Chapter 14 - The Lost Daughter

"That's the meaning of this, Your Highness?" Sarah asked as Aurora completed her transformation. "Your mother told us that she'd chosen Eos as her successor."

Tabbach Sol panicked under the scrutiny of Sarah's cool gaze, but she had an unlikely savior. "Damnit, you weren't supposed to awaken!" Sailorwood said, pouting and stamping her foot.

"And you two shouldn't be here," Sarah said, pulling out her henshin brooch.

"Bah, your sister's so-called defense system is a joke," Sailorearth scoffed. "Kind of like you Nesheph senshi. Seismic Rage!"

"Solar Sphere!" Tabbach Sailorsol cried, forming a shield around herself, Sarah, and Megami. The floor between Earth and Sol split in half, but when the fissure hit the golden shield of light, it spilt two ways. "I can only defend, please transform!" Sol said, and Sarah and Megami were only too happy to oblige.

****

"I wish I could explain, but there's no time," Shizuki said, rising. "Things have been set into motion that I have to attend to."

"Make time," Daniel said, crossing his arms and glaring down at her.

"The years have made him cold," Eleanor whispered to her mother.

"He has every right to be," Electra replied, sympathizing with him. "Sometimes love does strange things to people."

"I can't, Daniel," Shizuki said, anguish written across her face. "There's no time."

"Is the Universe in desperate need of its Messiah again?" he snapped. "I think the time it'll take you to explain why you used the Silver Crystal to wipe the memories of my children from my mind won't make much of a difference!"

Electra and Eleanor winced, but Shizuki never faltered.

"I didn't do it."

****

"You're going to kill people doing that," Sofia said, looking up from the book Renée had sent her to greet her visitor. "I think you took ten years off of Miaka's life like that, and we all know how cool she is."

"How'd you know I was coming?" Isabel asked, taking a seat.

"The method of teleportation you use requires you to send your mind to the place you're going before the rest of you arrives. I am a mind-reader, you know. But I don't think you're here to discuss the extent of my powers."

"Not really. Miaka says you have something for me."

"Yes. Don't get your hopes up though, not even Miaka and Alan's network can track down Galaxia without some time." Sofia turned the book towards Isabel, pointing out a passage.

"That's Brian's handwriting," Isabel said.

"His diary," Sofia replied. "You'll want to read this particular passage yourself."

Isabel took the book and read:

A woman came today while Tristan was at the Citadel. She just appeared in my room. She wore a sailorfuku, but introduced herself only as the Golden Blade. I told her I was done with being a senshi, but she didn't listen. She just stared at me in the most unnerving way and said, "Beware the last daughter, for should she be unchosen, she will have the power of two senshi, but be no senshi. Past and Future will be in her hands. Her coming is the first sign of the Final Battle and the Last Day. Suffer not the child to live!"

"She never stops tampering, does she?" Isabel asked, slamming the book shut. I take it that Akira had Brian killed to prevent him from killing Amalia?"

Sofia lowered her head. "We tried to stop him. The rest of the diary is a window into his descent into madness. Tristan was the one who gave Akira permission in the end. All he could think about was killing Amalia. Tristan was inconsolable, and Renée's witty remarks have never had the same punch they did ever since."

"Where is she?" Isabel cried, throwing the diary at the wall in an impotent fury.

****

"I'm so glad you two arrived, I was feeling playful," Nesheph Tenousei said, sparring with Sailorearth, who had created a sword out of stone. Every time the two senshi's blades struck the other, a shower of sparks flew from their impact. Tenousei didn't mind, but it was beginning to bother Earth. More than just a little.

"Can't you two do anything right?" Sailorfire said as she and Sailorair appeared to find Tabbach Sol, Nesheph Kaiousei, and Nesheph Tenousei keeping the situation under control.

"For once, I have to agree with you, Fire," Metal said as she appeared with Water.

"This way!" Nesheph Meiousei said, leading the inner senshi to the scene.

"I didn't even know she could raise her voice above a whimper," Sailorwater said, sniffing.

"I'm going to have a lot of fun wiping that smirk off of your pretty face," Nesheph Mokusei said, running at Water with her sword upraised.

"Not again," Nesheph Kasei said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, is it playtime?" Sailorlighting said, bounding into the room.

"Total anarchy... how does Eleanor expect me to deal with this?" Nesheph Kinsei murmured under her breath. Grabbing hold of Meiousei, Kasei, and Suisei, she bolted into Tabbach Sol's golden shield to join her and Kaiousei. "Princess, how far can you extend this?"

"I don't know," Tabbach Sol stammered.

"Start experimenting. The bigger the shield, the less room the Elementals have to maneuver," Kinsei said. "Damnit, where's Hotaru to scare these overpowered freaks?"

****

Daniel and Shizuki's conversation, if could be called that, had settled down into a staring match. Electra and Eleanor were almost afraid to break the silence. Luckily, Shizuki did it for them.

"Look, right now it doesn't matter if you believe that I manipulated me or not. Your daughter needs to come into her inheritance. Once that's taken care of, you'll never have to see me again."

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily, Besides, there are no Zodiacs anymore, and the Justice Star is broken." He held up his right wrist, displaying the tarnished silver bracelet and it's cracked blue gem.

The Justice Star didn't originally belong to a Zodiac senshi, a bodiless voice said. It was the Talisman of your mother planet, Prince Rhadamanthys de Saiousei.

"What good is Elysion's barrier if it keeps on getting compromised?" Eleanor asked no one in particular.

"This person's dead," Daniel said, recognizing the voice. "Aren't you, Sailorlibra?"

I'm glad I don't have to tell you everything, the voice replied, this time coming from a translucent figure in black and blue sailorfuku at his side. I had to convince you to accept your inheritance, now the time has come for you to pass it on, Uncle.

"Uncle?" the four said in unison.

Libra shrugged. It's a bit more complex than that, actually. Close enough, though. Now give it up, Uncle Rhadamanthys, you have to find Lady Astraea again before Galaxia and Nova got at it like spoiled children. This task isn't as important as the Messiah's, but it's close. With that, the figure shimmered away.

****

Later, she would never know how she slept through the beginning of the battle. No one had bothered to bring her along, seeing as how she wasn't a senshi or anything. Not for much longer. The cool sensation at her wrist changed that for good.

She didn't even think as she raised her arm to the sky, the healed gem flashing. "Saiousei Dusk Power, Makeup!"

Meanwhile, Sailormetal froze, her face frozen in abject fear. The other Elemental senshi were thrown off guard by Metal's uncharacteristic change in character, and they turned to stare at Metal. The reaming senshi stared at another, stared at the Elementals, and finally just stared at Metal, just trying to figure out what was happening.

"Thank you for waiting up for me," Nesheph Saiousei said, entering the room. "You can get back to what you were doing."

Sailormetal screamed in abject horror.