NOTE: It is *strongly* suggested that you read Parts 1-7, or at least familiarize yourself with the story before venturing on. This one has been a long time in coming, and I apologize for that. Previous chapters are always available from my page (URL at the bottom). Without further adieu... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars "Together Once More" by: Andre Garde (yu217708@yorku.ca) Part Eight: The Farther You Fall "Well, well, well..." Galaxia said, mildly amused. She crouched around the battered Sailor Starlights. "I think it's time to take off the masks." Galaxia stood upright, and a glowing light emerged from within her hand. The light grew to the size of a large ball, and in an instant, it covered the three Sailor Star senshi. Reality blurred for a moment, as time seemed to begin to move more slowly in Galaxia's lair. Heartbeats quickened; fear and wonder coursed through the veins of the Sailor Senshi. The ball of light suddenly faded, and insidious laughter from the golden villain echoed in the darkness. Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten Kou lay on the ground where, moments before, Sailor Star Fighter, Maker, and Healer lay. Shrouded in mystery, the identities of the three guardians of the stars had been revealed at last. The mouths of the Inner Senshi stood agape, and the Outer Senshi had the look of surprise on their faces. Tuxedo Kamen fared the same. Only Eternal Sailor Moon showed no expression on her face. It was as if she knew it all along, but never could be sure until now. Galaxia laughed once again, an evil smile lighting her face despite all the shadows. The weakened Lights could do nothing, but tilt their heads down in shame. They had failed. They were beaten. Galaxia had won, hadn't she? There were others in that lair that would disagree wholeheartedly. All of which, that would continue to fight. One of which, that would never give up. The Sailor Starlights were ashamed of themselves. They'd fallen prey to Galaxia's curse. Truly male once, yet forced to cope with the realm of femininity to Galaxia's power, they could hardly call themselves Sailor Senshi at this point. It was useless. Whatever they could do had been done. What could be done had failed. It was time to give up the fight... ...or let another take up the challenge. Eternal Sailor Moon rose steadily off the ground, catching Galaxia's attention. Shaking, cold, and bleeding steadily, Usagi Tsukino nevertheless rose to full height. Galaxia looked impressed for a mere fraction of a second, but her expression grew grim and taught once more. Galaxia hated defiance of any kind, especially from the one called Sailor Moon. "Fool," she spat. "Your powers are useless. I can't be defeated." "Really," Sailor Moon countered. "We'll see about that. It doesn't always take a fist to beat someone." Sailor Mars watched her princess face off against Galaxia alone. She was badly hurt herself, but she ignored the pain. She'd risk life and limb in an instant to protect the princess -- no, Usagi. But now, she saw her powering down -- detransforming -- back into Usagi Tsukino. Perhaps mimicking her sailor fuku, Usagi's Juuban High School uniform was tattered and torn. The Sailor Starlights gasped in response, as did the rest of the Senshi. But Usagi Tsukino stood motionless in front of Galaxia, looking her straight in the eye. "Is this some sort of taunt?" Galaxia thought to herself. "I'll kill you right now, I swear it!" she howled. Usagi clasped her hands behind her back and closed her eyes, waiting for the blow. Galaxia raised her arms for the killing stroke, despite the cries of protest from the Sailor Senshi and the Starlights. But like any honourable senshi, Galaxia had a weakness. She deemed herself the strongest soldier in the galaxy. The strongest soldier did not need to resort to killing one who could not defend him or herself. That was a job for the anima-mates. But here, the situation presented itself... ...and Galaxia could not find the strength to kill the defenseless girl before her. A single thought played, if only for a mere second through Galaxia's mind. "Is this weakness?" she said to herself. Galaxia threw her arms down in disgust, the golden light from her wrist bracelets flaring gold for a brief second. "I HATE YOU!" she thundered. She willed a force blast directly at Usagi, knocking her backward into the arms of Seiya. "You cheating, wretched... you cannot deny my victory!" Galaxia screamed. She mouthed further curses, but Usagi payed no mind. She opened her eyes, and found Seiya's own staring down at her. "Odango..." he began. "I've... g-got a boyfriend... already," she replied. A faint smile crept across her lips. Seiya frowned. "I know." "When th-this is over, we... need... to talk." "Of course." "But... right now," Usagi continued, "we have a job to finish." Despite her injuries suffered at the hands of Galaxia, she rose slowly to her feet, and advanced towards the Golden Senshi. It hurt as she walked, but Usagi gritted her teeth and marched on. Galaxia swallowed hard, but made no other motion. Her voice was barely a whisper, yet strength and courage underlined every word. "For love and justice," she began, weakly, each breath drawing new determination. "I am... the, pretty... sailor-sssuited sol--soldier." Each word brought pain to her weakened body, but she went on, ignoring the stares of shock from friend and foe alike. "In the n-nname of the Moon..." Galaxia would have no more of it. For the first time, she experienced something she had never experienced before. Fear. And she reacted accordingly, by launching a tremendous golden blast of supercharged energy Usagi Tsukino's way. It struck her dead center in the chest, knocking her backwards. Her limp body fell lifeless to the floor. Her fuku had been burned at the point of impact. Wisps of smoke trailed from the charred clothing. A dark red spot began forming ever-so-slowly on the front of her uniform. Tuxedo Kamen stared in horror. He could barely contain himself; a thin line separating him between madness and despair. "Usako..." he began. "USAKO!!!" His voice trailed off in the darkness, echoing in the vastness of Galaxia's throne room. Galaxia herself watched the scene unfold; not moving, nor saying a word. Tuxedo Kamen ran over to his future wife. He looked at the emptiness in her eyes, the paleness of her skin, caked with the dry ichor of blood. It took him time to realize that she wasn't breathing. Panic and tension rose in his brain, and his pulse quickened. He shot a glance over at Sailor Mercury. The look in his eyes alone made her acknowledge with a nod. She would do her best to revive her longtime friend -- if it were even possible. Sailor Saturn also moved to look in on the situation. Sailor Moon had once protected her from danger, and saved her life. She felt it necessary to do everything in her power to do the same. "It doesn't look good at all," Mercury whispered to Saturn. She nodded grimly. Usagi's eyes were glassy, and her face expressionless. She seemed to be in a trance, although both Saturn and Mercury, the Sailor Team's aspiring doctors, would agree that her situation was far, far, worse. It was then that Tuxedo Kamen noticed it. An insane, mad, laughter, echoing throughout Galaxia's lair and sending shivers down the spines of the Senshi. Galaxia's body shook in seemingly uncontrollable fits, as she roared in contrast to the silence of the Sailor Team and the Starlights. "I have done it!" she screamed, triumphantly. "With Sailor Moon out of the way, it is time to open the portal!" Galaxia turned her back to the Sailor Soldiers. She concentrated, focussing her energy, and in a moment, the light of an innumerable number of Star Seeds filled the room. The Senshi looked on in awe and wonder at the sound. But soon, their amazement turned to horror and disgust, realizing the countless lives that were lost in order to obtain the amount of Star Seeds that Galaxia had gathered before them. They were equally enraged, as their leader -- their princess -- had been struck down. They had failed to protect her; failed in their duty. It was time for payback. But the beaten senshi were in no position to resist, at least not in their current physical state. "We've got to buy ourselves some time," Mamoru thought to himself. He looked to see Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune tending to the Three Lights. The rest watched Galaxia in silence. They wanted to act, but knew they couldn't. It wasn't likely that they'd survive another attack from the Golden Senshi. Feeling helpless, Tuxedo Kamen screamed out in anger. Galaxia, who was focusing on preparations to open the portal, turned back to look. Tears were streaming down his face; fists clenched tightly. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind, and could only utter but a single word: "Why...?" Galaxia turned to face the kneeling Tuxedo Kamen. "Why...?" she began softly. "You ask me... WHY!?" Her voice rose suddenly. "I WILL TELL YOU WHY!!!" she shouted. With her words hitting a crescendo, she tore her helmet from her head, revealing that she had long, golden hair. Golden hair, as the senshi noticed, that looked not unlike the hair of Eternal Sailor Moon. Just like it, in fact. "I will tell you why," Galaxia repeated, the venom in her voice. "THIS is why." Her emphasis on the word came at the same time an image began to take shape on her forehead. At first, a dull glow emanated, but then the shape became more defined and clear-cut. A round, bright-yellow object appeared. Glowing, radiant, brilliant. "Kami-sama..." Sailor Uranus whispered. It was a golden crescent moon. The same that would appear on Usagi as Neo-Queen Serenity; on her mother before her; and of course, Chibi-Usa. Tuxedo Kamen was in shock, as were the rest of the Sailor Soldiers. "H-how... who are y-" he began. But Galaxia cut him off sharply. "It doesn't concern you. It is solely between me and that girl." She motioned over to the seemingly lifeless body of Usagi Tsukino, and then continued to focus her powers on the slowly-forming portal before her. A cloud of mist began to swirl in a circular pattern. Slowly, at first, but one could definitely notice that something was indeed in the making. The Three Lights knew that they had to do something. Soon, the portal would be open, and Galaxia would swallow up the Earth, the moon, and the rest of the galaxy. All raw material for her new universe, which she would shape in her fashion. "Don't you care at all what will happen to this world!?" Seiya shouted. "And the rest of the universe, there will be nothing!!!" "Exactly," Galaxia countered. "Nothing, upon which I will form beings such as my anima-mates. Loyal to me. Loyal to their master." "Toys!" Taiki snapped. "Puppets! You'd live in a world where nothing is real! Everything is fake, artificial..." "It is preferable to live that kind of life as opposed to this one." "Why!? Damnit, WHY!? How can you live a life all alone!?" Yaten pleaded. Galaxia froze. There was that word again. A word she had become so familiar with in her lifetime. Alone. She turned to face the Three Lights and the Sailor Senshi. Angrily, she let loose another shot of energy, pushing them further backward. "None of you can understand," she spat. "None of you will ever understand what the true meaning of loneliness is. NONE OF YOU!" she shouted. "I have been there, I have been alone. NONE OF YOU CAN TRULY UNDERSTAND THAT!" Galaxia was in pain and anguish, but she let none of that get past her exterior. "I lived at the edge of the universe, by myself, alone. I lived without the comfort of so-called friends and family. I had to fend for myself, teach myself how to live." She gestured towards Usagi's body. "I had none of the privileges that that girl had. NONE! But... it doesn't matter now. I will have my own servants. My own people who will worship me. Stay by my side. Forever. I will never be alone again." There was a pause, for an instant, as the senshi lowered their heads. "You're wrong," Sailor Mars said slowly. "You're all wrong." "What are you talking about!?" Galaxia seemed stunned. "We understand loneliness," Jupiter continued. "We were there once ourselves." Venus followed suit. "We weren't understood by anyone. We couldn't be friends with anyone. We had no one to confide in. No one to share our feelings with. We were alone! Like you!" "IMPOSSIBLE!" Galaxia screamed. "It's true!" Mercury added. "We were alone, just like you. We had no one to turn to. Until that day... the day each of us met..." she turned to the small frame beside her. "The day we met Usagi." "Preposterous! That girl is the root of the problem!" Uranus took up the fight. "Maybe yours, but not ours, lady. I don't know what you've got against her, and personally, I don't care. But she means everything to us, and this world. I know... I've fought with her, and I've even fought against her. If there's one thing that I've learned from her that I will remember forever, it's that she will never stop loving her friends. She will never stop loving anyone." "What, what do you mean...?" the Golden Senshi stammered. "It means," Neptune replied, "that she never wants anyone to be alone." Galaxia froze; the portal swirled larger and larger behind her. "That's right, Galaxia," Pluto said. "She gives us the strength to believe in ourselves..." "The strength in knowing that when we need her, she'll be there..." Saturn added. "With all her love and support..." Mamoru finished. He said it with a lover's softness. Conflicting emotions raced through Galaxia's mind. Were they telling the truth? Had she really been abandoned, when in fact, she was the one who was abandoning everyone else? Did they really understand what it meant to be alone, and could that girl... could that girl... possibly... "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" she shrieked, and exploded in a fury of energy, knocking the Sailor Senshi and the Lights away from her. The senshi shielded Usagi's body as best as they could from the blast. "You... you LIE!!! They're all LIES!!! How could my... how could she ever love me like a friend!?" she howled. "You may understand loneliness, but she has never known it!" The Golden Senshi powered herself up for a finishing blow. "It's time to end this. Take a good look at your princess. It will be the last look you'll get." Her voice was as cold as ice when she finished. Galaxia raised her hands as the senshi prepared themselves for the inevitable. Instinctively, they huddled in front of Usagi, despite her condition. With her, even in the most terrible of circumstances, there had always been a chance. Meanwhile, their enemy was poised for the kill. Her look was without expression. "Die." The Sailor Team, Mamoru, and the Three Lights closed their eyes, and were prepared to meet their maker. With the Sailor Team, it had been too short of a friendship, and the sadness of their failure. For the Starlights, it was the agony of defeat, and their unsuccessful search for the princess. For the world, and the universe, it was impending doom. For Mamoru, it was the thought of a life without Usagi. "Usagi, Chibi-Usa... " he whispered. "Gomen... I couldn't save you. We'll never be together again..." A powerful blast travelled at full-speed towards them. When the end seemed at hand, a small voice broke through the chaos. Barely a whisper, the almost inaudible sentence was surprisingly heard by all. "I have to be with them, one more time..." Sailors Mercury and Saturn, right next to Usagi, stared at each other in shock. The looks on their faces said it all. "Did that come from Usagi!?" The senshi weren't prepared for what happened next, either. A flash of pink light radiated from within the center of the group, and rose to meet with Galaxia's deathblow. A translucent, pink, shield rose to protect the senshi and the Lights, dissipating the blast, and saving them from death. All were surprised at the sudden turn of events, including Galaxia. The small, sailor-suited figure at the center from which the shield was generated held the answer. The tiny, red-haired girl with heart-shaped odango smiled as bright as the colours of the rainbow. She uttered but a single phrase to her stunned audience. "Chibi-Chibi!" -- End of Part Eight Andre Garde (a.k.a. Veritech) | Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Team HQ! yu217708@yorku.ca | http://www.sailormoon.org/~slrteam/ "Sailor Moon" character names et. al. are Copyright (C) Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, and Kodansha. In other words, companies with big wallets and a collection of high-priced lawyers who aren't to be trifled with. The story is MINE, Copyright (C) 1996-98 ME, but everything else (the characters, the names) is theirs, theirs, theirs. Please don't sue me.