into the warm fires of his study. Enyo smiled,
"Yes brother-the perfect time to destroy everything don't you agree?"
Ares remained silent, his hand curled slowly into a fist as a small flicker of blue flashed in his eyes-so tiny it could be mistaken for a brief reflection of the flames...but Enyo saw its true nature. She spun around so that her face confronted his, sitting herself in his lap as her eye swivelled to the right, piercing into his,
"Tell me Ares...tell me why...why she must suffer...tell me!!"
The fire's light reflected upon his face, once again hardening his eyes,
"Harmony banished you from your rightful home, cursing her kingdom and her planet-she made you suffer sweetest sister and...and Sailor Mars...Sai-she murdered Inanna...my Inanna..." The king's voice droned showing no sliver of emotion, barely recognisable to his usually passionate speech. Enyo gently caressed his cheek,
"That's right brother and the anniversary of the great warrior of fire's death will soon be a much great cause for celebration!"
Enyo gently closed Ares' eyes as she pushed herself closer to his chest; her lips reaching out softly touched his. His fist loosened, and his hand slipping from the chair, hung by his side.
Author's Babble:
I hope that all makes sense...I'm known for confusing people when I think that what I'm doing is perfectly understandable!
Any who enjoy- I'll be posting chapter 7 (which is my favourite so far!)straight after this so um happy reading
^. ^;;
H.n.H