Chapter 3: Angela (O) (O) / (((( * )))) \ / ~ ; ~ \ / ~ \ "Happy birthday sweet heart," a woman cast in shadows cooed. "Mother," I murmured. It was my 8th birthday and Daddy had a surprise for me. "Come here Angel," called my father from his room. I knew that he was going to give me that surprise so I rushed off into the room. Dad was shrouded in a heavenly glow as he dug in his closet looking for something. Finally he came out of the closet with a dust-covered box in hand. My anxious face slowly turned solemn, for, judging by his face, I knew that what he was going to give me was of uttermost importance and that it was almost sacred to him. I stood there, staring at him as he kneeled before me, slowly setting the box upon the ground at my feet. As he lifted the lid off, dust sifted off like sand from years of being untouched. Slowly his hand drifted in the box, and I could have sworn I heard him say under his breath, " I hope you don't mind..." He pulled out a small locket. " It was Rini's," he said as he held the locket out to me. Now normally when my dad held something out for me I would grab it in three seconds flat, but this was different. This was special. Slowly, I reached my hand out for the locket, unsure if I should really touch it. "What's this for Daddy?" "I think you're old enough to defend yourself; this is a tool you can use." And then I touched it. It began to glow a golden light, as did the other items in the box. The door to the locket unfolded, exposing the Silver Crystal within it. The little items in the box turned into little balls of light, in their respective colors, and flew into the locket. Something inside me compelled me to say "Heavenly Metamorphosis!" I felt as though I could see myself from outside my body. I was encased in golden light as I could feel ribbons of pure light wrapping my body as I was doubled over to touch my feet. My back sprung back as golden butterflies flew past my flowing hair as my tiara formed at my head. A black choker formed at my neck and wrist length gloves formed on my hands. My body started to slowly spin as my skirt formed around my waist, with a band of crimson red and a band of pale yellow color above it, formed at the edges of it. Last but not least a single golden butterfly flew into my ear creating earrings that looked like two interlocked halos. I appeared before a mirror and stared awestruck at my latest transformation. At first I didn't realize it was me, but then the words formed on my mouth, Sailor Halos. I didn't have time to react; the world around me suddenly turned a fiery red. It was hot, I felt like as though I was burning from the inside out. The windows broke open revealing a man levitating in mid air. He just stood there with his arms crossed glaring at us through the blazing inferno. I was scared witless and hid behind the couch. He had chocolate brown hair that was beginning to turn gray. There were two predominant gray streaks on each side, and brown eyes that burned into your soul. For some reason, he insisted on wearing what I call a ridiculous knight's uniform. He glared down at my parents. "Ah so there are the two that got away. Well, it's time to pay the piper. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, the easy way is less painful, mind you." He called out to my parents. I didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. My mother called out to him, " Why do you even bother asking that question anymore? You already know the answer; it's the same as the last time you asked us. The hard way." She pulled out some sort of henshin pen while my dad pulled out some sort of weird gemstone. They yelled out something I couldn't understand. It sounded something like, something-crystal power. Blinding light filled the room as they transformed into their senshi form. "Let's have it then." The man started out by pulling out his sword, the blade glowing with a menacing light. Father unsheathed his sword, lunging at the man. The man easily dodged the onslaught my father sent at him, laughing at every attempt my father made. " Oh come on now, you can do better than that. Haven't you learned anything since the last time we fought?" the man taunted. " I don't know, haven't you?" asked my father as he ducked just in time as my mother called out, "Mars Flame Sniper!" Sending out an arrow of pure fire at the man. He let a devilish howl as it hit him square in the chest, setting him on fire. He fell to the ground and immediately started rolling. "Gees, Alsessaly, you seem to be getting dumber every time we meet." My father called out. Alsessaly hobbled up, holding his half-scorched face in his right hand and his still pulsating sword in his left hand. He let loose a shock wave that knocked my parents to the ground. Memories began to pulsate through my already confused brain. What seemed to be a past memory, that was not of my own, flashed through my head. I remembered him looking that way before, through someone else's eyes. I could feel the pain of the attack that was about to hit them; it felt like someone threw a boulder, except it went straight through me. He was going to kill my parents the same way as he had done to other's before. No! I couldn't let him do that! He began to throw his arm back, menacing dark energy radiating from his palm, ready to attack. He threw it just as I jumped out of my hiding spot in front of my parents. I yelled out the first thought that ran through my mind. "Heavenly wall block!" The dark energy hit me full force, knocking me to the ground, but my parent's were unscathed. "Angela!" my mother called out to me. My body ached with the crushing pain that was meant for my parents. It felt like hell, but I ordered my body up and glared at the surprised man before me. He saw the look I was giving him, and his face turned from shock to utter amusement. "Hmm... She looks just like you Rei. Who is she, Chibi Mars?" he mused. "No," I called from my crouched position on the floor. "My name is Sailor Halos!" With that I leapt from the floor as a golden saber formed in my hand. "Righteous Saber!" Light of the purest of white emitted through the saber as it cut into my enemy, leaving a six inch cut along the right side of his face. "And you'd better remember that!" I yelled to the man below my small form. Where I got the idea to do that, or that attitude is beyond me, but my thoughts were short lived as the man below me threw me off to the side, sending me soaring into a wall. My mother saw me hit and her face turned from amusement into pure hatred. "Don't touch my daughter," she shrieked, pulling out a parchment. "Evil spirit, Disperse!" The parchment stuck to Alsessally's already bloodied face. His eyes, those devilish brown eyes, stared up at the parchment in the middle of his forehead as he merely reached up and ripped it off. "Really, did you honestly think that would work?" He swiftly turned his palm towards himself; seven daggers appeared clutched within his hand. He flashed his devilish grin as he chucked his daggers at my father, pinning him to the wall. "Let's not have any interference this time. This fight is between me and you only." He called out to mother, chucking some more at me, pinning me to the opposite wall. " And that includes mini brat too." My mother's eyes turned to a shade of amber that I had never seen before, giving off a look of pure ice. "Fine." "Let the games begin." He twirled his blade around in his hand once and got in a fighting stance as mother picked up the sword of her pinned husband. This time Alsessaly was the first to move. He slashed at my mother's head, but the blade only met thin air as it whizzed past my mother's momentarily bowed head. He called out as my mother slashed at his abdomen, "See, I told you I'd have you bow to me one day!" "Why don't you just shove it," she yelled as he sliced at her now flying form as it leapt over his head, landing behind him. Planting her foot firmly in his behind, she finished her sentence, " up your ass!" He went careening to the ground face first, letting out an angered growl. "You'll pay for that!" He sprung up at my mother's bounding form, slashing at her side, singeing her arm, causing her to stumble a few steps backwards. I could feel it too; I wanted to double over. How was it that I was feeling this? Mother threw her sword to the ground deciding that it was better to take advantage of her senshi capabilities. "Burning Madalia!" Dad ripped himself from the wall and called out his own attack to join hers. "Mars Firestorm!" The two attacks joined as one to form one colossal fireball that hurled itself towards Alsessaly. Let's just say he didn't want to be hit by that, because he decided to throw in his own attack. "Hell's Fire!" I could feel an explosion coming on; the searing pain was growing within me, causing me to get an adrenaline rush that allowed me to wrench myself from the wall and jump for cover. The three attacks collided with a small boom, then silence. Small waves of energy resounded off of the white ball that had formed at the collision point, jarring into their source of power, knocking the senshi and Alsessaly to the ground. The ground suddenly felt as if it were quaking as the center of the energy orb collapsed, creating a sonic boom. My parents were sent flying into a wall, causing blood to trickle out of my mother's mouth and my dad's vision to cloud over with blood. Alsessaly skidded across the room via the floor into the other wall. I could hear his bones crack on impact. My mother was knocked unconscious, and it looked like my dad's back was broken. Alsessaly slowly scrambled to his feet, holding his ribs with one hand and slowly propping himself against the other wall off of his broken leg with the other hand. "I hate to resort to this," he quietly spoke as he slid his hand form his ribs to behind his back, pulling out a simple revolver. Shakily he pointed the pistol towards my physically impaled parents and shot each of them. Blood oozed out of my mother's stomach and father coughed up blood from his wound in the lung. Where was I when all of this was happening? Hiding like a scared little rabbit. My parents were still partially alive and I was hiding. It's my fault they are dead. Because of my eternal stupidity my parents are dead. Alsessaly must have noticed that they were still breathing, because he hobbled over to the gas stove and turned on the gas, but no flame, letting it run a little. I realized what he was doing a little too late. I ran towards him, as he was half in the portal. I just about reached him when he suddenly let loose a small fireball from his finger, the only thing left in the room. That small fireball began to swell into a hurtling mass as it expanded in the room. I tried to turn and run, but the flames engulfed the area that I was in, engulfing me. But somehow, the flames didn't touch me. Some invisible force was keeping the flames from me. I looked at my mother and father lying there on the floor. My dad was staring intently at me with fire in his eyes; he looked as though he was absorbing the fire that was meant for me, and it was killing him. Shakily I looked at my mother who seemed to be mouthing a plea to the heavens above with tears in her eyes. She seemed to be pleading with some unknown force, asking for its help. Suddenly everything seemed to stop, even the fire around me. A burst of golden light appeared amidst of all the chaos. From it stepped a young man of about 16. He had caramel brown hair and warm brown eyes. He was dressed in a seemingly black tuxedo that shone a hint of green when caught by the light. He had a flowing cape and a simple white mask covered up his face. He reached his hand out towards me and for some reason I cowered from him. He looked at me with eyes of pure sorrow and in the gentlest voice I have ever heard he asked, "Why are you cowering from me little one? You know who I am, you have no reason to be afraid." "Damion..."I whispered, though I know I had never seen him in my life. Somehow, though, I knew that he'd never hurt me, that he was good. Slowly I reached my hand for his. "See, that's much better," he cooed. Our hands met and we were gone in a flash of light. The second we were gone the flames resumed, engulfing my mother, then my father. Ripping at their flesh, destroying what was left of them. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "NOOOOOOOOO!" I shot straight up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. I grasped my pounding heart while gasping for breath. God, why was I having those dreams again? ...Alsessaly must be near. Suddenly she felt a cool hand on her shoulder. Out of reflex, she snapped back to face the person, trying to slap them in the face. "Whoa! Whoa! Cool down, it's just me... I heard you scream. Are you okay?" asked Damion. "Yeah, I'm okay," I whispered still looking down at my knees for shame of almost attacking him. He who had saved me from the fire. I didn't realize it, but my body was involuntarily trembling. Noticing that, Damion wrapped his arms around my frail, shaking form. "What's wrong Angela? You don't normally shake like this." He tried to soothe me with his words. " I dreamed about that night, the night that my parents died." He looked down at me with those gentle eyes, saddened somewhat. " It's alright. They'll be alright this time, I'll make sure of it," he cooed. " I know, but, it felt so real this time. I think Alsessaly is coming." "I felt it too. I dreamed of Lita and Serena's death. HE is coming and we had better be ready. Something feels different this time, and we had better be prepared." "Well of course it's going to be different this time, I'm here. My family isn't going to die, and neither are any of the senshi." "I hope so," he said eyes downcast. Now you see, Damion is just like a big brother to me, and no matter how sad I am, I just can't stand seeing him depressed like me. So what did I do? Just what any other * crazy * sister would do... I reached my hands behind me and started tickling at his sides. Yeah, I know that no normal sister would actually do that, but did I ever say that I was normal? I'm waiting... Anywho, he is really ticklish there and it would cheer him up. Besides, if he were in here, I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, and besides, I actually have to go to school tomorrow, bleck! Damion started laughing, and hard! Tears began to roll down his face as he declared uncle, but I wasn't really willing to stop picking on him yet. I stopped long enough for him to get up and start heading towards the door. 5...4...3...2...1...time to attack! I thundered down the hall after him, making things fall to the floor in the process. Eventually I stopped torturing him around 1 a.m. and went back to bed, drifting off to sleep an hour later. My eyes drifted close to dream a dream through someone else's eyes. ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ I was standing alone in a battlefield...wait... I am not alone. There are others, yes others. Ones with short blue hair, long wheat blond hair, chestnut brown hair, long ruddy ebony-crimson hair and... the goddess with long silken tendrils of gold. She is just perfect in every way... eyes so blue... lips so soft and plush...just begging to be kissed... What the...? Those lips just turned to a frown...something's wrong, but what? I turn my head to the left seeing a menacing man with muddy brown hair, mused with streaks of silver on either side. He's smiling; something's off with it though...What is he thinking? Something is wrong... He stares at my Odango dangerously...threateningly. I call out to him, yelling something unknown. That grin, that dangerous grin of his, swiftly turns to a frown as he turns towards the senshi calling out to them. Jupiter steps in front of my Odango, challenging him. He seriously looks pissed and sends forth energy, knocking them down, leaving my Odango all alone. I try to get to her...to protect her, but something is holding me down. I look up and can almost make out a figure, but who? Male or female, I cannot tell. I protest, trying to get up, pleading with the figure to let me up, but it is unyielding. The other senshi start to wake...god, I hope they can help my Odango... The man grins devilishly at Odango's last comment and lets loose what seems to be a spear of fire at Odango. I try to get my attacker off me as the spear hurtles towards my love. The sickening sound of flesh shredding echoes throughout the abyss as the unpalatable smell of burning flesh enters my nostrils. I open my eyes, expecting to see my bloodied Odango lifeless on the floor, but instead I see something that makes my attacker fall off me, fingers no longer clenched around my throat. Wheat blond hair intermixed with a boiling crimson cascades all around a steadily stilling body on the floor. My Odango bounds down to the failing blond on the floor as the others power up their attacks towards the aging man. Odango sweeps her hand over the dimming blonde's hair, sweeping the blood stained locks from the steadily chilling forehead, tears streaming down her face. The declining blond tries to console the desolate blonde. Even as her life steadily leaves her, she tries to console the stricken leader, even as her last breath fades from her chilled form, face frozen in an almost calm sorrow. Tears welling within my eyes, I turn towards my attacker...the attacker that cost one of my senshi their life. Blood boiling in my veins intermixed with tears cascading down my face, I charge towards my stupefied attacker fists balled to enstil a blow. My fist almost in contact with HIS face, I catch a glimpse of fogged gold hair. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wake up and roll over in bed, staring murderously at the digital alarm clock beside my bed. 3:30am... Groaning, I flip over and go back to sleep. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< I find myself surrounded by red... vermilion red surrounding me. Crushing myself along with the Odangoed blonde and pink haired odango with the fiery raven-haired woman with me even as I think. The walls, they're so strong...even challenge my superior strength. Where was Mercury when you needed her? Grief suddenly overtakes me as I think of her...The loss of Greg...too much... Mercury gone... Suddenly something slashes through the red barrier that surrounds me as I only get a glimpse of golden hair flying past...Mina? ...No, she is dead, but who? I fall to the floor as Sailor Moon whines that her butt hurts and Mars cuts back with her usual remarks. I look over to where I hear the sound of someone landing. I see...Jarod?! Alsessaly appears in the room once more, glaring at Jarod, calling him a traitor. Alsessaly throws daggers at us, pinning us to the wall, saying something about not wanting us to get in the way, that it was between him and Jarod. They begin their brawl, throwing punches at each other's face and stomach, eventually pulling out their swords. I can hear metal hitting metal in the malicious dance they call sword fighting...The fighting gets nearer...they're right in front of Mars! Alsessaly picks up his sword, readying himself to get Jarod in his head...He swings it down, missing Jarod...So close to Rei...It's gonna hit! A flash of red gets in between Mars and the sword...Mars Knight takes the sword buried into his right shoulder, and passes out on the floor. Alsessaly stares down at Mars Knight and spits on him, sending a flying punch into Mars' stomach, bashing her head into the wall, knocking her unconscious also. He twists himself around to find Jarod almost slicing into his back and dodges. Now they're in front of Sailor Moon! Their sword fight brings Jarod's back to Sailor Moon's front. Their swords interlock, man forcing sword against man, until Alsessaly seems to get sick of it as a dagger forms itself within his grasp. He swings it at Jarod, barely missing him, burying itself within Sailor Moon's chest as she falls to the floor. Blinding silver light shines around her as she does her final transformation into Serenity, and dies, Rini fading from existence right next to her. "Noooooooo!" I rip myself from the wall, rushing towards my fallen princess, but I never reach it. As I rush towards her, Alsessaly's sword buries itself into my thigh, causing me to fall to the ground. Before I can get away, he pulls it from my leg and sticks it into my heart. My vision clouds over red and darkens as I use my last ounce of strength to turn my head to look at my befallen princess and then to glare at Jarod, a single tear streaking its way down my face. ************* ******************************** ************************* ************** My odango is now gone. Gone because of that despicable man and his dagger! Why did he have to miss Jarod and get her instead? Why wasn't I there to protect her?! Oh yeah, it was because of that idiotic Damion and his stupid pride on finding his way to the dungeon! If he had used his fricken head and just got us there right away, this wouldn't have happened! I just see her lying there, so beautiful, yet so stiff and lifeless in the destroyed fortress that held her. Why did I have to find her here, to find her this way? To be buried amongst the rubble with a dagger protruding from her chest?! ... Alsessaly will pay! Now which way did I see him go? Oh yeah, he fled to my right. I will follow him to the throne room and annihilate him. My eyes narrowed into miniscule slits as I ran to the throne room, Damion at my heals. I arrived to find him sitting beside Nephrodite`, Damion's mother, looking at me sort of amused look on his face. I charge at him, "You fucking bastard! You killed her!" I swing my staff at him, cracking him a good one in the head, but it doesn't move him...In fact, it didn't even seem to affect him! Had to get rid of the stick... Leaping away from him, so as not to get hit, I closed my eyes and remembered Serenity, my beautiful Serenity lying dead on the floor. Rage encased me and when I opened my eyes, I was wearing black armor, a sword at my hilt. Picking up the sword, I charged at Alsessaly once again, meeting him mid air as he used his armored arm to block the sword, pummeling me in the face with his right fist. I fell to the floor, him on top of me, and began rolling around, sending random punches into his stomach and face. The fight seemed to last for hours, but for all I know it could have been only a few minutes. We rolled over to near where my sword was...if I could just reach it...Suddenly the sword was snatched from my visual scope, only to be smashed into my insides less than a few seconds later. My vision turned red as I coughed up seemingly gallons of blood...Odango, I'm sorry...pain heightens in my head and back as my vision turns eternally black. ````````` Suddenly my visual scope turned into another pair of eyes, a sad pair gazing upon the slain 'Tuxie' as I called him while we were still enemies. He looked so sad, so stilled with that earthly black handled blade protruding from his stomach...He never got to avenge his love, his Odango. Suddenly his body began to flash and fade, turning a golden color as rose petals intermingled with his heavenly glow. Silver flowed in from behind, from the direction of the dungeon, Odango's tomb, intermixing in with the gold of Endymion. The swirls of gold, silver, and rose petals floated toward Jarod and I, enwrapping us with its warmth, changing us, purifying us. I looked down at my renewed form to find new clothes there. No longer was there the dull gray uniform that Jarod and I shared, but a deep green tuxedo, so deep it looked black. My eyes flashed to the left at Jarod. He was now covered in some khaki colored suit with a forest green shirt on the inside, adorned by a khaki cape with green and gold on the inside. He had a white domino adorned on his face. I felt a domino also on my face and glanced back to see my forest green lined cape. No top hats adorned our heads. I charged at Alsessaly, beating him to the ground, about ready to deliver the final blow, when my mother got in the way, screaming, "Noooooo!" as she leapt between the blade of my sword and my father. My blade made a sickening sound as it went into my mother, causing me to fall backwards...I couldn't handle it...I accidentally killed my mother for crying out loud! I stumbled over to where the unconscious Mars Knight and Sailor Mars lain. Taking them into my grasp, I opened a portal, fleeing into it to take up my post at the gates of time, Jarod following. %$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$ I awoke once again that night, doused with sweat. I sat up in bed, my sheets clinging to me as I glanced at the clock. 5:45 am...I'm not going to get back to sleep. Tiredly I got out of bed and headed for the shower...It was going to be a long day. ###################0.o;########################### Now lets do a recap on all of the senshi statuses: Neptune: dead by Jarod by use of ice dagger through her and Uranus Uranus: dead/ dagger/ice dagger Pluto: Dead by spear from Jarod Saturn: Alive at orphanage in what would have been the future Mercury: *soon to be revealed* Greg: ditto Mars: Death by Fire/bullet Mars Knight: ditto Moon: Death by dagger from Alsessaly Mask: Dead by own sword via Alsessaly Mini Moon: Can't exist w/o parents Venus: Died trying to protect Moon Jupiter: Died trying to go to Serena's body Halos: Alive Damion: Alive Jarod: Alive Alsessaly (yep, not a senshi. oh well): Alive Nephrodite: Died protecting husband *Quick Note* No one is dead in this present time. This is what would have happened if Angela, Damion, and Jarod didn't come back to the past/present...whatever. So remember, that was their present, and they are trying to not make it their future. Anywho: I truly appreciate emails; they keep me going! Email me at isis@sailorjupiter.com I don't care if they're flames or whatever, just don't send my a virus. You can yell at me all you like about the way I killed off, well, almost all of the senshi. Go ahead, I don't mind. I need a little criticism anyways. ^.^; ~Lady Hiko