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Senshi Kurai
Part 12- "From Out of the Past- The Truth Behind Terra-chan and Everyone Else" [Part A]
Jackie ChiangQuick Copyright notes: This is a fanfic based on Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, an anime/manga created by Takeuchi Naoko. Characters belong to her and all others associated with rights [Toei, Bandai, Kodansha, etc], but the storyline, ideas, and any other characters are created by me. 1997 - Jackie Chiang
*Note: This section should answer most of the mysteries in the series. It was also so *really* long, as I had a lot of questions to answer, that I divided it into two sections (part 12 A, part 13 B).
Neptune raced forward, her Deep Aqua Mirror showing her the way. "Left!" she shouted at Uranus, who immediately did so... and came to a halt.
"Nani?" Saturn asked, almost slamming into Hades, who stopped behind Poseidon.
"What the..." Uranus took out her Space Sword.
In front of them was the end of the pipe maze, which led into a... forest?
"It's an illusion," Poseidon said, her tone flat. "And a very good one, too good. The Senshi Kurai must have combined their powers to create it, just for us."
"But a very dangerous illusion," Hades murmured. "Nothing part of the illusion can hurt us, but anything that's real and is hiding there can."
"Damn..." Uranus swore.
"Can't turn back," Neptune said, seeing that the entrance to the pipe maze had disappeared.
"Well, let's do it," Saturn said, Silence Glaive in hand.
"Hai," Hades said, her Chronos Staff ready, and Poseidon's Trident was posed for battle as well.
They ran through the forest, sinking deeper and deeper into the dense greenery.
"I don't like this," Poseidon murmured. "It's too quiet..."
Uranus nodded, but continued running forward. Suddenly she slipped, yelling, falling down a sheer cliff that appeared out of nowhere.
"URANUS!" Neptune screamed, grabbing hold of her hand. (Reminds you of Sailor Stars and S)
Poseidon, Hades, and Saturn all pulled Neptune, who pulled Uranus up. Gasping, Uranus looked down into the endless pit that she had almost fallen into. Neptune knelt down, giving Uranus a hug.
"Don't ever do that to me again," she whispered softly to her partner. Uranus nodded in response.
Luna, who had gone with that group, peered over the edge of the pit. "That was too close," she said.
"The trouble's just begun..." Hades said, her eyes straining to across the pit to see tens of glowing eyes peering at them, watching them.
"We're being surrounded," Saturn said, and Poseidon turned to see that more eyes were watching them from behind them. Waiting.
"What are they waiting for?" Neptune asked.
A dark shriek pierced the air. The eyes fitted to bodies that became visible. Black bodied creatures, with dark red eyes, dark red hair. All of them were laughing, dangerous, hysterical, low laughs.
"Shadow Crystallies," Hades said.
The shadow crystallies moved forward slowly, savoring their soon-to-be-won triumph.
"Dead Scream..." Pluto whispered, destroying the Shadow Crystallies in her path.
"Sunaru Heaven Fall!" Sunaru said, killing off more of the fiends with her Heaven Sword.
"Proministic Flaming Solar Kiss!" Sun yelled, and her katanas' attack cleared the path. Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, and Cronus ran by, and the others followed.
"They just keep coming," Sun muttered as she ran. "Damn, it's a trap."
They ran up the mountain of illusion, being chased by more crystallies.
"Cronus Tranquillity Slash!" Cronus screamed, sharp blades of purple light breaking the monsters that were in midair above Sailor Moon.
The Shadow Crystallies continued their pursuit, and the Senshi continued to run upwards, reaching nowhere, just trying to escape.
Sailor Moon tripped, falling onto her side, her body scraped by sharp rocks on the path.
"Usako!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled. Just then shadows appeared over Sailor Moon, and lept on top of her.
"Sailor Moon!" the others screamed.
"Aphrodite Hatred Arrow!" a voice called in the distance. Flying orange arrows pierced the crystallies, shattering them.
"Ares Destruction Flare!" a second one called, flaming blasts of fire shooting out, destroying the last of the crystallies.
"Nani?" Sunaru looked up. "That can't be-?"
Two girls floated in the air above them, regarding them seriously.
"Aphrodite! Ares!" Cronus exclaimed.
"I'm warning you," Sunaru said softly, "we won't go back willingly..."
"We don't want you to come back," Ares said quickly, her eyes intense. "We need your help!"
"What? You need our help?" Sun said, her voice dubious.
Aphrodite nodded. "Look, we haven't much time. Pretty soon Beryl will realize that we aren't there anymore..."
"Beryl!" Moon gasped, growing extremely pale. Artemis, who was in this group, stood in front of Moon protectively.
"Hai," Ares answered, waving her hand impatiently. "She's taken over our Princess. Please, we need you to help us!"
"Hecate?!" Sunaru and Cronus yelled.
"Hai! You have to help us! Please! Hecate and your friends' lives depend on you!"
"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Tuxedo Kamen asked suspiciously.
"Aphrodite never lies!" Cronus snapped angrily. Her eyes were swirling with worry and anxiety. "Besides, we don't have any other choice. Either we help them, or die here!"
Pluto nodded. "Cronus is right. It's our only chance to free our friends."
Aphrodite sighed with relief. "Arigato," she said, passing her hand over the others, and in a flash they disappeared.
"Zeus Lightning Strike!" A green flash of lightning struck the Crystallies that were about to stab the unprepared Uranus.
"Hermes Energy Plague!" The blue mist absorbed the Crystallies that Hades and Saturn were fighting off.
"Zeus! Hermes!" Poseidon exclaimed as she saw the two Senshi Kurai behind them. "Why are you helping us?"
"Poseidon, Hades," Hermes said, her voice choked and hurried, "if you still care for Hecate, you must come with us now!"
"Nani?" Poseidon said. "Hecate? What's happened to her?!"
Hades was similarly pale with worry.
"She's been possessed," Zeus said quickly, her eyes frantic, "by Beryl! We thought that Beryl was dead but apparently she's not and we don't know what to do but we have to save her and we have to save your friends but we can't without your help since it's your spell on the cell and-"
"ZEUS! CALM DOWN!" Uranus snapped, exasperated with the girl's incoherent babblings.
Poseidon and Hades nodded. "We must go with them."
"Wait, what if it's a trap?" Luna asked. "They could be lying."
Hades shook her dark green head. "No, Zeus never babbles or has hysterical breakdowns unless it's for real."
Zeus nodded. "Hai, she's right, please, please, please help us or else we'll all die and we can't let that happen and we can't let that witch take over your planet and we've been so blind and oh! I'm going on again!"
Uranus waved her hand, signaling Zeus to stop. "Motormouth, stop! We'll help!"
"We really have no choice," Neptune said slowly. "Even if this is a trap, it's the only way to get out of this illusion."
"Hai," Poseidon agreed, admiring her sister's intellectual reasoning.
"Good," Hermes said, and murmuring under her breath, she let out a cloud of blue mist, and they all vanished.
"Sunaru!" Poseidon exclaimed.
"Cronus!" Saturn said.
Everyone quickly reemerged into one group. The Senshi Kurai were watching the reunion worriedly. Once everyone was settled, they looked around. They were in a large room with walls and turns everywhere, like a maze.
"Where is this place?" Pluto asked.
"This is the dungeon maze," Aphrodite said. "I know it doesn't look like a dungeon, but it is. The Inner Senshi's cell is down this way. We must hurry!"
Running down the passages, the Senshi Kurai led the way. Finally they came upon a large, open area, with a single door in the middle of the wall directly in front of them.
"There it is!" Hermes said. "Poseidon, we need you to release your spell on it now-"
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a voice interrupted smoothly.
"Nani?"
A man came from out of the shadows, his blue eyes fixated on them, swirling hypnotically. He had pale, white hair, and he wore white armor. In his hand was a sword made of crystal.
"Who are you?" Zeus demanded angrily. "What are you doing here? No one knows how to get here but us!"
"Ah, but you're wrong there, Princess Zeus," he said, smiling coldly. "Apparently I do, or I would not be here, would I?"
"What do you want?" Sun snapped.
"Just my share of revenge," the man remarked casually.
"Nani? We don't even know you!" Cronus bit out.
"Not you, Princess Cronus," he said. "Endymion." He pointed his sword at Tuxedo Kamen. The sword vibrated, and Tuxedo Kamen turned into his prince form, Prince Endymion.
The senshi and the cats all gasped.
Endymion had an odd, intense look on his face as he stared at the man. The face was extraordinarily similar to his own... "Chi... Chikyuu?!" he said.
Chikyuu smiled. "So you do remember. Good. Our sister did do something useful for once." He smirked at the exclamations on his 'our sister' part. Looking at them, he said with deliberate carefulness: "Didn't you know? I'm Prince Chikyuu, Prince Endymion's twin brother!"
"It can't be!" Sailor Moon said, nearly fainting. Uranus and Neptune caught her before she hit the ground.
"Brother?" Luna asked. "Endymion had a brother?!"
"Chikyuu?" Endymion repeated, confused. "But... you're dead! You died a long time ago... in the kingdom on Earth!"
"Poor older brother, always the one everyone loved, always the oh-so-wonderful heir... Never really knew what happened to me, did you? You and father and Athena couldn't even bother to search for me, could you?" His voice was infuriated. "Never even attempted to come find me... No matter... I saved myself, and then I went to the Moon Kingdom. Of course, you couldn't stop then. Oh no, it wasn't enough that everyone worshipped you, that all the girls always liked you better. You just had to have the one girl I really love fall in love with you! But it doesn't pertain any longer... I have no feelings for her anymore, and I only serve only master, Queen Beryl."
"Beryl? What's she done with Hecate?" Poseidon demanded.
Chikyuu shrugged. "Who cares? When I'm done with Endymion, it won't matter what happens anymore."
"You're not going to get the Prince," Uranus snarled. "Space Sword Blaster!"
Laughing, Chikyuu deflected the attack with his sword. "Did I forget to mention that my Crystal Sword absorbs any transferred magic attacks? No? Oh well." He leapt up, and brought his sword down upon Endymion.
Endymion already had his sword though, and it saved him from having his head taken off.
"Prince!" Saturn said. "Saturn Silence Shot!" The ball of energy was, true to Chikyuu's word, absorbed by the Crystal Sword.
Meanwhile, Endymion took advantage of the momentary weakness and kicked his brother in the chest. Chikyuu went flying across the room.
"Gaia!" Chikyuu snapped after hitting the wall. "Take care of those pesky Sailor Senshi!"
Gaia materialized in front of Chikyuu, her eyes blank, then flashing red. She smiled a grotesque smile of pure evil.
"Terra-chan!" Sailor Moon gasped, recognizing the girl immediately. "She's Gaia?"
Gaia responded by throwing out her right hand, a wave of black energy causing the Senshi and the cats to be thrown against the walls of the area. Only the Senshi Kurai, Saturn, Moon, Endymion, and Poseidon remained up, the others on the ground. However, Chikyuu and Endymion started battling again, leaving the six girls against Gaia.
"Terra-chan!" Saturn pleaded. "Don't do this! Don't you remember us?"
"Terra?" Gaia asked, tilting her head to one side. "Who's that?" She let out another wave of energy, and Zeus, Hermes, and Ares were on the ground.
"Terra-chan! Stop!" Moon yelled out, tears running down her face.
Gaia laughed, and with a final motion, swept the rest of the Senshi to the floor.
"Usako!" Endymion cried, seeing Sailor Moon hit a wall, falling down.
Chikyuu knocked the sword out of his hands and tripped his brother to the ground. "Now, Endymion, you will die... Like you should have before, for stealing Hecate from me!"
He drew back his sword and thrust it towards Endymion's chest.
"MATTE!"
Chikyuu was flung away from Endymion, the sword clattering to the floor harmlessly.
Gaia stared at her hand in shock. "Why did I do that?" she whispered. She fell to her knees, holding her head with both hands.
"Terra-chan?" Moon whispered softly. Looking into Gaia's eyes, she saw Terra, not an enemy.
"Usagi-chan?" Gaia looked up, confused. "What's happening?"
Her eyes flashed red again, and she groaned, holding her hand to her head, gasping.
"Terra!" the others cried out.
"What's going on? What's happening?" Gaia shrieked to herself, hitting her hand on the stone floor. "What's wrong with me?"
"Terra..." a voice whispered softly. "Terra..."
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Gaia screamed, her eyes wide, her face terrified. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
While the Senshi were watching this scene, Chikyuu moaned, reviving. Looking up, he shook his white head, then moved over to get his sword. Reaching for it, he slowly stood up. His body hurt all over, but he must complete his revenge...
Gaia looked up, and she saw Chikyuu with his sword behind Endymion, who was watching her.
"NO!" Gaia screamed. "Get away from there!" From out of nowhere, a yellow rose appeared in her hand and she flung it towards Chikyuu, and it entered his armor. He dropped the sword and fell again, though not mortally wounded.
"A yellow rose...?" Hades whispered. "Sailor Earth?"
Gaia was crying, in pained confusion. "Why won't anyone help me?" she screamed. An odd yellow symbol appeared on her forehead, a circle with two perpendicular, intersecting lines in the middle.
"The symbol of Earth!" Artemis said, waggling his tail around.
From the four sections of the symbol came four separate yellow balls of light that floated up away from Gaia. Gaia fell on her side, having fainted. The four balls landed in front of her unconscious body, forming the figures of four girls...
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