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Gaea
Time, in the realm of Gaea, moved so much faster than in their home dimension, that none of the Kinmokunai or the Earth Senshi were sure exactly how much time had passed, in their own world, since their arrival. When reinforcements finally arrived after two months, they learned that only two weeks had passed at home. However, the Kimokunai and Earth Senshi were not aware of how time had moved inside the Dark Kingdom, nor what it's destruction would do to the realm of Gaea.
"How long were the kids with you?"
Kunzite frowned slightly as she helped Zoisite get dressed. "Two cycles. Well, actually, they arrived at the end of one and Shi vanished at the beginning of the second. Although, Que- ... Beryl did have only herself to blame. She was manipulating her, making her attack her sister."
Miyo frowned and glanced up at Kunzite. "Shi didn't attack me."
"Not you, sweetie. Shi attacked Sarah-chan," Kaish replied. She was making sure the twins had everything ready to go once the adults returned, since they had spent the entire morning 'helping' their cousins. The twins hadn't offered to 'help' the older woman and were standing at the windows, trying to see if they could see the adults fighting from the palace.
"But Sarah-san isn't our sister," Miyo replied, frowning. "We don't- ... Rei ..." The brunette grabbed at her head and dropped to her knees. Her twin was at her side in an instant, but she flinched away from the other girl. "We ... we forgot ... Rei-chan ..."
Shi frowned. "Mars? We didn't forget Mars." Her frown deepened as she glanced over at Kaish. "But ... her name is Imari, not Rei."
Kaish knelt beside Miyo, being very careful not to touch her. The young brunette's telepathic powers had been trying to reassert themselves since she was reunited with her twin, but her memories had remained buried until now. "Miyo, what do you remember?"
Miyo looked up at her aunt and felt tears fall from her eyes. "I ... I remember Rei-chan ... and Urani ... what ... what happened to us?"
Kaish sighed and gently placed a hand on her covered shoulder. "We don't know, Miyo-chan, but ... you don't have to worry about your brother. He's alive."
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"Positive. This is where we sealed Cronos and her ... and our children away." Rosalind, the Goddess of Uranus, looked away from her double and up toward the large crystal spire at the other end of the island. This was where she and the others had spent three centuries in Crystal Sleep, this was where they had sealed Cronos away. Like the palace, it was surrounded by wards and the groups had had to arrive either by boat or by hovercraft. "Haruka ... you and the others ... once you have your child, take them and run. The guards are under orders to take you back to the palace once you reach the shore."
Sailor Uranus frowned. "Rosa? What are you planning to do?"
Rosalind smiled sadly. "Something that should have been done centuries ago." A sword appeared in her hand and as she walked toward the spire, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
As soon as the island began shaking, Pandora, Goddess of Venus, motioned the others in her group into action. To best use the element of surprise, they had split into four groups of 4-5 warriors. The two warriors of Uranus, Sailor V and Chibi StarHunter had arrived on the beach, then made their way up through the series of caves that were home to the Crystal Sleep chambers. The earthquake was the predetermined signal that Rosalind had reached the clearing. Jupiter, StarHealer, Mars and Devii were to be emerging from the forest of trees to the East of the clearing, while StarFighter, Chibi Moon, Saturn and Mercury were to arrive at the cliff face, to the West. Venus, Papillon, StarMaker, Chibi StarMaker & Lysithea were directly attacking the crystal spire itself. It was the one thing that linked the island to the outside world. It was what drew in the power that kept the coffins and wards working. It was surely where Cronos was hiding.
As the island began shaking, it's inhabitants ran into the main room of the underground chambers. "Mother Cronos, what's happening?!" one of the younger warriors asked. Sakura was the first daughter to be born after the Crystal Sleep, but even though she had reached the Age of Awakening, she had no powers.
Cronos watched the rocks falling safely outside the crystal walls of her home and frowned. "This earthquake ... isn't natural. Uranus ... Fluri! Gaia! Come with me, we are under attack! Aevor, take the children and the prisoners to the caves!"
"The caves? But Mother Cronos, surely staying here will be much safer," Aevor replied, frowning.
Cronos moved to strike him faster than anyone could see. The disappearance of her two daughters had caused her to lose what little control she had had over her powers and as the blue-haired man went flying, it was obvious to the others that it had taken her mind as well. "Techi, Ryusei ... I trust I do not have to repeat myself."
The two young men shook their heads and quickly grabbed their siblings. Aevor's daughter Kevi, the youngest of them all, had to be physically restrained from trying to help her father. Cronos watched them leave, using her powers to keep the blue-haired man pinned to the crystal wall until the last of them was gone. One glance behind her at Fluri had the redhead taking her daughter's arm and pulling her up toward the surface.
Puu, Goddess of Cronos, waved a hand at the trapped man, dropping him to the ground. "Since you think it is safer to stay here, Aevor ... be my guest." As she turned toward the stairs to the surface, the crystal walls holding back the falling rocks, vanished.
StarFighter glanced around the clearing and frowned. The ground had stopped shaking moments after it had started, but there was no sign of the other groups. "Something's wrong."
"Cronos is doing this," Mercury replied. She had a small scanner in her hand and pointed toward the spire. "She's bending our reality. We're actually in a kind of 'pocket' reality, separate from the others."
Chibi Moon frowned. "What does that mean?"
"That means, my dear ... that you are sitting ducks."
StarHealer glanced over her shoulder at Mars. "What do you mean, sitting ducks?"
"She's got us isolated from the others. We can't get to the clearing to help them fight." Mars replied, sighing. After walking from the pond at the edge of the forest due West for an hour, they found themselves right back at the edge of the pond.
"How is that even possible?" Devii asked. She was the only one in the group that was not a Senshi, but after Kaish fell ill, she had volunteered to take her place. She was just glad she had packed every available energy weapon she could find into the bag at her hip. The weapon in her hand still had the safety on, but could be ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Jupiter sighed. "Puu's power is Time and Space. She can manipulate almost anything. I ... think she's doing this because I'm with you. Even after centuries of lies, she won't face me."
"Elara ... we have to just keep looking for a way out of this forest. I'm sure we'll be able to get out ... somehow." Mars glanced over her shoulder once to make sure the others were following, and marked the trees she passed with a thin line of power.
"'Shirou." StarMaker nodded at her daughter and the two redheads focused their energy into a single attack at the base of the spire. Once a crack began to form, Lysithea and Venus added their powers, spreading the crack and opening a small hole in the crystal. "'Tomi, now!"
A swarm of black butterflies went flying toward the hole, the ones on the outside shielding the ones in the middle from the various attacks. The goal was to get as many of them inside as possible. They were the only method of reconaissance that they knew Cronos would not detect immediately and since Papillon was the only one who could communicate with them, StarMaker had to let her come along.
The two Kinmokunai stopped their attacks, both dropping to their knees. Chibi StarMaker watched as the hole the four attacks had made closed in on itself, even with the powers of the Goddesses trying to stop it. "We really ... got to learn how ... to do that. It would ... save on repairs."
StarMaker chuckled slightly as she forced herself to stand. The sustained attack had used a lot of her power, but she wasn't as winded as 'Shirou. That was one of the few benefits she had gained during her time as a performer. She had learned to pace herself and not throw all of her strength into the first performance. "I think they said Mercury-san was the one that created them. You'll have to talk to her." She then glanced over toward Papillon. "You ok, 'To-'Tomi!"
Venus ended her attack and spun to see what was happening. A red-haired woman had grabbed Papillon by the neck and moved them both to the edge of the cliff. At first glance she looked like Mars, similar red hair, similar red outfit, but her eyes were as blue as Mercury's. The blonde gasped as she realized who the girl holding Papillon must be. "You're ... you're Fluri's daughter."
Gaia smirked as she turned to face the blonde. "Hello, Your Highness. I see you're not as dumb as they said." She tightened her grip on the purple-clad Senshi as a line of fire separated them from the others. "Wish I could say the same for your friends, though. Right about now, they should all be meeting their fates."
"Oh please, even Fluri could bluff better than that." Lysithea replied.
"Trans!" Venus glared at her companion then turned to face Gaia. "Let her go. Your fight is with us, child of Mars."
"I don't think so. Mother Cronos is always looking for warriors for her army, and I think this one will fit in rather nicely." Gaia's smirk grew as the ground she was standing on separated from the rest of the cliff, right at the line of fire. As the chunk of land began to move, she released the now unconscious Papillon. The ground at her feet fell away, taking the blue-haired girl with it and revealing that the redhead was standing on an outcropping of crystal. "That is, IF she survives."
Sailor V paused next to the giant crystals to glance back at her companion. "How much farther?" After entering the caves and seeing that the Crystal Sleep chambers were still active, Rosalind had asked V and Chibi StarHunter to investigate, while she and Haruka went on ahead. She had confessed to all of them that she was afraid of what she would find.
StarHunter concentrated for a moment and frowned. "I can't tell. The only ones we're missing are Mi-ko and the other Shitennou, but ... I can ... 'see' others."
"Cronos' warriors?"
"No. Other Kinmokunai." The purple-haired warrior's frown darkened as the lights from the crystals fluctuated. "We don't have much time. If we don't find them soon, the power could be disrupted."
Nodding, V summoned her sword and concentrated her powers into it. "Just tell me where to make a door."
"There," StarHunter replied after a moment. She shielded her face from the small pieces of rock that were blasted back at them. As the dust began to settle, she could see a wall of energy holding the rocks off of a group of people. The two men holding up the wall, she immediately recognized from Kunzite's descriptions. "The Shitennou!"
Reacting on instinct, V readied her sword for another strike.
"Minako-oba-san!"
The blonde warrior froze at the voice and looked into the other room. Behind the two generals, among a sea of faces she didn't immediately recognize, was a familiar redhead. "Tsuki-chan! What the hell are you doing here?"
Tsuki extricated herself from where Orion and Kinmoku had practically pinned her against the cave wall moments before the opposite wall exploded. She passed through the barrier and practically ran through the hole in the wall. Throwing herself at the orange-clad warrior, she hugged her and began rambling in her native language.
StarHunter looked at the redhead in slight shock, then at a look from V, began translating what the other girl was saying. "She said that, right after they arrived, Cronos imprisoned them in the spire. When the earthquake hit, she ... she attacked one of her own warriors because he refused to bring them here."
"That's right. She ... she killed my father because he ..." Kevi stepped out of the other chamber, slowly followed by the rest of Cronos' warriors, the other three dimensional travellers and the two Shitennou. As soon as Nephlite stepped out of the room, the ceiling collapsed, sealing the entrance.
Jadeite frowned, glaring lightly in the direction of Aura. "We were only imprisoned after this one accused us trying to take over the world."
Aura glared at the blond as she listened to StarHunter's quick translation. "Well, in several dimensions you have tried, and in a few, succeeded. How was I to know that in this one, you actually ..."
"Actually, what?" V asked in English. She passed Tsuki to StarHunter and looked at the newly gathered group of warriors. She heard Tsuki translating for the other blond and motioned for her to stop. She switched to Japanese, since it was likely to be understood by all but two of the gathered warriors. "There's obviously a lot that needs explaining, but first things first: where is Minako-chan?"
Ryusei looked at the blonde woman curiously. "Minako-chan? Do you mean ... Mi-ko?" When the blonde nodded, he frowned slightly. "You ... you're one of THEM, aren't you? One of the Goddesses?"
Sailor V shook her head. "No. I am a friend of Minako-chan's father. Any fight you have with the Goddesses, I am not involved in. I just want to take my friends and my family home."
Techi, a young man with green hair glanced at the others, then motioned them back the way they came. "We'll show you, on one condition."
"And that is?"
"You take us off this island ... forever."
Saturn's Glaive appeared in her hands almost the instant the newcomer spoke. She struck at the woman, only for the black-clad warrior to grab the blade, inches from her face.
"Now, now," the warrior replied. Red hair now streaked with black and yellow eyes greeted the four Senshi as they stepped back to assess their attacker. Fluri, now as Triton, smirked at the looks on their faces. "Really, Fighter, to work with the enemy. I would have thought you were better than that."
StarFighter glared at the redhead standing at the edge of the cliff. "They actually helped me, unlike you and your friends. What have you done to Mi-ko?"
Triton grinned and with a wave of her hands, sent a wall of water flying at StarFighter and Saturn, pinning them at the edges of Cronos' reality bubble. "I haven't done a thing to her." She gave Mercury a curious look for a long moment. "Hello, mother Riein. It's so nice to see you again."
"So it is you, Fluri. Why are you doing this? Why have you been helping the woman that killed your mother?!"
"It was Mars that killed that my mother, not Cronos!"
"Puu manipulated Imari! She didn't know Larissa was even there!"
Chibi Moon used her powers to glance into the redhead's mind and gasped at what she saw. "Mercury-san, stop. She's being contro-" A blast of water knocked the pink-haired girl off of her feet.
"Stay out of this, infant!"
Mercury placed herself in between the two younger warriors. "Fluri, stop this!"
"Make me, weakling." Triton smirked at the blue-haired woman as water clashed with ice. The child of Mars easily adjusted her powers to increase the temperature of the water, so that it melted the ice on contact. "Is this really the best that the Goddess of Ice can do?!"
"MOON HEALING ES-"
"I said stay out of this!?" Triton turned her attack toward Chibi Moon, leaving herself open to Mercury's attack. The ice struck her, knocking her backwards off the cliff.
Chibi Moon was hit at an angle by the near boiling water, along her right leg and arm, causing her to drop her sceptre and destransform, but she stayed on her feet. Sarah looked over to the cliff in time to see the black-clad warrior fall over the side. Knowing that Mars would be devestated to lose her daughter again, she pushed her own pain from her mind and ran for the cliff.
"Chibi Moon, no!" Seeing the detransformed girl running for the cliff, Mercury followed her. She grabbed for Sarah's arm to stop her, only to see her foot slip and the strawberry blonde tumble over the edge. "Sarah!"
Behind her, the water holding Saturn and StarFighter evaporated, releasing them. The two ran for the cliff, hoping to see a familiar set of black wings come flying back up over the edge.
"My dear Rosalind, what a surprise. I didn't think she'd let you fight again after what you did to those poor, poor guards."
Rosalind spun towards the voice and came face to face with Cronos. "Puu ... where are the children?"
Cronos smirked as she walked over to the swing at the edge of the clearing. "Children? What children, Rosa? You mean those little girls that wandered into the wrong dimension? Sorry, haven't seen them." She started moving the swing and grinned when she saw Haruka. "Or do you mean your dear, little, Sora and her friends?"
Haruka saw the other blonde's hand tighten on the hilt of the sword. The island trembled again and she realized that there wasn't much time left. The first earthquake had triggered a natural one, that was only barely being supressed by her look-alike. Summoning her own sword, she moved to face the Setsuna-look-alike. "Where are the children?"
The green-haired woman shrugged. "I would tell you," she replied, waving a hand toward the spire. The barriers that had separated the four groups suddenly vanished. Jupiter, StarHealer, Mars and Devii appeared a few feet away from her swing. StarFighter, Saturn and Mercury appeared at the edge of the cliffs, screaming for Chibi Moon. In the distance, they could hear both StarMakers screaming for Papillon. While the others were distracted, Cronos grabbed Devii and started back toward the trees. "But you're too late."
