"Ah, excuse me," Helios said, addressing the blue-haired young man. It was hard to be certain with his ram-horned mask whether he was the young man Queen Mercury had introduced as the guardian of Metis, but it was not many people that had that distinctively brilliant shade of blue hair. He wore a blue jacket trimmed with gold and a matching waistcoat; it was about as austere as an outfit could be at such an occasion, when garish costume was generally expected. "Are you Coeus of Metis?"
Coeus took off his mask. "Indeed, I am. You are...?"
Helios took off his own white unicorn-horned mask. "Helios of Elysion," he said, extending a hand. The Masquerade had been held at the Palace's Venus ballroom, which was located outside of the Crystal Palace proper. It was a almost fairytale like hall, all golden Rococo embellishments and ornate crystal chandeliers. A chamber orchestra played in one corner; in another, a table was covered in food and drink, including a fountain of chocolate and another of champagne. A giant swan of ice gleamed in the center of the enormous spread.
Coeus grasped it and shook Helios' hand. "It's a pleasure," he said politely.
He seemed a little cold, perhaps, but not the heartless lowlife Eros had described. "I'm glad you decided to join us," Helios said. "Eros had given me the impression that... well, it matters not."
"I was reluctant, I will not lie," Coeus replied. "But... I couldn't leave my brother on Nemesis any longer. And..." he blushed just a little. "I have come to realize that certain opinions I have held are in error."
"Hee, I seduced him and convinced him that girls weren't icky," Tokimo said with a giggle.
"Ah! Tokimo," Helios said, glancing at her mask. It was purple and covered in lace and glitter. Her dress, which was similarly purple and girlish, had cap sleeves and a rather poofy skirt. "I did not notice you at first..." how uncharacteristic.
"It's 'cause of the mask!" she proclaimed. "It's like a superhero disguise." She snuggled against Coeus' shoulder; For a moment, a look of tenderness and affection flashed across his face. Was this really the same person who had attacked Eros so ruthlessly...? Clearly, Eros had underestimated Tokimo's sincerity in pursuing Coeus.
Helios smiled. "You two make quite a pair."
"I'm the heart and he's the brains," Tokimo said confidently. "Together, we're like one super-person!"
"I'm not that cold hearted," Coeus said defensively. "And you're not that dumb."
"Aw, but we both have our strong suits, right?" She said.
"I had heard about you brother," Helios continued, changing the subject. "Is he...?"
Coeus' expression looked pained, and Helios realized Eros was quite wrong on this point of Coeus' character. If he had been using Mauros, he must regret it a great deal. "He is still on Nemesis, and it is too dangerous to attempt a rescue and I am not yet desperate enough," he replied. "I still hold out hope he may leave on his own... but I fear... he sits alone and miserable, hating both himself and me...."
"We can rescue him, Coeus!" Tokimo said, taking his hand. "We've got super-powers!"
"You don't have your crystal, Tokimo, and I am only a priest--and as such my powers are rather limited," Coeus replied.
"Perhaps Sailor Mercury would assist you," Helios said hopefully. "She has her crystal now. Her powers should be formidable. And I am sure that Lady Serenity would be happy to assist as well."
"I would not think of putting someone you care for in that kind of danger," Coeus replied. Coeus hadn't had many compunctions not long ago, Helios thought somewhat bitterly... but he supposed he should just be glad that the priest of Mercury had had a change of heart.
"Thank you," Helios replied. "But... as much as I wish to protect her, she is a sailor senshi. And as you yourself pointed out, she's far stronger and more capable than myself."
"See, Coeus? Everything's gonna turn out fine!" Tokimo said.
"I hope you're right," Coeus replied.
"Coeus!" A voice which Helios recognized as Eros' cried out, walking toward him with an enthusiastic grin. His mask was easier for Helios to remember, as well; it had a brilliant silver swan painted over Eros' eye. Helios was not sure if what relevance, if any, Coeus' ram-horned mask had. The rest of Eros' outfit was a far cry from Coeus'. His navy blue coat was covered with silver arabesque patterns; he wore a black waist coat to match and pants that were so tight Helios would have been quite embarrassed if he were Eros. "Coeus, I have been looking for you. We are the stars of the party! Why are you hiding in the corner?"
"If it isn't the very Priest of Frivolity himself," Coeus dryly replied. "Why, indeed. We both know how I love parties. And dancing."
"I know! I am quite shocked," Eros said, a smirk as visible as day across his face. He motioned to the dance floor and Queen Venus sauntered over, a glass in her hand. "I was just telling my Lady how we used to dance in the old days. And I thought to myself, why, I am sure that Coeus knows many of the dances as well, being, as he is, an educated man of a royal family. Between the two of us, we could teach our respective partners the steps. I think it would be an excellent time."
"It sounds dreadful," Coeus said. "I'm not interested."
Eros grinned. "Oh, well... If you are not skilled enough, or perhaps do not remember the steps after so long, I understand." Coeus frowned and opened his mouth to say something.
"I bet Coeus can dance better than you any day of the week, Mr. Sparkle-shirt!" Tokimo interjected angrily.
"It is my coat which sparkles, not my shirt," Eros corrected her.
"Whatever," Tokimo dismissively replied.
"I must say, Tokimo, it was wrong of me to speak so dismissively of your intentions toward Coeus. I thought you were not taking the idea of courting him seriously... but I can see in the way that you have leapt so readily to his defense that you are quite enamored of him," Eros said, regarding Coeus with a smile. Coeus glanced away and tried not to look self-conscious. "And Coeus himself seems to return your affections, which surprises me even more. You two seem to share so little in common."
"...Tokimo is kind and earnest," Coeus replied. "And imaginative."
Eros laughed. "That is certainly one word for it!" he replied. "Well. My Lady, are you ready to learn the dance?"
Minako put her wine glass down on a nearby table and Took Eros' hand. "Yes!" she said excitedly.
"Haha, as you will learn, my dear, we do not take hands for this dance--at least not right away. Helios, would you care to join along with Lady Serenity?"
Helios looked a little awkward. "I don't know if--"
"I'll go find Usako!" Minako voluntered, diving back into the crowd.
Coeus looked toward Helios sympathetically. "Venusians," he said dismissively. Helios was not sure what to say to this, not being accustomed to the idea of people actually having ever lived on Venus-outside, perhaps, of Magellan castle--so he said nothing.
"It must be hard to come from a planet where people don't believe in fun," Eros rejoined.
"Oh, Coeus believes in fun," Tokimo said with a playful smirk. "We have all kinds of fun--"
"Why, look, there is Lady Serenity now," Coeus interjected as the Moon Princess walked toward them.
"So it is! Now, everyone must stand across from their partners, like so," Eros said, positioning Minako by the shoulders so that she stood a few feet across from him. "Helios, you stand in the middle, that way there shall be someone on either side to direct you through the dance in the event of confusion." Helios did as he was told, and Coeus positioned himself beside him. "Now, I shall walk everyone through the steps."
Yamiko watched somewhat desolately from a distance as Eros stood in a line with the other two priests and their partners. They wove between each other and spun in merry circles in a dance that reminded Yamiko a little of the quadrilles she had seen in Jane Austen films. Yamiko did not consider herself a fan of any kind of exercise, but she had often admired the elegant way the lines interlaced in those dances and wished she knew how to participate. Eros seemed untroubled, with a pleasant smile on his face as he directed the steps. For a moment, Yamiko imagined herself in amongst them, with Eros' hand resting lightly on her waist...
"He looks pretty fine in those tight pants," Sayoko remarked, staring appreciatively at Eros through her green sequined mask. Her dress was long and narrow and just as glittery, with a nice tall slit up the side. "And that coat. Has sort of a 18th century look to it... very classy. Heck, he just looks pretty fine in general. I wouldn't mind having a piece of that."
"Too bad he's a sleaze," Yamiko replied.
"He really does feel bad, Yamiko," Sayoko said. "I know he's done a good job of proving otherwise, but he's a good guy. He's worth giving a second chance."
"You're the first person I would think of when asking for advice on how to have a healthy relationship," Yamiko said. She frowned, glancing toward her sister. Sayoko looked crushed, and Yamiko immediately realized she had gone too far. Sayoko had had more than her fair share of heartbreak, and she doubted that the two or three glasses of wine Sayoko had drunk would encourage her to casually brush Yamiko's thoughtlessly uttered words aside.
"Sayoko, I--"
"I'm going to go say hi to Eros," Sayoko said, trying to sound matter-of-fact. Yamiko was not sure what made her feel worse; the fact that she had made her what was probably her only and dearest friend in the world miserable, or the fact that she was going to go find comfort by spending time with the lover who had used her. Yamiko tried to ignore the part of herself that wished she could follow Sayoko and pretend that she was very interested in the food.
Mayumi sipped a glass of sparkling cider disinterestedly beside the table of food.
"You don't look like you're having fun," her date commented. Kyo Kageyama was the lead singer of the current hot Kei band, Gardenia. He was very attractive, with his platinum-bleached hair arranged just so and his outfit even more outlandish than Eros, the guest of honor. But his attractiveness was polished with hours of make-up and maintenance. Mauros was handsome without even trying, even just wearing the dullest and most uninteresting of clothing.
Mayumi sighed. "It's not your fault," she said apologetically. She could hardly blame her date for this elaborate publicity set-up, which had been her father's idea. Perhaps he had decided he did not like the eyes that Seki made at her. "There's.... someone on my mind."
Kyo smiled a little apologetically. "It's tough if you like someone in this business," he said. "Everything's such a spectacle. Even if you decide to be with them, the cameras are everywhere. There's a girl I like at my academy, but... I can't bring myself to say something and drag her into this carnival."
Mayumi smiled. "That's so sweet of you," she said. "But you should tell her anyway. It's her decision, if it's worth putting up with or not--don't you think?"
He smiled. "Maybe you're right. What about you? What's the boy you're into like?"
Mayumi blushed. "He's really tall... and he has really long hair. He's a westerner."
"Ah! It sounds like I could hardly compete with him, anyhow," he said with a chuckle. "Well, there is no reason for us to suffer boredom while we're here. It looks like this Priest of Venus is leading some sort of dance. Do you think you'd like to see if they'd let us join in?"
"I suppose," she said, trying to muster as much enthusiasm as possible as Kyo took her hand.
"Let us take a moment's pause to get a drink between dances," Eros announced, moving toward the nearby table where he had set his glass of wine.
"Eros!" Eros turned to see an overly enthusiastic Sayoko, clearly attempting to compensate for something that had upset her. Eros gave her an enthusiastic hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Hello, gorgeous," he said with a wink as he pulled back. "In that outfit, you must be leaving a trail of broken hearts in your wake."
"My, Eros, you flirt!" She said with a giggle. "Anyway, speak for yourself. Did you paint those pants on?"
"Oh, you don't like them?" He replied, glancing down. "I like to think they flatter my finely toned legs."
"Your... legs?" Sayoko replied, looking downward raising her eyebrows skeptically.
"Sayoko, where are you looking?!" He said, feigning shock. "How lewd."
Sayoko couldn't help but laugh at this.
"Ah, excuse us," Eros glanced behind him to see a man with pale hair and an ornate outfit of gold and white. Standing beside him was a girl with shining silver hair, her mask and dress a brilliant red streaked with cold blue. "Sorry to bother you, Your Holiness. I am Kyo Kageyama, and this is Mayumi Hatsuhara... we couldn't help but be intrigued by the dance you were so impressively executing. Do you plan to continue at any point in the evening?"
"Indeed," Eros replied, "I was only briefly pausing for a drink and some conversation with my next partner, Sayoko Hoshino."
Kyo and Mayumi bowed politely. "You must be the heir to the Hoshino group," Kyo said pleasantly. "It's an honor."
"Ah, that's actually my sister, Yamiko," Sayoko replied, returning the bow, which showed a rather advantageous shot of her generous cleavage. Sayoko smiled as charmingly as she could muster at the extremely attractive Kyo. "Though she's still too young to take part in the business."
"I see," Kyo replied.
Eros put down his drink. "Shall we go another round? I'll teach you the steps. Come along," Eros offered, taking Sayoko's hand and motioning for Mayumi and Kyo to follow him as he gathered the other couples once more.
"Well," Rhea said, adjusting Mauros' mask, "Let's go find Mayumi, shall we?" The mask was black and covered in gold scrollwork; its shape formed the outline of a dog's face, two striped ears flopped over at the top of the head. Rhea picked up someone's abandoned champagne and sipped it as she filtered through the crowd, Mauros' tall but slouched figure behind her. Even hunched over, he attracted stares; his dark, chestnut hair had been pulled somewhat forcefully into a braid, since Rhea did not have time to deal with its tangles, but it was impressive nonetheless. He wore a long, leather coat that was covered in golden scrollwork. It was as if Anubis himself had walked into the party.
Rhea strode toward the line of dancers, confident in her own shimmering, pale lavender costume. She walked over to the line of dancers and stared for a moment. "Ah..." she said, somewhat troubled.
"What is it?" Mauros asked.
"It seems... there is someone else..." She pointed toward the silver-haired girl and Mauros frowned as he saw a stranger's hand lying gently on her waist as Mayumi stared adoringly in his eyes. Amongst the same crowd was Coeus, dancing with a dark-haired girl.
Mauros could feel a sensation inside himself like being torn apart. He felt guilty, angry, jealous and heartbroken all at once, though he did not know half of the words to describe the sensations. His heart plummeted to his stomach and then rose to his throat; he was choking, choking....
"I'm sorry, Mauros," Rhea said with a sigh. "You're such a sweetie. It's nothing personal."
Mauros screamed and tore at his mask. It felt as though it was sucking everything out of him; every ounce of his being was being consumed by the impassive face of his mask.
Then everything was darkness.
Eros' eyes widened. "Stop the dance!" He shouted. There was screaming and scattering attendees as the music halted. A tall, foreboding man with long brown hair--Mauros, Eros was sure of it--fell to the floor beside a purple-clad woman. "Morpheus," Eros muttered ominously. She disappeared as soon as she had come.
The golden scrollwork on Mauros' costume pulled itself off of the black leather and flew about the room like chaotic, glowing streamers. At the same time, The shadows cast inside the ballroom elongated ominously until the room was momentarily a confused jumble of streaming golden ribbon and darkness competing in a chaotic dance. The golden scrollwork reached out to touch the elongating shadows, spearing straight through anything in its path--furniture, chandeliers--
Eros could see one of these ribbons reaching out to Sayoko's shadow, now grossly elongated and bloated. It would not waste the time to move around her....
"Sayoko!" he cried, pushing her ahead of him. Her face was blank as she watched him. Eros looked down to see a crimson trail of blood pouring down his jacket...
"Eros!" she screamed.
Eros smiled weakly. "My good... shirt..." he muttered carelessly as he looked down at the golden ribbon that had borne itself through him. He watched, his vision fading, as it pulled the shadow on the wall behind him through his body, back towards Mauros...
Coeus wasted no time as soon as he realized who the shrouded figure was. He threw his mask to the floor and pulled a rapier and thin dagger, seemingly out of nowhere, into each of his hands. "If only I had had my glasses, I would have known something was amiss far sooner...!" he spat.
Out of the jumble of shadow and ribbon, a three-headed dog materialized, its body a mass of black and golden arabesques. It resembled a giant wolfhound, it's body lithe and muscled. The dog gave out a low growl.
"Charon prism power, make up!" Tokimo cried, transforming into Sailor Charon in a blurry whir.
"Luna prism power, make up!" Lady Serenity transformed into Sailor Luna in a mass of shimmering pink ribbon.
"Io prism power, make up!" Mayumi cried, transforming into Sailor Io in a swirl of fire and ice.
Yamiko watched in horror as Eros slumped onto the ground, his body bloody and lifeless. She gasped in horror. Oh, Serenity, not again... Yamiko ran along the edge of the ballroom as fast as she could until she reached Eros' side. Helios was kneeling beside him, a look of concern on his face. "Is he...?" Yamiko looked toward him.
"He is dead," Helios replied, "But I can heal him. You should focus on the fight--keeping that creature away from him and me is the best thing you can do to help right now."
Yamiko's face was wan and wrinkled in fear and worry, but she nodded. "Phoebe prism power, make up!" she was momentarily wreathed in shadow before transforming into Sailor Phoebe.
"Venus love-me chain!" Sailor Venus cried out, roping the monstrous youma. It growled angrily and tried to pull itself free.
Coeus did not waste any time; he took advantage of the Cerberus' moment of struggle and ran past the monster to the side of his brother's inert form. He checked his brother's pulse; the barest flutter of life lay there. "Mauros," he murmured sadly, beginning a prayer of healing.
"Chaos compass!" Charon materialized between himself and the beast, in time to send a nasty gash across the face of the demon. Looking up, Coeus realized that the beast had managed to snap some of Venus' restraints in the time that he had been beside his brother. It backed up, its face twisted in a scowl. Instead of blood, a bizarre, smoky substance began to leak from the wound. Charon held her Naginata menacingly toward the beast.
"Double drill!" Sailor Io cried, sending a spiral of fire and ice toward the dog. It cut through the ribbon of the creature's tail, leaving a smoking trail where it had once been.
"Take Mauros to Metis," she said. "You'll both be safer there, and you can heal him!" Coeus did not argue with her perfectly sound suggestion. He began to mumble a prayer to Metis.
"Wait!" Io cried. "Please... take me with you! There's enough senshi here to deal with the youma."
Coeus paused for a moment, considering, then nodded his head. They both disappeared, along with Mauros' prone form, from the golden ball room. Tokimo raised her naginata once more. "Space-time blast!" The monster howled as many of its ribbon-like coverings began to pull away from its shadowy body.
"Shimmering Crescent!" Sailor Luna cried. Tiny crescent shaped blades flew toward the dog and ripped at the loose ribbons. The Cerberus charged forward blindly, sending it's nose ramming into Sailor Luna's stomach and crashing her into a nearby commode. She groaned in pain.
"Luna!" Helios shouted, turning away from Eros as he finished healing him. Eros groaned and sat up, where he could see Sailor Phoebe standing in front of him.
"I'm okay," Sailor Luna said weakly, standing up. The loose ribbons that hung off the Cerberus, suspended in the air, attached themselves back to the dog's body--though they were now shredded and torn in several places, leaving gaping and irregular holes in the golden scrollwork. "What about Eros?"
"A little weak, but I shall be fine," Eros replied. Phoebe glanced back, just for a moment, to see Eros' face. He smiled tenderly at her; Phoebe blushed and turned back toward the monster. She had to focus on the fight.
"Dark garrote!" she cried, and a hand of cloudy darkness materialized from her fingers and swirled around the dog. She briefly remembered how that attack had come to her, when she had worried so desperately about Kane's prone and bloody body. She was at a dance again, and the same man had been hurt, only this time for real. Only now, everything had changed. The smoky shadows gripped the dog's necks, but it hardly seemed to notice.
"I must go, Yamiko," Eros said from behind her. "Please be safe." Yamiko tried to pretend she didn't hear him, but a feeling of warmth rose within her at his concern. No--she must focus.
Sailor Mercury turned on her computer visor as she tried to find any weak spots in the huge, shadowy dog. A rush of data momentarily poured across her screen.
"My lady," Coeus' voice called into her ear. "Can you hear me?"
"Coeus?" Sailor Mercury replied, surprised. "How did you--"
"Your visor is something of an antique," Coeus replied. "Passed down through the generations of the holders of Mercury's sailor crystal. Now that Aidia is resurrected, it is networked to the mother computer, just like my glasses."
"Is Mauros all right?"
"I have healed him and given him a mild sedative. I thought it best that we talk to him after we have dealt with this."
"That is probably true," Mercury replied.
"I am using the data from your visor," Coeus informed her. "The youma appears to be an amalgamation of shadow, similar to the demons my brother used, roped together with those golden ribbons. If you manage to destroy the ribbons, the youma should dissipate."
Mercury nodded. "Mercury aqua mirage!" she cried. She felt a sudden unexpected surge of power within her. Jets of water streamed toward the dog youma, impacting the scrollwork; in a single blow, half of the ribbon-like coverings were gone and the dog was leaking a kind of hazy gas at every turn.
"Mercury! Where did that come from!?" Venus shouted, impressed. Mercury was not entirely sure herself.
Phoebe watched as Sailor Mercury dissolved half of the ribbons, leaving the dog weak and disoriented. It started to move toward her, panting heavily; Sailor Phoebe held out her hands. "Dark--"
She screamed as a paw pinned her to the ground. She struggled, cursing her helplessness.
"Sailor Phoebe!" Venus shouted.
My lady--please help her! Venus couldn't help but be a little startled as Eros' voice echoed through her mind.
"Eros! Are you okay?"
Never mind me, I shall be fine. If Yamiko is danger, please help her, for my sake!
"Venus love and beauty shock!" Sailor Venus cried. She could feel a powerful warmth within her, and a swirl of flowering chains whirled at the dog. She easily yanked the creature off of Sailor Phoebe and tore loose most of the remaining scrollwork besides. Now the dog was more smoke than youma, barely held together at its joints by a few scraps of gold ribbon.
Sailor Phoebe stood up, ignoring her seeping, bloody wounds. "Dark garrotte!" she cried fervently. The shadowy claw ripped off the last few scraps of scrollwork, and the youma dissolved into the air like a cloud of steam. Sailor Phoebe panted heavily and sunk to the floor.
Sailor Venus ran up to her, concern evident on her face. "Hold on, I'll heal you," she said. She closed her eyes and the copper crystal appeared between her palms; it glowed like a warm sunset, and Sailor Phoebe could feel a warmth washing over her as her wounds disappeared. Helios had already gone to his own lady's side.
"That was amazing," Sailor Mercury said, coming up to Venus. "It didn't realize how much more powerful our crystals would make us."
"I think the priests may have had something to do with it," Venus replied, helping Phoebe up. "Before, when Eros was with me on Earth, my attacks were not much more powerful than usual. This time, when he was on Aphrodite, it was... different."
"Then perhaps they are lending us their power," Mercury replied.
"Yamiko!" Sayoko cried, running over to her sister. "Are you okay?"
Sailor Phoebe hugged her sister tightly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Sayoko, about earlier, I--"
"You didn't mean it. It's okay," She said, hugging her back. "I know."
"I'm sorry," Phoebe replied, trying not to cry.
"Phoebe," Sailor Venus said. "You should know... earlier, when you were attacked... Eros begged me to help you. Not that I wasn't going to anyway," she added hastily.
"I see," Sailor Phoebe replied, her uniform dissolving around her and turning her back to Yamiko. Her heart sped as she realized she was still wearing the dress that Eros had made for her. Even now, the vaguely sweet scent that always clung to him hung in the folds of the fabric.
"Would you like to speak to him?" Venus offered. "I can take you to Aphrodite. It's beautiful there, and he would be ecstatic to see you. He's been desolate since that day, Yamiko... though he tries to remain strong for my sake."
"Stop trying to guilt me into a relationship!" she snapped. "He.... he hurt me. Why should I trust him?"
Venus frowned. "Well, to start," she said, "He was willing to die for your sister." Yamiko clenched her fist and looked away. "Anyway, if you hate him so much, why did you come? Why did you wear the dress he slaved away on for a week?"
"Yeah, well..." she trailed off lamely. "If he cares so much, he can come see me himself."
Venus smiled a secretive smile. That sounded like an invitation to her.
Mauros groaned as he sat up. He was on Metis, the land where he had grown up before leaving Coeus for Hades all those years ago. He was sitting on a bed in his old room; on one side, he was flanked by his brother and a dark haired girl; on the other, Mayumi and a woman with blue hair he did not recognize. He sat up, alarmed. "Brother...!" he turned toward Mayumi. "Mayumi..."
Mayumi knelt over and hugged him with enthusiastic abandon; Coeus' embraced him by the shoulders with only slightly more decorum. "Mauros," Mayumi said happily, nuzzling her face into him.
"I'm so sorry, Brother," Coeus blurted out. Tokimo could see tears forming in his eyes. "I spoke so complacently about women being corrupt and evil, and forbade you from seeing your love... only to fall in love myself, like a hypocrite. I was wrong to keep you and Mayumi apart without even knowing her... and my stupidity has caused you suffering. To make matters worse, I lied to you about the nature of what we were doing... it was my hope to protect you and spare you suffering, but... you deserved to know the truth."
"I am sorry I hurt you, Brother," he said, putting an arm around Coeus and laying his head against his chest. Being close to his brother again was warm and comforting... he realized now how awful he had felt without his other half, like those desolate days on Hades. "Even if what you did was wrong... hurting you like that... I feel like the worst family you could have..."
"Don't say that," Coeus said. "I can't imagine a better sibling."
"And, Mayumi..." Mauros put his other arm around the silver-haired girl. "I left you there, after I had said I would meet you... it was... I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, Mauros," she interjected. "I was so worried about you. I'm just glad you're okay. When I saw you on the floor, I just... I..." Mayumi paused nervously. "Mauros, the way I feel about you... I love you, Mauros."
Mauros felt a rush of joy Mayumi's words. "I love you, too, Mayumi," he said. "Differently than anyone else. Being with you feels... intense. Almost too good to be real."
Mauros looked over at Tokimo. "You're Sailor Charon," he said. "We've met before. I... it seems that you are the one my brother has..." Mauros felt a slight tinge of jealousy, but he realized he felt the same way about Mayumi. If Coeus did not begrudge him that happiness, it was hardly fair that he did so, either. "That you are someone dear to him."
"Heheh," Tokimo said, turning toward him with a smile, "It's true. He acts all frosty, but he's warm and cuddly on the inside."
Mauros couldn't help but smile at this. "Listen, Mauros," Coeus said. "When I lied to you about hurting the Sailor Senshi... it was wrong, but part of the reason I did that was out of fear that joining Nemesis was the only way to survive." Mauros looked at his brother more seriously and wrapped his arms around Mayumi, who was still holding him tightly. "We may stand a chance against Nemesis if all of the planets of Sol band together. But in order for that to work, everyone needs their crystals to be at their full strength."
Mauros frowned. "You mean..."
"We would need you to take on the mantle of the priest of Hades once again," Ami said.
"You wouldn't hafta live there all alone anymore!" Tokimo said fervently. "We don't have dumb ideas anymore. You could live on Earth most of the time, and even when you do have to spend time on Hades, we would get you, um..."
"Maenads," Ami interjected. "We would find some suitable candidates for Plutonian Maenads, to assist you and keep you company when you do have to spend time on Hades."
"And you could go to school with me," Coeus said. "So during the day, you would be on Earth."
"...Will Mayumi be at school, too?" Mauros asked, looking toward the silver-haired girl.
"I go to an all-girls school," Mayumi said, "And transferring would be...difficult. But we could spend time after school together." She smiled. "You could come with me to rehearsal. I'll have a press conference and announce we're dating and that I'm Sailor Io... I..." she paused. "Well, we can talk about it more later."
"...okay," Mauros said reluctantly. "I will become the priest of Hades once more."
"I'm sorry, Brother," Coeus said.
"It's okay," Mauros said. "There's no reason to be afraid anymore... because I have you and Mayumi now. I'm just... so glad I don't have to be alone."
"Com'on, let's go!" Tokimo announced.
Mauros nodded and stood up. He moved over to the middle of the room, to its most spacious part.
"You must say that you revoke your power and privileges," Coeus told him. "Or else your powers will have the taint of the black poison crystal."
Mauros nodded. "I revoke my power and privileges," he shouted. Immediately, the downward facing teardrop pointed right side up and he reverted to his beast form. He was a huge, three-headed black greyhound covered in long, silky hair; the brows of his three canine heads were a contrasting shade of chestnut, and his underside was the same brownish hue. As bizarre-looking as he was, Mayumi couldn't help thinking he was a little cute. He mumbled a prayer to himself and disappeared in a hazy blur; Tokimo was instantly pulled along with him.
They appeared on the most amazing building Tokimo had ever seen. There was a monumental x-shaped fissure in the ground. They stood on top of a huge tower--a tower inside of the deep chasm. The tower was shaped like a compass, with its points nested inside the grooves of the chasm in the ground; the center of the building was a circle, and another ring, a sort of encircling hall, concentrically surrounded it. What looked like dry river beds converged on each corner of the chasm on top of the plateau.
"Wow," Tokimo said, looking around.
Sailor Pluto held up her Garnet Rod, alarmed, and glanced toward the hulking Cerberus and then the unconcerned Tokimo. Two girls she did not recognize--Nyx and Hydra?--stood nearby. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"Mauros is a good guy now," Tokimo explained. "He's gonna join us."
"The fates of three are the fate of one. As we live, so do we die. As we thrive, so do we wither. Do you accept?" Mauros asked.
"Yup!" Tokimo said enthusiastically.
"Yes," the two girls who Pluto assumed were Nyx and Hydra replied simultaneously.
Pluto looked at Mauros a little warily. It was hard to get enthusiastic about standing behind an enormous dog with three heads, standing on top of a giant tower in a desolate wasteland. On the other hand, Tokimo seemed to trust him. On the other hand, Tokimo trusted him, and she wasn't sure how much Tokimo herself could be trusted.
There was a long pause. Two of Mauros' heads bowed down awkwardly and the other tilted its head. "U-uh... d-do you accept?" he asked.
"I am considering my options," Pluto said. "And trying to decide if you can be trusted."
"Pluto, my lovely," a loud voice called out, seemingly from nowhere. "You have always been the voice of caution! Well, that is just as well." A man appeared. He was taller than anyone Pluto had ever seen--taller than she had thought people could be. He must have been at least eight feet tall. His skin was ebony black, and he wore a thigh length cloak of burgundy red. Around his arms and legs and beneath his black breeches were taut strings of bright white beads. Sailor Pluto realized with some alarm that his feet were bare. His eyes were wine-red, like her own and Mauros', and his hair streamed around him in knee-length emerald microbraids. He wore a black mask and upon his forehead was the lemniscate, the sign of infinity. "It is good to have a voice of reason in any triad. If I had left Charon and Mauros in charge, Cauldron only knows what trouble they would get up to."
"Who are you?!" Pluto said, brandishing her Garnet Rod toward him. "I do not know you. Why do you speak of me with such familiarity?!"
The man frowned and took off his mask. He was frighteningly handsome. "You don't know your own father? Well, you can hardly be blamed. I did not take an active part in your upbringing. Or that of my other two children, for that matter... Tasia and Mauros."
Pluto's jaw dropped. "You couldn't be..."
The man bowed, a smirk on his face. "Chronos, the almighty god of time," he said, bemused. He stood up once more. "Perhaps you've heard of me...?"
Mauros immediately bowed down. "Forgive my impudence," he said humbly. Sailor Pluto was not sure if she should follow suit.
"Pshaw, stand up, doggie," he said, waving his hand casually. "If I am a god, then you are demi-gods, and I refuse to stand on formalities with my own children in any case."
"So we're all your kids?" Tokimo said, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "I don't remember you. And I don't look a whole lot like either one of them."
"You're only half-siblings," he replied. "You do not share a single mother between you."
"What do you want?" Pluto asked warily. "What interest could a god possibly have in us?"
"It makes me happy to see my children together again," He said. "So I thought I would come see you, despite that I am generally not allowed to interfere in the affairs of mortals--though I feel you hardly qualify. Anyhow, a little rule-bending is hardly liable to be noticed, especially if it is the father of time himself who is doing the bending. For all that the others like to speak of everyone beneath so haughtily, they do not know--as I do--that we are all bound to be eaten and spat out by the cauldron in our due time."
"Even you?" Pluto asked.
"Even me," he replied. "That will be an interesting day, the end of time itself! I do hope I come back out again in one form or another, or that shall really be the end of things for good. Let's hope that doesn't happen. Anyway," he continued to the blank stares of the Plutonian senshi, "There are a couple of other things. First of all, please do accept Mauros' offer, Pluto. It grieves my heart to see my children so distrustful of one another! And it concerns another point of my interference."
"Which is...?" Pluto said.
"You must, at all costs, assemble the other crystals," he said, this time far more seriously. "You mother has made a huge gambit. If you don't gather the crystals, it will fail, and my sister will come."
"My mother? Isn't she dead?" Sailor Pluto said, confused. "And who is your sister?"
"I cannot tell you any more," he said. "It is not even just that I am bending the rules to speak to you. The more I concern myself with affairs outside of the cauldron, the harder it becomes for me to see the flow of time--and the more I risk attracting the notice of my sister. Farewell, my children. Though I seem like a callous soul, it warms my heart to see all of you alive and together again." With that, he disappeared as suddenly as he had come.
Pluto was really not sure what to think. Mauros looked toward her uneasily. She sighed. "Go on," She said.
"As we live, so do we die. As we thrive, so do we wither. Do you accept?" He said.
"I accept," Pluto said.
"I accept!" Tokimo said.
"We accept... again," Nyx and Hydra said, somewhat bemused.
Pluto could feel a warmth in her breast; it bloomed outward and formed into the shape of a crystal. It was a cold, bright, silvery color that glinted with an inner light. The other three held lotus-shaped crystals in front of their breasts as well. A light spread from her crystal and washed across the holy land; a torrent of water rushed down the dried riverbeds and four monumental waterfalls poured down each corner of the chasm. The tower became glossy and black, a kind of iridescent obsidian, and solemn pine trees and scraggly deciduous trees grew out of a deep green plain. It was an austere but noble land, which suited Princess Pluto just fine. Mauros nodded toward Nyx and Hydra amiably and then sent them back to wherever they had come from.
"Do you suppose he was who he said he was?" Pluto said aloud. "Chronos, the god of time..."
"I definitely sensed an immense power from him," Mauros replied. "And he was huge. There were legends in our time that the great ones who watched over the Cauldron were giants among humanity."
"And he knew who we were," Tokimo added. Though Pluto supposed that was not her name in this guise; Tokimo now wore a rather decadent purple dress with black trim and a flared skirt. As if that were not enough, a long cape trailed behind her at the shoulders, its edges decorated with delicate geometric patterns. What had Chronos called her--Tasia, was it? "I didn't even know who I was, at least my past life, until a few minutes ago."
"So you can remember everything now?" Pluto asked.
Tasia nodded a little sadly. "Yeah. It wasn't you, by the way--the one who killed me. It must have been your mom."
"My mother..." Pluto trailed off. Her mother seemed an odd person to be making a gambit of any kind concerning the present time, though she supposed with a senshi of time, anything was possible.
"He's right, you know," Mauros said. He was in his human form once more. "We should try to gather the other crystals. Starting with Morpheus... I suspect he is not entirely enthusiastic about his place as Nemesis' servant."
"What makes you think that?" Pluto asked.
"Just a feeling," Mauros replied. "It's a bit hard to explain."
"We should probably call a council to deal with these things anyhow," Pluto replied. "It is long past time to share what we have learned of Nemesis so far with the others."
Sayoko had gone out to stock up on liquor, leaving Yamiko to her own devices on a rather dull Saturday afternoon. She tried reading and had begun to watch three different movies, but nothing held her interest for more than a few minutes. Yamiko grunted as the buzzer on her callbox went off. Sayoko had probably forgotten her keys again. Whatever, she could unlock the door remotely from her cell.
There was a long pause; eventually, the buzzer went off again. Had she forgotten her phone, too?! Yamiko forced herself off the couch and clicked the callbox speaker. "Sayoko," she said irritably, "If you're spacey enough to leave your keys and the cellphone here--"
"I am not Sayoko," Eros' voice replied. "....I hope you are not disappointed?"
Yamiko turned scarlet red and her voice died in her throat. "Mmff," she garbled meaninglessly.
Eros was silent for awhile. "Perhaps you would do me the honor of listening to a song which I have recently heard and reminds me a great deal of you," he continued. Yamiko's eyes widened as she heard the sound of an ethereal stringed instrument, something vaguely between a guitar and a zither. She felt quite awkward as Eros began to sing over the callbox speaker.
"Black
is the color of my true love's hair.
Her face is like the roses
fair,
The prettiest face and the neatest hands,
I love the
ground whereon she stands.
I love my love and well she knows,
I love the ground whereon
she goes,
If her no more on earth I see,
I can't serve her as
she has me."
"Y-y-y-you can come up!" Yamiko stuttered, unlocking the door to her apartment building. "Just please... don't sing in the vestibule!"
"As you wish," he replied.
Yamiko was about to sigh in relief when she realized she had just invited Eros into her apartment--when there was no one else home. She glanced down at her clothes and smoothed out her skirt and tucked in her cotton blouse. Running into her room, she grabbed a frilly blazer and buttoned it. "Ah, why am I thinking of clothes?!" She exclaimed aloud. "I can't believe I just--agh!"
There was a knock on the door. Yamiko half felt like running into her room and shutting the door and half like rushing to the door and swinging it wide open. "Ah--um---It's not locked," she called out, sitting on the couch and trying to compose herself.
"I see," Eros remarked from the other side of the door. "...May I come in?"
"Ah--y-yes! I suppose! Of course!" she stuttered.
There was a moment's hesitation, but Eros opened the door. His hair fell like a golden curtain around his pale face. Yamiko could not read his expression, especially in her agitated state. He wore a velvet blazer with a loosely buttoned collared shirt and tight-fitting jeans. It was the closest she had seen him since she found out the truth about Kane. She blushed as she realized he was, if anything, even better looking than he had been as Kane, if a little less to her taste. His pants left very little to the imagination, and Yamiko could see that Eros was a good deal more fit than his persona, who had been rather lanky. His posture was completely confident and relaxed, and Yamiko became even more nervous as she realized that she had invited an older man into her home whilst she was unattended. An older man who was very attractive and very interested in her. He held a pear-shaped guitar case in one hand. He closed the door behind him and put it down.
There was an extended, awkward silence. "s-s-sit down," Yamiko squeaked. "Please."
"You are agitated," Eros said unhappily. "I should not have come. My Lady indicated that my presence might not be unwelcome--"
"Your Lady?" Yamiko said, her heart sinking a little.
Eros smiled. "Queen Venus. That is the title of address from a priest to his queen."
"Oh," Yamiko said, trying not to sound relieved. "I thought it must be her, but when I saw you dancing at the masquerade, I-I-I don't know, I thought maybe--"
"She is my niece, Yamiko," Eros added. "There is nothing between us, if that is your fear. I am sorry if you misconstrued our relationship--Venusians are a great deal more affectionate than the Japanese. Hugging and kissing, even on the lips, is common among friends and family."
"I see," Yamiko murmured, blushing.
Eros paused. "Would it displease you--if there were something between us?"
"Why do you ask that?" Yamiko blurted with embarrassing speed.
"You seemed upset at the thought that there could be," Eros replied. "Which gives me cause to hope."
"Hope...?"
"You are not ignorant of my feelings for you," Eros said. Yamiko thought she heard the slightest tinge of annoyance. "I think you know what it is I hope for."
Yamiko blushed and frowned. "E-Eros, that is--on Venus they may--"
Eros chuckled. "That was not what I meant! I hope that you return my feelings of love."
Yamiko felt a surge of relief. "O-of course! I knew that."
Eros looked thoughtfully out the window. "Yamiko... you looked very beautiful at the masquerade. And you fought very bravely," he said.
Yamiko looked away. "Thank you," she replied.
"As I said... you have made me dare to hope... ought I to?"
Yamiko looked at the ground. Eros' face looked pained. "Very well then," he said, picking up the guitar case. "If you wish me to leave--"
"N-no!" she said, louder than she intended. "Don't go."
He put his guitar case back down. "Then I will stay." He hesitated, then sat down beside her. "Yamiko... how do you feel about me?"
Yamiko's heart pounded almost painfully in her chest. "I'm afraid," she said. "I'm drawn to you, but... I'm afraid."
"Do you think I will hurt you again?" Eros asked.
Yamiko thought of Eros pushing Sayoko out of the way to take a deadly blade through the heart. "Maybe a little," she said. "Not like I was before. I suppose there is a part of me..." she frowned deeply. "I feel almost unlovable sometimes... or as if I cannot possibly be happy with you, because I'm bound to mess things up...."
Eros gently brushed his fingers across her cheek and turned her faced toward him. His eyes were frightening and arresting. She wanted to look away.... "You are not unlovable," he said, his voice dead-certain. "And if you are not happy with me, the fault will be with myself... never with you.
"If I spend an eternity making up for the sorrow I caused you," he continued, "And bring a smile to your face every day of your life... perhaps I will just approach deserving you."
"Eros..." Yamiko lamely mumbled, blushing furiously. He leaned toward her. There was something hungry in his eyes. It scared her... but...
"You must meet me halfway on this," he said. "After what I have done to you, I won't kiss you unless you are willing to let me."
Yamiko did not feel entirely in control of herself when she leaned in towards him. He kissed her, and for a moment, the darkness that hid in every corner of her was scattered by brilliant light.
~EPISODE TWENTY: FIN~
Seisui: If only I had the power to transform... everything would be different. I would have respect... I would have...
Rhea: Everything you want can be yours. For a price. For a terrible, terrible price...
Erik: Why did not I not tell her when I had the chance? Why did I think of my pride and not of her happiness?
Rhea: I gave up everything for this. If I give this up, what did I sacrifice so many for?
Ouranos: The image of her haunts my nightmares. I lost everything, because of ill luck and one golden child.
Fubuki: Some people need some fucking independence. Some people need.... need... oh, fuck it.
Hyperion: Will you take the filth of the earth under your wing so casually? Will you trust them despite their treachery?
Oceanus: You are all pawns in my game. No one can play as I do.
Kazeko: No.... no.... i-i-it's impossible...!
Next time, on MOON SENSHI: UNMEI NO KODOMO:
ARC 3: SENSHI OF DESPAIR
Yamiko: Are you lost in this darkness?
