The Return

Part 15: Gifts

by Richan

Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with Sailor Moon but for the complete set of manga. I won't give them up for anything. (Well, maybe the dog, but since I don't really own him I don't have to worry about it.) ^_^

Warnings: None in this chapter.

Ami watched from the corner of her eye the three men walking across the lawn. It had been awhile since those three had the chance to talk alone, but she did miss the presence of Taiki beside her. It was comforting and confusing and exciting all at once. But, since they had joined together, the former ThreeLights had never been together. She was happy that they could do so, since it had seemed as if they were starting to pull apart--to drift from what they had been into separate parts.

And yet... it was if they were supposed to go separate ways. Each now had different powers, coming from opposite directions. Hmm, Ami thought, I wonder if Demeter really has a daughter named Persephone. But that would mean the girl would be married to Sailor Saturn. Well, actually Pluto, but as Hotaru held his power it was a moot point. Laughing at the directions her thoughts were taking, Ami shook her head and let her gaze wander around the yard.

Serenity and Endymion were once again off by themselves. Ami supposed that they wanted the time alone to adjust to the shift in both body and power. Still, she knew that they weren't at full power just yet. Both had to wake their own guardian to the final piece of power for each of their crystals. This would take some thinking.

******

Night crept over the sky, the stars shining their dim light upon the Earth while they competed against the brightness of the moon. One day was left before the full moon, just one day before Beryl would lose everything that she had been working for.

The shadow had shown up earlier in the day, forewarning the former queen of the Dark Kingdom that everything would falter if the one who sleeps in the moon was to be woken. Frowning, Beryl dismissed the thought that she had bitten off more than she could chew when she agreed to follow that dark shadow. Instead, she put her mind to a plan that would get rid of all of them so she could get back what she had almost had within her grasp - the Earth. With that goal in mind, she called to the line of defenses she had set up in case of failure by the Furies.

******

Serenity watched the pale globe in the sky, knowing that something would happen before night fell again. She and Endymion were surrounded by the others as they guarded the couple, but even they were not enough protection if they could not waken their guardians. Gazing at her friends and allies, she smiled at the willingness to work together each of them strove for. It had pained her to watch her court fight each other, especially when it came down to their duties.

For eons in the Silver Millennium, four scouts had been dedicated to protect the one who held the silver crystal, while the other four guarded the solar system from enemies. It had taken them a long time to discover they could do both at the same time. There were some setbacks, specifically Haruka. The senshi of the wind had a hard time dealing with the change, and still clung to her stubborn ways when she could. It would often take just a gentle touch from Michiru for her to relent, but it was good that she offered the resistance. The group had to look at everything from different perspectives in order to do it right. That would be the best defense against the next attack Beryl would try.

The absence of sound broke her thoughts. Serenity looked around and found everybody else asleep from their long vigil, all but one. Gentle, deep blue eyes smiled at her, giving her strength for the coming storm. She gave Endymion's hand a squeeze as they both looked back up at the moon.

Shingo's neck hurt. Opening one eye, he discovered he was laying in an odd position across the chair and his legs dangled over the side. Carefully sitting up, he saw Serenity and Endymion still awake as they watched the dawn. A large part of him was amazed at the change in his sister. It would have amazed their parents to see her like this. They would be proud, too.

He sighed. The last week had been filled with so many things that he hadn't got the chance to really mourn the loss of his parents. It had seemed just like yesterday that he had been taunting Usagi as she and their mother hurried to get things ready for the wedding. Now it was a thousand years later, and there was no real way of knowing what had happened to his mother and father.

What people they had come across had struggled for so long in the barren world. Earth had suffered greatly in the time Beryl had complete control. Shingo's chest puffed slightly as he thought about what he and the others were doing to make it right once more. It wouldn't be the same world that he had grown up in, in fact it would be much different.

Shingo lay still on the floor, eyes closed once more, as he remembered what had gone on last night. Setsuna had told them all that she had gotten some sense of her power back, but she had refused to say anything more than to expect Beryl to attack before the full moon. He had the feeling that she was afraid of what was to happen, but didn't want to voice it in case she had read it wrong. Still, he was ready to go with the hammer at his side.

A mental picture of the hammer formed in his head. The struggle to gain it had almost come at a terrible price. Trapped as they were in Rei's psyche, it had let all the anger each of them had ever felt build upon itself. For a while, Shingo had been so mad at his sister as he thought of what had gone on in the past. She had always had lots of friends, yet never had tried to accomplish much with herself. Since their parents had seen that, much of the pressure to honor the family with good grades had fallen onto his head. Now he knew that he had repressed that anger until it finally released itself within the fire of Mars. The flame had cleansed him of much of the anger that he had held onto. All that left of it remained a memory in some small corner of his mind, as a reminder of never to think that way again. Each of them were there for a purpose, and he was willing to give everything he had to keep the world going.

Movement sounded around him. Opening an eye again, he saw that the generals were now up and about. Figuring he should get up as well, he stood and walked carefully over to his sister while being careful not to step on anyone. Serenity smiled at him, making the morning a lot brighter.

******

Setsuna shivered in the hot sun. The more she tried to avoid the thoughts racing through her mind, the more prominent they became. She would try cursing the power that flowed through her brain, but that had never helped her before. There was a price to pay for being a senshi, one she knew all too well. True, there were some parts she would rather leave out, but she was willing to give her life for her princess if necessary.

A small part of her brain reminded her that Serenity would rather have her senshi live than to die. That was what gave her so much power, enough to bring them back from the dead. Love has no boundaries, even in death.

She gazed at the other senshi, wondering if they were truly ready for the battles that lay ahead. Even the gods seemed not quite prepared but for a few, and they were very jumpy.

Setsuna looked over to find Kashikoi wearing an expression of intense concentration. Her eyes were closed, and her whole demeanor boded ill for any one who approached. Sisterly concern washed over her as she wondered what her little sister could be thinking about that deeply.

"Setsuna-san." Kunzite's voice made her turn her head to look up at him.

"Hai?"

"We would like to talk to you for a minute," he said, indicating the other three generals behind him, determined faces watching her.

Giving one last glance at Kashikoi, Setsuna rose from her seat.

Luna felt chills along her spine as dusk fell. The battle Setsuna had told them to expect had yet to appear. Had the senshi of time been wrong? Shaking her head, Luna berated herself. Time had a different meaning for all but Sailor Pluto. Still, there was no sign of the rising moon.

Her blue eyes rested on Artemis, who was looking up in the sky. The white hair that fell below his shoulders was so unlike the fur that covered him in cat form. Luna still had problems believing she could become human.

"I have been able to restore it to its glory tonight because of the energy that I have been given, this energy that I will now give to you."

Luna and Artemis felt themselves become human again, the crescent moons on their foreheads disappearing. They found themselves wearing new clothing, that of the togas the gods and goddesses wore in battle. Looking down, Luna saw that she had the same type of sandals they wore as well, the laces wrapping around her calf up to her knees. She saw that Artemis' laces went halfway up his calf, like the gods' sandals did.

She looked up at Diana, who smiled sweetly.

"I give you this energy, so that you will be able to give it back to the silver crystal when the time comes. Together, it and the golden crystal will then reawaken myself and the guardian of the golden crystal."

She and Artemis were to give this energy back when the time came, but when would that be? Serenity had her last form, and the silver crystal was almost at the strength it had been when the Silver Millennium had been destroyed.

Luna gasped as a bright light streaked through the sky towards the house. She rose from her seat, too slow to do anything before it hit.

The light faded, revealing an empty hole where Serenity and Endymion had been standing. Shock ran through the group before the senshi transformed.

Sailor Mars reached out on the invisible link that was drawn between her and Serenity. There was a faint feeling along it before everything was cut off. Purple eyes flashed in anger as she realized that Beryl had blocked the emotions that lay between the senshi and her queen.

Kunzite looked at the group. "Let's go."

******

Darkness swirled around the castle, the barren land that surrounded it charred. The burnt dirt crunched under their feet as they walked towards it. Sailor Saturn didn't like the feel of this place. It felt dead.

Next to her walked Alecto. Dread seemed to be the Fury's companion with each step towards Beryl's stronghold. Saturn still didn't trust her or the way she made furtive glances at everybody, as if she were sizing up their faults and weaknesses.

Suddenly Sailor Pluto stood still. "Time has stopped moving," she said in a small voice.

"I can control time in your dreams," a voice said.

Sailor Saturn looked up to find a strange looking man standing in front of the group. He had the face and torso of a man, with the lower body of an animal and horns growing out of the top of his head. He made a dashing bow before them, laughing as he did so.

"The more you dream, the better it is for me to work on you." His voice became rougher, a rasp heavily accenting each word. "For I am Faunus."

Saturn looked at the others. Their eyes were glazed, and they didn't recognize the danger that lay within Faunus. She let her gaze rest on each, trying to see if she could tell anything about them without bringing herself to Faunus' notice. Saturn stopped when she saw a flash in Vulcan's eyes. Good, there was somebody that hadn't fallen like she had.

"Faunus," she said in her quiet, deadly voice.

The god looked surprised that one of his victims wasn't asleep. "So, little girl," he condescended to her. "Can't fall asleep?"

Her eyes flashed at him. "Death never sleeps."

Brown eyes widened in fear at the sentence before they narrowed thoughtfully. "But what can you do, all by yourself."

"She's not alone," Vulcan said on the other side of Faunus. The hammer was gripped tightly in his right hand as it was held close to his chest. "And we are not without weapons."

Vulcan raised the hammer and hit the ground with it, waking the others. He looked at each of them before he got to Sailor Saturn. Blue eyes twinkled at her before he turned his attention back to Faunus. "This is a battle between you and I, Faunus," he growled. He looked at the others. "Go get Serenity and Endymion before it's too late."

The group wasn't sure what to make of this, so Saturn turned to them. "Please, get going," she pleaded. "I will stay here as well."

Sailor Mars did not like this. She wasn't comfortable leaving Sailor Saturn or Vulcan behind, especially since she had the feeling she wouldn't see them again. She followed the group as they ran into the castle to face the second challenge.

It wasn't long in coming.

A huge door blocked their way, in front of which stood a tall man, taller than any one in the group. Armor covered every inch of him as well as a shield that took up half his height.

"Quirinus," Mithra said.

"Very good," a gravelly voice intoned. "But you will not get past me." The god shifted slightly, revealing the long spear in his right hand. "This is where you will die."

Sailor Mars opened her mouth but another voice spoke first.

"Not if I can help it." Minerva stepped forward, her toga shifting to her armor.

Sailor Mars looked carefully at her before a memory awoke.

Rei started to slowly spin, wrapped in fire. The gods and Juno came over to watch as the wreath of fire cloaked her in her senshi fuku. As her feet touched the ground, her eyes opened.

"What?" she began to ask when she saw Usagi laying on the floor. "Princess?!"

Mars went forward and touched her arm. Sailor Mars whirled around in surprise, ready to yell at the offender, but stopped when she felt the aura surrounding him.

"Sailor Mars," he began. "I come to give you your final transformation. With this, you will be able to call upon the power of fire to destroy your enemies. Keep in mind that with this destruction there is a heavy price to pay, so use it wisely."

The others watched in horror as they saw Mars essence dwindle, before disappearing. They stepped back as Sailor Mars glowed a bright red, and they realized what had happened. Mars had literally given this sailor senshi his power, what made him exist. When they could see her again, Sailor Mars' fuku had changed. Her skirt was now white with red and purple ribbons twisting along the hem, and she now wore white knee boots with red trim at the top. Her tiara was replaced with the symbol of Mars, and she had soft wings on her back, not unlike Eternal Sailor Moon's.

This was what Mars had been talking about. Before her lay the battle in which she would need to use her fire. She stepped forward as well. "I am here to battle you as well."

Ceres tried not to think about what was going to happen to Minerva. Instead, she ran as hard as she could towards the third challenge before she could. With Quirinus distracted, they had been able to open the doors while they avoided being singed by fire or arrows.

The group descended deeper into the castle, all natural light soon fading. The hallways echoed eerily as their feet pounded the stone floor. Ceres slowed with the others when they saw a door ahead. This one was very small, and each of them would have to crawl through it. Sailor Uranus reached down to open it when a hand stopped her.

"You cannot pass this door," a soft voice whispered. "It had been forbidden."

"Who has done so?" Ceres found herself asking. "And why have you granted that order be kept?"

"The one who is darkness herself has given me the power to keep all from entering," the voice said again. The one who spoke hid among the shadows thrown by the small lights further back down the hallway.

"You are Cybele, aren't you?" asked Demeter.

A woman walked into the feeble light, nodding. "I am she."

"Then you are the one we will fight," Vesta spoke.

******

Sailor Saturn was growing weary. Somehow Faunus had been able to draw his energy from the others while they were sleeping, gaining the strength of many. Tired purple eyes watched as he battled against Vulcan, who was getting weaker with each hit of his hammer.

She tried to think of something she could do to help. Reaching within herself, she called upon Pluto and his strength.

'I will help you, my child, but it will come at a terrible price.'

Sailor Saturn knew what he was asking. 'Serenity and Endymion must live.'

'Very well.' Sadness flowed through her, entwined with great power.

The fight in front of her halted when a dark pulse flowed through the air. Vulcan could only watch, dazed, as Sailor Saturn transformed once more. Her form was enveloped by a dark cloud, shrouding her from sight for a split second before disappearing. Horror raced through him as he realized what she had done.

"Hotaru!"

Eternal Sailor Saturn stood with her glaive raised high. Her uniform was entirely white as black wings spread behind her. The sign of Saturn shone brightly once before it pulsed.

"Death Spiral Sword!"

Sailor Mars hung back as Minerva again shot forward, darting her spear into an open section of Quirinus' armor. It was a small victory in a battle that had weakened them both. Both she and Minerva had been cut by the god's spear, making it harder to move as blood was lost.

Quirinus turned back to her after catching Minerva's spear and breaking it in half, tossing her in the process. "I will kill you and then your friends," his deep voice boomed.

"No."

Both of them looked to Minerva. "No. You will not kill us. You will not kill her." She pointed at Sailor Mars. "You are the one who will not survive."

Quirinus laughed. "Do you really think you have enough power to kill me? Maybe if both of you combined power you might have a chance to hurt me."

Sailor Mars stared at Minerva, who headed straight to her. Her eyes widened as she realized what the goddess meant to do. "Don't do this! We can defeat him another way!"

The goddess of wisdom and war shook her head. "You alone can beat him. There is no other way." A lone tear escaped but was ignored. "This must be done."

A bright light flashed throughout the large room, shining down dark corridors for a brief instant before it vanished.

Ceres was tired. Cybele had been given a lot more power than she had originally had and her and the others were being beaten. Nothing had prepared her for this fight, not even her years as training as a senshi were mixed with the memories of Olympus. The only thing she could think of was why had this happened?

She looked around and saw Demeter on the floor, struggling to get up. Ceres was in bad shape as well, her legs barely had strength to keep her standing. Vesta had avoided most of the blows Cybele had thrown at her, but she was weak. Still, there must be something they could do to stop the goddess in front of them.

She watched in horror as Vesta was thrown against the wall, crumbling upon the cold floor in a shapeless lump. Something inside her snapped and she found the energy to face Cybele, blue eyes burning with determination.

"I will stop you, Cybele," she uttered.

Cybele laughed. "Who and who's army?"

"Us." Two voices spoke as one.

Cybele's laugh was cut off sharply by a burst of energy.

******

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