Written by BHart
June 13, 2007

Act LXV
The Depths of Cocytus

All the sailor senshi gathered at Pluto. "This is it, the final key we need is here," said Sailor Star.

"What do the orphic scrolls say?" asked Sailor Virago.

"Not much. Only that there are two paths to take, and that we should choose wisely which one we take," answered Sailor Kurozuki.

"Isn't that Prince Uranus' ark over there?" asked Sailor Tsukineko.

The ark was floating up in the sky fifty feet above them. "Yeah, it is. We already checked it. There's no one there right now. They must already be looking for the key," replied Sailor Juno.

They continued exploring. They came across a sign pointing in two different directions. One direction on the sign read, "Burney" and the other direction read, "Phair". They decided to split up into two groups. The Sailor Quartet, Sailor Chibimoon and Sailor Menard went in the direction pointing to "Phair" and the others to "Burney."

Sailors Kurozuki, Earth, Star, Tsukineko and Virago walked across the icy planet. They saw a little girl standing off to the side. She had short, blonde hair. She was wearing an early twentieth century English school uniform.

"Who are you?" asked Sailor Star.

"I am Venetia. Are you searching for the key of Pluto?"

"Yes, we are."

"I will take you to the vestibule of the Inferno Castle. That will take you to it."

"Lead the way," said Sailor Virago.

Sailor Chibimoon's group came across an old woman with short, curly hair, wearing glasses. "Who are you?" asked Sailor Juno.

"My name is Venetia. Are you looking for Pluto's key?"

"Yes."

"You'll need these," said Venetia, holding out some double hammers.

"These will help you get to the key of Pluto."

They accepted the weapons. They left Venetia behind. "You'll need to pay a fair to the ferryman up ahead," shouted Venetia.

Sailor Kurozuki's group reached the castle's vestibule. Venetia vanished.

The first room was very large and empty. There were many stairs leading downwards. As they descended, it got hotter. There was a long, flaming lake blocking their way to the next room. "How are we supposed to get by that?" asked Sailor Tsukineko.

"Do you really want to get past Acheron?" said a voice. A thin man wearing tattered clothes was standing against a wall.

"Who are you?" asked Sailor Virago.

"I am Dante. I am familiar with these parts. I don't suggest going any further."

"We don't really have a choice. We're looking for a friend," explained Sailor Kurozuki.

"If you insist, I can help you cross the lake of fire."

Dante walked towards the fire lake, lifting up his hands. The fire parted to let them pass through. "Go now. I can't hold it like this for very long."

"Thank you for your help," said Sailor Earth.

"Good luck down there."

Sailor Chibimoon's group reached the end of land. There was a large river blocking their path. "If you want to cross, you must pay a toll," said a skeleton, dressed in black robes, standing in a midsized boat.

"We don't have any money," said Sailor Palus.

He could see the negative orbs of energy eating away at them. He took them away from them, absorbing them and thriving off the darkness. "Consider your toll paid. I will take you to the other side."

"What is on the other side?" asked Sailor Vesta.

"The only thing that is on the other side is the castle of Charon."

"That sounds like where we need to go," said Sailor Menard. They crossed the river Styx.

Sailor Kurozuki's group was in the second level of the castle. They were floating in the air. They could see many spirits floating around them. "What is this place?" asked Sailor Star.

"I don't know, I just want to get out of here," commented Sailor Kurozuki.

They slowly made their way downward to the next level.

Sailor Chibimoon's group saw the top of Charon castle past a large wall blocking it. Large letters written on the wall read, "Dis."

"This stupid wall is in the way," said Sailor Celis. Their attacks only did minimal damage to it.

Sailor Celis started striking the wall with the double hammers. With only a few strikes, part of the wall crumbled away, allowing them passage.

They walked a few feet in the castle until there was no more floor left. There was a large drop off descending deeper into the castle. The Sailor Quartet used some jungle vines to climb down.

Sailor Kurozuki's group descended three levels deeper into the Inferno castle.

They were confronted by three flying skeletons with black wings, each wielding double hammers. Their attacks blasted the skeletons' bones apart. Their bones quickly reformed, reanimating them.

Sailor Earth grabbed one of the double hammers and smashed the bones of a skeleton. Its bones were crushed beyond repair, destroying it for good. They destroyed the others the same way. The entrance to the next level read, "The Wrathful".

Sailor Chibimoon's group stepped foot on sand, amongst many wooden thorns. They were slowly sinking in the sand. There was sand everywhere, except for a small river of blood which turned into a waterfall, leading deeper into the castle.

"That's so gross. I'm not stepping into that river," said Sailor Menard.

"It's either that or sink to our deaths in this sand," said Sailor Chibimoon.

They jumped in the river, carrying them deeper. They swam to firm ground made of stone. There was a seal on the ground which read, "Geyron". There was a large hole. They used vines to descend down even further in Charon castle.

Sailor Kurozuki's group entered another room in Inferno castle. A key was floating upon an altar.

Sailor Nemesis appeared. "You again!" said Sailor Star.

"I'm afraid your key quest is over." She used her retribution striker attack. Black and purple rings of dark energy struck them. They were bleeding from deep gashes.

Sailor Nemesis still had positive orbs of light on her body, gradually weakening her. Sailor Earth struck her with his masse choler explosion attack. Sailor Nemesis fell on the ground.

Sailor Virago jumped towards Sailor Nemesis with a double hammer in hand. Sailor Nemesis rolled out of the way when the double hammer struck the ground.

Sailor Nemesis used her avenging lancer attack, striking them with piercing rays of darkness.

Sailor Kurozuki was dying.

Sailor Nemesis picked up the key. "To think that you all lost your lives for something like this; how stupid."

The key disappeared; it was a fake. An anti-magic barrier formed around her, trapping her. She fell through a hole that appeared beneath her. The hole closed up again.

It was a trap to stop people from retrieving the real key of Pluto. She fell down a bottomless pit forever.

Sailor Virago ran over to Sailor Kurozuki. "She's dead."

"What! No!" The others rushed over to her.

After mourning for a minute, Sailor Virago said, "We've got to finish this. We will avenge her."

Sailor Chibimoon's group got colder as they descended, making it harder to move. The cries of the damned became louder.

They came to a deep, giant well. Three giant hands reached up from the well, grabbing them, pulling them down further into the pit. The three giants Nimrod, Ephialtes and Antaeus released them, dropping them off at the deepest level of the castle.

Sailor Earth's group heard the cries of the damned behind a wall. They were still recovering from their wounds.

"The key might be beyond that wall," thought Sailor Tsukineko. They broke through it with a double hammer. They saw a large drop off and some vines left from the Sailor Quartet.

Prince Uranus was in a room with a giant circle on the wall, having indentations for all the planetary keys. He put the key in.

"Now we wait for your friends to bring the missing keys," said Prince Uranus. Sailor Parallel Moon was tired and weak.

"There you are!" said Sailor Chibimoon.

"I've been waiting for you. Thanks for brining the remaining keys." He used his sky sword blasting attack, taking the remaining keys from them.

"That sword, where did you get it?" asked Sailor Vesta.

"This is one of the talismans. It rightfully belongs to me, being the past sailor senshi of Uranus."

"We've already been through this. You were never Sailor Uranus in another life," said Sailor Chibimoon.

"Shut up. I won't hear anymore of your lies!" He used his ground trembling attack.

He finished putting in the remaining keys.

"If you needed my sister so badly, then why have you tried killing her before?" asked Sailor Chibimoon.

"It didn't matter whether she was alive or not. I just need her abilities. It is easier however, if she is alive."

The giant wheel on the wall spun around. It abruptly stopped, leaving Prince Uranus confused. "This is supposed to work."

He saw three roses placed in one of the corners of the room. A red, white and yellow one with a note attached to them. The note read, "To add extra security to this dangerous place, we have left our roses here to protect this solar system. If you need to use the powers of the place for any reason, remove our roses. The three lights." Prince Uranus destroyed the roses, making the wheel spin again.

Sailor Earth's group arrived, being struck down by Prince Uranus by surprise.

He picked up Sailor Parallel Moon, holding her close to the spinning wheel. It reacted to her energy. A small portal slowly opened up.

"What are you doing to my sister?" asked Sailor Chibimoon.

None of them could break the barrier around Prince Uranus, formed by the chibarazuishou.

"She isn't your sister. She is the only sailor senshi that possesses the power to travel between parallel universes. I had to unlock her powers by removing the protective keys of the different planets. It took a lot of time and research, but I finally managed to get them all. Each solar system has dimensional barriers which protect it from outsiders. The keys of this solar system removed the barriers. I can use her power freely to travel to her world."

"Why do you want to go there?" asked Sailor Star.

"The chibarazuishou in her world is all powerful. With it, I will rule the inhabitants there."

The portal got bigger. Prince Uranus could almost get through. Sailor Parallel Moon was about to pass out.

The chibarazuishou was getting weaker, being low on blood. The barrier was weakening.

Sailor Menard pulled out the spiked oval ring of Navok and the Blade of Rudranath.

"Are those the ancient weapons from the Ebara Shinto shrine?" asked Sailor Chibimoon.

"Yes, they are. Only those from Elysion can properly wield them," replied Sailor Menard.

The Sailor Quartet and sailor chibimoon combined their powers, using their Pink Lady's Freezing Kiss attack, freezing Prince Uranus.

She threw the ring of Navok at Prince Uranus.

He broke out of the ice.

The spiked ring struck him in the arm, causing him to drop Kousagi.

It came back to her like a boomerang.

She continued attacking him with it. He blocked it with the chibarazuishou. "That weapon cannot penetrate the chibarazuishou," boasted Prince Uranus.

"How about with this one, then?" Sailor Earth struck it with the adamantine sickle. It nearly cut it in half.

"No! My chibarazuishou!"

Sailor Menard ran up to him, striking him with the blade of Rudranath.

Sailor Earth swung his stone fists at him. Prince Uranus caught his fists, squeezing them and crumbling them. His hands turned to normal again.

Prince Uranus dropped the chibarazuishou. It broke in half.

Sailor Menard threw the ring of Navok at Prince Uranus, pinning his arm against the wall. She stabbed the blade of Rudranath in his foot.

"I don't know who you are, but you were not Sailor Uranus in a past life. These two weapons of truth will reveal to us just who exactly you are," said Sailor Menard.

Nine years ago when Sailor Parallel Moon opened up a dimensional portal to this world, fleeing the Traliz warriors, the barazuishou came with her. It was dropped behind.

She was born into this world to Usagi, in an effort to hide herself.

The SOS organization kept the barazuishou safe and hidden by order of the Traliz warriors. They threatened their lives if they didn't comply.

There were many lies and rumors spreading around at SOS, and unbeknownst to anyone there, some of those lies and rumors became true by the power of the barazuishou.

The absurd lies and censorship used to cover up the fact that Haruka and Michiru were lesbians were one of those rumors. Thus, Prince Uranus was brought into existence by its power.

"You are nothing more than a silly rumor brought to life by the rose crystal. I knew you were a fake," said Sailor Virago.

"No, it can't be true," said Prince Uranus.

Sailor Tsukineko threw one half of the chibarazuishou through the portal.

Prince Uranus freed his arm and reached for the other half, lying on the ground. Sailor Earth stepped on his hand. Prince Uranus slashed Sailor Earth with the sickle lying on the ground.

"Kiusakun!" yelled Sailor Star, rushing to a collapsed Sailor Earth.

The portal was starting to close. Prince Uranus started fading out of existence. "Even if I am no more, you cannot stop what will be coming. Terrible disasters that you won't be able to stop," said Prince Uranus. With his last breath, he threw Kousagi into the portal. Prince Uranus ceased to exist.

The portal closed.

Sailor Earth died.

Kousagi was traveling through the portal to her home world. She saw electric blue lights around her and faces of some people traveling through the portal with her.

The sailor senshi were helpless, not being able to follow her. "No!" yelled Chibi Usa, crying.