July, 2001, by Sailor GlitterGirl & Rose Aquarius

 

                                                  

                                 The Universal Galaxy Saga

                                                                          Book One:

                    The Light Never Fades

 

 

 

Chapter Eight: The Book of Truths

By: Sailor GlitterGirl (still asleep) and Rose Aquarius

Rated: PG-13, for some blood and gore

 

 

 

            The first thing Laxa noticed when they all rematerialized

on a cold stone floor was the freezing temperature, despite the bodies

all around herself and her sister. She could feel Mina in front of her

suppress a shudder of cold.

 

            Laxa resisted the urge to gnaw her lip in worry for her sister;

she knew how sensitive she was to dark energy. Would she be alright

going into the heart of the Shadow Kingdom? Without even Laxa's shield

to help her?

           

            Before leaving, they'd decided to use as little power as

possible until it was time, meaning no shields or telepathy unless

absolutely nesseccary.

 

            'We're pusing it being transformed AND under Lunar disguise,'

Serena had told them all, and she had been agreed with.

 

            Off to the side, Laxa could hear her brother kneel, and she

suppressed a laugh at the tone he used next. He wasn't a bad actor!

 

            "My master, my mistress," He murmured 'respectfully.'

 

            "Very good," A high pitched, cackling woman's vocie screeched

from above, and Laxa felt everyone barely keeping from wincing. "You

have done well. Imprison them in the dream boxes, so they may begin

being our...'batteries.'" The femine voice laughed, joined by a male

chuckle, and it was all Laxa or Versia could do from leaping up and

shredding the owner of that voice to bits.

 

            For even though they'd only been three at the time, the sisters

remembered very vibrantly that same male voice casting his curse upon

their mother and aunt. But instead of fear, the sound of his voice

triggered not dread, but hate and loathing.

 

            But they managed to steel themselves, knowing they didn't

stand a chance without the Cosmos Crystal, and noted the tingle

as Orion transported them once again.

 

            "Alright, cost is clear," They heard him whisper after a

moment, and they all felt the ropes binding them all together vanish.

Slowly, so as not to make any noise, they all rose to their feet,

silent.

 

            "We're in a deserted storage room, forgotten; not many people

know about it." Orion whispered, so quitely it was hardly audible, but

they still managed to pick up the sounds of his voice.

 

            "How do we get to that room from here?" Serena asked, just as

quietly.

 

            "It's right next door." He said. "The door to this room is

hidden behind a pillar. Problem is that there's four guards directly

and immediately to our right, guarding the Forbidden Room, as it's

called. They'll see us right away, as I explained earlier."

 

            "The ones we have to take out quickly and silently before they

can raise an alarm." Lita remembered, her voice as quite as theirs

had been.

 

            "Right." Orion ackowledged. "Ready?" Murmurs of 'ready' were

faintly heard, and Orion nodded, though he knew no one but his sisters

could see, with their extraordinary ability to see in the blackest

darkness.

 

            "Okay, then, lets go." Darien whispered.

 

            "Lax- er, I mean, Alex, Ali, you go first." Serena issued her

orders. "Minako and Makoto with powers that emit light will follow,

then Erika and the rest of us."

 

            Looking at each other and giving a smile of encouragement to

one another, the sisters of light crept towards the door, which only

they could see in the solid darkness. Versia felt a hand on her wrist,

and Versia twisted her hand to give Mina's hand a squeeze as she led

the semi-senshi of love and Lita, who was behind her, towards the door.

Like a human chain, they made their way silently across the room, until

Laxa finally reached the door, and quietly, as silently as possible,

lifted the latch and pushed it open slight.

 

            Laxa reached back, and Versia handed her a small vile that

she'd retrieved from her sup-space pocket. Gnawing out the stopper

with her teeth, Laxa threw the thick liquid all over the hinges of the

door, ensuring silence when the door was open all the way.

 

            Laxa squeezed Versia's hand, and Versia in turn squeezed Mina's

hand. Mina gave Lita's hand a brief squeeze, and Lita continued the chain

by putting extra pressure on her grip with Orion's hand. The signal

continued down the line to Serena, who squeezed Darien's hand back,

starting the chain back up again.

 

            Once each person got the second squeeze, they dropped their

disguise silently, without any flim flam or lights. By the time Laxa

got the squeeze from Versia, the signal to go ahead, there were twelve

Sailor Senshi and two warrior princes in the room.

 

            Silently, Sailor Galaxy took a deep breath, and shoved the door

open in a lightning quick movement, charging out quicker than the eye

could follow. The other Senshi followed, and battle cries were shouted

as they attacked the still stunned guards.

 

            Eight in all, Galaxy noticed. There must be some pretty

powerful anti Shadow stuff in there for the Shadow King to have place

*eight* Shadow Knights at the door.

 

            The surprise quickly wore off, and within moments a full

fledged battle was being wadged in the heart of enemy territory, all

of them, both shadow and light warriors, fighting for their lives.

 

            Luckily, while the these Shadows were strong and powerful, they

were also large and bulky, and didn't move very well; they were no

match for the agility and speed of the small young women as they darted

to and froe, exchanging a blow then darting out of harms way, or

sometimes into it.

 

            Sailor Galaxy blocked a downsweeping spiked club with her

staff, and heard the mental spikes glang off her own silver metal.

Gritting her teeth, she held her ground as the shadow tried to force

her to her knees. Her arms screaming with the effort, she managed hiss

a three word incantation, and magic surged down her arms and through

her staff, up the club, sending painful lightning bolts of pure white

positive energy through the Shadow Knight.

 

            With a yelp he backed away and clutched at his eyes, which had

burst with the power surge. Laxa, swallowing the bile rissing in her

throat, finished him off with one swipe of power, then was on the

defense again as she blocked a gigantic sword from behind, sweeping her

staff back over her shoulder to keep the blade from digging into her

back.

 

            Twisting around with her staff above her head, still taking the

wight of the broad sword to face her attacker, she gave a cry and

jumped away. He made the mistake of lunging after her with his sword

high over-head, forgetting that he wore no chest armor.

 

            Pressing a select gem on her staff, a shimmering, deadly blade

sprouted from the butt of Sailor Galaxy's staff, and she crouched to

her knees, the blade thrusting deep into her attacker as he jumped at

her. The sword fell from his grasp and cluttered to the ground as she

shoved him off her, hissing in pain as one of his shoulder spikes dug

into her arm.

 

            Pressing a glove to the wound that was gushing white blood,

Galaxy took a swift glance around before rushing to help her sister,

who was weakening quickly from using so much of her power and being so

close to such evil for so long.

 

            Taking inventory, the warrior of life-light saw that there were

at least ten dead shadow warriors littering the ground. She cursed

under her breath as she backed up against Sailor Universe.

 

            <We miscalculated!> She heard Orion shout in her mind. <They've

already called for reinforcements! If anyone sees a chance to get into

the Room, take it, grab the book, and get out!>

 

            No one was able to answer, as they were concentrating on

staying alive.

 

            Somehow, Sailor Galaxy got seperated from her sister, and when

she glanced over her shoulder and saw that some of the senshi had

formed a protective semi-circle around her. The glance cost her a

ringing blow to her temple.

 

            Stumbling back, her staff clattering to the ground as she

clutched her forehead, willing the rining to stop and throbbing to

cease as she ignored the thick white blood that oozed down the side of

her face. So disoriented was she, that she didn't see the bladed scythe

coming down until it was too late for her to block it. Glancing up just

in time to see a flash of metal coming for her throat, she saw her life

flash before her, and if she'd had time, she would have smiled

ironically and thought; 'Your life really does fly past your eyes

before you die...'

 

            There was a flash and a harsh ringing of metal off of metal, and

Sailor Galaxy suddenly shook her head to clear it and bring herself

back into the present to find herself on the floor. Orion was standing

above her, jade and silver blade locked against the Shadow Knight's

black scythe, his face sweating and his teeth gritted.

 

            <GO!> She heard him shout. <You have a clear path! Get the

book!> Without a second thought, Sailor Galaxy complied, her heart

torn over not being able to help, and knowing that she had to take

this chance to grab the book.

 

            With a last wristfull look to her friends, Sailor Galaxy

darted to the wall, and slinked through the shadows, silver-turned

ice violet hair plastered to her face with presperation, real blood,

blood as white as snow trickled down the side of her face as she

slipped through the door, ignoring the shouts and cries of battle

behind her. Forcing herself to think of the task before her, and not

her best friends and her own beloved brother and sister fighting for

their lives just yards down the hall.

 

            Relieved to see that the usual guards were gone, off to fight

the 'intruders' most likely. Though the room was deserted, Galaxy still

did her best to keep to the dark nooks and crannies until she reached

the back of the room, where a large vault constructed of blackened,

reddish iron studded with large rubies and black diamonds stood on a

large pedistole. It was surrounded by chains looped through five tall

poles with holes at the top, which the chains passed through.

 

            Narrowing her eyes, Sailor Galaxy wetted her fingers -ignoring

the taste of blood on her gloves- and blew a light kiss to the chains.

The silver metal of the linked chains flashed brightly, betraying the

fact that it was warded, spells cast upon the metal. Probably a spell

that would deliver a very painful death to anyone who touched it.

 

            Galaxy sighed silently, then, with a silent, mental command,

her silvery white, fairy gossamer wings sprouted in a flurry of silver

dust from her back, from between her lower shoulder blades, to halfway

down her back. She flapped them twice to let them cool, then she

gently fluttered up into the air, her staff held before her,  her eyes

closed.

 

            When she finally could hold it no more, she cracked open an

eye to see that she was past the barrier that had surrounded the vault,

even above the chains, as she knew it would be there.

 

            Landing silently on the ground, her white knee length boots

muffling her steps, she let her wings disappear before taking a

cautious step closer to the vault. Taking a deep breath, she closed her

eyes and reacher her hand foreward. Her hand met nothing, and continued

on past where the vault should have been. She smiled slightly as she

pulled her hand back.

 

            Closing her eyes once more, she reached out with her heart and

mind, sensing for her sister and brother.

 

            Orion was holding his own, the shadow soldiers reluctant to

attack him, even if it did appear that he was a traitor. But still, he

had no energy nor power to spare.

 

            Sailor Universe, on the other hand, was greatly weakened,

barely able to fight. The Light Warriors -the semi-senshi-  had formed

a protective circle around her, while she did what little she could

from within.

 

            Her brow creased in anxiousness, Sailor Universe resigned

herself to the fact that she was alone.

 

            Closing her eyes again, she reached forward, until she was sure

her hand was within the vault. It was special vault. You could spend

lifetimes trying to open it, but it never would, because in truth there

really was nothing there.

 

            Smiling to herself as her hand bumped something hard and

rectangular, she curled her long fingers around it, and pulled it out.

Only when her hand was down by her side again did she open her eyes,

and raise her hand to see that she held a book that was a dark, dark

dark blue, nearly black, with green and gold filagrees. There was no

title, but it didn't need one; it's very prescence reeked of truth.

 

            Gently, trying not to set off any alarms, she quickly replaced

the book with identical one, one that she had created right then and

there, as no one had known what it would look like.

 

            Silence.

 

            She breathed a sigh of relief; no alarms.

 

            Biting her lip and looking around cautiously, she spread her

silver wings once again, and, pressing the precious book to her bossom,

let her magical, mental shield carry her through the invisible barrier

surrounding the vault.

 

            Landing silently, like the whisper of wind on the ocean, she

quickly padded across the room, and slipped out the door and shut it

silently behind her. Still nothing happened.

 

            Quietly, but loud enough, she silently got the good news to

the battle.

 

            <Got it! Let's boogie!>

 

            <Good, Universe isn't not doing well. We need to get out of

here, *NOW*!> Orion's voice filled with fear, *that* scared her more

than anything.

 

            <How is everyone else?> She asked making her way to her

friends.

 

            <I'm good!> Sailor Mars cried, her voice strained even in it's

mental state. <The others are holding their own.>

 

            <I'm fine.> Versia whispired, trying to hide the fact that she

needed everyone to help her.

 

            <Outers are alive.> Sailor Pluto's calm voice set in, her voice

fainter; she was only able to do it because of the blood relation

between her and the sisters.

           

            <Ok then, Let's get out of here!> Sailor Galaxy cried. She got

a sense of relief and agreement from all the semi-senshi, and she

darted out of the room just in time to see them all dart away from

their opponants and grip the hearts at the center of their bows, and

begin to glow their colors.

 

            Silently, as she followed suit and faded out of sight, Galaxy

hoped that they all got out alright; they hadn't had time to practice

their individual transportations.

 

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

 

 

            The night sky was lit up by the tiniest peeking of dawn over

the horizon, and Versia awoke wet, shivering, tired, and very sore. A

particularily painful throb pulsing on her side. Reaching down to see

the cause, she drew in a sharp breath as she touched an open wound, a

deep gashing cut long crusted over with white blood that had dried a

pale ice pink.

 

            A moan was heard to her side, and Versia managed to look up

to see thirteen other forms, all seemingly asleep on the ground in the

middle of the same clearing that they'd left from, who knew how long

ago.

 

            Biting her lip to hold in a hiss of pain as she moved, as

slowly as she could, she fought to rise to her knees, then to her feet.

 

            One by one, she managed to nudge the senshi -who had all somehow

detransformed sometime- awake, and they in turn helped rouse the others.

 

            "Wow, oh, man, let's not do that again, *please!*" Serena

whined, clutching her forehead which bore a particularily nasty bump

that resembled a purple and blue dyed easter egg.

 

            "I'll second that," Laxa muttered as Orion helped her to her

feet. She smiled as she uncurled her arms from her body. "But I think

it was worth it." Smiles doned on the faces of twelve other tired faces

as they saw a perfectly preserved dark blue, green, and gold thick book,

the edges of the pages pained a glittering gold.

 

            "I'd love to see what's in there now," Amy said, stifling a

yawn and being careful of a pulled muscle in her left wrist. "But once

we open it, it's very possible that we'll have to do whatever we need

to do right here and now, and I don't think any of us are able to

lift a pebble right now without keeling over or breaking something."

 

            "Agreed," Setsuna winced, leaning heavily on her staff, as was

Laxa and Versia. "We should take only as much time as absolutely

neccessary to be back to 100% before embarking on whatever mission that

book may hold for us.

 

            Groans and murmurs of agreement were heard, and slowly they

all helped each other back to the shrine; it went without saying that

they would rest and bind their wounds there before heading to their

homes.

 

            Just before entering the temple, Serena looked back over her

shoulder, not noticing Darien's worried looks as she leaned on him.

 

            Something told the moon princess that whatever that book held

would change their lives.

 

 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

 

 

            "Okay, don't get me wrong; we were all glad for the break,"

Lita said, crossing her legs underneath her on the carpet of green

grass. "But I just want to know why the Shadow Kingdom suddenly decided

to leave us alone, totally, and completely."

 

            "Yeah, I have to wonder about that, too." Raye tucked a strand

of dark hair behind her ear as she sat on a log. "I doubt they just

haven't noticed the book is gone, by now."

 

            "Actually, the book could be why the Shadow Kingdom hasn't

attacked recently," Laxa told them, plopping down on a rock, Versia

at her feet. "They know just as much as we do about the book; zilch.

The Shadow King may be afraid that we've obtained a new super weapon,

and doesn't want to give us a chance to test it."

 

            "That is logical," Amy said thoughtfully, gingerly holding her

mini data computer in her tightly wrapped wrist -the pulled muscle

had turned out to be a bad sprain- and was typing quickly, scanning

like crazy over the book in her lap with her right hand.

 

            "All right," the blue haired semi-senshi announced a few

moments later, breaking the anxious silence that had befallen the

group of fourteen. "I've determined that it has no negative properties

whatsoever, but other than that, I can tell you nada."

 

            "Once again, I am utterly terrified that I was able to

understand that," Serena gaped at Amy, who blushed as she put her data

computer away.

 

            "Well, I guess its now or never," Raye sighed, and took the

book from Raye's lap. "Let's see what this baby has to say." With

anxious eyes watching her, she pried open the golden latches holding

the book shut with little difficulty, and the book fell open in her

lap, seemingly in a select place.

 

            "What the..." Raye's jaw fell open, her eyes widening and her

face going pale.

 

            "What?" Serena cried. "What is it?"

 

            "I...I don't..." Raye whispered, her voice trailing off.

Serena rushed to her, looking over her friends shoulder to see what had

startled the usually cool and calm Senshi of Mars.

 

            "What is it, Serena?" Rini asked anxiously, voicing the

question that they all were thinking.

 

            "It's...guys, the page is blank." Serena whispered, her eyes

roaming the blank page of parchment.

 

            "No...no it's not." Raye whispered. "Can't you guys see it?"

 

            "See *what?*" Serena cried.

 

            "It's...it's..." Raye just couldn't believe it. How could this

book have known? How could Serena not see it? It was as plain as the

fact that the sky was blue!

 

            The moving pictures and sounds on the page were all too vivid,

and Raye suddenly remembered it all too well.

 

            It was the day that she'd acquired her proud demeanor, her

reluctance to show true affection, even for those that she would die

for. The day she became determined to always be there for those who

needed her.

 

            She saw herself, only five, in a white blouse with button up

red summer-style dress over it. Her long hair went to her waist, large

violet eyes tearing and pained as the wind whipped around her tiny

form, her arms wrapped around the arm of a tall, black haired and

frowning man, begging him not to leave her.

 

            "Daddy! Daddy, please!" The young Raye cried. "Please don't

leave me daddy! I don't want you to leave me like Mommy did! I need

you!"

 

            "I know you do, honey, but Daddy needs time to himsel right

now." The man said, his voice anything but sympathetic. "Now let go

of me."

 

            "But Daddy-"

 

            "Let go!" And he shook her off, and jogged down the stairs

of the temple.

 

            Teenage Raye forced back tears at the memory. That was the

last time she'd ever seen her father.

 

            What… Raye thought in the equivilence of breathlessness. “What

Is this? Why is it… Why can’t the girls see…How does this book know?

This is-“

 

            "Meant for your eyes and ears only, Princess Mars," A voice said. Raye

gasped, and she began to glow. Suddenly Raye knew, and even as her eyes

widened in fright, a knowledge that everything would  be all right filled her

heart as her friends were exclaiming and screaming around her.

 

            *Be strong, my friends,* She thought as her aura pulsed. *Be strong… I’ll

be back…*

           

 

 

To Be Continued in Book Two: Quests for Truth.