• Title: Moonlight Densetsu: A Waking Nightmare! Willow’s Trip Through the Looking Glass
• Author: Alex
• Feedback: It helps nourish the soul.
• Rating: R for general violence and gore. And a couple of deaths. Won't say who, but let's just say no one's guaranteed to make it out of this alive. Except Willow and Tara, of course.
• Disclaimer: Buffy and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox, UPN, Mutant Enemy, and possibly others I haven’t mentioned. Sailor Moon and characters and situations belong to Naoko Takeuchi
• Summary: Strands of the future come together to send Willow and the Soldiers towards the final battle against the Dark Kingdom. And how do the wild cards of Harmony and Tara fit into it all?
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Chapter Five: Manifest Destiny[/center]
Jenny led Buffy, Cordelia and Fred into the Bronze, heading towards the door that led into the Secret Base. As they walked towards it, Buffy noticed Riley coming towards them out of the corner of her eye. She swiftly turned away, unwilling to meet his gaze.
”Buffy, I wanna talk to you,” Riley began, and then noticed the other people in the group she was with. “I was wondering what you were doing out of school early. Is this some sort of private tutoring session?”
Buffy was at a loss for an answer, but before she could feebly try to explain herself, Jenny interrupted. “Yes. I’ve decided to take three of the best students in the area on a private instruction, and I don’t wish to be interrupted.”
Buffy sighed inwardly, thankful that Jenny had managed to make things easy for her. Her hopes dwindled when Jenny added “But, I will allow Elizabeth a few moments to talk to you.” Buffy made no outward move to be flustered at that development, lest she give away any hint to Riley about what that “private instruction” entailed. As Jenny led the others inside the Secret Base, she turned to look at Riley. “Please, Riley, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I do,” Riley replied, the tone of his voice indicating his frustration. “Buffy, you can’t shut me out of your life like this.”
“I have to,” Buffy countered. “Trust me, it’s for the best.”
“For whom?” Riley asked, his tone growing more accusatory.
“For the both of us,” Buffy sighed, growing more impatient. “I love you too much to see you get hurt.”
“By what? Damnit, Buffy! Why can’t you be honest with me?”
On the verge of tears, Buffy started towards the door of the Secret Base, not bothering to answer the question. She couldn’t decide, however, whether it was because she didn’t have one, or because she didn’t want to tell Riley the truth.
Best to put her mind on other things right now. As she walked inside, she saw Cordelia and Fred sitting at the table, Jenny standing in front of them.
“Is everything all right, Jupiter?” Jenny asked.
Buffy sniffled. “Yeah. I’m…I’m just having problems with my boyfri…erm, I mean…”
Jenny smiled sympathetically. “I understand. The love between friends is important, but not as important as the love between those who love one another.”
“It’s not like that,” Buffy replied. “We’re not…I mean, I do love him, and he loves me, but…I can’t let him get too close to me. Especially now.”
Jenny nodded once again. “But the time may come soon when that may no longer be possible.”
Buffy’s eyes widened a fraction. “What? What does that mean?”
“In due time, Jupiter,” Jenny answered. “In the meantime, sit, please. I must impart unto the three of you that which you need to prepare for the future.”
“Yeah, about that,” Cordelia interrupted. “I still don’t understand who you are and how you know about us.”
Jenny sighed. “I am Sailor Pluto, Mars, Guardian of Time, and the reason I did not come to you before is because I am forbidden to interfere in the events of this planet.”
Cordelia’s eyes widened in surprise.
”Another Soldier? How many of us are here?” “But isn’t that what you’re doing now?” Fred asked, cutting off any response on her part. “Aren’t you interfering by telling us what we need to know?”
Jenny tilted her head and smiled faintly. “From a certain point of view. But I fear it cannot be helped. You have all faced great difficulties to get to this point, but that is nothing compared to what is to come. But I know that you all have your own trials to face.” She looked at Fred. “Mercury, you seek to redeem yourself in the eyes of your fellow Soldiers for your actions as Dark Mercury.” She turned to Buffy. “Jupiter, you fear that your loyalty to the Princess will bring harm to the one you love.” Lastly, she locked eyes with Cordelia. “And Mars, with your life in utter turmoil, you seek control in the last place you had ever wanted to find it: your role as a Sailor Soldier.”
Cordelia swallowed hard, not wanting to tell the others about her problems, though their expressions clearly showed they wanted to know. Thankfully, Jenny chose not to continue. “I also know that you fear for Venus, and worry that she will not be able to help you in the end.”
“She will,” Cordelia stated. “She told me she’s going to get the surgery she needs to cure her. I believe it’ll work.”
“Perhaps,” Jenny responded cryptically. “Perhaps not.”
“What does that mean?” Cordelia asked, a knot forming in her stomach. “What do you know about her?”
“I know enough to tell you that you should not be concerned about that, nor anything else that might distract you from your mission.”
“But why?” Buffy asked. “Why shouldn’t we be concerned?” In response, Jenny brought her hand down onto the table, the suddenness of the action surprising Buffy, Fred and Cordelia, but not as much as the light that encompassed them as her hand hit the hard surface. A surprise that only grew as the light faded to show that they were no longer in the Secret Base, but standing in the middle of a ruined Sunnydale.
Jenny’s voice pierced the deafening silence.
”Because, Sailor Soldiers, if you and the Princess do not act soon to change the fate of the world, this will be its future.”
**
Tara lay on the bed, trying to get some sleep. After the adrenaline had subsided after recent events, she had become terribly tired, and the urge to sleep had become near impossible to ignore. But every time she closed her eyes, she saw the unemotional, expressionless face of Willow staring back at her, a sight that frightened her a great deal more than being imprisoned here. In all the time she had known her, Willow had always been carefree and pure of heart. To see her so detached from humanity scared her. It was that feeling that made her wonder whether or not her decision to be captured was truly the best decision. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now…what if it really wasn’t? What if, because of this, Willow once again turned to her darker impulses and came after her?
An attempt to put this question aside and try once again to fall asleep was rendered null by the sound of an approaching figure. Tara didn’t bother to look up and see who it was. Only one person would approach her in such an obvious manner.
“You wouldn’t believe the sales going on at the mall,” Harmony said as she entered the room, oblivious to the obvious fact that Tara wasn’t paying attention. “Two for one on jeans and a fifty percent off sale on shoes.” She squealed, the sound revolting Tara to her core, but she refused to let it show. She would not let Harmony’s pathetic attempts to get under her skin affect her.
Harmony apparently took notice of this, as she let out a theatrical sigh. “You’re no fun, you know.”
Tara straightened up and looked at Harmony. “That’s not really my intention to amuse you.”
Harmony sighed again. “I don’t know why Faith has so much interest in seeing your spirit broken. It seems to me she has enough problems to deal with right now as it is.”
“Like I care about Faith’s problems.”
“You should,” Harmony responded to Tara’s statement. “The fewer problems she has, the more likely it is that you and your girlfriend stay alive.”
“I can take care of myself,” Tara stated flatly. “And as for Willow…” she faltered, and Harmony picked up on that, letting out a bitter laugh.
“The Princess? Do you really think she can control herself or the power of the Crystal?”
“I have faith in her,” Tara said, wishing she could put more feeling into the words than she truly felt.
“Let’s hope so,” Harmony responded, catching Tara off guard, and giving her cause to wonder about how big the problems she had earlier mentioned must be if she could let that bit of honesty slip out. She soon got her answer, as Harmony continued, “Metallia’s powers have been growing stronger ever since the Princess first appeared, and it’s not going to be too long before she gets enough power to strike out on her own without Faith’s help or control.”
Tara took that in, fear gnawing away at the pit of her stomach. If what Harmony had just said was true, then things were indeed getting much worse than she thought. If Willow’s newfound powers and the growing return of Metallia’s were interconnected, then the inevitable was no longer preventable.
It was predestined.
**
Angelus continued to swing the sword, despite the pain on his joints the movement was causing. His brow was needled with sweat, but otherwise, his discomfort did not register to him. He would not allow it. As a master swordsman and a warrior without peer, he would not be distracted by such things. It was clearly obvious why he was doing this, but he would not acknowledge that either. All that mattered to him now was the movement of the sword. Nothing would distract him from that.
But something soon did, and rather than let him make the first move, he addressed the newcomer. “What do you want?”
“You know what I want,” Spike replied, keeping his distance. “You saw what she did. She took Oz’s life without a thought. And Xander remains enthralled by her. I doubt I’ll be able to convince him to side with me.”
“He’s young,” Angelus pointed out, as if that would explain everything. “And easily susceptible to her charms. It’s little wonder he’s fallen under her curse.”
“And what about you,” Spike asked. “When are we going to acknowledge the curse you are under?”
Angelus’ face remained impassive as he continued to swing the sword. “What do you mean?”
“Your disgust over the Mistress,” Spike answered. “I can’t protect her alone, you know. I’ll need your help if I’m going to keep her and us from any further harm.”
“We’ve already been harmed,” Angelus spat out, smacking the sword against the wall, imagining it was the neck of the woman they were discussing. “And it’s not a curse that binds me to that wish. It’s my own free will. I serve no one other than myself.”
Spike would not be swayed. “If that is true, why not kill her now?” He stepped forward, putting a hand on Angelus’ shoulder. “Is it because, in your heart, you know I am right?”
Letting out a snarl, Angelus spun around and swung his sword toward Spike’s head. Moving swiftly, Spike blocked the blow and sent the sword flying out of the elder Shitennou’s hand, clattering to the floor. After a tense silence, Angelus let out a low growl and turned away, stopping only to pick up his sword and sheathe it in his scabbard once more.
“I’ll forgive you for that. But never speak to me of this again. Next time you may not be so lucky.”
**
The roaring was growing in intensity and frequency, and Faith knew that it was only a matter of time before Metallia grew stronger by the day. Remembering the threat she had uttered not too long ago, Faith knew that, when the time came, she would be first in the Demon Queen’s crosshairs, and she was determined not to let that happened. There was only one way of ensuring that, and that meant putting her life into the hands of the only person whom she knew had any loyalty to her.
“You sent for me, my Queen?”
Faith turned to look at the young man who had asked that question and smiled faintly. Angelus and Spike might have slipped from her grasp, and Oz might have perished at her hand to make a point to Endymion, but she could rest easy knowing that she could count on Xander to do his duty.
“Yes,” she said. “As you know, Metallia continues to grow in strength. I fear it will not be too long before she has enough power to consume the world.”
Xander said nothing, but Faith knew that he was as concerned about the situation as she. He just didn’t speak about it. “I have every faith in your ability to keep her under control.”
Faith sighed. “In case that does not happen, I need to trust you to carry out an important task for me.” She turned around. “Endymion must be kept from the Princess. It’s the only way to keep her from using the Mystical Silver Crystal and stunting Metallia’s power.”
“It shall be as you command, my Queen,” Xander replied, bowing in respect. Faith let out another sigh as she sat down on her throne. “Failing that, you are to use whatever measures you feel…necessary to prevent them from being together.”
Xander paused. “Anything I feel…necessary?”
“Yes,” Faith replied, gesturing with one hand. “Now leave me. I have much to think about.” Xander quickly did so, wondering whether or not Faith was truly convinced that she could best Metallia in a battle of wills. And what role his former Mistress would play in these events. Even though his memories had returned, he felt little loyalty to her. Faith was his Mistress now, and there was a reason that she had taken her here other than the one she had given the Soldiers. Faith hadn’t seen fit to speak of it to him, but he had no doubt all would be revealed in time.
No doubt at all.
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