Stars in a New Sky

Chapter 24: Jupiter Rising

I'm not strong like you. How can I protect everyone?

Makoto awoke gasping, her body covered in a sheen of sweat and the sour taste of bile in her mouth. Usagi's, or rather Princess Serenity's voice still rang in her ears. Immediately regretting sitting up, she clung to the side of the bed as the room lazily dipped and whirled. Memories long-forgotten forced their way to the fore. Her heart ached for all that was lost an eternity ago.

A faint clicking on the tile drew her attention. Looking up, Makoto spotted a small black cat slink into view. Her eyes widened in surprised recognition. "Luna."

"You remember me?" Luna asked, tentatively approaching the guardian.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah...it's good to see you again after..." She trailed off. Metalia. The memory of the day their lives ended was like a cold bucket of water to the face. Horror and rage tangled into a thorny knot in her chest. The sounds of faint screams drew her attention from the past to the window. A deep sense of foreboding settled in her stomach. Rising gingerly, she hastened to the window. The sight sent a tremor of fear down her spine. A strange creature was terrorizing the students in the courtyard. 

Two familiar figures appeared narrowly dodging barbed spikes. Her heart leapt in her throat at the sight of Sailor Mercury conjuring an obscuring mist and dragging Sailor Moon back to safety. Both looked to be in pretty bad shape. Mercury was never the strongest warrior, but she'd always been a genius for strategy. Sailor Moon...Princess Serenity never had much of a chance to develop those skills. She'd been born into relative peace and prosperity.

"I have to get out there." She slid the window open, preparing to crawl out.

"Wait!" Luna cried.

"For what?" She called over her shoulder.

"This." Luna closed her eyes and summoned Sailor Jupiter's transformation pen. A bright light filled the nurse's office.

"We can't keep this up much longer. We need to come up with a plan." Sailor Mercury desperately tapped away at her super computer, searching for a way to defeat the demon. It was far stronger than any they had encountered before. Neither one of them had managed to put a scratch on it. Between defending themselves and protecting the other students, they had their hands full. 

Sailor Moon bit her lip and tried for force the terror down. As badly as she wanted to run away, she couldn't leave Ami to face this alone. They'd contacted the others, but they were running out of time. They'd managed to get most of the students to safety before getting pinned down. However, they still had no idea how to defeat this demon. She hazarded a peek around the corner. The Amazon tall monster still hurled barbs at her shield to little effect. One thing she could be proud of at least. She'd mastered raising and keeping a shield up.

Movement behind the creature caught her attention. A group of students, including Naru, were huddled in bushes near the school yard entrance. From the looks of it, they were about to make a run for it. She shook her head, praying they stayed silently hidden. They didn't. Two made a break for the entrance, not realizing the sound had drawn the attention of the demon. 

Without thinking, Sailor Moon stepped out into the open. "No!" She spoke before she could stop herself. 

The demon turned and grinned at her. "Come with me, Moon Princess. The Dark Kingdom awaits your arrival."

Usagi barely dodged the barb that flew past her. She landed hard on the ground, knocking the breath from her body. Two more barbs pierced the ground beside her before she could rise. Dimly, she could hear Ami's cry of alarm. She tried crawling away, but her skirt was pinned by one of the barbs. She was trapped.

Before the demon could do more than take one step towards her, a bolt of electricity engulfed the demon, knocking it back several paces. Lifting her head to look behind her, Usagi peered up at Makoto transformed into Sailor Jupiter. She stood tall with a fierce expression on her face. Sailor Mercury rushed to her side while Sailor Jupiter fought the demon. 

Luna watched the fight from the window. Sailor Jupiter was as formidable as she remembered. A new incarnation had not changed that fact. Relief filled her as the other two guardians arrived to help. Though the princess' guardians were united once more, Luna still felt a pang of anxiety. It was strange Thyst chose to unleash a demon here out in the open and not bother to show up himself. Luna watched the purified demonic remains drift away on the wind. There had to be more to it than this.

***

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mamoru asked Usagi for the fifth time.

"Yes! I'm fine. I promise." She blushed, flustered by his attention. He had been fussing over her ever since they had returned to headquarters. She could tell he'd been beating himself up over not being able to get to her in time. 

Makoto watched the couple with a wistful smile on her face. Not much had changed between the princess and her prince. It warmed her heart to see that fate had given them a second chance. Her eyes wandered around the Guardian's underground base of operations. She was surprised to see Nyx. The Goddess of Night hadn't spent much time on Silver Millennium during the time of Queen Serenity's reign. Like many of the old gods, she had kept her distance once her progeny had begun to rule. Though, she was one of the few who never felt the need to descend into the long sleep the others succumbed to. 

All had been set up for Princess Serenity's ascension to the throne. At least, that had been the plan until Metalia arrived and destroyed their lives. 

"It's Makoto, right?"

She looked up and smiled at the new incarnation of Sailor Venus. Minako....she corrected herself. "Yes."

"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

Mako nodded bitterly. "What are we going to do about Metalia?" She observed Minako's expression grow grim. 

"According to Nyx and Selene, Usagi has to use the Silver Crystal to purify Metalia's corrupted spirit." Her voice was laced with resentment.

Mako stiffened. Despite their princess' abilities, a human body could not withstand that much power. "That's practically a death sentence."

Minako nodded sadly. "We're trying to figure out another way." The tone of her voice belied the optimism of her words.

"How's that going?" Mako asked, skeptically.

Minako sighed. "So far, Ami hasn't been able to find a way around using the Silver Crystal. At least one that doesn't involve getting us all killed."

"We have to keep trying." Mako replied absently, watching the couple. They deserved happiness. They all did. 

***

Selene observed Usagi closely. Despite the danger that surrounded her, she managed to smile joyfully. She seemed perfectly at home with everyone. Her happiness was infectious.  Everyone seemed to wear a smile, especially Mamoru. His eyes were filled with such love and devotion, it made her heart ache. The ties between the two of them were incredibly strong. 

"Déjà vu." A voice spoke at her elbow. She looked down to see Takeshi. He too was watching the others. Though he had been accepted into the fold, he gave the guardians a respectful distance. They had yet to completely bury the betrayals of the past.

Sensing his melancholy, Selene asked. "Something on your mind?"

"I just feel so useless. Besides my memories, I have nothing to offer to help."

Selene nodded thoughtfully. While Nyx had warned her from directly interfering with events, she'd said nothing about acting indirectly. "Would you like the ability to help them?"

Takeshi frowned, meeting her gaze. "Of course." He replied immediately.

She scrutinized his face. "Are you sure? There is no going back once you make this choice."

The seriousness in her voice gave him pause. "What do you mean?"

Selene pursed her lips, choosing her words carefully. "If you were to accept my offer, it's very likely that you will die in the process." 

Takeshi offered her a wry smile. "I once made an oath to give my life for my prince. I'd like to be able to fulfill my promise."