Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Miyako, Cleo, Lia, Harper, and Owen, as well as a few others, are only figments that have escaped from my imagination. Another little note, I'm going back to the divisions of Terra I used back in by other Sailor Moon stories, so, when I refer to the five divisions of Terra, I refer to them by their direction from Elysian, thus North and South America, being to the East of Terra are the Eastern Division, Africa and the Middle East are the Western Division. Europe, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland are all the Northern Division, while Australia, Antarctica, and the Pacific Islands are the Southern Division. The rest of Asia would be Elysian.

Chapter Twenty: Void Triumphant

"Are we ready for this?" Miyako inquired.

Her Elemental Warriors surrounded her, along with Usagi.

Darien, Kyle, and Noland stood a few feet away.

"Good luck, little sister," called the ebon-haired man. "Go get him."

Miyako nodded, hugging first Darien and then Kyle. Noland pulled Molly in, before reaching out to ruffle Melvin's hair. After releasing his little sister, Darien turned to Usagi. She gave him the brightest smile she could, but the light didn't quite reach her eyes. He tipped up her face with one finger and bent close to her.

"I believe in you and all you can do, my princess. No matter whether you're Serena or Usagi. Remember that. And, even though I'm not going with you," he pulled out the Star Locket, draping it around her neck. "I will always be with you, alright?"

She nodded, pulling him down to kiss him.

"Alright, enough with the lovey-dovey," declared Lia. "Let's get this show on the road."

"You're just jealous," laughed Lizzie, darting over to take her place, and avoiding the Fire Scout's glare.

Miyako nodded to the others, lifting her broach towards the sky.

"Soul of the Elements!"

"Soul of Aethyr!"

"Soul of Fire!"

"Soul of Earth!"

"Soul of Air!"

"Soul of Metal!"

"Soul of Water!"

"Soul of Wood!"

"Royal Star Magic!"

Sailor Element lifted the key Kyran had given her, lifting it high over her head.

"Gate of the Garden, I summon thee. Come to this place, by the power of my key!"

Slowly, a fog arose, in the middle of which stood a tall metal gate, covered in vines. Sailor Element touched her key to the lock and the Gate swung open. Together, the nine warriors charged through, and the Gate vanished.

They emerged into the Garden, and all of them froze. Yes, everything around them was green and growing, but there was no sense of order. Everything grew wherever it wanted. The remnants of carefully cultivated paths could be seen, overgrown with weeds. Delicate mosaics had crumbled.

"I was in such a hurry, before. I didn't realize how bad the rest of the Garden had become," murmured Sailor Element.

Sailor R placed a hand on her shoulder. "At least it's still growing."

The ebon-haired scout nodded, sadly. Straightening her shoulders, she led them farther in. They'd already decided the best place to make their stand was at the base of the tower, the center of the Garden.

But, as they continued onward, Sailor Element despaired. If this was the state of the Garden, she dreaded seeing the Tower. So many centuries of neglect, everything once familiar, gone, unrecognizable.

The farther they walked, though, that all changed, and the Garden still retained some of its former glory. There were fewer weeds, the paths more clearly marked. Mosaics were still intact, topiaries still held their shapes, the closer they got to the Tower.

And there, there were the violets that Azura had so carefully tended. And there, the great oak where Unazuki had often hidden. And the elm where she had often sat, the one Motoki had often helped her down from. Yes, here was the Garden she remembered.

Just ahead, there stood the black tower that had become her home. The only damage here was the top floor of the tower, where she had been standing when Kaiyah had fallen to Ichirou's blade, and Motoki had charged forward to face him and Kyran, where she had been standing when she had felt Endymion's death, where she had been standing as she reached out to Queen Selenity and begged for her assistance.

"There," she said, pointing to the ruined section. "That's where you'll need to cast your illusion, Sailor Air."

The yellow-clad scout nodded, lifting her hands.

"Aerial Illusions!"

Even as the illusion took form, she could feel Knight Aethyr behind her, his energy flowing upward, to mimic her signature in the Aethyr. She stared, fingers crossed, at the girl standing up there, dressed in her black dress with the trailing gold sleeves, her thin gold grown resting on her head, the black braid trailing down her back.

"Think he'll fall for it?" Sailor Earth whispered.

Sailor Fire shrugged. "We can only hope."

No sooner had she spoken, a blindingly white figure came charging towards the tower, stopping at its base to gaze up at their illusion. And it fixed him with a regal, icy glare.

Darien, Noland, and Kyle tried to laugh and joke, to appear totally at ease as they headed towards Kyle's house. Although Kyle and Noland were keeping an eye out for any surprises from Ichirou. However, all three paused as they approached the house. Sitting on the front step, Vista by his side, was Owen.

The usually still boy was tapping his foot, while Vista nudged at his hand. The shades dangled from his other hand, his milky eyes closed. They slowly opened, as he heard the three of them approach.

"Harper's wrong. We're not handling this. Not really," sighed the boy. "I think it's time you knew what happened, on the day King Endymion and Lord Alexander Rosarius died, the day the Golden Kingdom fell."

The illusion of Princess Tranquility stared down at Ichirou, as the Elemental Warriors spread out, moving into position. Ichirou leapt upward, reaching for the figure in black and gold, but it rippled and vanished.

Ichirou howled as he landed, turning to race back the way he had come. But, he couldn't, because a figure in black armor, holding an enormous broadsword, blocked his path.

"Motoki!" Ichirou spat out.

Knight Aethyr nodded. "It's been a long time, Ichirou."

The white armored master of Aethyr drew his own sword. "You should never have returned, Motoki. You never should have taken my position. I was destined to be Knight Aethyr. I spent my whole life, training to be chosen! And then you came along. A hapless orphan, with no clue who he was, who could summon greater power than me! My parents should have let you die!"

"Destiny and Fate are funny things, Ichirou," replied Knight Aethyr. "We can never know what they truly have in store for us. But we cannot dictate to them. We can only choose to follow the paths they give us. You and I know that."

"Then Destiny must have decided to make us enemies and give me greater power than you." Ichirou lifted his sword. "I now control the Void, the greatest Element of them all." He swung the blade, sending a line of nothingness through the air.

Knight Aethyr dove, and the line cut through a tree behind him, dissolving everything it touched.

Sailor Element pressed the key between her hands, nodding to the other Elemental Warriors. They had to keep Ichirou distracted! She focused on the connection between the key, the Void, and himself, trying to pull the wild element back under control.

"Piercing Stones!"

Sailor Earth's attack sent Ichirou stumbling back.

"Encircling Firestorm!"

"Cloud Cyclone!"

Sailor Air's attack lifted the flames of Sailor Fire's blaze, leading them to spin closer to Ichirou. He forced open a small sphere of nothingness in order to absorb the attack.

"Frigid Whirlpool!"

"Leaf Gale!"

"Copper Sentinel Strike!"

"Virtuous Star Shower!"

A barrier of Aethyr materialized to block the simultaneous attacks. Sailor Earth gave a slight smile and nodded to Knight Aethyr, as she sent another stone barrage, joining Sailor Air and Sailor Fire. With the two attacks coming from separate directions, Knight Aethyr lifted his sword.

"Energy Meditation!"

The attack, normally concentrated through his hand, was amplified as it flowed through the ancient weapon, sending its power straight at Ichirou.

"It was after the rest of you were taken," began Owen. "Endymion had already been sent to the Moon, to ask for Queen Selenity's assistance. Heliotrope was fighting back against Beryl's invasion force. I'd been ordered back to the palace, to guard the king. But…" he trailed off.

Darien reached out a hand, placing it on the boy's shoulder.

"It was already too late," realized Kyle.

Owen nodded. "Somehow, Beryl had already gotten into the palace. Everyone was frozen, like they'd been crystalized. At least, that's how it seemed, looking through Vista's eyes. I couldn't tell if they were dead or alive. And then, we found the throne room." His shoulders shook, and Vista leaned into him. "They were both already dead, the king and my father. And then, I found Helios. He'd been badly wounded, but he was still alive. One of Beryl's youma appeared, and I just lost control of my powers. For a while, I thought I'd killed Helios, when I did that, until Heliotrope told me he'd been able to seal off the Elysion temple, sending Helios back to the Maenads, so they could heal him. But, it took decades before I finally believed him."

"And you've been losing control of your powers again," muttered Noland.

"That's why I haven't been helping. That day, at Terrarose High, I was fighting so hard to stay in control, that I panicked and almost destroyed everything. Harper had to take me down to the Underworld until I calmed down. But, I haven't been able to completely pull them back under control. And that makes me a liability to you all."

"Owen, you don't have to try and handle this all on your own. We can help, if you'll let us," explained Noland. "We all have to find ways to control our powers, but shutting everyone out doesn't work. Right, Kyle?' He gave the head Shitennou a knowing look.

Kyle grimaced, but he nodded. "Come on. We've got some work to do."

Sailor Element felt the attack slam into Ichirou, the Aethyr struggling to force his surrender, as Ichirou was forced to split his focus between the Void and the Aethyr he was using to shield himself from the others. She gave the Void another, harder, tug, and, suddenly, it came loose, surging over to her, spreading until its power filled her from her toes to the crown of her head. She could feel the key vibrating in her hands, but she forced it to be still. Shifting so the key was only held in her left hand, she summoned her Rainbow Rose Sword.

"Elemental Rose Tempest!"

A whirlwind, created of multi-colored rose petals, flew from the white blade, smashing into Ichirou, sending him flying. He crumpled at the base of a large rowan tree, though he was still alive. Slowly, he struggled to his feet.

The key called to her, demanding she use its power, to send all the power of the Void at him, even if it would cost her life. But, she refused, sending both key and sword back to their resting places. She nodded to Sailor R, who drew her wand.

"All together!" Sailor Element yelled.

"Majestic Star Healing!"

"Elemental Energy Strike!"

"Piercing Stones!"

"Frigid Whirlpool!"

"Encircling Firestorm!"

"Cloud Cyclone!"

"Copper Sentinel Strike!"

"Vine Tracker!"

"Aethyr Sanctuary!"

The nine attacks converged on Ichirou, and then, he was gone. Nothing remained of the white-clad warrior.

Sailor Element turned to Knight Aethyr and gave him the brightest smile she could, before fainting in his arms. He carried her back towards the gate, the rest of the Elemental Warriors and Sailor R surrounding them. They managed to wake the ebon-haired girl, long enough for her to open the gate, but then she drifted back to unconsciousness.

Andrew reluctantly relinquished her to Kyle, upon their return to the Lambert house. Darien patted him on the shoulder, before he walked Usagi back to her apartment, where he, again, was crashing on the couch.

Isolde had been surprised, the day after they defeated Ichirou, to receive a plane ticket to New York, to see her grandparents and her brother. She'd only gotten back the day before the Snowflake Ball, talking non-stop about how wonderful it had been to get to see them.

Molly and Melvin had celebrated with Noland and Colonel Baker, who decided Christmas was a good time to spend time with his family. Molly had even cheered the cease-fire between her father and brother. The Colonel, apparently, didn't approve of an astronomer for a son, though he seemed to like Melvin well enough.

Lia, under what she termed 'house arrest' was forced to attend another enormous family get-together over Christmas. In fact, no one had actually seen Lia since after the battle against Ichirou. But, then again, she had left her family's get-together to help them fight, so her disappearance hadn't worried Cleo or Miyako.

Everyone else had gathered at Usagi and Trista's apartment, laughing and playing games. They'd learned Kyle was hopeless at Charades, and no one wanted to challenge Trista or Harper to a game of Trivial Pursuit, ever again. Darien had gotten Usagi under the mistletoe, once on purpose and several times on accident. Though, Trista and Harper seemed to get caught under it the most. Darien had sent a knowing look at Owen, after the third time the two oldest warriors had exchanged a brief kiss.

"Are you just about ready?" Cleo called out. "Come on, you two. We don't have all night!"

The six girls, everyone except for Lia, had all met up at Usagi's apartment, to get ready for the Snowflake Ball.

Miyako looked up from her silver heels at Cleo's statement. Molly was already done, lounging in the armchair. She had to admit, the two-layered dress looked good on Molly. It was a strapless lavender underdress with the long-sleeved over-layer of sparkling, translucent white gauze. Even her hair-bow matched.

Cleo's blue skirt billowed out around her as she sat on the floor, fixing the hem of Isolde's gown. Miyako wasn't sure how Kyle was going to react, since the front, despite baring Cleo's arms, had a high Mandarin collar, which was deceptive, since her back was almost completely bare.

Isolde, with bared shoulders and a sweetheart neckline on her icy blue dress, had miles of blue, white, and silver tulle forming her wide skirt, almost like a floor-length tutu. On the other hand, Lizzie looked very much like a medieval princess, in blue-violet velvet. The form-fitting bodice flowed into a slightly flared skirt. A belt made of silver links wrapped around the top of her hips, falling down the front of her gown. Like almost everyone else, her shoulders were bare, but tight-fitting sleeves fell from a narrow band, forming the neckline, down to form points on the backs of her hands.

But the gowns Miyako loved the most were the ones she and Usagi were wearing. Both of them had the same strapless gown, Miyako's in a silvery blue and Usagi's in purest white, with a slight flare that rippled to the floor. Over the skirt, from the waist to a foot from the floor, there was a second layer, made of silver lace. Miyako's lace resembled a field of roses, while Usagi's was made of stars, with matching silver ribbons wrapped around their waists. The same lace had been used to make a cross between a bolero jacket and a pair of fingerless gloves. The lace covered them from palm to palm, crossing over their shoulder blades, but allowing plenty of freedom of movement.

Though, Usagi had yet to emerge from her room, along with Trista. No one had seen the Time Guardian's dress yet, though they all had a feeling it would be quite elegant.

Finally, the two of them stepped out. Now Miyako realized what had taken so long. Instead of her bun and ponytail, Usagi's hair had been curled and pinned up, part of it forming a braided crown around her head, and some of it falling in curls to the middle of her back, about the length the people of Terrarose would expect.

Trista's dress was, indeed, fairly elegant, but also very simplistic. A collar of pearls wrapped themselves around her neck. Her dress, a dark silver, fell from two clips on her shoulders, to a scoop neck in front, and then falling straight to the floor. It looked like a solid column when she stood still, until Miyako saw the slit on the side, all the way up, almost to the top of her hip. Though, her dark green hair had remained in its usual style.

Almost all of the others had worn their hair the same was as usual, too. Miyako, however, had pulled her hair out of its usual braid, allowing it to fall in waves down to her hips. It was still slightly pulled back, out of her face, held there by a large, silver rose-shaped barrette, a Christmas gift from Andrew.

Usagi wore her present from Darien, too. It was a thin, slender chain, with three tiny charms hanging from it, the outline of a silver crescent moon, the outline of a silver star, and a small gold charm, the thick outline of a circle, with two thin lines dividing it into four equal parts, and a tiny gold diamond where the two lines crossed Miyako had a feeling only she, the Shitennou, Trista, and Usagi had recognized it as the official symbol of Terra.

Miyako rose, joining the others as they walked down to meet up with the guys, pulling her coat around her. Surprisingly, Lia was waiting with them, dressed in dark blue. The front of her skirt only fell to mid-thigh, revealing knee-high black boots, but the back fell all way to the ground.

"Thought you were grounded," called out Cleo.

Lia shrugged. "I snuck out. You really expect me to miss my first Snowflake Ball?"

Even Kyle joined the others in laughing.

The seven guys all wore the same cut of tux. But, while Melvin, Kyle, and Noland all wore traditional black and white, and Owen wore all black, the others weren't quite so traditional. Harper wore white with silver accents, Darien had white with pale, silvery blue, and Andrew had black, but with the same pale, silvery blue as Darien.

Miyako thought a moment, then decided she didn't care anymore. She walked over and took Andrew's arm. He smiled, and escorted her down the street to the Ball. Darien and Kyle exchanged matching frowns, until Usagi grabbed Darien and beamed up at him.

The rest of the girls hurried on ahead, Noland escorting Lizzie, since Melvin had already started walking off with Molly. Owen graciously offered his arm to Isolde. Lia hurried off ahead of them, even as Kyle took his sister's arm.

Darien winked at Usagi, as they followed, leaving Harper and Trista alone. They heard Harper nervously clear his throat, before they had taken more than a few steps.

"Um, would you, um, that is…"

Usagi bit back a laugh at the normally collected Shitennou of Souls.

"Are you asking to escort me to the Ball?" Trista's voice came out with a bit of a squeak.

"Yes, actually, though if you don't want…" Harper was suddenly cut off, but Usagi didn't look back to see why.

"What is it with your Senshi and my Shitennou?" Darien groaned, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

-8-

And thus ends Elemental Secrets! So, I got this chapter up a day earlier than I had planned! Yay for me!

I've already started working on Nemesis Secrets, the next story in the Secrets Saga, with the first two chapters already written. I just have to type them up. Hopefully, I can have the first one up by next Friday or Saturday. I hope!

Anyway, I've also decided to take on a challenge fic. It involves Serena/Usagi teaming up with the Outers before she meets the Inners. I have the basic premise worked out, but I'm trying to decide on a villain. So, I figured I'd ask for some opinions. I'm debating between using Alan and Ann (Ali and En) or creating a new sub-general for Beryl. I won't use Danburite/Adonis, since I'd rather leave him with Venus/Sailor V. Just give me your opinion, if you'd like. I don't want to say too much about it, just yet. I'd rather get at least a little farther on Nemesis Secrets, first, but this one keeps bugging me.