Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Phoenix ❯ The Phoenix Returns ( Chapter 2 )
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon in any way, shape, form, or even thought. One thing I do own is my sanity, and I got a bid for that on Ebay. Someone is willing to pay five g's for my sanity. Should I do it, I leave that up your reviews.
Phoenix
Chapter 2: The Phoenix Returns
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Fifth planet from the sun, one year after exile (moon time, two days (asteroid time)
Phoenix sat on the riverbank. This river flowed all the way around the planet's equator, in a straight line. In fact it was the planet's equator, and it was almost a mile wide. He sat there watching the floating image of life on the moon. The people were so happy and carefree, only the small image of the queen showed any type of worry.
She was anxious, it was what her son had said, about the peace ending soon. Of course she knew it wouldn't last forever, nothing does. Sighing she looked up at the ceiling; knowing that he was watching.
"You were right," she said seemingly to no one.
"My Queen?" one of the guards asked.
"He was right, peace is dead," she said looking back down to the ground, waiting.
Phoenix almost smiled when his mother finally agreed with his predictions. He reached over and grabbed the top of a large rock. Lifting it from the ground he brought his arm back, and flung it into space. It would soon be seen by earthlings and moon dwellers alike.
The next day the Moon Kingdom was attacked. Queen Serenity attempted to reseal Queen Baryl back into the Negaverse, but did not succeed. After the final defeat, she was killed. Before she was, though, she sent all the people that survived to Earth. They would be reborn at different times and in different places. But most importantly her daughter, and the other scouts, would be born at a time when the Earth was in danger. Phoenix saw all this.
"At least it happened," he said to no one on his lonely planet, "No one can say that I lied."
Then he saw his mother die, and tears ran down his face, unknown to him though. He saw Ami, and the others, shot with black arrows. Each fell in turn to the poison tips. All this was taken in, all this was processed, all this could have been avoided. Then he did something he shouldn't have done, he released all his power at once.
The planet was destroyed, but most of the explosion was contained within the shield. The shield was placed there to keep him in, and to suppress his power. The rock and shrapnel created a ring around the sun between Mars and Jupiter. We call it the asteroid belt.
He stood on the largest asteroid. The shield was still intact here, and so were the vegetation and the river. He looked up, there, above him, was the image of thousands of tiny, multi-colored spheres. All were speeding off towards Earth. He smiled at this and waved his hand. The image vanished and he dropped to the ground, exhausted. He did not see Queen Beryl and her minions sealed back into the Negaverse.
982 Earth years later (16 asteroid years), same place
After so long you can't expect someone not to change. Phoenix now had hair down to the ground, he kept it in a large braid. His muscle mass hadn't increased much, why should it? Scars now crisscrossed his arms, chest, back, and abdomen; from being in numerous meteor collisions. His wings were also larger, fifteen feet on either side.
He watched the image of his sister being born to her new family. He smiled for the first time since the day he saw her safe, and being sent to Earth. Later that year Ami was born, he almost dropped dead seeing her so small. Then Lita was born, then Rei, then Mina.
At the very end of the year, right at midnight, he sent a great number of small meteors to Earth. People on Earth looked at the meteor shower, many of them wondered why it happened at that time. The Christians believed it was a sign that the end was coming. The Japanese and the Chinese believed it was a sure sign of good luck. Buddhists saw it as a blessing from the heavens.
Ami was being held by her mother in the hospital when it happened. A quick flash of gold light and in her ear was Phoenix's earring. He smiled at this image before waving it away.
"You could be so much more powerful than you are," a cold voice said from behind him.
"Sure I could," he answered not turning around. His voice would have been enough to make anyone, or anything, run in fear, but this person stood fast.
"With the Negaverse's power, you could rule for all eternity," the voice continued.
"You forget, though," Phoenix interjected, "I already have more power than the Negaverse could ever dream to have." He had gotten used to this happening. He turned around and saw a middle-aged blonde guy. The guy wore a purple uniform, wonder why, his hair was short, and his eyes cold. A small smile crossed his face. "Is that all, or do you want to try and steal some of my energy, like the others?"
The man's face faltered for moment.
"What others?" he asked rather hesitantly.
"You know, the other people sent by the Negaverse to `persuade' me to join them. Then they tried to steal my energy. Pretty standard really," he smiled and took a step towards the stranger, who stepped back. "Do you know what I did to them?"
"I've got an idea."
"An idea is all I need," he raised his hand so his palm faced the stranger.
Before he could kill him a high, cold, and menacing voice bellowed across the asteroid, "Jedite, return at once." It was a woman's voice. "We have work to do." Jedite leapt lightly into the air and faded into nothing.
"Damn, less small talk next time," he smiled and turned back to the images. These were the only form of entertainment for him, besides hurling meteors at them, that as fun too. "Soon, it will be time." He sat on the grass and watched the images like a kid watching his favorite TV show.
(Sailor Moon was never my favorite show. Zoids is my favorite, followed closely by Gundam Wing, then DBZ.)
A few days passed on the asteroid, while on Earth years passed. Eighteen years to be exact. During that time he saw the fast motion images of his sister and her friends growing up, learning about certain parts of their past, growing stronger, and defeating every enemy that faced them. But something was coming, something too strong for them. Phoenix could sense it, he wondered if Luna and Artemis could too.
He stood and faced the outer planets. He knew for a fact that Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto could sense it. So near to them, yet, so far from the range of vision. Nothing made sense here, well, not much anyway. An invisible mass of black energy that seemed to fade in and out of vision was just hanging by the seventh planet.
"It's not the Negaverse, that was destroyed for good, not the Ice Queen thing, she's gone too. But it is so cold, like ice, yet, it burns like the fire of the Negaverse core. One more day in this place and I'll be free, one more day till I can see her," he said to the emptiness of space. "Show yourself, I dare you!"
It happened then, a bright flash of white light, but it was so dark. There was a swirl of color that could not be missed, even by normal human eyes. Because, indeed, it was seen on Earth, and the first people to notice were the people on the newly completed international space station (ISS).
They called it into their respected governments and soon the entire world was watching the strange phenomenon. There were five people, though, out of the entire world that didn't think it was so pretty. Rei, Haruka, Michelle, Trista, and Ami; all of them knew somewhat what it was.
(How did Ami know, she scanned it with her computer.)
One hour later, some apartment rooftop in Tokyo
"So, it's finally come," Haruka said looking up at the giant anomaly.
"Do you think he sees it?" Michelle asked anxiously. Unlike everyone else their memories were not erased.
"How could he not? He's probably the one who called it out," she answered sounding slightly wavered. "Stupid fool, though, he did probably buy us a few days."
"He'll be back tomorrow," Michelle told her turning away from the spiral of color.
"Phoenix, you bastard, just don't be late," Haruka smiled at the sky. She had been trying to match Phoenix's power for as long as she could remember, but he had always thrown her aside with ease. Even though that happened, she always had a certain respect for him. All that power and he never got a big head about it. Finally she too turned away and the two of them walked down the stairs from the roof.
"Should we tell Hotaru?" Michelle asked in a quiet vioce.
"And get Saturn all worked up? No, we won't tell her, yet," Haruka answered somewhat forcefully. "Besides she's sleeping and we shouldn't wake her up."
"Kay."
"If he's not back by midnight tomorrow, I'm gonna go up there and kill him."
"You probably won't get close enough."
"That's the thing, he always let me get in close. Then he would block, jab, and throw; easy one, two, three," she clenched her hands into fists. "This time it'll be different, this time I'm gonna get him."
"Can we just sleep now?"
"Uh, sure."
Phoenix laughed and waved this image away. It was those kinds of scenes that made him want to see them again. Still smiling he turned to look at the swirl of color, now covering the entire sky of the asteroid, horizon to horizon. The power from it was destabilizing the shield, just enough that he could feel its presence.
"I'll be waiting for you," he said the spiral. After saying that he began to glow, passing out of time and space. "I'm going home."
You have to remember the time difference, one day where he is a long time on earth. Which means that a moment could be a day. He turned towards Earth and was lifted off the ground. Passing through the shield he felt a small tingle. It tickled. He flew through space, like a golden streak across the sky. His first stop would be the old palace, to get a few things from the armory.
"Home," he said as he landed in the destroyed courtyard. The spires had all fallen, the stone slabs were cracked, some missing, the doors were open, and half of one was missing. He walked to the doors and pushed them all the way open. "Mom, I'm back," he called into the darkness, just for laughs.
He walked down the hallway, the only light from small cracks in the ceiling. When he arrived at the throne room doors, a light was shining through the crack. Pushing it open he saw what was causing the light. His mother, small and transparent. From her back was a pair of butterfly wings.
"Mother," he whispered.
"Phoenix, my son," she answered lifting her head, her voice echoing through the deserted hall, "you've come back. But I thought, a millenium?"
"An Earth millenium, Mother, there is a time difference," he answered walking towards her. "I saw everything, it could have been avoided."
"No, everything happened as it should," she said closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Peace was already dying, she just help it along." She practically spat when she said `she'.
"You mean, it wasn't my fault?"
"No, but you were right, peace was dead."
"So you know about the enemy?"
"Who doesn't, dark times are ahead, and you know that better than any of us," she said staring into his face, her transparent pale-blue eyes fixed on his pale-green. "Such a rare color your eyes were when you were born. Everyone said you were a demon who should have been destroyed, but I knew that those eyes meant power."
"Can we stop talking about the past, and start talking about the present?" he asked uneasily, she had never said anything about his eyes. But now he knew why people avoided eye contact with him.
"Which present?" she asked. "This one, or the future present?"
"Stop talking in riddles," he retorted at her.
"But it's not a riddle, it makes perfect sense if you would relax and listen," she said in a very calm tone. Her hand reached out, "Your hair, it's so long."
He ran a hand down the length of his braid, "I like it like this."
"I don't, it might…get in the way," a hint of concern graced her calm voice. "Please, let me cut it."
He stepped forward and turned around.
"Not too short, okay?" he said.
"Of course," she said pulling out a very small knife. The knife was not transparent; it was solid. She sliced it so it was about shoulder length. "There, as it should be," she said with a smile.
"Thank you," he said like he had so many years ago.
"She has your earring."
"I know, I told you I made arrangements," he said smiling and turning to face his mother.
"You're going to give her the other one, too," she said, "When you leave."
"Why do you say that?"
"It is what I have seen."
"What, what have you seen?" he tried to grab his mother's shoulders, but passed through her.
"I cannot tell you that, you know that."
"I must go now, I've wasted too much time," he turned away from his mother and walked towards the door. "Good bye, Mother."
"Good bye, my son," she called to him. "I love you, Phoenix." A single, solid, tear rolled down her cheek.
Once out of the throne room, Phoenix made his way to the armory. It was exactly as he had left it, apparently the knights didn't believe they would need their weapons. He stepped in and started taking what he needed. A broadsword, a lightening shield, a katana, a bow, with gold arrows, a quiver, and a bokken, a wooden sword. And finally, last but not least, a long, silver staffed scythe, with a gold blade; his weapon. After retrieving sheaths for the swords, and straps for the shield, he left.
Stepping back into the courtyard, he looked up into the sky; he looked at Earth. He wondered what it would be like to be so close to the sun again, to feel its warmth, to eat food, to fly in the warm air, to sit in a chair, to bathe in a bathtub. But most of all, above all these things, he wanted to see Ami smile, just for him. Just the thought of that made him want to sit down.
He began to glow and float again. Spreading his wings to their fullest extent, he took off towards Earth. Leaving a gold tail behind him, like a shooting star. All people on the planet were asleep.