1101

By His Lordship Chaos

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Phase 05

Domination

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1101 (Phase 05: Domination)
Rated R

Who controls the past controls the future.
Who controls the present controls the past.

-George Orwell, "1984"

Have you ever stopped to wonder what might be? Look beyond what is real, and grasp at a destiny yet unrealized. You might be surprised at what you find--not just for yourself, but for everyone else around you.

The future has been called a Pandora's Box at times. It is the mystery of not knowing what is inside, what our future truly holds, that gives us hopes and dreams. But to open the box and see what awaits you...fate becomes a cruel mistress. Everything becomes known, and the secrets die. Hope is lost in the darkness of knowing what tomorrow's sunset will bring. Dreams are dashed like fragile sands against an ocean tide.

And yet there may be a way around it. Consider not one future, but many futures. Not a single Pandora's Box, but a legion of them. As the possibilities of a future Naoko Takeuchi envisioned grow near infinite, the curiousity is satiated, and your dreams are always there with you. For in seeing many futures, you still see what is unknown. Which one will find you?

So many realities, so little time.

The past is history. The future is now. And His lordship Chaos welcomes you to the future that is Crystal Tokyo. Choose your future that is Crystal Tokyo.

But choose wisely.

The future has a nasty way of turning on you....

                                        -His lordship Chaos
                                                                 hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com

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Crystal Tokyo
3XXX A.D.

The grand ballroom was an epic in architecture. Even with a few hundred attenders inside, the appearance of its immense size would only dwindle slightly. Its structure was a marvel of both clear and opaque crystal, of silver and gold, of black and white and many other vibrant colours in between. Grand crystalline archways supported the framework of an exquisite glass dome over the masqueraders' heads, but without being in the way of everything else. The dome overhead was further detailed with elaborate metalworks and designs, as if the framework had turned to curving ivy and wrapped itself around the glass.

The ballroom itself was open on all four sides to each of the five floors it reached up to. People on the topmost level could look down and marvel at the sight of masqueraders below. Floors were of coloured marble that could change their colour but not their seemingly rough-yet-polished texture. With each shift in the musical style, the tiles would shift to further accommodate the mood.

In its own alcove (which was unto itself enormous) was the tiered stage for the various bands to play upon. Across from them on the far end of the ballroom was an army of tables displaying the buffet for the evening. Between the two was the ample-spaced dance floor, ringed but given the chance to expand or contract as the masqueraders so desired. The rear of the grand ballroom, as well as the smaller atriums and corridors that led up to all five levels of balconies, was meant for the people to simply interact and talk with each other. Many smaller fountains and patio tables were scattered throughout this area.

Yet this sheer magnificence of the room was lost to everyone there. The buffet tables were overturned, food spilled out across the floor. A number of the smaller tables found their central support forcibly ripped from the floor. The pungent smell of black, acrid smoke was carried across the room, leaving the revelers chilled.

Those closest to the explosion were dead.

Their bodies, adorned with elegant gowns and playful masks, laid strewn about the floor, looking like ragged dolls. Draped over the remnants of the furniture. Scattered across the floor. Defining a circular border no one wished to cross the threshold of. Lifeless faces with lifeless eyes stared in every direction. Blood decorated the tiles of the floor that weren't already marred by burns or debris.

One by one, the survivors slipped in and out of shock. Many were sobbing or screaming hysterically. A number had taken control of themselves, tending to the wounded and shouting out instructions to those around them. Some of those helping remained ignorant of their own cuts and bruises, or even the blood that ran down their faces and gowns.

Makoto was one of them. "Kuso!" she hissed, clutching her right arm. The crimson droplets dripping off her fingertips were the last thing on her mind. And her mind was still reeling from the horrific vision.

Ten seconds.

That was all it took for the entire world to change.

That was all that was needed.

It took but ten seconds for a man in a mask charge the royal family, and revealing both his cause by shouting it across the ballroom...and his suicidal intent by triggering the bomb hidden within his costume.

Makoto tried to see through clouded vision. There must have been a cut on her head, the blood running down into one of her eyes. It hurt to use it. It also hurt to even see the devastation and death littered around her. How the hell could this have happened? How the hell had that guy managed to slip through security with a device that granted such a deadly explosive yield?

"Mako-chan!"

Makoto turned her head, and saw Ami forcing her way through the ranks of gawking, horrified spectators. Ami stopped, her expression one of fright and panic as she saw Makoto's wounds.

"I'll live," Makoto stated, biting down on the pain. "It looks worse than I feel. What about Serenity?"

Ami was already scanning the blast area, terrified of what to find. She raced across the floor, Makoto limping as fast as she could behind the blue-haired genius. The deeper they ventured, the more bodies they found--and didn't find. Some were just patches, pools or smears of unrecognizable gore.

Ami swallowed back the bile rising up in her throat. The stench of burnt flesh was nauseating, and right now she wanted nothing more than to run away. But her concern for their queen and king drove her forward.

They found Rei pinned beneath some of the debris, sprawled out like a broken mannequin. Her eyes were closed. But there was a pulse when they checked. Her breathing was erratic, but she would live. Makoto said she would stay close to Rei, and rallied some of the people nearby to help remove the debris off the fallen Senshi.

Ami continued towards the epicentre of the explosion. The smoke was taking its time to dissipate, a choking grey mist enshrouding everything she saw. Fire still burned, leisurely enjoying its brief moments of destructive power. Ami coughed from the harshness of the murky air, and tried to summon her Shavon Spray.

The defensive attack turned the air damp and foggy, but drank up the smoke and fires. By Ami's will, the Shavon Spray blew itself out of existence, leaving the most obscured part of the blast area now perfectly visible.

Ami almost wished she hadn't done so.

Minako was alive, she discovered, and was crying over the fallen bodies of Luna and Artemis. The Maus had taken human form for tonight, and even now were holding each other tightly, though blood soaked their clothes and they did not move.

Lifting a mournful face, Minako shook her head at Ami.

Neither one had survived.

Ami felt it best to leave Minako alone to grieve. They still had to find Serenity. Ami abruptly found a surprise in the form of another Senshi, one no one had ever expected to be here tonight: Sailor Pluto was already kneeling by the queen's side. But she was frozen in horror, tears falling down her face. Helpless as she sat there upon the floor, looking down at Endymion. "I tried," she whispered. "I tried...how could I have been too late to stop...?"

A spilled champagne glass lay by his hand, the rim of the glass chipped but still bearing the telltale lipstick the queen had worn that night.

Neo Queen Serenity's eyes were filled with tears. The ballroom had grown distant in her mind, the faces of those around her but dim images no longer cared for. She could only look down at the youthful man laid out on her lap. His blood stained her otherwise ethereal white dress, forming a pool upon the floor.

"M-Mamo-chan?" she whispered hoarsely.

A lifeless face, with lifeless cobalt eyes, stared vacantly up to the starry sky above their heads. His expression in death was for the most part neutral. But there could be no denying the sadness that was forever etched in his face.

He never answered her cries.

Even when they became frantic, and blurred into one horrified scream.

"Mamo-chan! MAMO-CHAN!!"

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

this is what i am
this is what you wanted me to be

1101

why don't you love me?

[PHASE 05: DOMINATION]

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Serenity was crying again. It was like she only stopped crying in order to sleep. She hadn't eaten anything in days, sealing herself up in her bedchambers. Fearing the worst, the Senshi rotated in guarding her; someone would always be with the grieving queen, making sure she was safe. From herself as much as from any more outside threats.

It was Setsuna's turn to stand guard.

Forlornly she watched the queen quietly weeping, Serenity only occasionally stirring beneath the tangle of sheets. Where she sat gave Setsuna a perfect view of the city, of the crystalline world beyond this grand picture window. Magenta eyes glanced down at her left arm, now bound in cast and sling. Absently she rubbed her fingertips against the hardened plaster.

How could she had missed this?

How could she have arrived, only to be one minute too late?

Her entrance had been sudden and swift, cutting through the surprised masqueraders. And yet it was already doomed. The world went white, and then violently exploded. There had been no chance to stop time. Even if it had meant her life, she would have tried. She would have willingly tried.

But she had failed.

Setsuna tried to make the guilt numb once again. She more than any of them should have seen this coming, but time was forever obscure. An enigma one had to make the effort of reading--and even then the Mobius could be read wrong. It gave hints, not clarity. Of potential visions of past, present and future. It left sorting these images out to her.

That was her duty.

"Kuso," Setsuna whispered. The tears were starting to run down her cheeks again. In the presence of Serenity, no one seemed immune from stoicism. They all broke down and cried. Ones like Rei or Minako were able to find the willpower to cry on Serenity's shoulder.

Setsuna found she couldn't bring herself to do that.

Not with the burden of guilt upon her shoulders.

She should have prevented this....

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until someone gently pushed against her shoulder. Magenta eyes fluttered open, and she came to her senses with a start. Makoto was leaning over her with a sympathetic expression.

"It's my turn now, Setsuna," she said quietly, not wishing to disturb a sleeping queen. "Go get some rest."

Setsuna shook her head, looking out at the shimmering city at night. "Iie. I can't. Not while I know the people responsible are still out there somewhere."

In the immediate aftermath, the question of bringing Chibiusa back had arisen. She deserved to know of what had happened to her father. But the fear that her return would place in her danger was high. Not only that, but they would be prematurely taking her out from the past, when she still hadn't helped fight and defeat the Dead Moon Circus or Nehelenia. To pull her out now meant destroying the timeline altogether.

The Senshi had to make a cruel choice.

They chose to let Chibiusa be, and tell her when she returned. Setsuna had already stated that she would tell the princess. If it had to come from anyone, it had to be her. That left Setsuna with the additional burden of knowing what laid ahead for her.

Chibiusa would never forgive her.

She didn't mind.

"We'll find them." Makoto gave Setsuna's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We'll find the ones who did this, and make them pay. But we can't do it if we're in strung-out shape. Ami and Rei are currently working on finding them. Minako's trying to sleep. You should join her."

It was with a reluctant nod that Setsuna conceded to the weariness of body and soul that she felt. She got up from the chair and allowed Makoto to take her place. Then she began to walk away.

"There was nothing you could have done," Makoto's voice said. Setsuna froze as she listened. "The fact that you tried to save her means everything to us, Setsuna."

Magenta eyes momentarily closed. "I still failed, Makoto. And for that, I can never forgive myself."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

They all felt it.

Four Sailor Senshi found themselves jolted from their sleep, eyes wide in unexpected fear and their bodies soaked in sweat. Each one raced through the corridors of the Crystal Palace, homing in the source of this nightmare. They arrived as one before the doors of the queen's private bedchambers.

Under other circumstances, none would have entered without permission. But Setsuna kicked the doors open because she was the first to stand before them. Minako, Makoto and Ami were right behind her.

"Rei, what happened?" Makoto called out.

Rei was standing at the edge of the bed, her jaw trembling as her gaze was fixated on Serenity. She said nothing in response. It was as if the others weren't even there in the room. As the four Senshi approached, they saw what had captured all of Rei's attention: Serenity was knelt down amidst her covers, palms open and cupping a myriad of shimmering lights.

Unfocused eyes of crystal blue were only half-opened.

"Mamo-chan...."

Minako managed a stunned and disbelieving whisper. "Masaka."

In the queen's hands were the fractured remains of the Silver Crystal. What could be seen of the once beautiful gemstone gave off a series of haunting, almost mournful twinkles. There was nothing left now but a handful of shards.

"How could this have happened?" Rei asked, tearfully looking up to the other Senshi. "This has never happened before. Why now? Why, when we need--when Usagi-chan needs it the most?"

"The crystal is inseparably linked to Serenity," Ami said, a chill running through her body. "It feeds off her strength just as much as she uses its power. With her grief from losing Mamoru...."

Ami's voice trailed off, not wanting to vocalize what they already knew and dreaded. A broken heart and soul could only create a broken crystal. The source of Neo Queen Serenity's power new seemed to have died alongside Endymion.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

The city never knew of the broken crystal.

No one ever asked, and none of the Senshi ever told.

Besides, there was something else to keep everyone occupied: a witch hunt was on. The ones responsible for the suicide bombing were being scoured out. The Inner Senshi found themselves trying to prevent a lynch mob mentality in every district. They had to make absolutely certain that one who claimed to be a member of this faction was in fact a member--and wasn't coerced or threatened into a 'confession.'

That left the Inner Senshi with little time to pursue their own leads. All they knew was that this was in retaliation over the fallout from Nemesis. Some dissidents hadn't taken well to the siege.

Setsuna, however, was not bound to the city they way the others were. Their hands were tied. Hers were free to roam all of Crystal Tokyo's underground. She asked questions. She made threats. And if she wanted to, she broke bones.

They might have called her methods unconventional. Perhaps even brutal. Actions unbecoming of a Senshi, actions the queen would never approve of. Yet what was left of their queen now but a saddened, broken woman?

Setsuna knew she was taking it personal. Her sense of horrific failure dogged her in every shadow and nightmare. She hadn't been able to sleep a single night without witnessing the haunting event all over again. And what's more, the ones behind the bombing had managed to kill the one man she had ever loved.

Endymion might have never known. If he had, he allowed it to remain private and one-sided, allowing her the indulgence of fantasy but never pushing the limits of his relation with his wife. Regardless, the single person Setsuna knew to have ever fallen in love with was gone.

There would be hell to pay.

Seven of the eight masterminds had already found that out.

And now, while the Inners were busy trying to calm yet another near-rioting crowd down, Setsuna found herself in her sailor fuku once more. The eighth and final criminal was cornered in front of her. He had been the first to set this entire bombing into motion. He had also proven to be the first to run, and the fastest runner as well.

Now there would be no more running.

All that remained was judgement.

His back pressed against the wall, his chest heaving from the last ten minutes of having run in vain, the man seemed to concede defeat. "So, this is the end of it all, ne?" he inquired, somewhat expectant yet unbelieving of the situation.

Sailor Pluto took a step forward.

It was night, and the skies had clouded over yet again. Ever since the crystal had cracked, the heavens were growing less and less visible. The storm clouds over the city seemed to hover in the air forever, refusing to let shine neither daylight nor moonlight. Everything was being plunged into a darkness that echoed of their queen's shattered heart.

A stray drop of rain fell against her tanned skin.

"It's over," she stated.

"And now I'm to be punished?" the man remarked. He shook his head. "How Janus of you, not that I shouldn't have expected this from a Senshi in the first place."

Magenta eyes narrowed.

She permitted him the chance to speak. To incite her wrath all the more. The rain becoming a constant deluge now. Everything was getting wet, even her. She remained oblivious to the droplets falling upon her form.

"You call yourselves guardians?" he spat. "Look around you, Pluto! The city still bares the scars from Nemesis! You soldiers of love and justice couldn't even protect the city; I died because of your inadequacy!"

His argument was abruptly cut off as Pluto rammed the base of her time staff right beneath his sternum. The wind was stolen from his lungs, and then man collapsed onto his knees, gagging for air.

"And yet you're still alive," Pluto remarked. Her fury against her own failures had been refined. Just as the ones before him, the leaders the Inner Senshi had never been able to find, he had become the single focal point of her rage. "Nemesis may have destroyed the city, but we defeated the Death Phantom. Our queen brought you all back to life--"

She swung her staff around, this time connecting the garnet orb with the man's back. He went flat against the ground, his front side now caked in mud and rainwater.

"--and you repay her kindness with this?" Her fists were clenched, knuckles white beneath her gloves. Pluto could feel her control slipping, but she fought it back. Her vengeance still wanted him to feel the pain she was enduring. "She should have never brought you back in the first place. You all deserved to stay dead, your bodies burned to a crisp by those Spectre droids."

The man coughed and sputtered, lifting his eyes to her scowling face. "So it is true, then. You're the one who killed the others in my fold." He managed a weak but cruel laugh. "I thought something like that was against your principles."

"Perhaps I should just turn you over to the public," she retorted coldly, kneeling down beside him. "Compared to what they'd do to you, whatever I do now will seem merciful."

The man groaned as he rolled on to his stomach, yet the triumphant smile on his face didn't go away. He was still defiantly challenging her in his gaze. "So much for love and justice. Do the other Senshi know you've gone and taken the law into your own hands?"

The smile on his face was erased as Sailor Pluto delivered a solid kick to his ribs. "And what do you call what your group did at the masquerade ball?" she answered. "You helped murder over thirty people, among them King Endymion."

With a growl she turned and walked away.

She could feel self-control slipping through her fingers.

The man sneered in seeing her turn her back to him, and wiped a trickle of blood off his lips. He managed to push himself onto his knees. "What are you going to do, Sailor Senshi?" he called out after her. "Kill me in cold blood?"

Pluto abruptly turned, the glare alone in her magenta eyes fit to kill. "Something like that," she hissed.

Her garnet orb flickered to life.

The man could barely let out a startled and frightened cry before the Dead Scream terminated his life. A flash of light extinguished everything he ever had, was and would be. There had been no chance to beg for mercy; just the split second of horror in realizing that he had called a Senshi's bluff...and found she wasn't bluffing.

"You don't deserve eternity," Pluto stated quietly, oblivious to the winds and dissipating mist around her. But even as she walked away, the knot in her stomach refused to untangle itself. Her vengeance was satiated, and no longer cried out for blood.

So why did she still feel so empty?

Pluto glanced over her shoulder as a silhouette suddenly appeared. The eerie glow from her attack gave light to the fellow Senshi's identity. Sailor Mars's violet eyes swept across the area, and then focused on Pluto.

"I heard you'd found the leader of the faction," Mars said. "Where is he?"

Sailor Pluto paused, her gaze kept ahead. She refused to look back at the other soldier. "Nowhere."

Mars' eyes widened, and she turned to stare at the crater of burned earth behind them. "Setsuna, what have you done?" she whispered.

Pluto began to walk away once more. "I have avenged our queen."

But even then, she feared it wouldn't be enough.

The damage had already been done.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Before Rei had the chance to tell the other Inners about what Setsuna had done, the guardian of time found it necessary to visit the queen. She would endure the interrogation, for she felt she had done nothing wrong. She didn't care about their morals or ethics anymore.

All she wanted was for things to go back to the way they once were. Even a nudge back into that direction, back to the Crystal Tokyo she always longed to leave the Timegate and explore, was favourable. At least then there was the hope of recovering what was currently lost.

"Serenity?" she called out.

Setsuna drew back the veil of silver that framed the queen's bed. Serenity was sitting there amidst the covers, the distant and haunted look captured within her eyes. She stared down at her lap, not acknowledging Setsuna's presence.

"Serenity, I've finished it," Setsuna said, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "The last of those responsible is dead. Endymion can find peace now."

But Serenity couldn't hear Setsuna's voice. She sat upon her bed, pleasantly humming to herself and playing with a small Tuxedo Kamen doll. Vacant blue eyes watched the doll's controlled actions with tranquil amusement.

Tears began to well up in Setsuna's magenta eyes. "Serenity, please...."

Do something. Anything!

Setsuna would have welcomed even a slap across the cheeks for her actions. At least that would have meant the queen and friend they once knew was returning at last. But there was nothing.

Neo Queen Serenity was still lost to them.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

One month passed by since the king's death.

But what is time to a youma?

It cares not for calendars or agendas. All it knows is that it must carry out the single thought beating within its brain. The first youma that touched down upon the Earth did so with a gentle crash, the meteorite shell protecting it from harm as it landed in the vast outback of Australia. No one knew of its presence within the meteorite.

No one cared either.

For a city still reeling from a fanatical suicide bomb and Endymion's death, the beauty of a seemingly innocent meteor shower meant nothing. The streaks of light across the sky, here one second and gone the next, were ignored. Even Ami wasn't paying attention to the momentary fireflies in the heavens above.

And so the meteorite crashed down, leaving a gouge of scorched earth in its wake before it came to a stop. For a while there was no movement. Then the youma inside began to stir from its long hibernation. Its body pulsated. Its limbs rotated as muscles broke down the long months of acquired atrophy. And then suddenly the youma burst forth from its hellish womb.

The globule it emerged from quickly vaporized in the cool evening breeze, embryonic fluids evaporating almost instantly. With awkward, lumbering steps, the youma walked out into this world, staring up at the stars above. Its form was humanoid yet shapeless and without definition. It needed something to mimic, something to imprint on for it to mature.

A growl abruptly echoed behind it.

Slowly the youma turned, its lidless eyes focusing upon a pack of dingo dogs that were now moving to encircle it. Evidently it had disturbed their hunting territory, and was now their prey. Six enemies, one of it. If the youma had possessed a mouth, its lips would have curled back into a vicious smile. It might have been without form, but not its lethal instinct.

The battle proved to be swift.

Two surviving dingos fled, leaving four slaughtered companions behind. The youma inquisitively examined its hand, wiggling its fingers as it watched the canine blood drip off. These creatures might not have been even remotely considered a threat, but they possessed strengths it liked.

The youma decided on the final form it would mature into.

The metamorphosis began. It remained humanoid, yet took on lupine features. Slender fangs. An elongated face. Sloping ears. A tail. Fur. And when the youma began to run, it dropped onto all fours and bayed at the moon.

It knew where it had to go.

Where it wanted to go.

Where its comrades in the other fallen meteorites would go.

They all would go to Crystal Tokyo.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Ever since the Inners had learned of Setsuna executing the faction leaders, there had been a strained relation between them. Rei refused to talk to Setsuna. Makoto and Ami were apprehensive. Minako would dare to try and keep a line of communication open, but even then she would only contact Setsuna every now and again.

Setsuna found herself not caring.

The Timegate was abandoned.

And she found herself wandering the streets of Crystal Tokyo, haunted by the ghost of Endymion everywhere she went. It had felt so long since she had slept. Setsuna suddenly wondered if she had ever slept in the first place. The world around her was one she no longer wished to be a part of because it hurt so much to remember, yet she couldn't bring up the courage to let it all end.

The duty of being a guardian of time was still ingrained in her mind, burned into her being. And even she could not escape that. Half of her wanderings were made with aimless steps. She could eat at any restaurant she wished, visit any store she chose, sleep in any hotel room she so desired. Time had left her with some sizeable perks. The rest of her wanderings found her searching for someone who might be able to take up the key-shaped staff and become the new Pluto.

So didn't want the job any longer.

She had failed.

But her sense of duty refused her to just hand the time staff and the gateway over to simply anyone. And there was one final obligation to fulfill. She had to be here to tell Chibiusa about what had happened. That made the now constant knot in her stomach twist even tighter, constricting her ability to breathe.

Forget about their failure to protect and save Endymion. What Chibiusa would never understand was why they hadn't pulled her out immediately from the past after the assassination had occurred. But that didn't matter anymore.

Setsuna didn't mind becoming the focus of Small Lady's anger. It seemed like one of the only avenues left for her to atone, and find absolution.

When the crystal had cracked, the option to bring back Chibiusa was revisited. Surely the princess could help restore it, if not create a loophole in time and replace it. But Setsuna knew better. Time didn't work like that. She found it nearly impossible to explain her logic to the others, aside from that she knew it was the wrong thing to do. Chibiusa had to remain in the past, undisturbed, unknowing.

Setsuna had gazed into the hundreds of mirrors that revealed glimpses of time and its periods, the waning and waxing of dynasties and dogmas. When something threatened the continuity of time, the mirrors started to chime out of harmony. Such noise was heard when the possibility of bringing Small Lady to the future was discussed.

There were any number of reasons why not to bring her back, even now. Even if her trip was in the blink of an eye and nobody noticed, she would return to the past a changed woman. As someone who knew her father would be horrifically killed. She might try to cheat the future and prevent it, but only create a paradox that would rip apart the solar system (and that level of damage was optimistic).

If she let it slip that Mamoru would be killed later on, how would the Senshi take it? How would Usagi and even Mamoru himself take it? So many ripples would alter the course of events and change the future.

"We could put a memory cap on her," Minako had suggested. "Chibiusa goes back not knowing that she even came here, and things go as normal."

"And what if she doesn't want a memory cap?" Setsuna had countered. "If she resists you could scramble her mind, and erase all her memories. How useful would that prove in the past?"

"But what if she did accept it?" Ami had asked. "Whether or not she was aware of it, what then?"

Setsuna had shaken her head. "You want to have her suffer through learning the fate of her parents twice? That's more than cruel."

And when it all came down, there was no guarantee that Chibiusa would be able to restore the Silver Crystal or help bring back her mother. Despite the urgency of the matter, Setsuna told them she would not bring Chibiusa back. Only the queen had the authority to say otherwise--and the queen was already lost.

The rift between Inner and Outer opened a little wider after that night. And ever since, Setsuna had yet to return to the Timegate. She no longer wanted to watch. She no longer wanted to be Pluto. Let someone else be that soldier, if only she could find them soon.

Abruptly Setsuna halted in her wanderings. Long dark hair shimmered with an emerald hue in the streetlights. She looked up to the dark clouds perpetually smothering the city from the light. Her blood was suddenly running cold. Her skin was unexpectedly covered in sweat.

Slowly she turned her head and cast her magenta eyes back at the distant Crystal Palace.

"They've come again."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Children are so innocent.

And the innocent are always the first to be sacrificed.

The reality of this came upon a morning which should have seen sunshine and blue skies, but did not. The youth of Crystal Tokyo were starting to grow accustomed to the artificial light now required for all hours of the day, and hardly took notice of the change in the first place. They did their lessons and played their games.

Two such children, who could not have been any older than five or six, were happily enjoying a world of sandcastles and toy bulldozers at a local playground. Other kids were calling to each other and laughing. Parents looked on and chatted with each other from the benches lining the playground.

The two boys abruptly stopped their own laughter at the world when a shadow fell upon them. They looked up, and saw a pair of eyes staring down at them from within the shadows of something hidden beneath a trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat.

Crystal Tokyo was a place that didn't know much about fear, and children know even less of fear than adults. The two little boys didn't cry out or scream. They merely looked up at the figure with curious expressions.

No one was looking for but a second.

A second was all that was required.

Both boys were suddenly gone from the sandbox, a toy bulldozer and a smashed castle left behind. The figure had disappeared as well. No one had even known it was there in the first place.

And what's more, when the search began not half an hour later, no one would find any traces of the two missing boys or the creature dressed like a man.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

The disappearances began to increase.

And now the Senshi were all growing worried about the threat of a new invasion--especially now since the Silver Crystal, their primary defense, was broken. Serenity could be of no help to them, as either the Neo Queen or as Sailor Moon.

"Three more people have gone missing," Makoto stated as she sat down at the table with the other three Inner Senshi. "One second they were in sight, the next they just vanished. No clues, no trails, nothing. It's like they just ceased to exist."

Their private war room held a number of noticeably vacant seats. Seats that had at one time belonged to the Outer Senshi, before Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru had been required to disappear after Chibiusa's birth. Years had passed since the three quietly left for Kinmoku, yet it felt like yesterday and forever all wrapped up into one package of perception.

Makoto sorely wished them back. Haruka more than anyone would be able to help solve this worrisome development, and plan ways to countermand it. As it was, the Inners had their hands full looking after the queen, the palace affairs and a city that was slowly beginning to panic.

A storm was brewing.

Soon it would break.

Emerald green eyes looked around the room, from one friend to the next. Rei held the same grim expression Makoto knew herself to be wearing. Most of Rei's free time was spent with Serenity, desperate to bring their queen back to them.

Minako was trying to look optimistic, but already her smiles were wearing thin from fatigue and anxiety. She'd been having the hellish task of trying to console an ever-growing crowd who wanted answers when they had none to give. This was rubbing all their nerves raw, leisurely stealing away all their patience and strength. It was only a matter of time before it claimed them whole.

Makoto glanced over at Ami, who was alternating between looking away to the windows or looking down at her handheld computer. Ami was the one whose behaviour they were most concerned about the most. For the past few weeks Ami had been holing herself up in one of the chambers beneath the Crystal Palace. Much of the hidden underground facilities had been created centuries earlier as special laboratories for Ami's experiments. Ever since the death of Endymion the labs were becoming her second home.

And whenever she was above ground and with the others, she grew more preoccupied with something else. However, what that was she refused to even hint at. And access to all the other Senshi into the labs were denied.

Rei abruptly began to speak about the lack of progress with the queen, and Makoto forced her attention back to the matter at hand. The least Setsuna could have done was volunteer to help--even if it might not be accepted. But right now they needed every Senshi they had, speaking terms or not.

There was the growing sense that the future depended on it.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

A man emerged from the subway one evening, and found himself standing before two less than pleasant Sailor Senshi. The commuters who emerged from the station with him immediately backed away when they saw it was him who had been singled out. These same commuters then screamed and ran when the man decided to no longer be a man.

Certainly he had worn the skin and face of a man.

But beneath he was youma.

Sailors Jupiter and Mars braced themselves for another skirmish as the human facade and form bulged out from beneath the drapery of a trenchcoat. Suddenly the cloth burst, the skin of the unlucky human soul who'd been this creature's victim torn to shreds.

Something completely new and grotesque emerged.

The humanoid appearance it had gave it two legs to stand on, and a face to snarl with. But its body was green, and its two arms were large and folded against its chest. Out from its back exploded two enormous wings that emitted a high-pitched buzzing sound as they flapped.

A chin no longer became a chin as the entire humanoid face cracked apart into four mandibles, each one lined with vicious fangs and dripping with a thick and transparent ooze. And impossibly, its two real eyes were within the folds of its mouth.

"Looks part Praying Mantis," Jupiter muttered aside to Mars. "Is it just me, or are they getting uglier than usual?"

Mars nodded her head as she watched the youma extend its upper arms--which were nothing more than long sickles. "I think this one's the worst yet."

And she shuddered at the knowledge that these things kept on coming, one after another. A new creature rising up as the body of the slain comrade fell to the ground.

Their fight was short but violent. The youma's nasty, scythe- like appendages proved to be able to slice through almost anything. But it still found itself an even match against two Inner Senshi. They dodged each attack, keeping the beast as far from any civilians as possible.

The battle spilled out across the street, and then into a neighboring building as the Mantis youma tried to drive Sailor Mars through the wall. Glass and crystal shattered in every direction, the Mantis youma crashing across the tiled floor. Its wings still buzzed as it attempted to get some lift to its body.

The attempt was stopped by a blast of Supreme Thunder.

Jupiter and Mars shared a smile.

Now the could contain their adversary in a place that didn't give it much room to either fly or swing its sickle arms. Relentlessly they pounded the youma, attack after attack finally crushing the thing into a green pulp.

The twitching puddle of a corpse was carefully watched by the two Inners as fire burned its remains from existence.

"One beast down," Sailor Mars stated, eyes fixated on the funeral pyre.

Jupiter nodded, but her shoulder still sagged. "And maybe a hundred more to go."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

If it had been an all-out invasion, that would have been something. In a way, that would have been something they could have easily braced themselves and the people of Crystal Tokyo for. A hundred youma suddenly erupting from the world beyond the city and swarming towards the palace might have almost been welcomed.

But the creatures took their time.

They popped up at random, and always alone. And people still disappeared with no ideas about where they were taken to, or what had happened to them. The entire city was gripped with fear, people crying for Neo Queen Serenity to do something.

Anything.

But Serenity was still a lost soul, never leaving her bed.

That meant the brunt of the city's accumulated frustration was smacking the Inners in the face. After two months of standing strong, the pain was starting to become more than they could bare.

"We have to do something!" Makoto stated as they gathered at their war table once again. "These youma are starting to break through our defenses!"

"What else can we do?" Rei countered. "We've exhausted ourselves, and without the Silver Crystal or Serenity we can't hope to stop this."

Minako shook her head, speaking almost to herself than to the others in the room with her. "More people are disappearing each day, many in public places. Everyone's afraid to go outside these days, and they're afraid of what might happen if they remain alone inside."

"This city is going to be torn apart if we don't find some way of stopping this," Makoto said. "If we can't depend on Serenity then who else is there?"

"What about the Outers?" Rei asked, turning to Ami.

Once Chibiusa had left the portal, the message had gone out that the Outer Senshi could return home. Distance and time being a factor, any transmission going out as far as the Kinmoku system could only be one-sided. Already they had received a notice from Kinmoku saying the Outers were on their way, but that the journey home would take a considerable amount of time.

The blue-haired genius shook her head dejectedly. "I've tried every kind of emergency frequency I can think of, but if they're in transit then they might be in cryo-stasis."

"An emergency message should jolt them out of it then," Makoto said.

"Unless they're not using an Earth shuttle," a new voice spoke up.

Everyone turned to the prodigal soldier who was now standing in the doorway.

"They've been in the Kinmoku system for years now," Setsuna explained. "If they have a Kinmoku transport taking them home, it might not recognize our distress calls as a distress call. For that matter, we don't even know how fast it will take for the transmission to reach either Kinmoku or their transport. And for all we know, there could be interstellar static or phenomena that would completely block any signal to their ship. If we haven't heard anything from them yet, it's a safe bet that we can't depend on them to help us. Not until they actually touch down on Earth."

"Where have you been?" Rei asked, her tone almost accusing.

Setsuna just answered with, "Around."

Rei still didn't seem to well to a pretense of friendship. "Wandering the city again, while we're fighting to keep it safe?"

While she said nothing in response, Setsuna did approach the war table and let the other see the stains of youma gore on her uniform. "Just because you haven't seen me lately doesn't mean I haven't been fighting my own wars."

"How many have you destroyed?" Makoto asked.

"Twenty-two, after tonight," Setsuna answered. "They're getting harder to pick out from other people around them. They're learning how to blend in and mimic our basic appearance."

Minako leaned back in her chair, silently desiring a full body massage and the chance to just forget all about this for even ten minutes. "What do they want anyways? Youma have always wanted one thing, and always went after a single individual. These things attack only when provoked, and they don't even seem to be after anything."

Ami shook her head. "I don't know. I'm certain the disappearances are linked with this sudden resurgence of youma. The original events are too coincidental to be dismissed."

Makoto's frustrations became embodied in the clenched fist she slammed down on the table. "Kuso! If only Serenity could use her crystal to help us. It's like Nemesis all over again."

"Only this time there may not be a hope that our queen will wake up," Setsuna agreed.

Awkward silence swept in and overtook them.

That had been the one thing they knew had to be spoken, though no one wanted to hear it. And only Setsuna could be the one who had the courage and strength to tell them the cold, harsh reality.

Ami looked at all the anxious faces around her, and then nervously cleared her throat. Her hands trembling she swallowed down her final moments of hesitation and reluctance. "There...there may be a way," she said quietly.

All eyes turned to her.

"I might have a way to help restore Serenity to her former self," the blue-haired genius explained.

Minako was practically out of her seat and leaping across the table. "How?" she exclaimed, hope rising in her voice.

"Nothing I can say will make you fully understand," Ami admitted. Something in the way she spoke that betrayed her fear that they might not approve. "You need to see it for yourselves."

Setsuna took a step away from the table before pivoting to face the open doors of the war room. "Then let's see it."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

The end of their journey found Ami leading the other Senshi into an enormous but darkened chamber somewhere beneath the palace. Everything around them rippled in navy shadows, throwing an eerie paradery of light across the room.

Yet that was but an insignificant point to Makoto, Minako, Rei and Setsuna. Of the four, Setsuna seemed the least bit shocked, as if she had caught a glimpse of this coming.

"Ami-chan...wh-what is this?" Makoto finally managed to say.

Their attention was focused upon a seemingly benign beast towering like a central pillar in the room: a large cylindrical, glass chamber. Bubbles from the liquid inside surged, floating to the top. A strange concoction that was like viscous water, a fluid tinted sky blue. It obviously wasn't water.

And there, floating within the glass chamber, was Mamoru Chiba. The once dead King Endymion. He was naked, suspended there in the middle of the chamber as if gravity meant nothing to him, breathing in the fluid directly to her lungs.

Thin black cables originating from a grille at the base of the chamber wove a tangled web around him, drifting as leisurely as he did inside the liquid. They looped, stretched, graciously curved around his form to give her ample room to float. Yet each cable was inevitably bound with Endymion, fused at the skin where metallic nodes worked their own version of magic. His legs and arms, his chest and back, found at least one node burrowed into his body.

Yet he slept, and remained unaware of their presence.

"How is this possible?" Rei whispered. She turned to Ami, only to find the blue-haired genius already moving down a metallic staircase. The others silently filed down after her.

They could hear Endymion's heart rate, the rhythmic beating echoing loudly across the room. A slightly mechanic hum accompanied it as the machinery synchronized with his pace.

"About two weeks before he was killed in protecting Serenity," Ami explained, nodding briefly to the two technicians present. "Endymion, along with all of us, took a blood test."

Such a thing was a regular event. Ami had always insisted, if not for scientific curiousity in monitoring how the Silver Crystal affected their bodies, then to at least make sure they were still healthy.

"You...you created a clone of Mamoru, didn't you?" Makoto said, looking up at the sleeping soul.

Ami nodded, consulting one of the screens. Presumedly making a quick check of his status. "If losing him has torn Serenity apart this badly, perhaps only Mamoru can mend her broken heart and soul back together."

"And you didn't tell us about this?" Rei asked, her voice shaky. Though not for the same reasons as the others. Rei, it seemed, had a doubt.

"I had to be certain the process was perfect," Ami countered, defending herself with a surprising degree of passion in her voice. "As it is, I've spent a month refining the procedures in order to make sure Mamoru was...." She groped for the word. "completely Mamoru. I wasn't about to give all of you a glimmer of hope, only to see it fail later on."

Minako found herself hypnotically drawn to the chamber, one palm reaching up and gently pressing against the glass. A surge of bubbles floated around Endymion, and his eyes slowly opened. Cobalt orbs gazed through the liquid at Minako, and shone with fond affection.

"He recognizes me," Minako whispered in awe, almost unable to control herself. "Ami, he knows who I am."

Rei looked at Ami in confusion. "How is that possible? You cloned his body and his mind?"

"It's been a pet project of mine for a long time, going back to nearly a hundred years after Crystal Tokyo was established," Ami said, slowly walking up to the glass chamber. She paused and smiled at Endymion. "This was the first time I actually tried it. I was able to isolate all the memories Mamoru possessed up until the last DNA sample was taken, and I core-dumped them into his clone."

"And his Essence?" Setsuna asked.

They had received the data from the Outers years ago regarding the nature of a Senshi's Essence, how it moved from host to host by its own choosing. If they all possessed it, the question arose if Endymion possessed one as well.

Ami avoided eye contact as she answered. From both Endymion and the others. "I don't know. The tests we ran on him in the past, when we first got the Kinmoku report, proved inconclusive. But in creating him, I've found nothing that indicates he ever had an Essence--or where it's gone if he had one before."

Minako was beginning to giggle, staring at Endymion with enrapt fascination. "We can do it," she said. "We can have Serenity returned to us. Then we can fight those youma and take back Crystal Tokyo!"

But Rei could feel her blood going cold. Something didn't feel right. A premonition. Not about Endymion himself, but about what might result from his newfound existence. "There's no telling what seeing him alive again might do to her," she said. "We're lucky enough to have shards of the Silver Crystal, and I believe they're helping to keep those youma from a massive strike. I don't want to risk Serenity dashing those shards into dust because of him."

She looked to Minako for support, but found none. She looked to Ami and found none. Makoto still seemed to need some convincing, but Rei feared Makoto would agree with the others. That left only one other Senshi. "Setsuna, you've visited the portal, haven't you?"

Setsuna nodded.

"What did you see?" Rei asked, praying for something that would validate her fears. "Is this really necessary?"

It took a few moments before Setsuna spoke. And she considered her words very carefully. "All I've been able to see is a smile on Serenity's face for the first time since this began. The Mobius skien has shown me nothing more than that. Anything else would be a guess on my part."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Makoto murmured. She turned to Ami. "If it can be done, then we do it. When he's ready to be released from the chamber, let us know."

Rei was aghast at the notion that Makoto was endorsing this. "Mako-chan, we can't! How can we be sure about this, about him?" She looked back at Ami. "What are we going to tell him? If you copied his memories from before he was killed, then he doesn't even know the real Mamoru is dead. Is he even going to know that he's not the real Mamoru?"

"He IS the real Mamoru," Ami stated emphatically. "He may not be the original, but he's the same Mamoru down to the last detail. And yes, he will know. I haven't been able to tell him yet, because he's been in the chamber. Once I release him a few days from now, I'll tell him everything."

"At the very least he deserves that," Makoto soberly agreed. "He needs to know what he's getting into--and more than anything, he has to want to help us. If for any reason he refuses, we have to let him go."

Ami seemed confident in her work, in the young man before them. "He will want to help us, Mako-chan. He's Mamoru, and he loves Usagi, our queen. To stop her from crying, he'll do whatever it takes."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Within her bedchambers, all was well.

Neo Queen Serenity laid upon the covers, her blonde hair and white silken robes spilling down around her form. Vacant blue eyes looked upon her Tuxedo Kamen doll with affection. She stroked the doll's cheek, let a fingertip trace its way down the doll's jacket.

The gloominess of the city was nothing.

The youma invasion was nothing.

Here with her Mamo-chan, the world was at peace. Here there was no pain, no loneliness, no tears over remembering what had happened. And so Serenity played with her doll, lost in a blur of childish forgetfulness.

"Mamo-chan," she whispered.

And then her crystal blue eyes suddenly widened as she heard a soft and familiar voice reply, "Hai, Usa-ko."

Serenity caught her breath, her entire body going tense as her world suddenly reeled. Everything cracked apart and then rebuilt itself. Serenity turned her head, and through the strands of golden blonde hair saw someone standing at the edge of her bed. The shimmer of the city beyond her windows revealed dark hair she once loved to run her fingers through. Cobalt eyes she could gaze into forever and never tire of.

"Usa-ko," the familiar stranger said again. Such warmth in his voice, stirring her heart and soul. "It's me."

Standing in the doorway, silent observers to the reunion, four sailor soldiers watched with hope. But Rei cast her gaze downwards, unable to watch as Serenity rose from the bed.

Tears were flowing down the queen's cheeks, her eyes trembling. She was torn between thinking it a dream and daring to believe in what she was seeing. Endymion leaned forward, his face now so close to hers. Serenity was petrified as he reached out a hand and caressed her face.

One of her tears was wiped away.

"You're so beautiful, even when you cry," he said, smiling in enigmatic wonder as he looked at her. He seemed on the edge of laughing for joy at seeing his beloved once more.

"M-Mamo-chan?" Serenity whispered.

The focus within her eyes was starting to return.

A shaking hand was lifted up, and went to his face. Touched his skin to make sure he was really there. Felt the warmth of his body. Savoured the familiar scent. For a brief instant, there was a dawning of recognition in Serenity's eyes. Then she threw herself into his arms.

"Mamo-chan!" she cried out, sobbing as she gripped him tightly, refusing to let go.

He held on to her just as tightly, stroking her hair and letting her be soothed by the comfort of his touch. He never said a word as she sobbed, the tears flowing down her face and staining his shirt. He didn't care either, for all that mattered in this world was Serenity. And he was with her once more. Even death couldn't steal this intimacy away from them.

From his chest came Serenity's muffled plea, "Never leave me again."

"I promise," he whispered into her ear, and then kissed her cheek. "We shall never be apart anymore...."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Something about Crystal Tokyo changed.

It was a subtle shift, but everyone took notice.

The clouds still covered the skies, but now they were no longer en masse, a large mobile army of darkened vapour. Sunlight would break through the clouds, scattered beams shining down upon the city. If it was daytime, there was always at least a dozen piercings of the storm veil. At night, the moon could always been seen. The clouds either parted to give it free reign over the city, or else the clouds were spread so thin that the moon's pale glow could be seen regardless.

A paradigm shift that had nearly found itself completed now retracted. The sense of dread and fear slowly began to disperse, and the youma battles grew less frequent. Reports of disappearances continued, but started to decline. Everything about the city had a brilliant shimmer now. A sense of peace was returning to embrace the citizens in its warmth.

And all because the queen had found her reason to live once more. In his heart, Endymion couldn't have been more happy for her. His wife was active in the palace again, trying to set right what had steadily been going wrong over the past few months. Her re-emergence into the public eye caused a shout of joy that echoed across the city.

But he wasn't able to be there, standing by her side.

The smile on Endymion's face began to fade.

It wasn't like his situation was entirely bad. This was his own chance at life again. It had come as a great shock when the Inner Senshi had sat him down and told him of his assassination. But when he'd heard of how it had devastated his beloved wife, he resolved to do whatever he could to help.

Cobalt eyes watched the city fade into twilight.

Through the canopy of clouds overhead, he could see patches of crimson and yellow skies. The beams of sunlight were not as noticeable as they usually were around the noon hour, but it was still good to see sunlight.

In time, once the Silver Crystal healed itself, they might see an end to the darkness again. Blue heavens would once again let his heart soar and his spirits rise. For now, he was content to know that progress was being made in restoring Crystal Tokyo and its queen.

But only its queen.

Endymion's smile faded a little more.

He wasn't allowed out of the palace. Wasn't allowed to be seen by anyone other than the Senshi and a select group of scientists who had been with him since the beginning. Endymion understood why: the people didn't know he was a clone. There was no telling how they'd react if they heard. For all intents and purposes, Endymion was still dead.

But that didn't mean he had to like it.

Here in the Crystal Tower, the central pillar of the palace, he stood against the transparent surface. The gargantuan fountain at the pinnacle of the tower continued to silently gush tonnes of water behind him. His arm rested against the glass, and his head rested against his arm. Bangs of dark hair hung near his eyes, and he remained oblivious to them.

For hours each day all he could do was wander the palace. Even then there were certain places he could not go unless he wished to risk being seen. Many of those hours were spent in solitude. The other Senshi had their duties. He did what he could, even if it was shuffling through paperwork and redtape at his desk.

But it still wasn't enough.

Memories are a powerful force to be reckoned with.

And Endymion was discovering that his own memories of the fulfilling enjoyment he found in ruling beside his wife, in talking to the citizens, brought with them much sadness into the present. He was grateful to be alive.

Who wouldn't be?

But to live and have his hands tied like this.

He felt so helpless on occasion....

Endymion sensed someone approaching, and he turned away from the great windows. The garden-like paradise surrounding the immense fountain was empty save for him--though now there was another stepping into this beautiful sanctuary.

One he always came to when he felt alone.

When he wondered if he was as loved as he was needed.

Cobalt eyes shimmered as he saw Setsuna hesitantly come towards him. The formal sailor fuku was missing, in its place something casual yet recognizably her. She seemed unsure of herself, and was surprised when he abruptly cast his gaze in her direction.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, turning to leave. "I shouldn't be disturbing you."

Endymion found himself smiling in spite of his melancholy state and gestured for Setsuna to stop. "Daijobu," he reassured her. "It's not I have a lot of other people to see."

Setsuna lingered, her presence alone a welcomed sight. She took a few cautionary steps forward. He closed the gap, bringing them face to face.

"It's good to see you again," he said to her.

And then she suddenly broke down, unable to stop the tears that poured down her cheeks. Setsuna collapsed into his arms. Endymion caught her from falling, holding her there against his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. That your life has to be like this now...."

Endymion shook his head, his fingers caressing her dark and silken hair. "Setsuna, I don't blame you for anything. You tried, and the fact that you were willing to run into the blast to save us means everything to me."

She looked into his eyes, desperate to see the truth behind his words. And she found it.

He nodded, wiping away her tears. "I won't forget you, Setsuna. I'm more than willing to forgive you, if only you'll forgive yourself first."

She looked around awkwardly. Embarrassed by her outburst, relieved at his compassion, unsure of what to do next. It was a pleasant surprise when she found Endymion's arms still drawing her close to him.

"I don't have anywhere else to be right now, Setsuna," he said quietly into her ear. "I don't have anyone else I can talk to. Don't leave yet. Please...."

Suddenly Setsuna felt like the strong one.

A smile found its way onto her face as she nodded, and now held him in his arms. Endymion didn't cry, but she could feel his body quiver. It was frightening to be so alone.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

The new world began to settle into its old cycle.

The youma persisted but no longer dominated.

And Endymion found himself taking yet another test in the labs beneath the palace. He had grown accustomed to floating in that glass chamber filled with its peculiar gel. There was little thrashing he made as his lungs accepted the change from air to oxygenated liquid. In a way, though he did very little aside from float there, he enjoyed the tests.

It was something to do, to be an active participant in something important.

Ami liked pulling him away for hours on end to perform her experiments and tests. This unto itself wasn't bad. But Endymion found himself being called away to be tested more and more frequently. He felt the same today as he did yesterday--and the same as he'd felt ten, one hundred, five hundred years ago.

However it seemed Ami held some reservations.

He indulged her curious mind.

At the very least, it was nice to feel needed again.

The testing came to an end. Within his pool of blue liquid, Endymion winced slightly as he felt the metallic nodes wriggle out from where they'd buried into his skin. His eyes watched amidst the surge of bubbles as the cables retreated into the metallic grating at the base of his chamber.

Above his head, a platform swung into sight.

He kicked his legs and broke the surface of the gel, grabbing hold of the edge and pushing his naked form onto the catwalk. Two technicians were there to help, standing guard as Endymion began to violently cough out the liquid from his lungs. He was dripping wet, and suddenly cold, and naked for all to see.

But he was used to it.

A large grey towel was draped over his shoulders, the technicians taking a few steps back to allow the king some breathing space. Endymion sputtered and then hacked up the final droplets of gel, spitting them out onto the catwalk. The viscous liquid clung to his skin, taking its time to drip off whatever edge or curve it could find.

His senses were foggy and blurred.

Disorientation like this always came with emerging from the chamber. It was to be expected. Endymion blinked away the last remaining traces of confusion as he readjusted to the world beyond the glass cylinder.

He absently flexed one of his hands, making a fist and then stretching out the fingers a few moments later. One thing was for certain; these tests were murder on the muscles. Endymion used the railing as a crutch, getting to his feet. From there he began to dry himself off as the technicians led him down a set of stairs in behind the chamber.

Some fresh clothes were awaiting him.

Nothing overly formal. Mostly sweatwear.

He would change into something nice once he was back in the royal bedroom. Left alone for a few minutes, he privately changed into his sweatpants. The metallic catwalk beneath his bare feet was surprisingly cool. Endymion had only tied up the drawstring of his pants when Ami stepped around the corner.

"Good, you haven't completely dried off," she said with an odd amount of relief. The blue-haired genius nodded with her head to one of the computer consoles. "Something came up in the last test we ran; it only showed up now as we were processing the data. Might be a glitch, but it might be something more."

Endymion could see where this was going.

She wanted another test. Immediately, if she could get away with it. But he felt physically fatigued from today for some reason. He silently attributed some of it to the growing tension he could feel within himself, but he kept that to himself.

"Sorry, Ami," he told her, reaching for his shirt. "I don't think I'm up for any more today. We can do it tomorrow if needs be, but I've got to shower and do a few other things before Serenity comes back tonight."

Ami did admittedly look a little cute behind her thin pair of glasses and her white labcoat, especially when she made that pouty, worried face like she was doing right then. "Wait," she tried to reason with him. "One more test, that's all I ask."

Endymion sighed, shaking his head as he fetched his shirt. "Ami, I know you mean well, but I'm exhausted." He could still feel the wet gel dripping off his upper body. "That might skew your results even more, unless you're testing my stamina."

And they both knew that if such was the case, she would have told him about it beforehand. Right now the last thing he wanted was to plunge back into that chamber and let those cables bury themselves into his body.

Ami seemed rather dejected, even when he tried to flash her a reassuring smile. "I'm just afraid--"

She cut herself off, but he had already heard her.

Endymion froze in putting his shirt on. Slowly he turned his head, cobalt eyes hardening momentarily. He finished pushing his head and arms through, pulling the shirt over his chest. "Afraid of what?" he asked.

Ami didn't answer.

He took a few steps towards her and then gently rested his palms against her cheeks. Her face went slightly flush as she felt his warmth, at how his breath flowed against her skin. "Ami," he said quietly. "I'm still Mamoru in every way. You told me that yourself."

Endymion moved his hands away and stepped around her.

"Have a little faith in me. You're the one who gave me this chance to live again. I have no problems in knowing what I am."

So why did it feel like everyone else did?

Ami nodded to herself, sliding the glasses off her nose. "Hai. I'm sorry, Endymion." He noted how she avoided making eye contact, instead pretending to examine something atop a thick stack of papers and charts. "You can go."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

She was sleeping peacefully again.

Endymion loved to watch his wife as she slept, her body curled around him and the covers. Her lips always pursed together, bangs of golden blonde hair dangling around to frame her cheekbones. She looked so beautiful, like a slumbering angel. When he'd first arrived, she couldn't sleep unless she felt him next to her. If he moved away she would sense the absence of his warmth and wake up frightened.

Serenity seemed to be settling down now.

Her confidence that he wouldn't leave her again was growing.

They made love almost every night, yes.

And yet...something didn't feel right.

Endymion made an effort to keep his smile as he quietly watched Serenity. She always embraced him, always raced into his arms when the work of the day was done. There were deluges of kisses and quiet evenings in the fountain park together. And amidst it all, he could sense something was different. Something had changed.

She used to always call him Mamo-chan whenever they were alone. She had called him that the first night they were reunited. And then he was called Mamo-chan no more.

Always Endymion.

At first he had thought this to be a strange quirk.

Now his fears were expanding. It might be something else. Why did they seem apprehensive about him, about his presence whenever he walked into the room? He was still the same old Mamoru Chiba they once knew.

Wasn't he?

Endymion realized that sleep would not come easy to him now. Stealthily he slid out from the sheets of their bed, grinning as he watched Serenity curl up into a ball and hug his pillow. His scent would no doubt keep her asleep a little while longer. Long enough to grant him a chance to walk off the doubts lingering in his mind.

Unexpectedly, his usual place was already claimed.

Rei was leaning against the glass, the great fountain churning out water behind her. She was watching the city, and for a moment Endymion thought he recognized the expression she wore as she stared down at the glowing lights of a midnight Crystal Tokyo. It almost reminded him of what he saw in his reflection whenever he gazed down at the cityscape.

He drew up behind her and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. Rei suddenly recoiled at his touch, as if he had shocked her. But it was Endymion who was more surprised. He quickly drew his hand back, staring at her.

"I...I'm sorry," he said. He wasn't even sure if he was apologizing, or if he needed to in the first place. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Rei needed a few more seconds to stop her hastened breathing, and compose herself. She shook her head, a little chastised by her reaction. "No, it's my fault. I should have sensed you coming, but I was a little caught up in my own little world."

"I know the feeling," he agreed.

Somehow he couldn't shake the sense that he hadn't merely startled her. There was something else. More than any of the other Senshi, Rei had grown the most distant since he had been reborn. Every time he caught sight of her watching him, she quickly looked away. She didn't seem to want to casually talk to him the way they used to. Whenever he paid her a surprise visit, she always seemed to have other work that required her attention.

Rei was avoiding him.

"What do you see when you look out there?" he asked her, trying to keep the conversation going before it lapsed into total silence again.

Rei shook her head as she leaned against the transparent crystalline enclosure. "Hopes and dreams. And I worry that we might not be able to fulfill them all."

Her concerns managed to get him to laugh quietly. "Sometimes a dream is meant to be pursued on your own, Rei-chan. We can only help them so far along before they must finish the journey themselves. If we can offer them the chance to pursue their dreams, then we've done our task."

Rei seemed to have a hard time looking up at him.

She didn't know what to say, and he felt it.

"I'll leave you alone," he said finally, turning to leave.

Rei's eyes widened in alarm as she suddenly realized what she had done. "No, Endymion, wait!" she called out after him. "I didn't mean--"

But he was already leaving.

She knew he didn't want to turn around and come back to her.

She'd already managed to push him away tonight.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

At the very least, they allowed him to remain in their meetings at the war room. Strategy and counter tactics were two things he excelled at. In the past, when Crystal Tokyo had once been just Tokyo, he'd been a very good chess player. Given how the youma were still refusing to take a hint and leave, the threat to the city was very real.

Endymion had spent long and countless hours pouring over the data. He had examined every scrap of information, every photograph. In one case a month ago, he had very carefully slipped out from the palace and surveyed one of the abduction sites. He made sure no citizen could recognize him, and the freedom to just roam the city was overwhelming.

Since then he had slipped out beneath the palace sentries with relative ease. Always in disguise. Always at random intervals when he knew no one would be looking for him. The fact that Setsuna abruptly appeared one day and walked with him was of great help.

"I understand how you feel," she once told him when he asked why she risked so much to be with him. "You're not the only one who's been trapped in a place you are almost eternally forbidden to leave."

His mind worked furiously whenever he investigated the places the youma had been. Setsuna was always there by his side. She'd practically become his assistant whenever he went out. Their time together was always welcomed. She never pulled away whenever he touched her. She always listened, always wanted to hear him speak.

And she called him Mamoru.

The king waited for Minako to join them at the conference table. In front of him was a stack of datapads that housed all the information he had ever gathered and sorted. This meeting was different. Today was different.

For today, he had called them all here to meet, and not the other way around. Minako grinned in embarrassment over being late and quietly slipped into her chair.

"Why did you call us here today?" Makoto asked.

Endymion looked down at the datapad at the top of the stack. The revelation had finally come to him not two hours ago. And with it the grim reality behind what the youma were up to. Everything just made perfect and frightening sense.

Cobalt eyes scanned each face. "I know what our enemy's agenda is," he stated. Endymion paused, enjoying their surprised gasps and expressions. It seemed he did serve a purpose after all, even if it came a surprise to the others.

Only Setsuna didn't react the way the four Inners did.

"There's a pattern to their randomness; a proverbial madness behind their methods. But it's chillingly ingenious." He took the top datapad and slid it across the table to Ami. "It's all in there: they've been abducting people, trying their own experiments on humans. What you've all fought have been the hybrids they've been creating."

Dread sank into the room.

Stagnated in the air.

"It's eugenics at its worst," Endymion said. "They're turning us into their own breed of monster. If they can't just wipe us out, they'll slowly extinguish all that makes us human, reducing us to becoming their puppets for destroying another planet."

The Senshi took the news differently.

Rei looked sick to her stomach, while Minako seemed on the verge of horror and panic. Setsuna was eerily calm. And Ami was furiously scrolling through the information on the datapad. If she was trying to find something wrong with his theory, he hoped so. If he was right, then the danger the city was in had just escalated.

"How did you figure this out?" Makoto asked. Her tone indicated it was an innocent question, one she asked out of awe. He had managed to impress her.

"I studied," he answered. He risked a glance in Setsuna's direction. "And I got lucky."

"Have you managed to find a possible base of origin?" Ami asked, glancing up from the datapad.

Endymion shook his head. "I don't even know how they can move so damned fast. They may be using the underground tunnel systems, but odds are they've created their own in the process. We might not be able to find them until they show themselves."

"At this rate, they'll wipe out the city one way or another," Rei stated. "If we can't destroy whatever nest may be out there, I don't know what to do."

"There is a way to stop them," Endymion said.

All eyes turned to him.

He gave them an answer: "Fight poison with poison." He turned to Ami. "Your computer mainframe has data and samples collected from past youma: daimon, phage, lemures, droid and Cardian. With Crystal Tokyo's current technology, we should be able to duplicate the process once used to create them."

Cobalt eyes seemed to light up at the prospect. This was his chance to prove himself to the others, to forget the numbness of being Endymion and yet seen only as a pale shadow of him--himself.

"We can destroy the youma by employing them ourselves. Our own youma can flush out those creatures and then destroy them, without any loss of human life." He rested his palms on his chest. "I'm proof the process can work! All we need is--"

"That goes against everything Crystal Tokyo has sought to establish!" Rei abruptly protested.

Her outburst caused everyone, Endymion included, to lean back in surprise.

"And unless you have a better alternative, there won't be a Crystal Tokyo within five years," he finally answered her. His eyes looked to each Senshi, one by one. "You've exhausted every possibility, including yourselves. In the past you trusted Mamoru. Why won't you trust me?"

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

In the end, his option had been rejected.

The Senshi agreed he had uncovered the hidden modus operandi of the new youma invasion, but did not want any part of resurrecting old demons to combat new ones. Ami especially was apprehensive about controlling the youma soldiers. Rei was more concerned with the ethics of mass-producing war machines that were partially sentient.

Through the remainder of the meeting Endymion had to bite down on his frustration. When the meeting came to a close, Rei left to inform Serenity. The others just dispersed to go wherever they pleased. He tried not to storm out of the room and race to the garden at the height of the Crystal Tower.

He pounded his fist against the crystalline glass. It didn't even tremble from the impact. His eyes were clouding over, making it difficult to see the city far below. Endymion wondered if he even wanted to look at Crystal Tokyo anymore. Seeing it brought him nothing but pain.

Apparently he hadn't been able to fully conceal his growing frustration and hurt.

"What do you want, Minako?" he asked loudly, not even looking away from the window.

Ten steps behind him, Minako came to a startled halt. "Y-You knew I was here?"

He nodded, resting his head against his arm. "I don't need your pity, Minako. That's the last thing I ask from any of you."

All he wanted was acceptance.

Was that too great a thing to ask?

"I just wanted to thank you for what you did tonight," Minako said, taking a step forward. She didn't know how to tread in his presence, especially given his current mood. He could sense her desire to not offend him in every stumbling movement she made. "You've helped us get one step closer to winning the war."

"You're welcome."

He said nothing else.

Minako swallowed her fears and addressed him. "Endymion, you're a valuable member of our team. If there are times when we take you for granted, then I'm sorry. We don't mean to do it. I don't mean to do it...but I know it's happened."

Endymion sighed deeply, his gaze still focused on the city trapped beneath darkened clouds. "Would it really matter what I thought?" he asked quietly. "If you die, Minako, it means something. Your Essence...it will move to someone else, but we'd all feel the loss. If we cloned you, brought you back, you'd be changed. Different."

Then he looked at Minako's reflection in the glass, and she inwardly cringed at seeing the haunted expression on his face. "But me...I have no Essence. What's to stop me from getting killed and then brought back again as a 'version three'?"

He turned and stared back out at the city.

Minako found herself unable to say anything.

Unable to remain there.

She ran away, almost in tears as she caught a glimpse of the demons that were haunting their king. Her worst fear was that she was inadvertently one of those demons. Endymion welcomed the silence left in her wake, and watched the city.

His solitude was intruded upon yet again.

But this one he did not mind treading into his last sanctuary.

"How much of that did you hear, Setsuna?" he asked, his gaze fixated on the crystalline buildings around the palace.

"Too much," she answered. She wasn't afraid to get close to him. They had been through so much together as it was. She knew him better than anyone else now, even Serenity.

Endymion glanced back at her as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm right; you know that. It's a strange thing to realize you can be replaced, even when you're the replacement. You lose a sailor soldier, and we'll all know it. But me...you could replace me in the blink of an eye and no one would notice. Maybe not even me."

"Endymion, you're not expandable!" Setsuna exclaimed, spinning him around to face her. She defiantly stared into his eyes, daring him to be the first to turn away. Magenta locked against cobalt. But he held his gaze as steady as she held hers.

"Then why do I feel like I am?" he asked.

Why did he feel like they didn't want him?

But Setsuna refused to let it end there. "You're not expandable," she cried out, embracing him tightly. "You can't be, because I love you." Her eyes widened as she realized her confession, something she had never intended to bring out into the open.

The surprise on Endymion's face lasted only a moment.

His caring and gentle smile appeared, and he stroked her hair. Deeply taking in the scent of her beauty. "Love," he said quietly. "If someone loves you, then you have worth. You cannot be completely expendable."

He leaned forward, and kissed her lips.

"Thank you."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Later that night, Endymion found himself in the royal bedchambers. There were still a few hours before he and his wife would actually be tired enough to fall asleep. If anything, now was the chance for them to be together and enjoy one another's company. Inevitably this would lead to playful innuendo, and culminate in them making love.

"There's something that happened to you today," Serenity said, gliding across the room as she stripped out from her royal white robes. Crystal blue eyes fondly appraised her grinning king. "Your smile's...different somehow."

Endymion kept the secret to himself.

"A reaffirming moment in life," he simply replied. His jacket was gone, a white dress shirt left unbuttoned upon his chest. He was barefoot, but kept his dark slacks on. For now he was enjoying the show his wife was putting on.

Serenity giggled as she pranced about in her underwear. "Do you like it?"

"I'd have to be dead not to," he glibly replied, suddenly pouncing forward and throwing both himself and Serenity onto the bed. She screamed in delight as they rolled around on the covers, playfully wrestling each other. Serenity quickly subdued him, and his punishment for being so weak was a kiss.

From there, everything else but passion was forgotten.

Somewhere amidst a confusion of legs and sheets and sweat, Endymion fell asleep entangled with the woman he loved. Tonight had felt different from the others, and he found himself able to drift off to sleep without a burden resting upon his heart.

He awoke hours later.

Stirred around in the covers and found himself to be the sole occupant in the bed. He blinked a few times and roused himself out from the grogginess. A few stray bangs of his black hair were pushed aside, and he beheld Serenity sitting at the desk. She was quietly humming to herself as she wrote something down.

She only hummed when she was writing poetry.

"Found your muse?" he asked, keeping his voice low. It didn't seem right to break the ambience in the room. The lighting was low, and the glow for the night city outside gave more than enough visibility.

Serenity nodded, setting aside her datapad. "I was watching you sleep, and then I looked at this picture."

He saw the old, framed photograph at the back corner of her desk. He knew it well. Endymion remembered the date behind it well, and it brought back so many memories.

Serenity smiled fondly as she herself stared at the picture. "I remember taking this when Mamo-chan and I went to the park...."

Her voice trailed off, and her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said.

Endymion was sitting upright in the bed, his own eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Before she could find her voice, he moved off the bed and grabbed one of his robes. The robe went over his body and its sash was tied up by the time he reached the door to their private chambers.

Serenity found the chance to call out after him.

But her voice fell upon deaf ears.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Endymion pounded against the glass.

He smashed his fist against it again and again.

His angered shouts had spiraled into frustrated tears, and he slumped to the ground. The back area of the grand fountain held with it a rose garden. He usually avoided this place, though he never fully understood why. No one would think of looking here for him.

He didn't want to be near anyone. For once, he wanted to be alone. And so he sat amidst the flowers he once loved so much.

"Kuso," he cried. He had been to that park with Usagi; he even remembered posing for the photograph. And she told him about it like he had never even been there. Like he....

Like he wasn't even Mamoru anymore.

But he was Mamoru Chiba, and King Endymion too.

And yet they refused to accept him as that.

His gaze drifted to one of the blossoming red roses next to his face, and he wrestled to break the stem. The flower was plucked and brought before his face. He stared at the petals, and was unable to find answers hidden within them.

"Why?" he demanded in a dangerously hushed voice. "Why don't you love me, Usa-ko?"

With a strangled cry of despair he crushed the rose in his palm, the thorns digging into his skin and drawing blood. Crimson trickles curled their way down the flower's stem and then fell to the ground.

He cast his cobalt eyes down to the crumpled rose in his hand. He couldn't even throw these damned flowers like Mamoru. Was he even Mamoru then, though they shared the same genetic codes and lifelong memories?

And then he saw it all so clearly.

They saw him as only a copy.

A shadow of a former self.

He was a means to keep the city alive. A means to restore the queen. And for the queen, a means to find happiness. He was nothing more than a tool. Tools were expendable.

No one loved a tool.

The rose slipped from his grasp, bloodied petals crumpled on the floor. His own existence had betrayed him. All he ever wanted was to see his beloved wife smile...but was she even his wife? No one else but him seemed to think so. He had given up everything, even his life, and all for her.

And this was how they repaid his sacrifice?

By bringing him back and making him live with the knowledge of what he'd lost, so close and yet so far away? He'd lost his friendship with the Senshi, who didn't talk to him in private about their lives and dreams like they used to. He'd lost a kingdom he helped rule, presumed dead by everyone in the city. He'd even lost his marriage, that belonging to another Mamoru who shared everything in common with him down to the last chromosome.

Endymion's eyes suddenly widened.

Chibiusa!

Would he be allowed to see her too when she came back? Would they tell her about what happened? And if they did, would his daughter suddenly treat him like a stranger, just as all the others seemed to be doing?

"Kuso!" he hissed, his anguish lost amidst tears. Everything was slipping away, and the more he tried to cling to it the more he realized he had never been holding it in the first place.

He was lost from the future forever.

But if he had nothing to lose, then he had everything to gain. In that darkest hour, Endymion swore to take back everything the Senshi had stolen from him.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Weeks passed.

When Serenity had hesitantly approached him to apologize, he said it had been but an honest mistake. No harm done. Relieved, the queen took the remainder of the day off and spent it with him. She wanted to build new memories together with him.

And Endymion seemed fine by all exterior appearances.

Yet there was a subtlety in the way he behaved that denoted an unexpected change within. The Senshi no longer found him wandering the palace most days, unsure of what he might do next. Now they couldn't find him at all. And whenever he reappeared he politely and adeptly dismissed their concern, changing the subject matter.

"I'm worried about Endymion," Minako confided to the Inners late one night. They had discreetly slipped away to the war room while the king and queen slept.

They weren't really sure where Setsuna was. The guardian of time was seen less and less regularly these days. Sometimes she was wandering the palace. Other times she was talking with Endymion. The rest of the time she was just gone. None of them were even certain that she had returned to the Timegate.

Minako continued, "Something about him has changed. I'm not sure what, though. He's...he's grown distant."

"I knew bringing him in was a bad idea," Rei murmured to herself.

But Ami heard her. "But you're helping compound the problem regardless!" the blue-haired genius snapped. "Rei, I've seen it in his eyes. He's afraid to come near you, all because you're afraid to be around him. He feels he's different because you're alienating him!"

"He is different," Rei snapped back.

"But he's still a human being," Makoto spoke up. "How can we call ourselves soldiers of love and justice if we can't even love someone who was willing to help us in our hour of need? He didn't have to, he didn't ask that we bring him back, but he did everything we ask of him and more...and we never call him Mamoru anymore."

Rei looked at if she had been slapped, but she knew Ami was right. They were all guilty of the way they'd treated Endymion.

Makoto was tipping back in her chair, her hands crossed over her chest. "If we keep pushing him away like this, one day he might not push back." She turned to the other three soldiers. "We have to remember that he's still Endymion, regardless of him being the first or the second."

"We know he's a clone of Mamoru," Minako said. "He knows it too. But he's taken it better than we are, and he senses it. What if we've created the distance, and now he's decided to accept it?" She shivered at the thought. "What have we done to him?"

"I'll talk to him," Ami offered. If anything she could use the pretense of wanting to schedule another test with him. "I'll see what we can do to help him feel like Endy--like Mamoru again."

They parted ways shortly after.

And Ami discovered that finding the king was a lot easier said than done. Nobody in the palace knew about his existence, so she couldn't ask if anyone had seen him. All his usual haunts were deserted. At last she found him in a place she would have never expected.

One of the older labs beneath the palace, one she thought had been closed down, opened its doors to Endymion. She had been further down the corridor behind him, on the verge of calling out his name, relieved to finally catch sight of him.

But now she found herself worried.

Steeling herself for both a confrontation and apology, she tried to gain access to the entry doors. Much to her surprise she was denied access. It took a few tricks before Ami found an override that worked.

The doors pulled back, and Ami stepped into darkness.

Her first instinct upon crossing the threshold was to run. This facility was too frighteningly similar to the one she used for the modified Datadive hardware used in testing Endymion. The smells were the same. The rippling navy blue colours cascading across the metal gridworks were identical.

Ami quietly took one step at a time down the stairs.

The door sealed itself shut behind her.

And then she saw there was not one, but four glass chambers filled with the liquid compound. But the souls floating inside caused her let out a frightened squeak.

She was staring at herself.

At Minako.

At Makoto.

At Rei.

"Ara ara," Endymion's voice suddenly remarked from the shadows behind her. With a shriek, Ami jumped and whirled around. The king was standing halfway up another hidden set of stairs, calmly watching the fear in her eyes. "You should know what curiousity did to the cat, Ami-chan."

Ami slowly moved away from him until her back was against one of the glass cylinders. The pleasant expression on his face was so much like the Endymion she once knew, but now there was something else, and it frightened her. "Wh-what are you doing with clones of us?"

He shrugged as if the answer was rather inconsequential. "Well, if I'm going to make you into the Senshi I want you to be, I do need a body your Essence is going to consider before going elsewhere."

His playfully cruel laughter rang in Ami's ears, and she couldn't stand being in the room any longer. Adrenaline flooded into her body as she raced up the stairs in the hopes of escaping this insanity.

The entry door was still sealed.

No matter how hard Ami banged on the door, or called out for the computer system to override the locking mechanism, she remained trapped.

"You've excellent timing, Ami," drawled the king's voice as he walked up one stair at a time towards her. "Your clones are ready, as are the false memories I plan on injecting into them. I was going to go to you to acquire the Essence of Sailor Mercury...but it appears you've saved me the trouble of finding you."

With wide, trembling eyes she tried to make herself somehow defy physics and pass through the wall. But to no avail. She was not going to escape.

Endymion watched her cringe with eyes that no longer showed sympathy to her. "You made me, Ami. You gave me life, and for that I am grateful. But what I find to my great disliking is that for all you've given me, you still treat me like a guinea pig."

Suddenly his hands were at her throat, squeezing the air out from her lungs.

"I am not a mere experiment who may go wrong at any moment," he growled. "I am a human being...but apparently I'm not Mamoru. All I am is Endymion, and I am living in my own shadow because of you and the others."

Ami frantically swung her arms, trying to claw free. But the vice-like grip around her throat never ceased. She could feel herself grow woozy, begin to fade to black. Her feeble choking couldn't be heard over the metallic hum of the machines.

Her struggles began to weaken.

Her strength left her.

Endymion seemed to smile as he watched the last breaths of life leave her body. "What goes around comes around, Ami-chan. You're about to learn what it's like to be me."

And then darkness claimed her.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Something wasn't right.

Serenity found herself seized with unknown terror.

It had begun a few minutes ago, but refused to die down. Whatever was causing this sense of dread to overpower her, it was being fed. It was growing. Desperate, the queen raced across the palace to find the other Senshi. She feared for the lives of her friends.

Ami wasn't in her room.

That made Serenity all the more fearful. She raced down the corridor and came to Minako's room. The door slid open for her, and she froze. No matter how much she wanted to scream, her voice was stolen from her.

There upon the bed was Minako's silent, unmoving form. Blood decorated her dress, alabaster skin smeared with scarlet. Faded, blue eyes stared out at nothing, Minako's tresses of long blonde hair dangling over the edge of the bed. The horror only deepened when Serenity looked and saw Rei's fallen form upon the broken remains of a marble coffee table.

And standing there, Minako's blood decorating his hands and face, was Endymion.

Endymion glanced back at Serenity, and then straightened up. "Ah, you're just in time," he remarked with a cheerful smile. "She was the last of them to die before I came for you."

"You...you killed them," she whispered, unable to believe what her senses were telling her.

Endymion looked at Minako, then shook his head. "When you can be replaced, death becomes irrelevant. I'm not killing them, but remaking them. In order to remake something, you must destroy what is old first." His chillingly calm gaze went back to Serenity. "I will remake them into ones who actually love me, who accept me. Preparations are already underway for their clones to receive their Essences. It'll be as if they never left us, Usa-ko."

His fingertips were dripping with Minako's blood.

He approached Serenity, and she was too horrified to run. Endymion smiled pleasantly as if nothing was wrong, caressing the side of his face. Minako's blood was left staining his cheeks. "My beautiful Serenity, I love you...but you don't love me. I was made for you, but you rejected all that I was, all that I wanted to be. In your eyes, I am not Mamoru."

With a vicious laugh he leaned forward and gave a chaste kiss to her lips.

And his cobalt eyes turned cold.

He cupped her cheeks in the palms of his hands. The tone of his voice never twisted into one of anger or malice. In his eyes, what he was doing was perfectly rational.

"You rejected all that I was, Serenity, all that I offered you. So now I've decided to become something else, and I shall take back all my gifts that you have taken for granted. The queen is dead...long live the king."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

In a realm that knew both forever and a day, and was irrelevant to both, there existed a gateway that could open a passage through past, present and future. But it was only one part of the entire realm the guardian of time presided in. This place was not null time. Nor was it anti-time.

Time was everything in here, right down to the air one breathed. Yet to the contrary, time was not here. Time is something used to mark the process of aging, a chronology of people, places and events. Where Setsuna stood was a place that knew not linear time.

It saw everything in infinitude.

One portal. Hundreds of possible futures.

Setsuna let her magenta eyes drift from one hovering mirror to the next. Amidst a curious chamber where nothingness was matter itself, she found these small openings: glimpses into the past and present and future. From all of these she could watch the weavings of a tapestry of time unfold.

She remained forever unable to control what she saw. What the mirrors wished to reveal, they revealed. She had no say in the matter, and admittedly that had become very troublesome more than once. Reasons like this dictated why she must remain at her post: if she missed a mirror's projection, she might miss the key to saving the future.

Setsuna looked away from the images.

How long had it been since she last came to this place? And even then, how many times did she actually concentrate on watching what she saw? Endymion's blessing and curse of a new life found in a replicant body was becoming her obsession. She could see him try so hard to prove himself to the other Senshi, and in their eyes fail.

Why couldn't they see?

The metallic chime of a rotating mirror abruptly sounded.

Off-key.

Magenta eyes immediately scanned the area, locating the source. Finding the mirror proved an easy task--but deciphering what she saw beyond the glass surface was not. Setsuna could feel her muscles start to tense as an all too familiar chill ran through her body.

The Mobius was caught in a skein.

A tangled web was slowly coming from the darkness into light.

She was attuned to the echoes these mirrors produced. They resonated with her very heart and soul. When something began to go out of alignment within the continuum, she could feel it. Hear it in the way the mirrors chimed together.

And she was sensing that now.

Something was changing.

Setsuna lifted a hand, fingers outstretched as if reaching to grasp the air. Suddenly her key-shaped staff jumped into sight, gliding effortlessly of its own accord through the air. The Talisman flung itself into her palm, and she caught it with flawless execution.

The mirror before her showed darkness. For a moment she thought she saw something moving amidst the shadowy realms. And then suddenly there was Makoto. But Makoto was still and unmoving, laying in a pool of blood.

The mirror abruptly shifted to display another scene from another time. Now all her eyes could study was a past memory from the second world war. Trench wars and blitzes. These images were but a forgotten blur before her eyes. What she had seen in Makoto's chambers caused her heart to race in fright.

She turned her head, long dark hair spilling down around her form as she began to race towards the exit. It was happening all over again. They were dying and she would arrive too late. How was this possible?

A floating mirror moved away to clear a path for her.

But Setsuna found the way suddenly blocked by Mamoru.

He was dressed in dark slacks, his white dress shirt left undone, edges dangling at his waist. But the otherwise pristine clothes were spattered in crimson. As if it had been raining blood. Endymion's arms hung at his side, his hands glistening red.

Setsuna recoiled in surprise and terror.

The scent of death was on him.

But Endymion stood where he was, not making a move towards her. And he was disturbingly calm as he said, "I have no intention of harming you."

The blood dripping off his fingertips didn't make Setsuna feel any safer in his presence.

"I have no reason to wish any harm or change brought to you," Endymion stated again. His cool expression melted away into a tender smile. "Setsuna, you were the first person who told me you loved me, and showed it in every minute detail."

Now he took a step forward.

Setsuna wanted to run, but remained where she was. "What have you done?" she demanded.

"Liberated myself," he answered. "I have no intention of harming you, Setsuna, but I require the portal's powers. It is my desire to harness the gates of time."

She shook her head in disbelief.

This couldn't be happening.

This couldn't be the man she loved. But it was.

He beckoned to her with a blood-stained hand. "Setsuna, we can rule it all. We who were denied a life even though we lived. We've both been caged, taken for granted and nearly forgotten unless they absolutely needed us! I'm taking back the life that used to be mine, even if it was Mamoru's."

Cobalt eyes narrowed as he held up his bloodied palms, gazing at the scarlet-drenched fingertips. "If they believe he and I are two different people, then so be it. I'll be as different from him as night is from day."

He took another step towards her.

Setsuna held the time staff between them, even though he showed no fear in her using it, and she showed no resolve in attacking him.

"I am giving you the chance to loose these chains, Setsuna. Please come with me, and join me in this new life."

Endymion leaned forward over the staff and kissed her. But one of his fingers brushed against her cheek. Setsuna felt the blood of one of the Senshi, one of her friends, left on her face. She abruptly pulled away from Endymion, vehemently shaking her head.

"I don't want to hurt you!" he stated again, this time louder. The uncertainty was registering in his eyes. He could tell she was growing frightened, and was liable to do anything in this state. "You're the only one who didn't find me expandable, as a mere means to an end. Don't destroy that by destroying yourself."

But the garnet orb was already starting to pulsate with eerie light. The mirrors hovering around them started to hum, the glass surfaces rattling. The mists beneath their feet flared up, driven insane by a wind neither of them could feel.

"Gomen ne, Endymion," she whispered, the tears falling down her face. "I love you...but I cannot let you do this."

She still had a duty to perform.

Endymion could not be allowed free reign over the Timegate. And so she silently willed the portal to terminate itself. Never again would she be able to regain access.

The self-destruct safeguard was initiated.

Suddenly the mirrors screamed and shattered, blowing fragments of what might have been glass across the realm. Shrapnel flew through the air in every direction, cutting her body. Endymion ducked and dodged, but Setsuna remained still as she finished the task.

Grey mists turned to flames.

And then everything exploded into hell.

Setsuna could feel herself being burned by the fires. Devoured whole by a windfall of holy, temporal flame. She relaxed her grip on the time staff, letting it fall away to somewhere within the swarming light.

And then suddenly Endymion's form erupted through the inferno. He reached out his arms and snagged her, pulling her back against his chest and holding her tight.

"I'm not leaving you behind!" he shouted over the raging explosions. "I've lost everything else, Setsuna; I won't lose you!"

The firestorm roared as the entire realm seemed to collapse upon itself. Time itself was in a maelstrom, the intense heat too much to bare. Setsuna closed her eyes and bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming in agony. She felt Endymion's hold around her tighten.

He was refusing to let her go.

In that moment she knew he truly loved her.

She relaxed her body and surrendered to the inferno.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Magenta eyes groggily opened sometime later, and much to her surprise Setsuna found herself alive. But not whole. Something felt wrong about the way she felt, and Setsuna roused herself from her covers. She discovered she no longer had any legs. And then the true shock set in when she caught sight of her hands and arms in the dim light of her bedchamber.

She could only gasp, her breaths racing out of control, as she stared at the metallic form her body had taken on.

"It's a cybernetic body," came Endymion's quiet, soothing voice. She felt him rest a firm but reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It has yet to be completed, but my technicians are working as fast as they can."

He waited for Setsuna to settle down a bit more before talking.

"You were almost consumed by the fire. It was a miracle I was able to pull either of us out. But...but your physical body was almost completely destroyed. I didn't want you to die, Setsuna. So I gave you a second chance at life."

The impact and undertones of his words were only just beginning to set in. Setsuna could feel a war of emotions within herself. Joy that she had survived, muted horror in seeing the cost. She mourned for the Senshi, rejoiced that Endymion had protected her and was watching over her.

"How long have I been unconscious?" she asked.

"Two weeks now," he answered. He ran his palm along her arm, letting her get the feel for how her sense of touch had now radically changed. "I've been making sure the body you're being given is custom- fit. It will be the best this city will see for the next fifty years, I promise you."

It was strangely hypnotic to watch the light reflect off her 'skin'. "What happens now?"

"I've taken over ruling Crystal Tokyo," he said. "The Senshi have been reborn just as I was, only now they serve me alone. Serenity is not dead, but I am making use of the power she still possesses. The city is on the edge of becoming a new world, Setsuna. My hope is that you will see it come to pass with me."

Magenta eyes widened.

He still wanted to be with her.

"The choice to stay or go will always be yours, Setsuna," he said quietly. "I want you to stay, but you are the one person I cannot dictate orders to. But if you do wish to leave, know that my doors will always be open to you. Whatever you want, I'll make sure Shadowgate provides it for you. You will never have to live in a prison again."

He gently placed his hands on hers.

She could vaguely sense the warmth of his skin against the cold metal of her mechanoid digits.

"And I'm hoping that you will not have to live alone."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Eight and a half months after Endymion had been killed by a suicide bomb, Shadowgate was born.

Neo Queen Serenity became but a face upon the television screens, smiling to the people and telling them that the winds of change were coming. Telling them that the change was for the better.

The new Endymion remained unknown. He brought back the Inner Senshi the way he wanted them to be. Their memories were altered, their allegiance now only to him. The Essence of each soldier chose the clone bodies he had crafted specifically for Minako, Rei, Ami and Makoto. The recreating of each Senshi became known as The Project. Each new clone was a Candidate.

In attempting to gain control of the time portal, he confronted Setsuna. Torn between her duty and her love for him, Sailor Pluto initiated a self-destruct of the portal to prevent. It was her intention to die in the explosion.

Endymion saved her, and gave her a new body.

She continued to be loved by him.

He allowed for the youma invasion to continue, though he made use of Serenity and the shards of the Silver Crystal to regulate the extent of the invasion. The guilt the queen felt of having driven him to this kept her alive, kept her soul restored, kept the shards of the crystal intact.

He no longer loved her.

She was but a tool, a means of accomplishing his own goals.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

February 6, 2907.

The battle against the youma was made official.

And it was called the Crystal Wars.

Already Endymion had been working on creating a legion of youma soldiers to combat the attacking ones. At the same time he was allowing highly domesticated and controllable versions to become available on the open market. A being that never complained, never tired, and never talked back to their superior was quickly snapped up. Faster than even Endymion had expected, the benign youma were becoming integrated into Crystal Tokyo.

But he had other plans for the new youma technology.

He wanted a weapon to ensure that the new invaders could be kept under his control. Specifically, it required the body of a daimon. The scientists in charge with creating one presented numerous prototypes.

All were rejected.

"You have got to be kidding me," Rei sighed as she appraised the proposed schematics for the uber-daimon. "An iron? That was the best host you could come up with for it?"

Ami nodded her head in agreement. "This won't inspire fear as much as it will inspire people to laugh at how ridiculous it looks."

"But they'll stop laughing when they see what it's capable of," one daring technician spoke up.

"I don't want it to base its strengths off a damned car or a telephone pole," Endymion snapped, looking up from the chair he was leaning back in. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he wore a scowl on his face. "I want a daimon people will fear more than the youma abducting them, so much so that these new youma will start to fear it too. Give me a creature who can remind us of what a demon used to look like."

Four days later, the scientists gave Endymion his demon.

A wolf daimon.

It was given enhanced intelligence, evolved cunning and tactics. Its body was the perfect blend between canine and humanoid, with its wolfen fangs and claws, and vicious human smile. Two pitch black eyes gazed out from a pale whitened frame. He resembled a spectre who might be a minion belonging to Death. An appropriate visage, given his task.

When the president of Shadowgate and his Senshi arrived to take their first look at the daimon, they were duly impressed.

"Looks like it might actually make me sweat," Minako giggled, running a finger down the daimon's chest. It stood perfectly still, its head bowed slightly. Despite her sensual caress, it didn't so much as shiver.

"Oh, it could easily rival you in terms of physical strength and agility," the lead developer stated, proud of their unique 'child'. "But the data in its head; that might be where it actually manages to defeat you."

Ami's eyes narrowed. "I look forward to the challenge then."

The wolf daimon's wrists and ankles were shackled with special electromagnets, in case it decided to get unexpectedly rowdy. Its heightened capacity to learn had revealed in the testing a particularly vicious killing aptitude.

The only real concern Endymion held was regarding loyalty. A creature that could think for itself had the means of doubting its orders. And its superiors. Endymion walked around the wolf daimon, giving it a final appraisal. Though its head was bowed, he could sense the daimon's black eyes watching him.

"What are your directives?" he demanded of it.

The daimon answered in a low, smooth growl: "Follow the orders of Shadowgate. Terminate those who are my targets. Leave no survivors, no witnesses. Show no mercy."

"And who is Shadowgate?"

"You are. The Senshi are. These scientists are."

"Where is your loyalty?"

"To Shadowgate. To you and your Senshi...and your underlings. I will hunt only when Shadowgate gives me an order. I will kill only those whom Shadowgate orders terminated."

Endymion's cobalt eyes narrowed. "And you understand these directives?"

The wolf daimon bowed its shoulders. "Hai."

That seemed to satisfy the Shadowgate president well enough for the time being. "Erase any images of me from his memories," Endymion instructed the scientists. "I don't want him knowing my face. Then take him out to the Sumido ward; there's a youma nest I'd like him to flush out."

Abruptly the wolf daimon's lips curled into a savage grin. "Sounds like fun."

Endymion slowly turned his head, already sensing the Inners priming their respective attacks. But the daimon was bound and showed not desire to try and break free of its bonds.

"If this is your idea of a test, I can guarantee I won't disappoint," the daimon stated. "I'll even bring you back one of their heads as a souvenir."

The two locked eyes.

And then Endymion smiled. "I look forward to it."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Over the next few weeks, the wolf daimon proved to be a killing machine whose reputation was that of an angel of death. Many referred to him as a hellhound. One of the wolfen traits that could not be removed was his urge to bay at the blackened skies after a kill. The haunting howls echoed across the entire district, causing everyone who heard it to shudder.

In some circles, Shadowgate's white hellhound was more feared than the Sailor Senshi. It was swift. Silent. And virtually invincible. Its targets didn't know death had come for them until after the fact. Sometimes the daimon fed on the remains of those it killed. It needed no such nourishment, but old feral habits die hard.

From his world within the Crystal Palace, Endymion quietly smiled as he would read the flawless reports made after the daimon had returned to its holding pen. For obvious security reasons, such facilities were distanced from the palace.

But then something started to take hold within the wolf daimon's mind. It could think for itself. And it began to doubt. It began to question its existence, and its expendability. The daimon was beginning to want answers.

The incident took place at the end of a briefing session.

"There is rumoured to be a youma nest somewhere in the underground corridors beneath this shopping mall in the Roppongi ward," one of the technicians explained, gesturing to a large holomap.

The daimon's eyes memorized the blueprints in a heartbeat as each floor schematic flashed in rapid succession. "They are trying to be subtle about their abductions, not going after the mall employees. But too many customers have disappeared in this immediate area."

The daimon glanced back at the three other scientists standing behind it.

"Tonight when the mall closes its doors to the public, you are to find the nest and exterminate whatever youma you find. You have been granted the liberty of using whatever means you desire to complete this objective. A team will be waiting to mop up whatever mess you wish to create.

"If the fight spills out into the mall itself, we should inform you that you have full authority to allow for some collateral damage. Exercise caution, but if you have to, don't abstain from punching a few holes in the walls. Daimon, do you understand your orders?"

The wolf daimon did not submissively bow as all daimon soldiers had in the past. As it always had in the past.

"No," it answered. Its voice was void of confusion. There was a chilling clarity with which it spoke that word, as if it was just awakening from a dream and now sorting for itself what was fantasy and what was reality.

It was more than a thing.

It was humanoid. A male humanoid.

Why call itself an 'it' when it was comparable to humans? Perhaps even better than them. It was not an it, but a he. The wolf daimon looked at his hand, and made a fist. After a moment of silence, he opened it again.

"I fight my own kind."

"They are a different breed of youma, ones who would not hesitate to tear you limb from limb if they managed to catch you off- guard," the technician standing at the front stated. "You haven't exactly been friendly with them in the past, daimon."

The wolf daimon's eyes slowly turned to meet with the technician's gaze. The man seemed a little agitated at the black eyes, but knew that he was a part of Shadowgate. By his directives, the daimon could not kill any member of Shadowgate unless under orders came from a higher authority.

The daimon's eyes abruptly narrowed. "If I am a youma, then I am still expandable."

"That is true. You are a daimon soldier."

The wolf daimon's lips curled back, revealing his fangs. "That is unacceptable," he snarled.

With frightening ease he shattered the restrains chaining him down. The scientists in the room never stood a chance of escaping the daimon, or even of raising an alarm. Within ten seconds, they were all dead.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Endymion turned his head back to the screen as he heard the report an hour later. "It escaped?"

The commander in charge nodded. "There...there's nothing left of the scientists it was with at the time."

"It's a daimon, you fool," Endymion stated, his growing displeasure evident in his tone. "That's what it was trained to do to it's enemies. Now it appears we've become it's enemies."

The image on the screen changed to a slow pan of the briefing room the wolf daimon had last been in. Everything was spattered in crimson, dripping off the walls and ceiling, covering the floors and staining whatever furniture had been in there. A number of blankets had been draped over the corpses in the room, and even then Endymion could see the assortment of body parts that the daimon had torn off in its maddened frenzy.

But what caught his eyes was the message crudely scrawled onto the far wall, the kana inked in the blood of the dead scientists.

BAD DOG NO BISCUIT

"Bastard," Endymion growled. This was that daimon's playfully sadistic way of announcing its resignation. It appeared he had given the wolf daimon too long a leash. Pity. He was just starting to like the beast too.

"What are your orders, Sir?" the commander asked, visibly anxious and wanting to mobilize some kind of counter-offensive.

Endymion let out a deep sigh. "Nothing, as of yet. He has an hour headstart, and knows the city better than any footsoldier. For now your biggest concern is rumour control. If I find that news of our 'white hellhound' is written across the papers, I will be most unimpressed."

The commander saluted.

While the transmission ended, Endymion let the daimon's final words remain on the screen.

"You shouldn't have entrusted him with so much power," came a feminine voice from the shadows behind his chair.

Endymion leaned back in his chair, a thin smile on his face. "Perhaps you're right. At the very least, this indicates where changes in our youma soldiers must be made." Cobalt eyes narrowed at the screen, staring at the taunting words the daimon had left behind. "I will not allow for this mistake to be made again."

Four Inner Senshi slowly emerged from the darkness.

He was denied a chance to speak with them regarding the matter. Another incoming call--and a high priority once at that--made itself known, and Endymion connected it onto his screen. A very familiar face appeared, grinning at the Shadowgate president.

"I trust I'm not disturbing you," the wolf daimon remarked.

Somehow, this didn't surprise Endymion in the slightest. He calmly raised a hand, signaling for the Senshi to stop their advance. However, he let them watch the conversation. "I see you sent in your letter of resignation, daimon," he replied.

The wolf daimon grinned and shook his head. Ran his tongue along his fangs. "Call me...Chaos."

"I've seen the heart of the entity called Chaos," Endymion answered. "You're a far cry from that creature."

That got a sadistic chuckle from Chaos. "I'm an ambitious daimon. See you around."

And then the line went dead.

Endymion brooded in silence for a few moments. He finally glanced over his shoulder at the Senshi when they took the initiative to speak.

"Shall we hunt him down?" Makoto asked.

"We can kill that bastard easily enough," Rei agreed with a solemn nod.

Endymion scowled, but shook his head. "No."

That only served to confuse them. "Endymion-sama?" Minako asked, worried that they might have done something to offend him.

"There are other matters that require our time and attention right now," he explained. "I'll let Shadowgate fumble around chasing him; the troops have been itching to prove themselves for a while now, and this seems like the perfect opportunity."

If the Senshi were insulted that he was handing such an important task to such underlings, they didn't voice a complaint. Their faces revealed nothing in front of him.

"What else could there be that requires all of us?" Rei inquired.

"I recently received a transmission from Kinmoku," Endymion told them. "Within two months, we can expect to have some old friends returning to pay us a visit." A thin smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "We wouldn't want to miss giving them an appropriate greeting."

For a brief instant, a flicker of concern appeared on Rei's face. It was gone a moment later.

But it was still a beginning.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

March 17, 2907.

A prototype wolf daimon decided to no longer be a soldier under Shadowgate's employ.

It escaped.

An attempt by the Shadowgate army to terminate it was made, and failed.

Shortly afterward, the daimon who now bestowed upon himself the title of Chaos liberated countless mass-production youma facilities. He gave the youma minds and intelligence, allowing them to become as self-aware as possible. Crystal Tokyo suddenly had to contend with a new and growing generation of phages, daimons, droids, lemures and Cardians who became as equal as any human. Integrating them with the rest of society proved a daunting task.

With many of them now serving as his network of spies, informants and enforcers, Chaos set himself up as the unrivaled master of the city's underworld. And Shadowgate found him to be the sole being who could be rightfully called the corporation's nemesis.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

May 3, 2907.

A Kinmoku shuttle carrying the three Outer Senshi appeared in the outer rim of the solar system. Unknown to them, they had already been branded as a threat to Shadowgate.

And the Inner Senshi were waiting to greet them....

---

[domination complete.]

[next phase: annihilation]

My indebted gratitude goes out to Greenbeans and Meara, who walked by my side as this realm first unfolded.

To Angus MacSpon and "Sailor Moon 4200", which dared to ask me the question: what if Crystal Tokyo didn't last as long as we all thought it would?

Thanks must be given to the "Crystal Tokyo for the Baka" compendium. My work as its archivist has no doubt contributed to many of the ideas that are here within this story.

---

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