The Light Never Fades, part eight, by Sailor GlitterGirl & Rose Aquarius, July 2001 GlitterGirl: *eyes drooping* Okay, guys you'd better appreciate this, cause it's almost two in the morning and I am soooo sore and tired. *big yawn* As soon as I finish this authors note I'm getting myself a cup of nice, hot french vinella coffee and taking a hot shower. *yawn* Rose-chan: *rolls eyes* what a baby... GlitterGirl: *snore...* Rose-chan: lol. And she claims she's a night person. lol. Well, enjoy, peoples! Ja ne! Until book two! We'll miss you!!! ***@THE UNIVERSAL GALAXY SAGA@*** *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 At: sailorglitergirl@aol.com or roseaquarius@aol.com 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. She heard Orion shout in her mind. 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. She heard him shout. 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. Orion's voice filled with fear, *that* scared her more than anything. She asked making her way to her friends. Sailor Mars cried, her voice strained even in it's mental state. Versia whispired, trying to hide the fact that she needed everyone to help her. 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. 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. "Meant for your eyes and ears only, Princess Mars," To Be Continued... In Book Two of the Universal Galaxy Saga; The Quests for Truth, coming January, 2002