CHAPTER 23
Sailor Pluto heard the unearthly howl as she raced through the flowery
plains. Her thoughts were jarred by its distraught and sorrow. The cries
of loss and despair made her eyes moist as she neared the hunched figure
near the pool. [what had made this happen?] though Sailor Pluto.
"Adelaide? Are you alright?" Pluto gently knelt beside the dark hair
girl. Her face was set in a stony expressionless facade. "Adelaide?"
Adelaide suddenly sighed and wiped both sides of her face, wiping
away the tears that had streaked her face earlier. She chose not to
reply Pluto's gentle queries, instead she pointed to the pool and got up.
Sailor Pluto stared in bewilderment at Adelaide, who appeared to be
non-chalantly dusting herself. She was certain that the distraughted howl
she heard came from Adelaide yet...now.....
"What is past has no use, Sailor Pluto...as the Senshi of Time, you
should know that...." Adelaide once again transformed herself into the
pale hair senshi Sailor Cosmo Eos. "Look into the pool, Sailor Pluto.."
Sailor Pluto silently obeyed her and stared in shock at the body lying
in the pool. It was only after she recognized the clothes that she realized
who was lying at the bottom of the pool.....Pluto shut her eyes as she
shuddered. "The poor child...."
"Child?" The flicker of a ghostly smile touched the edge of Cosmo Eos'
mouth. "Mika was indeed an innocent child, but her innocence caused her
downfall and death...." Sailor Cosmo Eos lightly patted Sailor Pluto. "Do
not look so stricken, Sailor Pluto, this was foretold even before we arrived
on Earth."
"Then....she knew of her coming death?!"
"No, the secret was kept from her....I kept it from her!" shouted Cosmo
Eos in a sudden fury, cluthing her fists till it drew blood.
"Cosmo Eos!" Sailor Pluto quickly pried open her bleeding fingers.
"Hahaha.." Sailor Cosmo Eos gave a loud laugh. "I was a fool to think
that Mika's death could be avoided! I brought her here!! I--"
"ENOUGH!!!!" Sailor Pluto gave Sailor Cosmo Eos a hard shake. "Stop this!
You're getting hysterical!"
After a long time, Sailor Cosmo Eos finally calmed down. She squeezed
Pluto's hand gratefully. "Thanks....."
Sailor Pluto silently understood. It was best this way. She felt the same
way when Hotaru was dead....
Sailor Cosmo Eos gave a sudden gasp. "The castle!!"
Sailor Pluto followed her gaze and saw a dark forbidding castle appearing
. The cheerful sky turned black and grew misty, giving it an eerie atmosphere.
"Th..that is the castle of the Shadow King?!"
"Yes." replied Sailor Cosmo Eos grimly. "And also his Queen....."
Before Pluto could react, Sailor Cosmo Eos suddenly caught her round the
waist, her back simultaneously sprouting two pairs of feathery wings.
"HEY!! WAI-" Pluto's protest was cut off as Sailor Cosmo Eos suddenly
flew forward at an enormous speed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"They are approaching..." murmured the Shadow Queen as her King ran his
fingers through her silky black hair.
"Indeed."
"You gave them two hours..yet nearly a day has past...."
"The hunter always plays with his prey. After all, it is a battle of wits."
The Shadow Queen smiled seductively at her husband...even after so many
years, he still looked so handsome...and she remain beautiful...
"The one call Zakros resembles you a lot, my dear." purred the Shadow
Queen.
"He IS my direct bloodkin. Yet he was too soft for the Night Tribe...
probably the result of the accursed Star Tribe!"
"But..that helped you in obtaining control of his body." said the Shadow
Queen. "Unbelievablely, I too obtain easy control of my new body." She raised
her pale arms and twirled them in the air. "The Earth Maiden skin is so
white...."
The Shadow King caught hold of one of her hands and brought it to his
lips. "It accentuates your eyes and hair."
The two Shadows smiled at each other...yet deep within the recesses of
their minds, two voices protested faintly....stifled by the heavy sleep of
darkness imposed on them....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Endymion!" gasped Neo Queen Serenity as she steped out from behind an
archway.
"Serenity!" Endymion gazed in amazement at his wife. Gone was the silly
girlish air of Tsukino Usagi. Now standing before him was the beauty of the
moon, Serenity.
At the utterance of both names, they realize that they had instinctively
moved into their new phase of existence. They were now the regal royals of
the Moon and Earth.
"I..I..." Neo Queen Serenity was at loss for words. Mamoru Chiba too had
changed, now he stood before her, looking both wise and stern. The true King
of Earth...
"I'm glad you're alright, Usako..." Endymion hugged his wife thankfully,
mindfully using his term of endearment to soothe Serenity's apprehensiveness.
"So am I...Mamochan...but we can't call each other that anymore, could we?"
"No....Serenity." Endymion sighed. It was unavoidable. They could no longer
evade their true identities any longer. He stared wistfully at the black ebony
steps leading up to the castle, his chin resting slightly on Serenity's head.
"Endymion....someone's approaching....it's Pluto and Cosmo Eos!" exclaimed
Serenity as she peeped over her husband's shoulder.
Endymion did not share her enthuasiasm. He remained where he was while
Serenity ran towards the two senshis. He acknowledged Pluto's faint nod of
respect. However, he was duly surprised by Sailor Cosmo Eos' wings...
Sailor Cosmo Eos' gently disentangled herself from Serenity's embrace
and raise her head to meet Endymion's gaze. [So he remembers...] Cosmo Eos
sighed and bowed.
"I, Sailor Cosmo Eos, The Cosmo Queen Of Dawn, gives my respect to the
King Endymion, regarding the Earth Maiden, Endyriana."
"Cosmo Eos..what are you saying?" questioned Serenity in surprise. "And
who is Endyriana?"
Yet sailor Cosmo Eos ignored her and remained focused on Endymion. She
knew no words could express her apologies and sorrow without at least angering
him.
Finally, Endymion bowed his head and spoke in a sad tone. "I accept your
condolences, Cosmo Queen. It wasn't your fault....."
"Pluto, who is Endyriana?" demanded Serenity, remembering the Shadow Queen's
words and puzzled by her husnad's dejected look.
"Your majesty...she was Sailor Cosmo Gaia...and also Endymion's sister, she's
dead now...."
"WHAT!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neo Queen Serenity took a few sideways glance at Sailor Cosmo Eos and then
Endymion. Though surprised by Mika's true identity, she was also sadden by her
departure. Sailor Cosmo Eos had only curtly replied a few questions and Endymion
refused to speak of it.
They raced up the ebony steps, finally reaching a red door inlaid with golden
designs. Neo Queen Serenity turned to speak and instead gasped in shock
"Sailor Cosmo Eos! Your wings!"
To the surprise of the others, Sailor Cosmo Eos' wings were turning blue
and shrivelling. Soon it vanished completely.
"No need to look like that." replied Sailor Cosmo Eos, amused. "My wings were
the results of a spell and can only be used for a certain period."
"So that's why you did not use them earlier!" realized Sailor Pluto. Cosmo
Eos only smiled.
The sudden flash of light streaked across the skies, illuminating the area where
they were standing. In that brief instant, they saw what was on the red doors and
shuddered. People squirming in pain as spears, swords and arrows pierced them. The
golden designs were of monsters devouring people, their likeness eeriely evil as
their blank eyes stared back at the four senshi.
"Disgusting!" said Endymion as he protectively encircled his wife.
"Yes, it is...." agreed Sailor Cosmo Eos as she stepped forward. With Sailor Pluto's
help, she pushed the heavy red oak doors open. (
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