Sailor Moon: The Rise of B'aal
Chapter 14
Hikawa Jinga Shrine:
As she stifled a yawn with her hand to her mouth, Tanya slowly made her way up the many steps to the Hikawa Jinga shrine, the place for the Sailor Senshi meetings, the sky still black with stars shining. While she was excited to see her mentor Setsuna again, she couldn't help but also feel a bit of apprehension at what the meeting would be about. Sailor Pluto had made it quite clear that she wanted ALL of them at the shrine early the next morning, as she had news that was to effect everyone at the meeting. From since then, Tanya and the other girls felt uneasy, as though the presence of Sailor Pluto and the meeting was the start of something very serious.
"But did it HAVE to be so early on a Saturday morning? It said 2 a.m. on my clock when I got up for crying out loud, and it's about 4 a.m. now!" groaned Tanya to herself, rubbing her eyes once more. Beside her, Marco, his gold fur seeming to shine in the dark, turned to look at her and furrowed his brow.
"Tanya, you know this is very important. Sailor Pluto could have some vital information that could determine the outcome of our battle against this enemy. An ancient enemy at that, so you have to take this seriously. Many lives are at stake!" The dog waggled his tail back and forth in an almost pleading way for her to understand.
"I know, I know," sighed Tanya. "It's...it's just that...I really wanted all of this to end, you know? I just want to have the normal problems like every girl my age has, like filling out college applications, job applications, thinking about the future, stuff like that." She placed a finger on her chin and thought for a moment, "Hmmmm...Oh! And make-up, fashion, movies... and don't forget parties!"
"Tanya!" Marco gave her a serious look.
"Okay, okay!" Tanya giggled softly and ruffled the dog's golden fur on his head. "Don't worry Marco, I know how serious this is. I just hope we all can get through this safely and come back home." A worried look came over her dark face as she and Marco neared the shrine's doors.
"Don't worry, we will. Like I've told you many times, I have faith you. I really do." Marco smiled and nodded to her, a feeling of pride in his heart. He was so proud of how much his charge has grown and matured. Soon, all of this will be over, Princess, he thought to himself, and you WILL be happy...
Just then, a loud voice rang out through the still dark, early morning air. "Tanya-chan! Matte! Wait up!" Tanya turned around to see Usagi rushing up the stairs towards her, Luna hanging on for dear life on her shoulder. The dark skinned girl couldn't help but laugh at the funny sight, and waited until the blonde girl caught up on the top stairs.
"Well, who would have thought? Usagi is actually on time for something as important as this!" Tanya joked as Usagi bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
"She would have gotten here sooner with ride from Mamoru-san, but she just HAD to prove she could get here on time on her own!" said Luna, remembering how Usagi dashed around in her room like mad, stomping all over her, and waving off Mamoru in his car when he offered a ride. "Never do that again Usagi! I saw my life flash before my eyes with you running all over me!" The cat quickly jumped off her charge's shoulder and landed perfectly on the ground.
"Quiet Luna! At least we're here on time!" growled out Usagi. She gave her guardian cat a dirty look.
"Never mind that, let's just go in before we're actually late. Rei will grind us to dust if we are!" Tanya quickly grabbed the other girl's hand, and sliding open the front doors, rushed inside to where the others were waiting.
Once inside, they were greeted by Rei's grandfather and Yuuichiro, and entered the fire reading room were the others were either seated or standing, each having a worried expression on their faces.
"Hey, Minako, Mako-chan, Rei-chan!" smiled Usagi as she and Tanya walked in. The blonde girl sat down next to them as she waved a quick and friendly hello to the Outer Senshi standing nearby.
"Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Hotaru, you made it!" Tanya rushed over and gave each of them a quick hug, truly glad to see them.
"Of course we did, kawaii neko-chan!" winked Haruka. "We wouldn't miss something as important as this."
"And neither would we!" called out Taiki as he, Seiya, and Yaten walked in. At their entrance, the younger girls squealed with delight as they rushed towards them. Haruka rolled her eyes in annoyance as Michiru and Hotaru watched with an amused smile.
"It's about time you got here! Another few moments, and you would have been late, and I would have gotten VERY angry!" said Rei with an angry look, but smiled as she looked into apologetic eyes.
"Sorry Rei, but Seiya isn't exactly a morning person," said Taiki, running a hand through his thick, brown hair. "We almost had to pry him out of bed with the Jaws of Life! And I thought Yaten was bad! It's a good thing Juuban High accepted our story and "papers" that said we already graduated from high school. We'd never make it time with his laziness!" Taiki smiled mischievously as he jabbed Seiya in the ribs.
"Very funny," the black-haired singer growled out as he glared at both of his partners as they snickered. "But it's true, it's a good thing Juuban High accepted our story that we already graduated from our school in our 'country'."
"Well, no matter. Setsuna, Ami-chan, and Mamoru-san will be here any moment. At least we're all here now," said Minako. Her eyes then turned serious. "I'm just really nervous about what they're going to say. It sounds so serious, and I can't STAND to wait any longer!"
"And you won't have to..." said a voice.
As the group looked up in surprise, Setsuna, Mamoru, and Ami walked into the room, their faces tense and worried.
"Come, everyone, we must begin this now. We have no time to waste" said Setsuna as she motioned everyone to sit with her around the burning Sacred Fire. As soon as everyone was settled, the Time Guardian got right to business.
"By now, Ami and Mamoru has shared with you the fact that this enemy is called B'aal, and he and his father Satan are the ones we fought long ago in the Silver Millennium. He is an enemy nearly as old as Time itself. Well, he's back, and he wants to finish what he and his father has started over a millennia ago. If we don't stop him, all that is good and true in this universe will be lost. Many people have lost their lives already, and if this continues, many more will." Setsuna then turned to Tanya, her eyes softening a little. "Tanya, I am very sorry for your loss. He was a good man, and I wish there was some way he could have been saved."
Tanya lowered her head sadly, "Thank you, I..." She stopped, and snapped her head up to give Setsuna a curious look. "Wait a minute...how did you know? I made everyone promise not to say anything! What do you mean you wish there was some way he could have been saved?"
She looked into the older woman's eyes, and when Setsuna winced at the slight blunder she made, Tanya suddenly realized the truth. "You...you knew! You KNEW he was going to die that day! All that time you knew what was going to happen, and you didn't even try to save him! How could you? How could you just let a good, kind man like him die like that? I HATE YOU!" Tears filled her eyes as she got up and tried to run out, but Setsuna was quicker.
"Tanya, wait! Please listen! I know how you feel, believe me!" The older Sailor Senshi of Time grabbed the smaller girl by the shoulders and held her tightly as she struggled.
"NO! How would YOU know? You wouldn't have let him die then! Let me go! Get away from me! GET AWAY!" Tanya struggled as hard as she could to shake Setsuna off her, but the woman's grip held like iron. Memories of how good Father O'Brien was to her and her family filled Tanya's heart and mind, and the thought of him dying so suddenly, and Setsuna LETTING him die, made her angrier more than anything. Tears fell heavily down her dark cheeks as the pain from loss of the gentle man once again filled her heart.
"Tanya, please listen to me! Listen! Yes, I knew, but there was nothing I could have done, nothing! I swear to you!" At those words, Tanya calmed down a bit, and looked at her with tear-filled eyes.
"Tanya, being the Guardian of Time...it's not as easy as everyone thinks. I too have to stand by and watch tragic things unfold because it's necessary. It's the rules to keep things as they are to make sure there is a balance of time in the universe. I know it's hard for you all to understand that, but...it was also hard for me to see good, wonderful people grow old and die or die young in a tragic deaths, but I can't alter or control time without it having dire consequences...for myself and everyone else. If I do, then nothing would be as they should, nothing would progress as they are supposed to. Please understand what I'm trying to say...please. I too have lost so many people I've loved and cared for, watched them die and not be able to do anything..." Before she knew it, Setsuna felt tears brimming in her own eyes at the memory of being so alone at the Time Gate, helpless to change tragedies, no one to keep her company, watching as wars unfolded and millions of people died.
"Your Uncle Tim, Father O'Brien...you loved him very much, right?" Setsuna asked. At Tanya's silent nod, she continued, "Then think about it; you have now gained a new level of power if I'm correct, and it was through his loss and your love for him, you were able to do it. Don't you see? His death wasn't in vain. With your new powers, you can now more than ever defeat this enemy and his plans to destroy everything! And you're never alone, Tanya. He will always be in your heart..."
"And you have all the rest of us Tanya, especially me," Yaten walked over and placed a gentle hand on Tanya's cheek, his eyes shining with love and understanding. The girl looked around at everyone else, and saw in their eyes that indeed, she would never be alone, and she was part of their family as much as they were part of hers.
She then looked up at Setsuna, and with a sob, rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the older woman's waist. "Setsuna-san! I'm so sorry! I..I.."
"I know, it's alright," the Time Senshi smiled, gently hugging her back and running her fingers through her black hair. "You're going to be fine, trust me." She put a finger to Tanya's chin and lifted her head up to look into her eyes. "Okay?"
"Okay," Tanya smiled back.
"Alright, we still have some work to do. Ami, if you can please tell us what we've just found out at Mamoru-san's," said Setsuna as she wiped her moist eyes and turned to the blue-haired girl.
"H..hai," Ami reached for her mini-computer, and began typing quickly. "According to this, Mamoru and I found the possible location of the headquarters of B'aal. Actually, it's not so much of a headquarters, but more like an opening or rift between our dimension and his." She looked up at the group as she turned her computer around and showed everyone a display of a map of Israel on her computer screen. There was a red dot on a remote area in the desert. "Everyone, there is a 99.5% chance that the place we must go to is one of the most troublesome and ancient countries in the world...Israel, in this area." She pointed at the red dot.
"Israel?" Makoto's eyes widened as the name was mentioned. "But that place is a political hot spot, especially now with all those cults and stuff. How are we even supposed to GET there without being noticed?"
"Nevertheless, it's where we have to go if we want to find out for sure that this is where all the trouble is coming from," said Mamoru, his blue eyes determined. "This is our chance to end this thing, and we can't pass it up!
"Right, I say we head on over there as soon as possible!" said Haruka, "The longer we wait, the more the chance of people getting hurt..."
"I agree, I say we go now, while this information is fresh," said Michiru. Beside her, Hotaru nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, it's settled," Setsuna looked around at everyone's tired expression. "I..I know it's still so early, but the reason I needed everyone here now is because I've calculated the time when the desert in Israel wouldn't be too bad for us to travel in. Trust me in this." She nodded to everyone, then turned to Rei, "Is the coast clear?"
"Yeah, I just saw Grandpa and Yuuichiru leave. I told them last night I needed some things downtown when they wake up, so it'll take them a while." The black haired girl smiled as she remembered the look of the faces of the men as she told them earlier what she would need and the time they had to go to town.
"Everyone transform, then we can teleport out of here." The dark green-haired woman raised her henshin stick high in the air, and called out "PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
Immediately following her, the other Sailor Senshi and Starlights raised their henshin or hands into their air, and each called out their phrase one after the other;
"MOON ETERNAL, MAKE-UP!"
"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!
"SIRIUS ETERNAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"HEALER STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"
"MAKER STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"
"FIGHTER STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"
The whole, large room was then lit up with a powerful glow, each person changing into the warrior whose mission it was to defend the Earth and the innocent. When it finally died down, Sirius, the Inner Senshi, and the Outer Senshi stood bravely side by side, with Tuxedo Kamen standing before them, his cape flapping in an invisible wind. Beside them, the Sailor Starlights stood ready, determined as the other Sol Senshi to save this Earth.
"Alright, let's go. Everyone gather in a circle, hold hands, and concentrate on our destination!" Sailor Pluto commanded. The senshi nodded, and each came together and formed a circle, each holding the other's hands tightly. With their eyes closed, they thought of their mission and how much it was important to them. They also thought about the ancient land of Israel and finding out where the rift in dimensions were, based on Ami's calculations. Soon, a bright light surrounded them, and each glowed with their respective colors. Their eyes snapped open, and they yelled out at the same time, "SAILOR TELEPORT!"
There was a flash of bright light, and when it died down after a few moments, the group was gone, and all was silent.
Marco walked forward with Luna and Artemis and sighed with worry. "Do you think they'll make it?" he asked, his tail wagging.
"Yes, I have faith." said Luna. "The girls have been through so much already. They won't let us down. They never have before!" Her eyes were shining with pride.
"They'll come through for us. You'll see. They'll come through." Artemis smiled, then walked over and nudged Luna's side gently with his head. At that, the three animals nodded and looked towards where the senshi disappeared from, hoping with all their hearts that they will come back home soon.
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In the dark recesses of Hell, Bzuzu knelt before the dark, shadowy figure and shook to the very core of his being. He had failed again, and that did not go over very well with the master. All around him, the other demons and lost souls screamed and hollered in deafening noises, knowing that they were about to see the ultimate punishment. A moment later, the Master's voice rang out hard and heavy. "ENOUGH!"
Immediately the place became silent, and B'aal walked forward with heavy footsteps towards Bzuzu. "You've failed me again, Bzuzu!" The Demon Prince said softly. Although it was not said loudly, the very tone of the voice shook with rage and anger, and Bzuzu shuddered even more.
"Master...please! I had everything under control until that new Sailor Senshi came...I swear it! I..."
"Enough of this!" B'aal's eyes glowed an evil red, and he seemed to grow another few inches with the power of his anger alone. "I told you, you only had one more chance left! Not only have you failed me, but you also tried to hide from me! Did you think there was anyplace on Earth you could hide? Fool! Now you must taste my wrath!"
Before the red demon could even plead for his life, he watched in horror as B'aal stretched forth his right arm. The black fingernail on his index finger suddenly grew to about 10 inches, it's point razor-sharp. With a grunt, B'aal slashed down and made a clean swipe across Bzuzu's throat. For a moment, Bzuzu's eyes only widened in disbelief, feeling no pain. Then, the slash across his neck turned a bright red, and the bright, red color began to spread out slowly in patterns that looked like spider webs across the demon's body. That was when the pain set in, and Bzuzu screamed horribly as his body began to disintegrate.
"NO! Master, please! PLEEEEEEEASE!" Moments later, there was nothing but ashes where Bzuzu once was, smoking and stinking.
After a moment of looking at the pile of ash, B'aal turned behind him to look at another demon with pale, greenish skin, and a single, huge black horn rising from the top of his head. His eyes glowed a maniacal green color, "The senshi will soon come. Now it is up to you to vanquish them. Let this be a lesson to you that I will not tolerate failure."
"As you command, Master! I, Legion, the Demon of Insanity, will succeed where Bzuzu, the Demon of Anger, failed. I will make sure the Sailor Senshi die a horrible death!" At that, the greenish demon threw back his head and laughed loudly, his insane voice carrying out far through out the regions of Hell. The rest of the Low Level demons and lost souls began to laugh with him, each hoping that soon, the Earth would be theirs again, and the humans their playthings.
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To Be Continued....
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