Full Moon written by: Gina Biggs (aka bunny aka haruka) site: http://secondlight.animehunters.com/ contact: secondlight@animehunters.com date completed: Sep. 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode 06 - Attack on the Crystal World! The Return to Tokyo Three warriors kneeled before a large obsidian throne. A dark mist swirled about them on the cool glass floor. Tucked deep in the shadows of the room there was another presence. Had you not have been searching you would never have known she was there. The shadowy figure raised her hand in the air and opal lanterns began to emit a dim glow, slightly lighting her features. The woman's pale, lavender hair reached well beyond the length of her body and trailed on the floor behind her as she walked. She was adorned in a decorated sheer blue dress that glittered slightly even in the dim lighting. The warriors admired her, but made certain to keep their eyes averted from hers. "Tell me," the woman's cold voice echoed, "what news have you brought me, my Kuroihono'o Senshi?" The first of the three kneeling warriors stood. His eyes were barren of feeling but were very sharp. His deep, cool voice sent shivers down the others' spines. "Opalite-sama, Commander Rhodonite has successfully taken the Lotan System. Sailor Leviathan's light and all her stars were forever silenced." The empress nodded in satisfaction before she motioned for the second warrior to stand. He was younger than his comrade, with gentler features. His black bangs swayed from his eyes as he turned to attention. "Commander Tektites, how did you fair?" the empress questioned. "Sailor Gagana of the Booyan Star Cluster was also silenced." Again, a satisfied nod came from the woman. She turned her eyes to the last warrior, a woman with orange hair. "Commander Calcite?" Slowly, the armored soldier stood. She did not meet her master's gaze and managed to keep her voice from trembling. "The planets of the Solar System... are still orbiting their sun. Lapis Lazuli failed in his mission. He..." she paused for a moment to regain her composure, "lost the two Sylphs of Ran and Tyr as well." "He truly was a disappointment," the empress muttered, "and now there is even more work to be done. With those soldiers revived it's possible they might find the power to bring back their star system. I grow tired of waiting." Her voice was sharp and angry. The three soldiers fought their instincts to taking a step back from their master and remained still. They snapped to attention as Opalite's voice sounded in their ears once again. "Calcite, you and Tektites shall return to Earth and finish what Lapis Lazuli failed in doing. Rhodonite, you shall continue extinguishing planets." "Yes, Opalite-sama," the three said in unison. ****************** Morning light poured onto the land of Elysion. The Quartetto busily hammered away, making repairs to the castle. The princess, along with Ran and Tyr, piled rubble from the ground into a wheelbarrow. Cleaning up after their last battle was proving to be hard work. Serenity beamed with energy as she wiped the sweat from her brow. A continuous melody hummed from her lips. Ran and Tyr only rolled their eyes at her cheery disposition. Suddenly, the girls turned to attention as they heard a tiny voice in the distance. As it grew louder, the message being called to them was clear. Emergency! A small gray cat came running toward them, her bell collar jingling rapidly. The princess dropped the piece of wall she'd been lifting and ran toward the animal. "Diana, what's wrong?" she shouted as the cat leapt into her arms. "Crystal Tokyo..." the cat said in-between heavy breaths, "Crystal Tokyo... Earth... there's big trouble. Lady Serenity, you have to come back!" After quick preparations, five young women stood together in a circle. Each of them extended their arms, hands reaching for hands. Joined together by touch each of the five closed their eyes and tilted their heads slightly toward the sky. In the background, Tyr and Ran stood watching quietly. They recalled the princess' request, "Please watch over Elysion for me while we're away... please protect these people." The strong voice of the princess called out, "Sailor TELEPORT!" Lights of pink, yellow, blue, green, and red flew from the female bodies, piercing the sky above. Then, they were gone. ****************** The five materialized outside the palace of Crystal Tokyo. All was quiet as they looked to the city behind them. They shared a look at one another as an ominous feeling passed through them. A voice called out to them, drawing their attention away from the silence. "Princess!" Walking toward the palace was Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter. Behind them were a handful of palace soldiers coming back from what looked like a battle. Serenity gasped as she saw they were carrying people from the city. Their eyes were barren of emotion, like their spirits had been torn from their bodies, leaving only empty shells behind. The princess' lifted her sight back to the approaching sailor soldiers. "Princess," Jupiter called out once again, "you've returned." "Jupiter! What's happened here?" "There was an attack. Hundreds of hooded creatures came down on the city like a tidal wave," she answered breathless. "Charons..." Ceres whispered loudly. "Charons? Are these charons what have been attacking Elysion?" Venus asked grimly. The princess looked at her friend with a worried expression. "Yes," she answered. Venus smiled gently, "Don't worry, Princess, we've all been doing our best. It's okay." "If you know anything about them then come with us to see Mercury. We have to get these people to her right away," Jupiter added. The princess nodded her head and followed beside Jupiter and Venus. The Quartetto followed suit, helping the as much as they could with the civilians. ****************** Inside the infirmary, they were greeted by Doctor Mizuno Ami, Sailor Mercury. She quickly helped to place the civilians down on tables and immediately begun her examinations. "Like the others?" she inquired. "Yes," Venus agreed. The overworked doctor let out a tired sigh and called over some medical assistants to help her out. When the people were being attended to the doctor took a seat and leaned her head in her hands. She removed her large glasses and placed them on the table. Her eyes were closed as she caught up with herself. After a minute, she raised her head feeling a little less stressed and smiled gently at her guests. The princess looked at her with concern. "All these people..." "We've been unsuccessful in reviving any of the victims," Dr. Mizuno finished. Jupiter came closer and stood behind the princess, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Princess Serenity and the others say they've been fighting the same creatures." "That's right." "Is there anything you can...?" Mizuno's sentance trailed off in to grim silence as the others shook their heads in silence. Serenity lowered her eyes. "All we know is that they're trying to destroy the lights of the universe. They're stealing the light within people. We've managed to stop them from stealing ours, but that was before the charons could escape." "Mars is still out there?" the doctor questioned, looking toward the blond soldier. "Mm-hm," Venus mummbled with a nod of agreement. "We have to get back out there. Princess, keep doing your best," the green soldier encouraged before joining the other soldier. When the footsteps could no longer be heard trailing down the hall, Serenity once again turned her attention to the doctor. "Mercury," she started. An inquisitive smile appeared on the doctor's lips, as if she was trying her best to be cheerful. The princess continued, "Mercury, where is my mother?" "The queen has been in her Crystal Tower praying for the people's safety. She has not come out since this morning." "Then I won't be seeing her now. How about my father?" "The king is..." Mercury averted her eyes. Noting the sadness, Serenity felt a sudden panic overtake her feelings. Her chest tightened and her throat choked up. All she could manage was a whisper. "What is it?" ****************** Outside of the royal bed chambers, the group stood together, the doctor with them. She opened the door quietly and admitted the princess. With the door shut it was dark in the room, but Serenity's eyes quickly adjusted. A dim light near the wall was shining on the bed. Serenity crept closer to see her father lying in the bed, his eyes shut. As she neared the side of the bed, Endymion's eyes slowly opened. He looked weak, like he had caught a bad case of the flu. Inside her heart, no matter how much she wanted it to be something as simple as the flu, she knew it wasn't. His body was reflecting the damage being taken on the Earth. "Papa...." she whispered. "Small Lady," the king whispered, "it's so good to see you." She smiled. Even though he was so sick, his voice still reflected that strong man she had always known. She didn't need to ask how he was doing; he was holding on alright. He began to sit up, coughed once, then leaned against the cushioned backboard of the bed. His hand patted the covers and the princess sat down, taking his hand in hers. There was silence for endless moments. The princess could not find the words to speak. Finally, her sweet voice cheerfully sounded in her father's ears. "I'm glad to be home! I've missed you and mama so much! The girls and I have been fighting hard, but they haven't let me forget my studies. And...." she went on and continued with idle chatter for a good twenty minutes. Endymion smiled at his daughter. She was being cheerful for him, even though he knew she was scared inside. He rubbed her hand gently and the princess toned down her talking to a normal pace. She jumped as a loud alarm sounded, followed by loud clanging of soldiers running by the room. Princess Serenity told her father not to worry and then ran out of the room. She sprinted down the long crystal halls, heading for the command center. When she arrived, the other sailor soldiers were already present. Luna and Artemis sat at the control board and brought up a map of the city. A red point of light appeared just beyond the city limits. "...the point of attack," Artemis said gravely. Luna looked at the moon princess. The cat's eyes were serious as she spoke. "Princess Serenity, the other soldiers are already out in the city. We need your help to fight back this enemy." "Right!" she agreed. The Sailor Quartetto agreed as well. Before too long, the five young women set out to find the enemy and give them a good fight. ****************** When they reached the city limits, Serenity stopped cold in her tracks. The sight before her made her sick to her stomach. People everywhere were laying on the ground, their eyes barren like the ones in the infirmary. Others were running away from charons, hoping to escape the horror that had befallen their friends and family. They too were overwhelmed by the creatures and the lights were stripped from their bodies. The princess shook her head, trying to clear the images from her brain. She turned to the others with her Star Broach in the palm of her hand. A silent nod of understanding was shared between the five and they called out one by one. "Moon Star Power! Make Up!" "Ceres Asteroid Power! Make Up!" "Pallas Asteroid Power! Make Up!" "Juno Asteroid Power! Make Up!" "Vesta Asteroid Power! Make Up!" A quick series of twirls and lights shone around the women as their clothes were transformed into the sailor uniforms and their foreheads adorned with golden tiaras. Distracted by the brilliant light, the charons dropped the civilians and turned their attention to the bigger prizes, those with incredible light. Sailor Vesta was the first to attack. "Amazones Virgin Hearth!" she cried, letting loose her immense power. The charon only swiped it away. The others followed suit, each having their power deflected as if they were throwing wads of cotton at the creatures. "They're stronger than before," Sailor Ceres stated in a worried tone. "Let's try together!" Moon suggested. "Super Jungle Arrow! Attack!" the five sailor soldiers called out. The charons who were in their immediate path were crushed, their bodies disappearing into a black hole that vanished all too quickly. "All right!" Sailor Juno shouted victoriously. Sailor Moon only shook her head in frustration. "No good, girls! There are too many replacing them. We can't do it." "Whadda ya mean we can't do it?!" Vesta said while wiping the sweat from her head. "Sailor Moon's right," Sailor Ceres agreed, "our attacks alone do nothing. We'd have to continuously call on a group attack and we just can't keep that up!" "Then what?" Pallas asked. No more time! The charons were upon them and this time fiercer than before. The soldiers were toppled to the ground and forced to fight hand to hand with the demon creatures. Sailor Moon lay on her back trying to push away a charon hand from reaching into her and stealing her light. Her eyes were clamped shut as she held on with all her might. "Serenity," a soft voice called. Suddenly, her eyes opened. There was no one else in sight. The semi-familiar voice called out to her again, this time more urgent, "Princess Serenity...." "What?!" she questioned in her mind. "You must find the power within yourself. Fight to save the ones you love!" "I have no power! I can't even push back these demons and save my friends!" the princess soldier cried, tears welding in her eyes. "Then I shall help you find the way...." the voice trailed off. A glowing figure, transparent to the others around her, appeared before her. The beautiful, slender woman's features were to bright for her to make out. It gently reached through the charon as if it were only air and touched the soldier's cheek. Sailor Moon closed her eyes as she felt a warmth in her chest. Her entire body began to glow and her sailor uniform changed into a shining white one. The light coming from her body made her features appear ghostly white in color and her hair almost matching it. She felt her tiara disappear to reveal her birthmark, the small crescent shape of the moon. One by one, the charon were ripped apart and the sylphs they had just stolen were returned to their owners. Above them, a man with dark clothes and black hair watched in anger. He knew having sailor soldiers involved now, especially ones who could emit such power, would be dangerous to his mission. With the charons that remained he retreated silently. Now, with the danger no longer present, Sailor Moon's body loosened from its tensed state and she felt herself detransform into her normal uniform. "Sailor Moon!" her shocked friends cried. She ran to them and helped them to their feet. None of them were badly injured and they all shared a heartfelt embrace. When they released each other they began to question her about her amazing transformation. "What happened?" Sailor Ceres asked. "I dunno," the uncertain sailor soldier mused. "I remember," Sailor Vesta cut in, "before we decided to go to Elysion to stay... you transformed like that then, too." "That power is awesome. Something I never knew was there," Moon said. She turned her head to look at the civilians starting to gain consciousness. Sailor Moon knew that they were lucky, the ones in the palace might have lost their lives forever. "If we can't find a way to stop this enemy, those people may never awaken. That power, that voice.... whoever she is, I must find out. Maybe she will be the one to help us push back our foe." ****************** The Kuroihono'o Senshi Tektites emerged from the empresses dark throne room and proceeded down a dark hall. Bruises were visible on his cheek. He had received a lenient punishment for his failure. His ability to bring in at least a few more sylphs had saved him, but he knew if he failed too many times he would end up in worse shape than Lapis. When he reached his quarters, he stopped and placed his hand on the doorknob. The man rested his head on the door and closed his eyes. How would he face her? Realizing he was acting strange, he jumped from his sorry state and opened the door. Once inside, he reached for the light and a dim glow lit his surroundings. There she was, beautiful, naked, and waiting for him with open arms. There was at least one person in this universe who would love him. End Episode 06. Episode Notes: There has been so much going on that it's not even funny, but I have a little more time recently so I'm happy. I hope everyone likes the new chapter and the pictures I did for it (and the pics for the last episode, too). Now, as for notes, the first thing I will bring up is the "Kuroihono'o Senshi". Basically, when you break it down into parts it means "Black Flame Soldiers". I thought it sounded cool ^_^;