Chapter Two
He was bored. He always was as of late. Everything had been done, and he found no
pleasure in his old hobbies. It had been this way for the past few hundred years. Sure, he got to
fight a war once in awhile, overtake a few kingdoms, but come on, he’d been doing that for
THOUSANDS of years. Everything was just so old now, and it was getting him down in the
dumps.
“I don’t even have Nathan and Solon here to cheer me up,” he mumbled to himself, then
smiled evilly. “It’s kind of nice.” He glanced over at the servants waiting his commands. ‘I wish
to the Gods that they were here,’ he thought, thinking of how the servants always stood in the
same place in that same position. His eyes opened wide as a startling revelation came to him. ‘I
think I’m getting way to dependent on them.’
Deleos looked around the room again, trying to think of something to do. He sighed
dejectedly as only one idea came to mind. “Send me Steven,” he commanded of the servant.
Swiftly and silently the servant left the room, returning a moment later. After about ten minutes,
Steven finally appeared. But by that time Deleos had grown impatient and grumpy.
“Your maj-,” he began.
“You really need to learn how to teleport,” Deleos said, cutting him off. Steven shifted
uneasily, afraid of making the Emperor even angrier.
“Sir, you know that no one can do that anymore,” he said cautiously.
“Matthew and Nathan can. Even Solon can, but the Crown Prince can’t,” he spat curtly.
“They will not teach me.”
“Then learn on your own!” Deleos roared. Steven winced at his booming voice, but did
not shrink back. That would’ve landed him in even more trouble. Deleos seemed to tap his anger
a bit, but Steven knew he was still at breaking point. “How are the troops coming?” he asked
tiredly, rubbing his temples.
“Not wonderfully. They are still at their best, and unbeatable.” Deleos snorted at this.
“But they are not progressing. Their morale is low. I think they don’t see a reason to become
better,” Steven reported.
“Let them be. As long as they are still performing well, that is all we should ask of them,”
Deleos replied. He felt a certain understanding as to why the troops of the Lost Ones, once known
as the Elite Immortals, did not care to progress. Their general was gone, and without her they
would never be what they once were. He sighed again and asked about the negotiations with one
of the nearby kingdoms, Arcia. They were small but produced great warriors. Not that the Dark
Realm really needed them.
The hair on the back of Deleos’s neck suddenly stood on end. He smiled sarcastically,
leaving Steven confused. “Hello Ares. Haven’t seen you in awhile,” he casually said into the air.
Behind him the air shifted to reveal a tall, dark and massively built man. But what else would you
expect from the god Ares?
Ares moved around to stand in front of Deleos. “Sorry I haven’t been around much. I
went to go see Daniel’s family this morning.”
Deleos smiled. “You should really watch what you do. Before you know it, you’ll have
a reputation saying you have a heart. Can’t have that, now can we?”
“No, we can’t,” he replied sadly. “So, what’s the topic of the day?”
Deleos sighed. “Our Crown Prince can’t seem to train the troops.” Steven looked ready to
interrupt, but Ares cut him off.
“We never had this kind of trouble with Asia,” he muttered under his breath. Deleos
looked wistful for a moment, then he hardened his features.
“We have to deal with what we’ve got. Steven, return to the troops and keep trying,” he
ordered. Steven left the room, leaving Deleos and Ares free to talk about the true state of things.
“Provinces are revolting, Deleos,” Ares began. “They don’t want to be ruled by Steven.
He is turning out to be a poor prospect for emperor.”
“Well what am I supposed to do?” Deleos asked.
“Pick someone else. Someone who should rightfully be the heir. They may be young, but
we know that they would rule well.”
Deleos sighed. “You want me to pick Solon, don’t you? I’m just afraid that if people find
out he’s Asia’s son he’ll be hunted like she was. That made it hard on everyone at the palace. The
good thing was that she was strong enough to stay alive. I don’t know that he will be.”
“At least he’s got a head on his shoulders,” Ares muttered.
A servant entered the room and bowed. “Sirs, there is someone here to see you.”
“Who?”
“She said she was once known as a slayer of souls,” the servant replied, confused. Both
men paled.
“Send her in.”
The other side of the portal was quite different from normal, pleasent Tokyo. The
surroundings had changed drastically too. No longer were they in beautiful park, surrounded by
trees and flowers, but instead in front of a gigantic set of doors, with tall walls on either side.
“Welcome to the Imperial City of the Dark Realm,” Asia said with a smile. They
approached the gate as a guard came out to greet them. He was dressed in a black uniform with a
silver sash around his waist and silver trimming.
“I welcome you,” he said tiredly. “But I cannot allow you entrance without identification.”
Matthew moved to the front of the group. “Thank you, Elbiel, but they are traveling with
me.”
The guard looked surprised, then bowed to him. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, I did not
know she was with His Highness.” He remained bowed as Matthew’s group passed him, but did
take notice of who it included. It was definitly an unusual one. Nathan and Solon were with him,
as well as the red haired woman, but also two tuxedoed men with masks, and a Sailor Soldier.
He bowed even lower as she passed him, and received a confused look by her. She was not one
he had ever seen before; she wore red and blue. Maybe she was the legendary lost leader of the
Karmic Scouts?
Matthew led the way into the City. “Sorry about that, Asia, but no one here really
remembers you. Most of our old crowd has long since passed on.”
Asia gave him a comforting smile. “I expected as much.” The group was beginning to
attract much attention, especially Sailor Moon. The people were used to seeing Matthew, Nathan
and Solon around, but certainly not a Sailor Soldier. Anyone who saw her gave at least a small
nod of acknowledgement. Serena inched up to Asia.
“Maybe I should detrasform?” she suggested. “I’m attracting alot of attention.”
“That’s the plan,” Asia whispered back.
“Are you planning on telling us the rest of the plan?” Jacob asked.
Matthew, Nathan and Solon also passed her questioning looks. “I figure by the time the
Emperor hears of this, which he probably already has, he’ll be sure to come out and see if it’s for
real. I just want to see the look on his face when he sees me, that’s all.” A group in the road,
mainly old men, finally noticed them. Instead of clearing away, one of them stepped forward.
The others soon followed him, and Serena feared a fight would break out. The leader of the men
stepped within feet in front of Asia, causing Serena to bite her lip.
He bowed.
“Your Highness,” he breathed. The men beside him soon followed suit. One of the men
towards the back turned and faced all those watching in fascination.
“Bow to the Princess! You owe her much!” he yelled. Reluctantly, the entire area bowed.
“Well, we’re noticed,” Nathan mumbled.
Asia touched the man’s shoulder. “Lennox, arise.” He stood, and smiled fondly. Asia
leaned forward and gave him a hug. “You’re such a softie,” she laughed. Finally, she turned
back to the Earthen warriors. “Come on, we’ll be expected in court.”
Their small group grew as the older men joined around them, acting as bodyguards. “I
can’t wait to find out exactly who she is,” Darien whispered to her. Serena just smiled and nodded
in agreement.
By the time they reached another large set of doors leading to a palace, their group had
grown from a few to many. Mainly consisting of older males, the people seemed to flock to Asia,
just wanting to be near her for some unknown reason. Gradually, younger people and women had
joined in the march, though Serena could still not figure out why.
At the doors a short man dressed in servants’ clothes was awaiting them. “The Emperor
would like to see you immediatly,” he said. Asia smiled slyly and stepped forward, followed
closely by the others. The servant place a hand before them. “I’m sorry, but the Emperor did not
request your presence.”
Sailor Moon stepped forward. “That’s too bad, ’cause he’s going to get a surprise.” The
servant paled at the sight of her and bowed.
“I’m sorry, Sailor Soldier, I did not know you were with her,” he stuttered. “You may all
come.”
“Yea, that’s what I thought,” she muttered. Darien cast her a curious glance; she didn’t
usually speak out like that.
Asia stepped through the portal first, followed by Nathan, Matthew, Solon, Jacob, and
finally Darien and Serena. When they emerged, they were inside the palace in a room that was
huge, but empty. Directly in front of them were two men, one sitting on a throne and the other
standing beside him. The room was exquisitly decorated, with gold and silver trimmings. The
main color scheme was silver, black and maroon, making the room brightly dark. When one of
the men up front shifted, Serena swung her attention back to them.
“You...,” the one sitting on the throne suddenly stood and began to pace. “You...
you’re...huh?” he stuttered, bewildered. The man behind him remained silent, but he was so
shocked he probably couldn’t say anything anyway.
“Well, I knew your face was going to be good, but not this good,” Asia said, smiling.
Suddenly, a man burst into the room, causing the group to drop into battle stances. He was tall,
with dirty blond hair and a strong build.
“STEVEN!!! Don’t do that!” the man in front of them said. He plopped back down into
his throne and rubbed his temples. “This is just too much,” he muttered.
“Well, at least you won’t be quite so bored,” the man behind him said, speaking for the
first time.
“Yes, I’ll make sure you don’t get bored again,” Asia said. “I believe that the last time you
did you decided to destroy the Sailor Scouts of Earth, didn’t you?” Deleos grinned sheepishly and
actually blushed.
“I have to do something all this time,” he explained. Steven walked to the front and
stepped up beside Deleos, eyeing the group warily. He glanced down at the Emperor to see if his
face revealed them as friend or foe. Deleos caught the action and rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll
do the introductions. I’m Emperor Deleos of the Dark Realm, this is Ares, one of my friends and
advisors, and this is the Crown Prince Steven,” Deleos said testily. Asia raised her eyebrows and
smirked at him. The Earthlings nodded slightly in acknowledgement, causing Steven to scowl in
anger.
“Did you not hear him?! Bow!” he bellowed. Deleos rolled his eyes again and slapped him
over the head.
“Idiot. Royalty doesn’t bow to royalty. Had you let me finish, you would know this,” he
spat. “This,” he continued, walking to Serena, “is Princess Serena, otherwise known as Sailor
Moon.” He moved on to Darien. “Tuxedo Mask, Prince Darien of Earth.”
“Hey, I didn’t know you were royalty!” Nathan exclaimed.
“I told you we shouldn’t have tried to take over Earth,” Matthew muttered.
“Like I was saying,” Deleos growled, moving to Jacob, “You must be...who are you?” he
asked, confused.
“Jacob Anderson, seen here as Tuxedo Knight,” Jacob said proudly. Ares blinked long
and hard before throwing his hands in the air.
“Good God, we have another Nathan on the way,” he muttered angrily. Jacob smiled
sweetly and joined his counterpart in a wicked smile.
Deleos put on a pleased face. “Well, I can find out where you fit in nicely. I have plenty
of contacts. Now, you must be tired,” he motioned to the servants at the doors, “so I’ll have my
servants show you to your rooms. Please rest and we’ll talk more tomorrow.” Sailor Moon and
her Tuxedoes reluctantly followed them.
“Do you think we can trust them?” Darien asked.
“Do we have a choice?” Jacob answered him.
After they had left, Deleos turned back to Asia, dismissing Nathan, Matthew and Solon.
“Well, where to begin,” he murmured when it was just he, Asia and Ares. “Actually, I need to
sleep. This is just to overwhelming.” He turned to leave before Asia stopped him.
“By the way, where’s Lous?” she asked him.
Deleos scowled and made for the door, pausing to speak outside it. “In the dungeon
below. He promptly turned and walked out, but not before he heard Asia’s distressed cry.
“You put my CAT in jail?!”
Dannon sighed as he sat back in his chair. Activity of the Scouts, or what was left of
them, had vanished quickly over the past day. He had sent another monster, in hopes of capturing
Tuxedo Knight. But when Sailor Moon and her speech never showed up, it had left him baffled.
He was hoping Axial would report soon in case she knew anything he didn’t. Ironically, she
appeared in front of him at that moment.
“Master,” she breathed, kneeling before him.
“Arise, Axial. Do you have anything to report?” he asked.
“Not much, sire. Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, Tuxedo Knight, and Sailor Soul have
disappeared.” She kneeled again. “I am truely sorry, my liege, for not provided you with more
useful answers.”
“Not at all, not at all, Axial. You have done quite well, and I am pleased.”
The air before him shimmered for a moment, and he smiled to himself, knowing what was
coming. When Kurushimi materialized before him, he bowed respectfully to one knee, and Axial
went all the way down.
“I do believe you have also noticed the sudden disappearence of our good friends, now
haven’t you?” she asked him, cupping his chin and pulling him to his feet.
“Of course. My spy reported to me just moments ago,” he responded, standing upright.
“Yes, they left the universe.” She sighed and walked to his chair to sit. “They have
returned to the Dark Realm.”
“Lady Kurushimi, are you sure?!” he exclaimed.
She looked up sharply from her seat. “You question me?” Dannon stuttered out an
apology as he realized what he had done. “Don’t ever again. But yes, I am sure. Sailor Moon,
Tuxedo Mask, Tuxedo Knight, Matthew, Nathan, Solon, and Asia have gone to the Imperial
City.” She sighed again. “This complicates matters greatly. No doubt she has already contacted
the Elite Immortals, and it will only be a matter of time before they are once again united. We
need something that will tip the scales.” She huffed a sigh and smiled at him. “Any ideas?”
A smile played on his lips. “One, my lady, one.”
Asia’s heels clicked on the hard floor as she quickly walked down the halls. Beside her,
Lous slipped along silently. Everywhere she went, she received amazed looks from those that
remembered her from so long ago. Dark, tired eyes she had so long forgotton, and had so long
forgotton her, lit up with remembrance at the sight of her. Shadows that hid in the dark recesses
of the cold hallways were brightened as she passed by. Yet, she was not, in any sense, a tool of
the light.
Hell, she was practically death.
That didn’t matter now, as she entered the throne room where Ares and Deleos awaited
her. Surprisingly enough, Steven had also made an appearence, as he was the heir to the throne.
Who’s ever crazy idea that was. But what could she expect, seeing as how she had seemedly
disappeared for a thousand years. She didn’t blame Lous in the least, he did what he thought he
should have.
Her absence was still a pain in the ass. She understood the reasoning behind picking a
new heir, but why Steven? Solon had been there almost the entire time, and he actually had a
claim to the throne, even if he didn’t know it. Why pick an arrogant ass over him? Okay, so
maybe she was a little biased towards him, but still, it made the most sense.
“Lous,” the Emperor drawled at the sight of the feline he had ordered to the prison.
“Deleos,” the small cat acknowledged. “I suggest we just put away our past for now until
this mess is cleared up. Don’t you agree?” The Emperor snarled out a reply and looked away.
“Well, that clears that up I see.”
Asia reclined lazily on the Emperor’s throne, prompting Steven to make a remark. “So
why did you chose him to be the heir?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Good question,” Ares mumbled.
Deleos tried desperatly to reassume some kind of dignity as they shot down his choice, but
failed to do so terribly. “I had no other choice,” was all he could manage.
“Sure you did. You had someone with more sense, good bloodlines, a claim to the throne,
and way more powerful than this guy could ever hope to achieve. So why him?”
“Just because I did not pick your son does not mean I made a terrible choice, Asia,” Deleos
growled out.
“No, but you could’ve made a better one,” she replied rising to her feet. “Look at him!
He’s so...weak,” she said flicking him in the ear, causing him to grimace. “I could find twenty
others who would be much more fitting. He won’t even be able to last three minutes against
Kurushimi. How’s he going to protect you then?”
“Kurushimi has nothing to do with this,” Steven spat indignitly. “She can’t even even get
into the City; it is too well protected.”
Asia chuckled to herself. “So you’re also disillusioning him, Deleos?” She turned back to
Steven. “Kurushimi could rip you apart without even touching you.”
“How would you know?” a new voice asked from behind them. They whirled to find
Solon leaning against the door. “How do you know about her? Ever met her before?”
“Solon. Didn’t hear you come in,” Ares said.
“You could say I’ve met her,” Asia answered guiltily. “I know what she’s capable of.”
“No one knows that.”
She looked up quickly. “I do.”
“Then you know she’s not entirely evil?”
“She’s a creature of darkness! Of course she’s evil!” Steven interrupted.
“I know that. She was molded into what she is now. She still has goodness inside her.”
Asia sighed wearily. “But that won’t save her.”
“From what?”
She smiled slightly. “You’ll see soon enough.” She walked over to the one window in the
room. “The City looks like shit. Whatever happened to our golden age?”
“You left,” Deleos spat, glaring at Lous.
“Down, boys. That can be explained,” she said, stepping between the two. “Lous did
what he had to. We were fighting Kurushimi, and an earthquake hit. The armies weren’t hurt, I
don’t think. But where Kurushimi and I were sort of imploded on itself. Lous sent me to the
future so the both of us could survive.”
“You let Kurushimi live?!” Ares bellowed. “Do you have any idea what she’s done to us
since then?!”
“Ares, calm down. You’ll never understand why Kurushimi can’t die yet. Have patience;
her time will come. Until then, we have power issues to discuss,” Asia said pointedly.
“What kind of power issues?” Solon asked.
Asia ignored his question. “Are the Immortals still around?”
“Loosely,” Deleos said. “Many of them returned to their homes and have refused to come
back.”
“Well, let them know that their general requests their presence in the City as soon as
possible. And I guess I should make an official public appearance.”
Lous nodded, absorbing all this information. “I’ll see to it.” He ran out of the room to
deliver her messages.
“What kind of power issues?” Solon asked again once Lous was gone. Asia smiled sadly
before looking at Deleos, daring him to speak.
“She means,” he began, staring into her face confirmation, “that she will need to be
restored to her previous responsibilities.” Solon nodded in understanding.
“So where’s the problem?” Steven asked ignorantly.
“Her previous responsibilities being acting as the Crown Princess of the Dark Realm, and
the general of the Elite Immortals,” Ares explained promptly.
Ares smiled as Steven took in all the information. Steven just stared too stunned to speak.
“First of all,” he began, his temper rising with every word, “I’m not about to give up my position
as the Crown Prince to some bitch who waltzes in here and acts as if she knows everything. And
what is this about the ‘Elite Immortals’? What the hell is that?!” he shouted.
“Steven, control yourself,” Asia remarked idly. “I was Crown Princess way before you
were even born. And the Elite Immortals are only the best army to ever walk the Existence.”
“You know them as the Lost Armies,” Solon explained.
“WHAT?! Not only do you plan to overthrow me as heir, but take my position as general,
too?!” he demanded. Asia stared at him, then began to laugh.
“You are their general?!” she exclaimed. “And how...exactly...well do they follow your
orders in battle?”
“Matthew leads them in battle; Steven doesn’t know how to control them,” Deleos spat,
still disgusted with Steven’s poor leadership and military skills. “But they have never been as
good as they were with you.”
“So, he’s just a figure head. What has this place been reduced to.” She shook her head.
“But, I guess we should get started getting this place back together at least.”
“No no, business later. I want to know how you’ve been,” Deleos interrupted.
“I must admit, I’m mildly curious myself. And tell us a little about those friends of yours
you brought with you,” Ares added.
Asia explained who Darien and Serena were, their past, and their future. “I honestly don’t
know exactly who Jacob is. I have a feeling he’s related to Darien back in the Silver Millenium,
though, just because he’s Tuxedo Knight. The two of them are too much like.”
“And what did you do while you were on Earth?”
“Fooled around. Nothing serious. Took care of a few threats to the planet before the
scouts were reborn, you know, the usual.” The small group of powerful warriors passed hours
like that, filling each other in on what had happened in the past twelve hundred years. Finally,
Lous rejoined the group and ended their endless conversation.
“Asia, the Immortals are here,” he said, panting.
She smiled slightly and made her way to the old, creaky and recently unused mohagany
doors that led from the throne room onto a balcony, overlooking a large courtyard where the army
used to gather. She strode over to them and swung them open, letting the light from the suns fill
the room. Before her stood her army, their glory and youth restored in an instant.
The dream wore on, never ceasing to end its tortorous intents. Kurushimi tossed and
turned, trying to either wake or stop the dreaming. It never worked. It was as if there was some
kind of a cosmic reason for her reliving this memory, some untold lesson that hid deep within the
tragedy.
She watched as the beginning of the battle started, when the Imperial army first arrived at
the village. The soldiers didn’t say what they wanted, they just attacked. Young Kurushimi and
her family had lived in the back of the village, and heard the screaming. The small family of four
crept out the back way, trying to run. She remembered her mother picking up the sword of a dead
man and carrying it with her, “Just in case,” she had said. Like it did alot of good.
She felt the despair her former self had when the two soldiers came up to them, and her
mother came so close to dying. And she remembered Asia, then known as the Soul Slayer,
coming up to them. She hated her. This was the girl who was in charge, who had the power to
stop this. But she didn’t. She did as the Emperor and Ares said and killed. Kurushimi was pretty
sure that she enjoyed all this blood. But Asia had stopped the soldiers, and given the family a few
more minutes to live. Maybe that was why Kurushimi hated her so much, because she had raised
the hopes of her sisters and mother, only to have them sliced out minutes later. It had been such
an emotional strain she had never know before. She had shut herself off, and had never felt that
strain since.
She ran into the woods, and wandered for days, living off the land, trying to find a place
she could forget and become a normal girl again. It would never be the same though, and she
knew it deep within her. Days turned into years, and she was around seventeen when she finally
found a place she felt was home. She had come across a small band of warriors, recently defeated
by the Soul Slayer and her Immortals. They took her in, trained her, and made her the best
warrior they had. She had left them, vowing that she would defeat Asia for them. She followed
Asia for a year, learning all her moves, and mimicking, though she never revealed herself. At that
point, she was content to lay low and Watch. And Study.
But not for long.
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