Continuing Tales

The Ties that Bind

A Sailor Moon Story
by Firefly-shy

Part 26 of 30

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The Ties that Bind

Mamoru and Mercury faced the daunting tower of darkness that whirled around Saturn and Moon, trying to engulf them. They could just make out a white light that flashed repeatedly at odd intervals - Sailor Moon still fighting hard against Chaos and the goddess' powers.

"We have to help her!"

"I don't see how we can."

Mercury took out her computer.

"The only thing effective against this is Sailor Moon's attacks. If Chaos can overcome her, even for a moment -"

Mamoru gritted his teeth.

"We need more firepower," he said, "I hate to say this, Mercury, but right now you and I are practically useless without the others."

Welcome to my world, she thought.

They glanced back at the trees - Mars had managed to sit up, but the other two were still out cold.

"Let's see if this works, perhaps it will confuse her at least."

Mercury tucked her computer away and ran pell mell at the monster, screaming:

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

A deluge of icy water inundated the column of darkness. Then the water froze into the shape of the shadow, trapping it.

"Good job, Mercury!"

"It won't hold her indefinitely," Mercury warned him as Mamoru caught up with her.

"How long will it -"

A crack started at the base of the ice structure and was followed by other tiny cracks.

Mamoru quickly gathered his energy together and did something he'd never tried before: he focused his energy into one precise and cutting blast - chiseling a hole straight through the tower as it cracked.

"Sailor Moon!"

Hotaru came flying through the hole as Moon tossed her out. She landed with a surprised "omph" on the ground at Mamoru's feet. He picked her up as Mercury surged forward to give Sailor Moon a hand out of the crumbling hole.

The ice suddenly gave way with a loud rushing sound; Mercury lost sight of Moon in the avalanche of her own ice as the monster broke free.

"She's got her!" Mamoru yelled.

"DO something!"

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Anything!"

Mercury put her hands together to summon her most powerful attack, knowing it would be useless at this point -

She was interrupted by a tremendous blast of energy, sailing over her head - so close she could feel the hair on her neck sizzle. The energy collided with the monster and exploded into a light the size of a small sun.

"What the -"

"Sorry we're late."

Mercury, Mamoru and Hotaru turned to find Uranus and Neptune standing side by side, having just released a joint attack.

"Mama! Papa!"

Neptune grabbed Hotaru out of Mamoru's arms and hugged her tightly.

"Don't you ever do that again!" she yelled, "I'll ground you for the rest of your life."

"So will I," Uranus promised. She turned to the monster.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"It's Chaos," Mercury explained, "She has possessed the goddess and is using her powers to attack Sailor Moon."

"Run that by me again."

"There's no time to explain -"

"There never is."

"We've got to get Hotaru out of here," Mamoru ordered, "It's too dangerous to have all the guardians in the same place."

"We can get her away," Neptune offered, "But if we leave you here - where are the other senshi?"

"They're still recovering from round one."

The older senshi looked back toward the trees.

"This is getting serious," Uranus scratched her head - with a lazy, one-handed gesture she sent off a blast of energy at the shadow as it began to put itself back together. There was still the dark core surrounding Sailor Moon, effectively trapping her inside.

"Where is Setsuna?"

"She went back - look," Mamoru interrupted himself, "There's really no time to explain. Just get Hotaru out of here before -"

Neptune screamed and tried to throw herself and Hotaru backwards as Uranus leaped in front of them, but the firey red hand of Chaos clutched Hotaru away from them. It was as if the shadow had ignited from Neptune and Uranus' energy blasts.

A low, unearthly chuckle sounded from all around them.

"Thank you," the voice said, "This is the last little thing that I needed."

Mamoru, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus helplessly watched as Hotaru disappeared into the black mass at the center of the firey demon-shaped blob of hate and energy that was Chaos' true form.

From the midst of the core, a light began to shine, peeling back layer after layer of shadow and flame until four beings emerged from it.

Shai, Hotaru and Usagi, all three now in their original forms, dangled like rag dolls in mid air while the living shadow of a woman with glowing white eyes stood beside them. A slit opened in her blank face, revealing a gaping mouth opening into more darkness.

"Finally, at long last I have conquered the last threat to my freedom," Chaos spoke.

"Let her go!"

Chaos' white eyes flicked in Mamoru's direction and he went flying through the air to collide with a tree. There was a sick smacking sound and then he crumpled to the ground.

Neptune, Uranus and Mercury faced off against Chaos.

"Will you also offer resistance? You see what has become of your king."

"So you've won," Uranus said, crossing her arms.

"So what? Do you think we're going to bow down to you because you can kill us with the flick of your finger?"

"It doesn't really matter to me," Chaos replied, "So long as you die."

She raised her hand and Uranus and Neptune flew into one another, hitting hard against each other and collapsing to the ground. Mercury could tell they were still alive though barely conscious. She breathed out slowly.

Chaos whipped Mercury through the air with a negligent hand and turned to examine the three figures dangling in front of her.

"Wake."

Slowly, Shai's eyes fluttered open. His eyes were bruised and black, and his face was paler than his hair. When he saw Chaos, he winced.

"I'll never help you," he coughed, "I don't care what you do to me."

"You don't have a choice."

Usagi and Hotaru opened their eyes. Usagi started to panic.

"I can't move my arms!"

"You should just stay still, " Chaos suggested, "Like a fly in a web. It will all be over soon."

Hotaru clenched her teeth and refused to be afraid. She forced herself to look Chaos in the eyes.

"You let us go."

Chaos belted out a laugh that sent little sparks spitting out of her mouth.

"Join hands."

Against their wills, their hands began to raise toward each other. Usagi and Shair continued to resist, while Hotaru's arms were practically pinioned in the air despite her struggles to keep them down.

"Once you touch, a channel will open between you, and I will control your powers. Life, change, and death."

Shai's strength gave out - with a cry he felt his arms snap into place in the air. Usagi continued to struggle. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Hotaru's hands trembling. She could hear Shai's pained breathing. She closed her eyes tight and forced her arms to slow their ascension even more.

"Don't fight me! You are powerless now!"

Usagi let out a cry of pain, but didn't open her eyes. Her arms were shaking with the effort of remaining those few inches away from Hotaru and Shai's hands.

"I...won't...let...you...do this," she ground out. Silently, she prayed for a miracle. She made a wish with all her might, and opened her eyes so that she could look at Mamoru's face - just over Chaos' shoulder - one last time.

She felt her arms slipping - her muscles were nearly completely fatigued with the effort of resisting Chaos' will.

"Goodbye love," she whispered.

Shai and Hotaru closed their eyes as Chaos began to howl with laughter.

Suddenly that howl was cut short.

Usagi felt her hand touch Shai's but upon opening her eyes she found an enraged Chaos lashing out hands of flame into the air, wildly.

"Give it back!" she screeched, "I'll destroy you!"

Usagi searched desperately, trying to discover what had happened to Hotaru.

Shai let out a something between a laugh and a sob.

"Bes!"

High above all of them, Bes was floating in the air, tattered coat even coarser and ragged, with Hotaru secure in his arms. He made an awkward bow.

"Sorry," he called down as he floated out of the way of Chaos' lash, "You can't have this one. She's my firefly."

Chaos screamed in fury, but Bes didn't get close enough to her to come under the influence of her power. He seemed to be teleporting through tiny gaps of space in rapid succession with Hotaru, and by remaining in the present space and time for no longer than a second, he successfully avoided Chao's control. He couldn't keep it up forever, though. as they all realized.

"Give her back now, and I will spare you."

"Um...well, no."

He and Hotaru popped out of existence as her fire and shadow arm swiped the air, only to reappear twenty feet away.

"Take her!" Usagi yelled, "Get out of here!"

"But -" Bes began, disappearing.

"What about you?"

He and Hotaru reappeared a foot in front of Usagi.

Chaos rounded back on them.

"We'll be ok! Just go."

"Alright, princess."

Bes bowed to her and reappeared in front of Shai.

"I'll come back for you, buddy."

"Will you just go, you idiot?"

Bes smiled.

"Hang on tight, firefly."

Hotaru shut her eyes and the two of them vanished as Chaos pounced down upon them. They didn't reappear.

Chaos let out a long howl.

Usagi found herself laughing.

"What is so funny?"

"You tried to control everything in the universe," she said, facing Chaos directly, "But there are some things that are beyond anyone's control."

Chaos slapped her across the face and she let out a yelp.

"I still have the two of you - and with you gone," her shadow hands closed on Usagi's jaw and forced her head up at a painful angle, "There will be no one who can stop me."

"I'm not afraid of you."

Chaos growled.

"I pity you."

"I think you have that backwards."

"No," Usagi spoke calmly, "I pity you. Isolated from the gods, your brothers and sisters, you are an eternal outcast - you can never belong anywhere...or with anyone."

Chaos took her hand from Usagi's face as if she'd been burned. Usagi's face started to glow - her eyes changed from blue to a light silver and her hair became white and shining.

"The goddess of life," Chaos hissed.

The Moon goddess looked out from Usagi's eyes and spoke with her voice:

"Your control over us is slipping. You should have known that even you would never be allowed freedom indefinitely."

Chaos took a quick step back.

"I will be free. I do not deserve to be caged!"

"You do deserve it, for what you have done. But it is your nature. If only you were capable of creating instead of destroying."

Chaos stood her ground.

"As you say, it is my nature - all things crumble, all things die. Disorder is inevitable. It is you, not me, who denies the Truth."

"The Truth is deeper than you think. All things are balance. Order and disorder."

"Lies!"

Usagi's eyes flickered back into blue, her head dropped.

Chaos watched her, unsure if the other goddess was truly gone. Usagi raised her head, squinting.

"Ouch."

"Lies!" Chaos screamed, raising her arm, "It's all a lie!"

Usagi only had a moment to open her eyes wide. Shai yelled - but his words were lost in the cataract of heat that threw Usagi across the ruined street. She crumpled onto the curb and lay still.

Shai let out a wail. With the strength of despair he fought for one moment of freedom from her erratic control and flung out his hand, crying something in an ancient language that only the gods remembered.

For a moment, as the light hit Chaos, her shadow form was ripped off like an old skin and underneath her another figure emerged - a beautiful woman with flowing red hair and golden eyes.

"Shai!" she said, "My servant. What have I done to you?"

The goddess of Fate turned to see Chaos looming in shadow form, struggling to regain control.

"How dare you abuse my trust, you foul demon!"

Fate gestured at Shai and he felt his bonds release. He dropped out of the air and started to half drag himself to where Usagi lay.

Chaos flew down at Fate like a hawk - but Fate resisted her. Like a mirrored image, the two figures grappled for supremacy, but Chaos was winning.

Shai moved his hands over Usagi's face - he allowed some of his own remaining energy to flow into her. She opened her eyes.

"You have to strike now," he hoarsely whispered, "While she's distracted."

"I don't have the energy left to control the crystal."

"But -"

Usagi felt a hand underneath her arm, helping her up.

"Mamoru?" she breathed.

Unsteady himself, Mamoru struggled to help her stand. Mercury helped Shai.

"How? -"

"Idiotic really," Mercury commented, "Never turn your back on your enemy unless you know it's dead. For a goddess, Chaos is very unperceptive."

"You healed Mamo-chan?"

"I did the best I could, under the circumstances. The others are awake now, although Venus is barely standing. We're ready to give you our power, Selenity."

Usagi took in a breath and met Mamoru's eyes. He nodded.

She pulled out her broach and grasped his hand, feeling his strength flowing into her. She transformed.

The light of her transformation distracted Chaos, but she had just overpowered the goddess of Fate once more. With a rush of darkness her shadow figure encompassed Fate's body and re-possessed it.

Moon, Mamoru, Mercury and Shai sprinted towards the senshi as they, in turn, ran to meet them half way. All turned to face Chaos.

Mars put her hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder and instantly Sailor Moon felt her energy flowing into her heart, burning and strong. Jupiter put a hand on her back, and her energy tingled down Moon's spine, helping her to stand straighter. Mercury held her other hand and Venus placed her hand on Moon's other shoulder, trying not to use Moon as a crutch. Their energy glowed within Moon and she could feel the white, hot pulse of it in her chest, expanding and unfolding like a flower.

"Will it be enough?" Mamoru whispered.

"I don't know."

Chaos, pulling on the power of the three goddesses she possessed in one body, blocked out the emerging dawn's light with the midnight dark of her growing form as she sped towards them, bent on destruction.

They closed their eyes, feeling the oneness of their connection with one another. Suddenly, Moon found the energy increasing - the crystal began to hum with energy.

Neptune and Uranus, she realized and felt the hands, one on each arm, pouring forth their hope and spirit into her.

Chaos screamed as she swooped in on them. The sky above them turned to utter darkness.

Opening her eyes, Sailor Moon channeled the energy into the crystal, letting forth a burst of light that flooded the darkness. Chaos gave a shout of pain, but her shadow didn't stop its movement to engulf them. It pressed down on the light, seeking to snuff it out forever.

We need more, she thought, desperately. It's not enough.

As if in answer to her wish, she felt a little tendril of power added to the supply - faint and delicate - Hotaru's, she realized. The light of the crystal grew a bit stronger.

Then, with a sudden burst, the light from the crystal and the power racing through her veins and nerves exploded. She could no longer think or act, it was all she could do to keep her cells from ripping apart with the energy she was containing and feeding through the crystal.

This final blast overpowered Chaos completely, shrinking and shriveling the shadow until it compacted in on itself like a black hole, imploding to a dark death as Chaos finally disappeared.

In the semi-darkness, dawn warmed the sky and lit the faces of the people surrounding her with a rosy hue.

Usagi dropped the crystal from her nerveless fingers and felt herself plummeting - slipping into a calm darkness.

The Ties that Bind

A Sailor Moon Story
by Firefly-shy

Part 26 of 30

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