Sailormoon Zodiac: #17 - Hakken II / The Second Revelation By: Janelle J. (janelle@sailormoon-millennia.net) Official Webpage: http://www.sailormoon-millennia.net/ "Lady Leo, we have never heard of this Estrella you speak of." Aries said finally. "What do you mean? How...but..." Cancer stammered. How could this be? Estrella seemed to know everything that Cancer knew--legends, mythologies, politics of the Golden Millennium--as well as things Cancer didn't know. Cancer had taken it all for granted and simply assumed that Estrella was once an Oracle, somehow trapped into the body of an animal. She was not one to question authority. "Scorpio, you do not have memories of such a person, correct? You were a member of the Queen's personal guard, do you remember such a person?" Pisces asked, her patience seeming to waver slightly. Shikami was silent for a moment; she had never really given it much thought, but now that Estrella's identity was being questioned... "No." she said finally, "The name is not familiar." "But...who was that then?" Leo whispered, suddenly struck with fear and an intense feeling of betrayal. Who or what had she let into her home and trusted? * * * * "She has gone too far." Arseniru shouted as he tore about his room, tossing over chairs and tables, sending bottles flying. "What are you crying about!" he demanded of the girl in the corner who was sobbing uncontrollably. "Get out of my sight!" he ordered. The girl whimpered and slowly slid towards the exit. "I said, get the hell out of my sight!" he shouted and threw a glass figurine at her head. It barely missed and shattered against the wall, inches from the poor maiden's head. This time she scurried out of the room like a frightened animal. "How dare she..." he muttered coldly as he crushed one of the perfume bottles on his bed-side table in his hands. "How dare Leadan tell her about us..." he growled. Scorpia's vicious words ran through his head, '...no one *cares* about you. Your own parents abandoned you and left you for dead and if it weren't for your brother, you'd be some nameless corpse in the slave cemetery of Kuroi right now.' 'Left me for dead!' Arseniru brought his fists to his head, tearing at his red hair brain was flooded with images he and Leadan had spent many hours trying to erase. Blood. Chains. 'I hope the money was worth it, you disgusting animals.' Mother and father, burning in their home. 'I took care of them, brother. They can't ever hurt us again.' "She has gone too far." Arseniru whispered to himself as he felt a strange calm wash over him. He smirked slightly at the reflection of himself in the mirror and wiped off the blood that the maiden had left when he bit into her kiss. He smiled a twisted smile as he readjusted his collar, "I'll show her what its like to be a slave. I'll break her completely, mind and body." * * * * "Come on, Usa-chan..." Hotaru called to the tall girl with long pink odango trailing behind her. "Which door is it, Hotaru-chan?" the girl asked as the two stopped between two doors. One a large wooden door with brass bolts and hinges, the other made of sleek brushed aluminum. "Sailorpluto said it was the seventh door in this corridor, so this one must be it." Hotaru said as she pointed to the wooden door. She took a deep breath as she grabbed the door handle, "Are you ready to see the past, Usa-chan?" "You know I love seeing my mom in her sillier days." the pink haired girl said with a wink, "And I'd also really like to see Aunt Michiru and Uncle Haruka again." she added seriously. The two girls nodded to one another and clasped one another's hands as they opened the door and stepped forward... * * * * "We Zodiac Senshi control the powers of the Zodiac, the band of stars that encircles the Sacred Star, Earth." Pisces explained, "It is why we have more power than you Sailor Senshi." Pisces added, her voice did not sound as though she were boasting, simply stating facts. "However, even all of our power combined cannot compare to the power of the Golden Key. It has as much power as every Senshi in the Universe. It has the power to let the user shift through time, space, and reality." Aries explained. "What a powerful weapon..." Leo murmured. "Wait!" Venus exclaimed and held up her hand, "For us non-geniuses out here. Let me get this straight, some strange person woke all the Zodiac Senshi up and tried to get them to find the Golden Key...the Zodiac Senshi were misled by an imposter talking cat," Venus repeated, "And now you're saying that there's even *more* Senshi out there? How many more?" "Not that many more, actually." Pisces answered, "Senshi were created during the Golden Millennium and spread all over the Universe. But many planets and galaxies have been destroyed in wars since then. We cannot know how many other Senshi still exist. Perhaps less than a dozen." "Yes, as captain of the Black Star Galaxy's army, I came across many Senshi. Needless to say, many planets lost their Senshi when they lost to us." Shikami replied as various eyebrows were raised, "Naturally, that means only the most powerful of Senshi still exist. They're usually evil, too. After all, truly good Senshi don't want to do the treacherous things necessary to survive. I've heard of an unbeatable snake-headed demon Senshi in the Aurora Galaxy. On the planet of Star, they say she holds the crystal of Pure Evil. Anyone who's tried to take it has been destroyed." Shikami said as she thought back to her days conquering planets, and how the Army had retreated from that lonely planet guarded by the wicked Sailorstar. "Oh, and of course, there is still Tenebrae--but she cannot be destroyed." she added slowly. "Tenebrae?" Sailormercury repeated, the way Shikami said it sounded as though Shikami were afraid that saying it too loudly would cause something to happen. "Is that a Sailor Senshi?" "Goddess Tenebrae Lilith...she still lives?" Cancer whispered as if she was horrified. She turned to the others, "The Bringer and Keeper of Darkness. She is one of the most powerful Senshi--no, she is not a Sailor Senshi." "She is beyond a mere Sailor Senshi, that's why she's referred to as Goddess. Well, I suppose she might be. She's the sister of Caelestis Evia, after all. The myths say that Tenebrae Lilith was the First. A mistake." Aries replied cryptically. "Yes, after the Golden Millennium was destroyed, she came and ruled the Sol System briefly...but then came the Light of the Silver Millennium." Shikami replied, "Naturally, she was chased away. But she returned when it was destroyed, but don't worry she's been asleep ever since the Silver Millennium self-destructed." "What?" the Sailor Senshi repeated, practically in unison. "It was destroyed by the Dark Kingdom. It did not 'self-destruct.'" Jupiter said factually. "Don't be absurd. The Dark Kingdom was too weak and insignificant. The Silver Millennium was destroyed from within." she paused and then continued coolly, "Stop giving me those looks. It should make you feel better the Silver Millennium wasn't destroyed because of *your* lack of ability, but because it was touched by the Dark." "Please, please, let’s move on..." Aries said as she held up her hand to stop what might have escalated into a verbal battle. "Two Empires destroyed...it seems like there must be a connection." Sailormercury whispered, "Please tell us more about the Golden Millennium, you say that all Senshi were created then. Do you mean that we were as well? Who created them, Queen Selestia?" she asked, recalling the strange being who spoke to them and berated Sailoruranus. "No, you were not created during the Golden Millennium, frankly, I have no idea where you came from." Aries replied, "But the Senshi were not created by Queen Selestia, she didn't have the power to bestow such gifts upon people. Instead, the entities chose people worthy to have the powers of the Universe." "What are you saying?" Jupiter questioned, "Are you saying that we are not worthy? That we were not chosen for the duty?" "Please, calm down." Pisces said with a sigh, "We do not know how you came to existence. Less than a hundred Senshi were created during the Golden Millennium and to our knowledge no more have been created--the powers have simply been passed from one generation to the next. If it makes you feel better, before the Invaders of the Future came, we mainly babysat for Queen Selestia's daughters. I would not call delivering love letters from Princess Solana or searching for Selenity's missing kittens our 'chosen duty.'" "Did you say...Selenity?" Mercury whispered. Sailormoon paled instantly, "Yes. I did. She was the second of Queen Selestia's daughters." "Princess Selenity...no, Queen Selenity, was Sailormoon's mother in the Silver Millennium." Sailormercury said breathlessly. "It cannot be, it must be a coincidence..." Pisces said as she glanced towards Aries for an answer that Aries did not have. "You cannot be the daughter of Selenity, how could it be possible? It’s been thousands of years, surely the Line has ended." Aries murmured. "All of Selestia's daughters had brilliant blue eyes. Like yours, yes. Most importantly, they each had a royal marking to represent their inheritance from their mother. Solana had the Royal Golden Sun, Stella the Eternal Blue Star, and Selenity the Protector White Moon." Cancer replied, but as she stared at Sailormoon she felt a sort of familiarity that she could not explain. Sailormoon gasped at Cancer's words, her knees fell weak and she collapsed to the ground. "It’s impossible..." Sailorvenus whispered, "Can it really be? The Golden Millennium was Queen Selenity's home?" Sailormoon shook her head and brought her hands to her brooch, pulling it off its ribbon and raising it above her head. A warm light spilled out of the Silver Crystal, bathing Sailormoon in its radiance. Her fringed white skirt grew to her ankles, the sleeves of her dress reappeared, her collar and choker both disappeared. Finally, the tiara over her forehead disappeared to reveal the royal marking: the Protector White Moon. "My god..." Cancer whispered as her hand flew to her mouth, she instantly dropped to her knee before Princess Serenity. "Princess Selenity's daughter, it really is. Forgive me." Aries whispered as she lowered her eyes respectfully. "Please stand. I couldn't have you bow before me." Princess Serenity urged. "So...we, in a sense, are your protectors." Sagittarius said, her body filling with excitement. The recent events made the mystique of the Golden Millennium into something much more believable than it had been before. "But *we're* her protectors!" Venus exclaimed defensively, anxious that their roles might be taken from them. "Yes, you are. We are, were, the protector of her mother so in a sense we must also protect her daughter. I understand now." Virgo said as she nodded, "This is what I conclude may have happened: When the Golden Millennium was destroyed by the Black Star Army, the sisters must have escaped. Someone must have helped Princess Selenity stay in this galaxy..." "And then Prince--Queen Selenity established the Moon Kingdom which inevitably became the Silver Millennium." Sailormercury finished as she nodded along with Virgo. "Yes, it fits together perfectly. Then Queen Selenity had a daughter named Princess Serenity, whom we protected during the Silver Millennium. Then the Dark Kingdom attacked and Queen Serenity sent us to the future using the Silver Crystal, and we were reborn as the Sailor Senshi. It must be similar to what your Queen Selestia did for you." Mercury nodded. "All this time we were fighting one another when we were really on the same team." Sailormoon said with a heavy sigh, "So many losses for nothing." "I'm... I'm sorry for all the harm we've done to you." Leo said, her brilliant blue eyes staring at the ground. "We...were led astray." She then straightened her back, her eyes sharp once more. Aquarius could not help but smile slightly at Leo's insufferable pride. "Don't worry, we forgive you. It wasn't your fault, you were just trying to follow your duty." Sailormoon said somewhat brightly. She could not forget the loss of Hotaru, but she could not hate them for being tricked. There had already been too much lost in the name of hatred, jealousy, vengeance and anger. How many lives had been disrupted, how many friendships tested? It had to stop. "Besides, we're all on the same team, really." "I am Hino Rei." Sailormars said speaking up, "Already known to you all as the Senshi of the Flame, Sailormars." she added. Sailorleo's eyes widened as she stared at Mars with a mixed look of surprise, horror, disbelief, and slight amusement. All this time, her Senshi rival was also her real life rival. She wondered how Rei would react when she discovered that Sailorleo was really Jessica Taylor. "My name is Mizuno Ami." Mercury said with a polite and proper bow from the waist, "It's nice to meet you." she added with a blush, "I am the Senshi of Water, Sailormercury." With those words Sailoraquarius looked taken aback as she stared at the girl, 'Mizuno Ami? My classmate?' "Uh, and I'm Kino Makoto." Jupiter said as she tucked her arm behind her head and scratched uncomfortably, "I'm Sailorjupiter." "I am Aino Minako, the lovely and powerful Sailor V." Venus said with a grin, "The V is for Victory and Venus." she added with a grin. "And I'm Tsukino Usagi, Sailormoon." Princess Serenity said with a warm smiled. "I'm glad we can all be friends now." "We're friends now, huh? Nice to know." said a familiar masculine voice. "Sailoruranus!" the Sailor Senshi exclaimed in unison as they turned and saw the three familiar figures of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto...and two other figures. One tall, dressed in a sailor suit. She had pointed pink odango and red eyes. Her sailor suit had a pink skirt and pink boots, the tiara held a pink moon in the center. The other figure was an older girl, pale with deep violet eyes and black hair, long and past her knees. Her sleeves were fringed, yet clear. Her bows were long, backed with translucent fabric. In the center of her bow was a pink, rose-shaped crystal. In her right hand was the menacing Silence Glaive. It was obvious who these two girls where, Chibimoon and Sailorsaturn, but their aged appearances reminded the Sailor Senshi of two frightening villainesses: Black Lady and Mistress 9. "Chibiusa-chan? Is that you?" Sailormoon asked in surprise. "Well, they stopped calling me Chibiusa-chan when I turned sixteen, Usagi-chan." the girl replied, "They call me Usa-chan, instead. Chiba Usagi. But since I'm in uniform; I'm the Senshi of Love and Justice, Neo Sailormoon!" Usa-chan exclaimed as she smiled and did a small pose. "NEO Sailormoon?!" the five Inner Senshi exclaimed in unison. It was certainly turning out to be a day full of surprises and revelations." "And you...Sailorsaturn, how?" Mercury whispered. "Usa-chan sent for me from the future. She said she missed me, to my surprise when I was taken there she was much older, sixteen in fact. As for myself, I asked Neo-Queen Selenity to make me older. She then gave me new powers, and I got this new Sailorfuku from her as well." she said with brightness. She seemed like a freer soul now, happier. "I love happy reunions." Sailortaurus said with an admiring smile as she looked at the Senshi. She then looked hesitant as she gave a glance to Leo, who stepped forward without another word. "I am Sailorleo, the Senshi of the Fire Lion, Jessica Taylor." Leo began slowly as she held her hand out to Sailormoon for a handshake, her bright blue eyes fixed on Sailormars who looked shocked. "I am Sailorsagittarius, Senshi of the Lightning Arrow, Zan Tien-Lei." Sagittarius said. "I'm the Senshi of Rain and Mists, Sailoraquarius. Nakayama Ameko, I go to school with you guys..." Aquarius said as she turned to the Sailor Senshi and bowed shyly. "I'm Senshi of the Trembling Earth, Sailorcapricorn, Joanna McMahon.” Capricorn replied. "Hayashino Mihana, Sailor Taurus, Senshi of Nature." Taurus said with a bow, "Nice to meet you." "I'm...Natalia Koorino, Sailorgemini--" "Oh my...god... Niko-chan is a Sailor Senshi?!" Venus shrieked as she stared at Gemini, shocked that she was unable to recognize her idol previously. Gemini smiled sympathetically, but looked a little uncomfortable by the hysteria. "Umm...I'm the Senshi of Gravity, Sailor Virgo, Haato Tenshi...” Virgo said quietly, embarrassed to have to interrupt Venus' near hyperventilation. "I am Sailorscorpio. I suppose you can call me Shikami." Shikami said offhandedly. "I am the Senshi of the Wind, Sailorcancer, Kazemori Hikari." Cancer said, emphasizing her newly chosen surname. "You already...” Aries began, "Know who we are...” Pisces finished. "That's cute; they finish one another's sentences." Uranus smirked, "Princess, you'll have to fill us in on what the hell just happened here later." "Sailor Senshi and the Zodiac Senshi as partners. Who would have thought that would ever happen?" Leo asked with a slight smile. "I can't believe I go to school with the Sailor Senshi." Aquarius murmured in awe, "Before I became a Senshi, I followed everything you did in the newspapers. You guys are, like, celebrities." * * * * "So, what do we have to do?" Sailormercury asked after the discussion had degraded to talk of various fighting techniques and powers. "Oh, yes. Well, we need to travel to the Black Star Galaxy so we can stop them before they can invade the Golden Millennium." Sailoraries replied matter-of-factly. "You say it like its easy." Sailorleo said with a slight roll of her eyes. "The difficulty won't be traveling there, but fighting." Shikami replied, "Arseniru must be destroyed, as well as Princess Lithia and Princess Sulfiria." "Wait, who are they?" Capricorn asked, barely able to keep all the royalty in her head straight. "And what do they want, I mean, other than the Golden Key. I mean, why?" "They want the Golden Key to give their mother ultimate power in the Universe, and more importantly, a human body." she began, Venus was about to open her mouth to question when Shikami continued, "She's an entity, perhaps you'd prefer the term 'goddess'? They have no form, no shape." "Like Queen Metallia and Master Pharaoh 90..." Sailormercury whispered. "Yes. Hydraja has been experimenting with creating life. She succeeded and created Sulfiria and Lithia, which are in essence more her than they are daughters. But she has been unable to put all her mind into a human body. That's why she wants the Golden Key." "Why would a goddess want to become a human?" Jupiter asked. "Humans are sacred to entities." Shikami responded, her voice filled with surprise. She thought everyone knew of entities, it stunned her that people on the Sacred Star did not understand them at all. "They cannot feel, they cannot touch, they cannot hear, see, or even understand emotion. In many ways, they're jealous. They want to directly affect human lives, but they cannot. So they must take the form of a human. It surprises me that you don't know this. The Sacred Star is protected by hundreds and hundreds of entities. More than a dozen humans created directly from the gods have lived on Earth." "Where does the Golden Millennium tie into this, Scorpio?" Cancer asked, changing the subject. "I don't know. It was never in our plans to go into the past and attack." Shikami said, "I was unaware we had the ability to travel in time. However, this could have been a secret mission." "What about Crystal Tokyo?" Sailormoon asked suddenly, realizing she had the perfect person to ask about it standing by her. "Huh? What about Crystal Tokyo?" Neo Sailormoon asked, her red eyes full of confusion. "Hasn't it been destroyed? Haven't I been murdered?" Sailormoon asked. "No...." Neo Sailormoon said slowly, analyzing Sailormoon's words. She was afraid of saying anything which might reveal the future, but she also had no idea what Sailormoon was talking about. "I don't understand this... How can the future be saved when we haven't destroyed the Black Star Army? Didn't Sailorcharon say we had to destroy the ones who destroyed the Golden Millennium to save them?" Sailormars asked. "Perhaps...because we are so close to defeating them, that the future has been altered so that doesn't happen." Sailorcancer suggested. "Well, that's certainly a nice thought." Mercury nodded, "But something isn't sitting right with me here." she said with a sigh, there was so much information to sort out--even for her. "All will be well as soon as we stop the Invaders from the Future." Pisces said firmly. "Well, I'm ready." Uranus said, she looked ready to fight. "Let's Sailor Teleport there. Sailorscorpio, can you lead the way?" Sailormoon asked. "I have a better idea..." Shikami said as she stood up and stepped away from the group, she traced a large circle in the air next to her and a misty red portal appeared before them. "You've been able to get to the Black Star Galaxy this entire time?" Sailorleo asked in bewilderment, "Then why didn't we go sooner?" she demanded. "It’s not a damn toy that I can play with. The proper time was important, I didn't want us to go when we were unprepared--remember how many times Arseniru has almost killed us?" Shikami asked as she crossed her arms and gave Leo and annoyed look. She then turned to the others, "You must enter this portal one at a time. I can't go in or it will close. Be prepared in case something attacks you." she said. "Very comforting." Uranus said dryly as she stared inside the portal warily. She stepped into the portal first, Neptune followed quickly. One by one, the two newly united teams left Earth and entered the unknown. * * * * The sky was a strange crimson color; it reminded Capricorn of visiting her grandmother in Australia during the brush-fire season. It was beautiful, but haunting. The landscape was jagged, rocky. From their high position, they could see little farms and tiny towns dotting the valley. It was unlike what Capricorn had expected an alien planet to be like--she was half expecting nanotechnology and robots with lasers. This was much quainter, more akin to medieval England than anything else. "So this is the Black Star Galaxy..." Sailormoon said as she looked around, a small furry creature crawled over her boot and hid under a rubbery looking shrub. "Specifically, we are on Planet Kuroi, at the base of the Black Mountain. The Castle is a citadel that was carved out of the mountain and extends above it." Scorpio, who had transformed before she entered the portal, pointed to the windows and gargoyles which had been carved from the rock. "I expected this place to feel more....evil." Mars whispered as she looked around, granted she didn't feel like this place had a good energy about it, but it was a far cry from the places they had been before. "The Black Star Galaxy as a whole is not an evil group." Scorpio defended, "Most planets that we conquer have benefited from it." "We?" Sailorleo asked as she raised her eyebrows. "Somehow I doubt the people from conquered planets feel the same way you do." Sailormars muttered. Scorpio ignored the comments and peered over the ledge, she eyed the two figures on horseback guarding the back entrance to the Palace. They rode sickeningly green skeletal horses and wore glowing plate mail. Underneath the visors of the glowing helms, two pairs of glowing red eyes watched the area for trespassers. "Death Knights..." Scorpio whispered. "They are not difficult to destroy. The Black Star Galaxy has few enemies and even fewer who'd dare invade Kuroi. The Death Knights are to fight rebellious humans; the Captains are the ones who fight the more powerful--like us." "Humans? There are humans here?" Virgo asked, Mercury also looked up in surprise. Scorpio threw them an annoyed glance, "Of course! What do you think we all are?" she shook her head, clearly people from the Sacred Star did not keep up with the history of the Universe--despite being so integral to it. "Nevermind that, let's go." Uranus said as she glanced at Neptune and Pluto who both nodded at her. "World Shaking!" "Deep Submerge!" "Dead...Scream..." they said in unison directing the triple attack at the Knight closest to them. The Knight was knocked off the green animal which vanished. The Knight charged towards the Sailor Senshi, "Shining Aqua Illusion!" Sailormercury shouted, the icy water hit the Knight and it froze. "Crescent BEAM!" Sailorvenus said and directed the laser towards the frozen Knight which shattered on impact. A dark spirit rose from the fragments and screamed at the Sailor Senshi, floating back into the castle. "Gravity Crush!" Virgo shouted, the ball of white energy flew towards the Death Knight. The plate mail shattered and the spirit floated upwards, screaming on its way to the castle. "That wasn't so bad." Gemini whispered as she looked down at the now clear gateway. "What do we do next, Scorpio?" she asked. There was silence. "Scorpio?" By now Scorpio's highly uncharacteristic silence attracted the attention of all the Senshi who had been focused on destroying the Death Knights. They saw nothing, no Scorpio, nothing. It was Venus who saw a shining object and bent down to pick it up: Sailorscorpio's crushed tiara. * * * * "They're in. How could you let them infiltrate the Palace? Why weren't they killed beforehand?" Sulfiria demanded. "Don't worry, my Princess. I have captured Scorpia. Without her help, the Senshi will never survive the labyrinth." Arseniru said with a smile. "Oh, yes, the labyrinth..." she said as she settled back into her throne. Lithia's eyes brightened as she slid off her throne and slinked over to Arseniru, touching his face gently. She stared at the man who stood beside Arseniru and locked her eyes onto his grey, "Do what you will with Lady Scorpia, and by all means, make sure *he* sees." she smirked. The grey-haired man remained silent, his face showing no emotion. "We have a mission for you." Sulfiria replied as she reached down and picked up a shard of glass which Lithia had lazily dropped. "You are to win Scorpia back. No matter what Selestia did to her, nothing can erase the thousands of years of loyalty and memories she has of the Black Star Galaxy, memories of you." she said as she squeezed the shard between her pale white fingers. It pierced her skin and blood dripped down the shard, but she didn’t flinch. She hurled the shard into the sky, the shard captured a shadow which materialized near the sharp tip. The glass lengthened into a sharp dagger, a shadow for a handle. "If you cannot win her over. Kill her with this. This body tires me, and her form is one I really wouldn't mind having." she added with a twisted smirk. "As I'm sure Arseniru wouldn't mind having either." she added with a lascivious smirk. "Consider this your punishment for using Methania to betray us." Lithia added, "Either bring Scorpia back or kill her, or I assure you we will do something so horrific to her that for the next thousand years she'll wish you had killed her. Do you understand?" "Yes, My Princess." the grey-haired man said, his jaw clenched. He turned to leave the throne room when he was stopped by Sulfiria, "Oh, and Leadan, don't fail us this time." Arseniru smirked as he watched his brother leave the throne room, "There was no point in threatening Leadan with hurting Scorpia, my Princess." Arseniru said with a wicked smile. "Really and why is that?" Lithia asked. "Because, my Princess," Arseniru began with a vicious smile, "Leadan has lost all his emotions."