Disclaimer: Don't own it so quit your bitchin'
*****************************************
Chapter Nine: A Depressing History That Never Ends
*****************************************
Rei in breath feverently as she looked incredulously at the angel that had saved her life. "I am Cosmos" she had said. 'I don't remember...' Her eyes slammed wide open with a gasp.
*Flashback*
Mars looked around at the carnage and realized one thing. They were not invincible. They were weak. They had lost. She turned to her left and saw the ravaged body of her dear friend and partner Mercury. Poor thing. She had been the first to die, her powers were only defensive. Mars stumbled and looked behind her to see what she had tripped on. The once beautiful auburn hair of Jupiter had been scorched beyond recognition and what was left was blood ridden. Mars gritted her teeth and turned away. Damn Animates! They had taken everything from her. Her partners, her friends, her sisters. Only Sailor Moon, no, Cosmos had managed to live.
*End Flashback*
Goku looked to his daughter in half concern, half confusion. Then he looked to the other figure amidst all the confusion. Why was Bra here? Didn't she go home with her brother and father? He opened his mouth to asked, but was cut short by a growl of fury by Bra. "Cosmos! I should have killed you when I had the chance!" she screeched as she blinked over to where the angel lady had been. A tinkling laughter was heard in the air, not any specific point. "Right Chaos, when did you ever have the chance to kill me and mine? Galaxia was your last and only hope. How dare you even think to inhabit the body of this young child! I can sense the will of her is very strong, that's what gave me the opportunity to stop you from killing one of my senshi. You picked the wrong woman to tangle with Chaos." continued the disembodied voice. Bra growled again and then disappeared in a black flame. "Don't think this isn't over Cosmos! I will get the Himes no Taiyo-kei if it's the last think I do!" came the snarl of a distorted version of Bra's voice.
Dende looked at the reappeared Cosmos and then to his scroll, then to Rei and the other girls. "Are you...are you..." he stuttered, realizing that she was one of the nine that would fight the impending darkness of destruction. Cosmos simply smiled slightly and nodded. Goku looked to him. "What is she Dende? Who was that.....that wasn't Bra. There's no way that could have been Bra. And what's wrong with all these girls and my daughter?" he asked, wanting answers immediately. Dende started to speak but was stopped by Cosmos' hand. "Let me tell him Earth no Ban'nin. You go tell Rei the scroll before she has a heart attack." she joked about her friend. "Shut up Odango Atama!" Cosmos looked at the Mars no hime almost surprisedly. "I didn't think you would remember this fast, Mars no hime." she said, a tear of joy slowly contouring it's way down her cheek. She turned back to Goku and cleared her throat.
"A
long time ago, there was a divine eden on the Moon. It was ruled by a magnanimous
Queen named Selene. She had named it the Moon Kingdom and it was the center
of commerce and culture in the Silver Millennium. All the planets were
aligned with Queen Selene and her equally powerful daughter Serenity in
hopes that there would be a lasting peace among the solar system. The only
planet not in the silver millennium was the Earth, who had many problems
of their own. The prince of their planet was named Endymion, who was a
skilled hunter and the most handsome of the Earthlings, which made Serenity
notice him at once. Convinced of her love for him, she would rendezvous
with him frequently and they would have time together without the watchful
eyes of her Inner Court. The Inner Court consisted of the all the princesses
of the inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Serenity had an
Outer Court as well, consisting of the outer planets: Saturn, Uranus, Neptune,
and Pluto. All of them had their own planetary gifts, giving them the right
to become Sailor Senshi. One gift was spiritual and the other physical.
"Mercury was blessed with wisdom and ice. Venus had love and beauty. Mars
had passion and fire. Jupiter inherited protection and thunder. Saturn
was cursed with death and rebirth. Uranus wielded magnificence and the
heavens. Neptune controlled elegance and the sea. Finally, Pluto was the
guardian of time and space. There was a senshi of the Moon, which was Princess
Serenity, but she was never activated. Serenity carried the gifts of mystery
and peace.
"There was faction on Earth that grew jealous of the Lunarians and all
associated with them for they lived in perfection and never knew death
or hunger. Leading the group was a former lady in Endymion's court named
Beryl, who was banished to the Sun for treason against their majesty, Queen
Gaia. She was also jealous of Serenity, who knew the love of their fair
prince. Then, when she was on the Sun, an evil being named Metallia possessed
her body and gave her incredible power. She murdered the royal family of
Earth, with the exception of Endymion, and proclaimed herself Queen Beryl,
Queen of Earth.
"Without mercy, she attacked the outer planets first, knowing that if they
were defeated, then Selene's main reinforcements would be destroyed. One
by one, starting with Pluto and working her way backwards, she slaughtered
the inhabitants of each planet, and completely obliterated the Outer Senshi
by stealing their crowns, making them helpless. Once news of her rampage
hit Jupiter, the Jupiter no Hime fled to the Moon to get away and protect
her Princess. On Mars, Beryl met a powerful resistance from the royal family,
including the Mars no Hime. Beryl almost was forced to pull back, but caught
the hime off guard and beheaded her, weakening the entire army substantially.
Again, Beryl killed off the royal family of Mars, like she had done for
all the others, and moved on. She skipped the Moon, thankfully at the time,
and went to Venus. Well aware of what was going on, the Venus and Mercury
no Himes had taken refuge to the Moon, but it didn't save their planets,
which when she was finished with them, were left completely in ruin.
"Beryl had completely annihilated the silver alliance and wasn't finished
yet. Now, she was the third most powerful person in the solar system and
went to the Moon to finish off her competition. Endymion had long since
gone to the Moon to make sure that nothing happened to Serenity. Selene
was in disarray and knew that the end of her kingdom and possibly her life
had come and had assembled the last of her army to fight her. The senshi
were prepared to fight, but were nothing without Mars. One missing link
breaks the entire chain. Serenity now chose to activate the powers of Sailor
Moon and replaced Mars. But, before she could, Beryl killed her and Endymion
in one quick, powerful blast. The senshi fell, one by one, and soon, the
army of the Moon was no more. Selene was one of the only living people
on the Moon.
"She chose to die, but not before she called upon the Holy Silver Crystal
and trapped Beryl and all her hell in it. But, if she wanted her daughter
to be reborn, she had to send her spirit in there as well. Selene decided
that it would be for the best and encased Serenity, Endymion and all the
Court in the power of the crystal. With one final wish, she sent them all
to the future. With the Queen dead, the Moon and all the other planets,
excluding Earth, reverted to being dead bodies and have stayed that way
even now. But it wasn't over.
***********************************
TBC