SM Monthly Challenge Theme #99 (09APR06)
Title: Sacrifice
Author: Raya
Theme: Michiru / Virgin
Genre: Drama
Version: PGSM SuperS (PGSM Spoiler Level Pallas, i.e., None)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2152
Disclaimer: All of the characters used below were created by Takeuchi Naoko, and are partially owned by Bandai Entertainment. I have merely converted them into lovely Live Action dolls to play with for a little while. Lilith is Zirconia's name in the SailorMoon Musical Transylvania no Mori. I have borrowed it and a little of her purpose (to awaken the Queen of the Dead/New Moon), but otherwise they have no resemblence to each other.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So are constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Sacrifice
Sailor Neptune tugged at the chains which bound her to the tall, black stone. Once again, they held fast. It seemed the only way to break free of them was to somehow either uproot the monolith or find some way to break it in half without hurting herself in the process.
Beside her, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Venus also struggled. Sailor Uranus was trying to break her chains using the multiple stress method: surging forward against her bonds, relaxing them, and then surging forward again. Her chains squealed each time, but they had not yet yielded to her strength.
The golden haired leader of the Serenity's Guardian Senshi had somehow managed to get her feet flat against her monolith despite the short chains attached to her ankles. She tried to use that bit of additional leverage to help her bend in half. Unfortunately, although the chains squealed in protest, like Sailor Uranus' chains they held strong. She kept trying, however, as Sailor Mercury, Sailor ChibiMoon, and Sailor Pluto anxiously divided their attention between her and Sailor Mars.
Turning her head and leaning forward as far as she could, Sailor Neptune could just see that Sailor Mars was trying to melt her way through her chains. The teal haired senshi felt her heart lift at this practical idea, and then fall when she saw that the other senshi was harming herself more than the metal around her. Sailor Mars sobbed softly with pain as sparks from her mystical fire burned small holes in her gloves and skin.
A set of approaching footsteps made all of the senshi tense. Sailor Mars' fire died instantly, and they turned as one to look towards the sound, fearing the worst. Their fears were realized when VesVes and JunJun dragged Sailor Saturn out of the darkness and into the torchlit circle. Grumbling under their breaths, they continued to drag her over to the last open stone. The teenage senshi sagged limply in their hands as they struggled to chain her up like the others. VesVes grunted as she lifted her side a little higher, and JunJun swore viciously when Sailor Saturn's lolling head slammed into her jaw as a result.
Sailor Neptune felt her heart clench. The circle was complete, just as Lilith had boasted it would be. It wouldn't be long now until they found out what the leader of the Dead Moon Circus had planned. She only hoped that Sailor Luna, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Moon would be able to stop it on their own.
Another set of footsteps made the senshi stiffen again. Moments later, Lilith, CereCere, and PallaPalla walked into the light. The short, heavyset woman smiled with dark anticipation as she looked around at her captives. PallaPalla played absently with her Raggedy-Ann's hair, ignoring everything around her while CereCere watched JunJun and VesVes clamp manacles around Sailor Saturn's boots.
"At last," Lilith said as she wrapped both of her hands around her tall staff. She looked around the circle and then up at the rising moon which was close to the zenith, and her smile grew wider. "The time has come at last."
"Time for what?" Sailor ChibiMoon asked. Sailor Neptune could hear just the barest tremble of fear in the eight year old's voice. She smiled a small, proud smile at her future princess' stubbornly lifted chin and defiant air. No matter how afraid she was, the youngest of the senshi always refused to show it.
Lilith smiled, too, although her smile was both excited and darkly amused. "Time for my transformation, of course. Time to open the Portal and release the Great Seal."
Sailor Neptune's smile faded away, and she swallowed a little nervously. Something about that statement set off alarm bells in her head. Glancing around the circle, she saw that Sailor Mercury, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Venus suddenly looked as uneasy as she felt.
"'How?' you ask?," Lilith continued, enjoying her captive audience. Smirking, she sauntered over to stand in front of Sailor Mercury. "One." She reached out and cupped one small, fat hand along the imprisoned senshi's jaw. Sailor Mercury just stared at her coldly. Lilith's smile grew wider as she slowly slipped her hand along the young woman's jaw to the point of her chin. As her hand moved, she dug her long fingernails in just enough to raise three painful red welts. Tears sprang to Sailor Mercury's dark eyes, but she refused to show any other sign of pain.
Lilith finally turned away and walked towards Sailor Mars. Sailor Neptune watched as Sailor Mercury's eyes closed and she sagged a little against her chains. Then, the younger senshi's jaw clenched and she forced herself upright once more.
"Two," Lilith said as she raised her hand to repeat her gesture with Sailor Mars. The fiery senshi jerked her head to the right and tried unsuccessfully to avoid her touch. Lilith's smile grew as she allowed her hand to thump solidly against the senshi's jaw. Smirking in triumph, she turned and walked towards Sailor Venus.
"Three," she said as she reached up. She stilled, her hand still a foot away, and Sailor Neptune leaned forward curiously to see what the golden senshi had done. Sailor Venus was smiling confidently and challengingly. She almost seemed to be daring Lilith to touch her as she had the others.
Lilith finally took the dare and continued to reach up. She squawked in pain and tried to jerk her hand back as Sailor Venus' sharp white teeth bit into her index finger. Sailor Neptune blinked in surprise. She hadn't even seen the other senshi move. Lilith struggled and finally managed to get herself free. "You'll pay for that," she hissed as she lifted her staff up and back. She stopped herself just before she hit the smirking senshi. "You will pay for that."
Lilith swirled around and walked towards Sailor Neptune. The Senshi of the Oceans drew herself up and forced a calm, haughty expression onto her face. Her aqua eyes narrowed slightly as the short woman came to a stop in front of her. "Four," Lilith said. She started to reach up, then thought better of it as Sailor Neptune bared her teeth, and walked on to Sailor Uranus.
"Five." Sailor Uranus glared at the ringmaster, and surged against her chains once more. Lilith brought her staff around defensively, but did not retreat. She returned the senshi's glare, and then turned as nonchalantly as she could to walk towards Sailor Pluto.
"Six." She shivered as she looked into those all knowing garnet eyes, and quickly walked over to Sailor Saturn.
"Seven." She started to walk on by, and then stopped suddenly. She turned to look at the unconscious senshi a little more closely, and then used her staff to lift the girl's head. She frowned, and then spun to glare at JunJun and VesVes. "I thought I said not to mark her!" she yelled angrily. The two girls cowered back a little in fear.
"Not our fault," the green haired teenager whined petulantly as she rubbed her head. "She slammed her face into my head while we were puttin' her up there." Lilith glowered at them for a few more moments, and then turned away. They sagged a little in relief.
"And eight," Lilith said as she came to a stop in front of Sailor ChibiMoon. "Although, just barely," she added as she looked at the girl in disgust. Sailor ChibiMoon raised her chin even more at the woman's insulting tone.
Lilith turned away from her, and walked over to her quartet of underlings. Briskly she motioned for them to go stand at the corners of the central, horizontal stone. CereCere took PallaPalla's arm gently and pushed the distracted girl into place. The smaller girl suddenly looked afraid, clenched her doll tightly against her chest, and began to moan. Her friends looked at her nervously, but since she always did this when they put her in that spot they did not move to soothe her.
"Nine," Lilith said as she put a hand on top of VesVes's head. The tall girl froze, and then stared towards the rectangular stone in front of her with blank eyes. "Ten," Lilith continued quickly, touching PallaPalla on the top of her head. The girl's moans stopped instantly as she, too froze.
"Wha...?!" CereCere exclaimed as she started to move. Before she could more than stir, however, Lilith's hand was on her head. "Eleven."
Sailor Neptune saw the horrified, betrayed look on JunJun's face quite clearly before Lilith tapped her on the head as well. "Twelve. Twelve virgins of noble blood." Lilith's smile made Sailor Neptune sick to her stomach. "Twelve perfect virgins for my sacrifice."
Suddenly, Sailor Neptune blinked. "Virgins?" she called tentatively. Lilith and the other senshi turned to look at her. "You need twelve virgins for your sacrifice?" she asked as a smile grew on her face. Her light aqua eyes danced in amusement as Lilith waited for her to continue. "I'm afraid you'll have to keep on looking. You don't have twelve here."
Sailor Neptune jerked her head back in surprise as Lilith suddenly appeared in front of her. "What do you mean?" the short woman hissed tightly. "You have never let a man touch you... You are a senshi!"
"Not true," Sailor Mercury called from her monolith.
Lilith turned and glared at her. "Your father doesn't count," she said cuttingly.
Sailor Mercury just looked back at her calmly. "Who said my father?" she asked steadily.
"And platonic relationships don't count either," Lilith growled as she clenched her hand on her staff.
Sailor Mercury lifted a calm, ice blue eyebrow. "I assure you, it was quite intimate."
"And who said it had to be a man?" Sailor Venus asked suddenly. Sailor Neptune nodded as Sailor Venus made her point for her. When Lilith turned at the movement and looked at her, Sailor Neptune deliberately turned and gave Sailor Uranus a long look. Her lover replied with one of her trademark smirks.
"Right, Mercury?" Sailor Venus continued. Her voice dropped an octave, and she gave the light haired senshi a smoldering look. Sailor Neptune's, Sailor Uranus', and Lilith's eyes all snapped to Sailor Mercury, who blinked and then blushed faintly.
"Mercury?" Sailor Mars said suddenly. "Wait, you, too?" She turned her head and glared at Sailor Venus.
The golden haired senshi blinked, and then looked a little affronted as Sailor Mercury's blush deepened. "What do you mean, me, too?" Sailor Venus asked.
"Shut up!" Lilith yelled suddenly. All of the senshi jerked to look at her once more. "It doesn't matter! You are all senshi untouched by men, virgins or not, and..."
"Wrong," Sailor Mercury said, interrupting her. She was still blushing, Sailor Neptune noticed. Lilith stood frozen in the circle as Sailor Mercury continued. "I never said it was a woman who touched me that way." As everyone jerked to look at her again, she stared calmly into Lilith's furious eyes.
"You... You..." Lilith stood in the center of the stone circle, breathing heavily as her hands alternately clenched and released on her staff. Slowly, she walked across the dead grass to stand in front of Sailor Mercury once more. Bright purple and black sparks flew out of the bottom as she dragged it along the ground beside her. "You..."
Suddenly, a dark purple light flared on the horizontal stone in the middle of the circle. The four blank eyed girls at the stone's corners were bathed in its power, and their shadows danced across the dead grass and up on to the imprisoned senshi.
Lilith spun around, and then laughed triumphantly. "Virgin or not, it is enough!" she exclaimed as she swept back towards the central stone. "Behold, the transformation!"
Somehow, she climbed up onto the stone. Sailor Neptune could only assume that there was a small step ladder on the other side that she could not see. As Lilith walked onto the table and entered the light, the Amazoness Quartet collapsed.
Suddenly terrified, Sailor Neptune began to struggle against her bonds again. Lilith's cold laughter filled the circle. The longer it went, the less it sounded like the short ringmaster.
As quickly as the purple light had appeared, it vanished. Unable to help herself, Sailor Neptune looked towards the stone. Lilith had indeed been transformed. She had grown almost a meter taller. She might have been taller yet, but she now had a hump in her back, pushing her head forward and down. She was also now bone thin, and when she smiled, there were not many teeth left in her wrinkled mouth.
"Free at last!" the ancient creature on the stone cackled in a parody of a laugh. "The Portal is open, and I, Zirconia, the Great High Priest of the Dark Moon, am free at last!" As their eyes met, Sailor Neptune felt her blood run cold.
Author: Raya
Theme: Michiru / Virgin
Genre: Drama
Version: PGSM SuperS (PGSM Spoiler Level Pallas, i.e., None)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2152
Disclaimer: All of the characters used below were created by Takeuchi Naoko, and are partially owned by Bandai Entertainment. I have merely converted them into lovely Live Action dolls to play with for a little while. Lilith is Zirconia's name in the SailorMoon Musical Transylvania no Mori. I have borrowed it and a little of her purpose (to awaken the Queen of the Dead/New Moon), but otherwise they have no resemblence to each other.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So are constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Sacrifice
Sailor Neptune tugged at the chains which bound her to the tall, black stone. Once again, they held fast. It seemed the only way to break free of them was to somehow either uproot the monolith or find some way to break it in half without hurting herself in the process.
Beside her, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Venus also struggled. Sailor Uranus was trying to break her chains using the multiple stress method: surging forward against her bonds, relaxing them, and then surging forward again. Her chains squealed each time, but they had not yet yielded to her strength.
The golden haired leader of the Serenity's Guardian Senshi had somehow managed to get her feet flat against her monolith despite the short chains attached to her ankles. She tried to use that bit of additional leverage to help her bend in half. Unfortunately, although the chains squealed in protest, like Sailor Uranus' chains they held strong. She kept trying, however, as Sailor Mercury, Sailor ChibiMoon, and Sailor Pluto anxiously divided their attention between her and Sailor Mars.
Turning her head and leaning forward as far as she could, Sailor Neptune could just see that Sailor Mars was trying to melt her way through her chains. The teal haired senshi felt her heart lift at this practical idea, and then fall when she saw that the other senshi was harming herself more than the metal around her. Sailor Mars sobbed softly with pain as sparks from her mystical fire burned small holes in her gloves and skin.
A set of approaching footsteps made all of the senshi tense. Sailor Mars' fire died instantly, and they turned as one to look towards the sound, fearing the worst. Their fears were realized when VesVes and JunJun dragged Sailor Saturn out of the darkness and into the torchlit circle. Grumbling under their breaths, they continued to drag her over to the last open stone. The teenage senshi sagged limply in their hands as they struggled to chain her up like the others. VesVes grunted as she lifted her side a little higher, and JunJun swore viciously when Sailor Saturn's lolling head slammed into her jaw as a result.
Sailor Neptune felt her heart clench. The circle was complete, just as Lilith had boasted it would be. It wouldn't be long now until they found out what the leader of the Dead Moon Circus had planned. She only hoped that Sailor Luna, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Moon would be able to stop it on their own.
Another set of footsteps made the senshi stiffen again. Moments later, Lilith, CereCere, and PallaPalla walked into the light. The short, heavyset woman smiled with dark anticipation as she looked around at her captives. PallaPalla played absently with her Raggedy-Ann's hair, ignoring everything around her while CereCere watched JunJun and VesVes clamp manacles around Sailor Saturn's boots.
"At last," Lilith said as she wrapped both of her hands around her tall staff. She looked around the circle and then up at the rising moon which was close to the zenith, and her smile grew wider. "The time has come at last."
"Time for what?" Sailor ChibiMoon asked. Sailor Neptune could hear just the barest tremble of fear in the eight year old's voice. She smiled a small, proud smile at her future princess' stubbornly lifted chin and defiant air. No matter how afraid she was, the youngest of the senshi always refused to show it.
Lilith smiled, too, although her smile was both excited and darkly amused. "Time for my transformation, of course. Time to open the Portal and release the Great Seal."
Sailor Neptune's smile faded away, and she swallowed a little nervously. Something about that statement set off alarm bells in her head. Glancing around the circle, she saw that Sailor Mercury, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Venus suddenly looked as uneasy as she felt.
"'How?' you ask?," Lilith continued, enjoying her captive audience. Smirking, she sauntered over to stand in front of Sailor Mercury. "One." She reached out and cupped one small, fat hand along the imprisoned senshi's jaw. Sailor Mercury just stared at her coldly. Lilith's smile grew wider as she slowly slipped her hand along the young woman's jaw to the point of her chin. As her hand moved, she dug her long fingernails in just enough to raise three painful red welts. Tears sprang to Sailor Mercury's dark eyes, but she refused to show any other sign of pain.
Lilith finally turned away and walked towards Sailor Mars. Sailor Neptune watched as Sailor Mercury's eyes closed and she sagged a little against her chains. Then, the younger senshi's jaw clenched and she forced herself upright once more.
"Two," Lilith said as she raised her hand to repeat her gesture with Sailor Mars. The fiery senshi jerked her head to the right and tried unsuccessfully to avoid her touch. Lilith's smile grew as she allowed her hand to thump solidly against the senshi's jaw. Smirking in triumph, she turned and walked towards Sailor Venus.
"Three," she said as she reached up. She stilled, her hand still a foot away, and Sailor Neptune leaned forward curiously to see what the golden senshi had done. Sailor Venus was smiling confidently and challengingly. She almost seemed to be daring Lilith to touch her as she had the others.
Lilith finally took the dare and continued to reach up. She squawked in pain and tried to jerk her hand back as Sailor Venus' sharp white teeth bit into her index finger. Sailor Neptune blinked in surprise. She hadn't even seen the other senshi move. Lilith struggled and finally managed to get herself free. "You'll pay for that," she hissed as she lifted her staff up and back. She stopped herself just before she hit the smirking senshi. "You will pay for that."
Lilith swirled around and walked towards Sailor Neptune. The Senshi of the Oceans drew herself up and forced a calm, haughty expression onto her face. Her aqua eyes narrowed slightly as the short woman came to a stop in front of her. "Four," Lilith said. She started to reach up, then thought better of it as Sailor Neptune bared her teeth, and walked on to Sailor Uranus.
"Five." Sailor Uranus glared at the ringmaster, and surged against her chains once more. Lilith brought her staff around defensively, but did not retreat. She returned the senshi's glare, and then turned as nonchalantly as she could to walk towards Sailor Pluto.
"Six." She shivered as she looked into those all knowing garnet eyes, and quickly walked over to Sailor Saturn.
"Seven." She started to walk on by, and then stopped suddenly. She turned to look at the unconscious senshi a little more closely, and then used her staff to lift the girl's head. She frowned, and then spun to glare at JunJun and VesVes. "I thought I said not to mark her!" she yelled angrily. The two girls cowered back a little in fear.
"Not our fault," the green haired teenager whined petulantly as she rubbed her head. "She slammed her face into my head while we were puttin' her up there." Lilith glowered at them for a few more moments, and then turned away. They sagged a little in relief.
"And eight," Lilith said as she came to a stop in front of Sailor ChibiMoon. "Although, just barely," she added as she looked at the girl in disgust. Sailor ChibiMoon raised her chin even more at the woman's insulting tone.
Lilith turned away from her, and walked over to her quartet of underlings. Briskly she motioned for them to go stand at the corners of the central, horizontal stone. CereCere took PallaPalla's arm gently and pushed the distracted girl into place. The smaller girl suddenly looked afraid, clenched her doll tightly against her chest, and began to moan. Her friends looked at her nervously, but since she always did this when they put her in that spot they did not move to soothe her.
"Nine," Lilith said as she put a hand on top of VesVes's head. The tall girl froze, and then stared towards the rectangular stone in front of her with blank eyes. "Ten," Lilith continued quickly, touching PallaPalla on the top of her head. The girl's moans stopped instantly as she, too froze.
"Wha...?!" CereCere exclaimed as she started to move. Before she could more than stir, however, Lilith's hand was on her head. "Eleven."
Sailor Neptune saw the horrified, betrayed look on JunJun's face quite clearly before Lilith tapped her on the head as well. "Twelve. Twelve virgins of noble blood." Lilith's smile made Sailor Neptune sick to her stomach. "Twelve perfect virgins for my sacrifice."
Suddenly, Sailor Neptune blinked. "Virgins?" she called tentatively. Lilith and the other senshi turned to look at her. "You need twelve virgins for your sacrifice?" she asked as a smile grew on her face. Her light aqua eyes danced in amusement as Lilith waited for her to continue. "I'm afraid you'll have to keep on looking. You don't have twelve here."
Sailor Neptune jerked her head back in surprise as Lilith suddenly appeared in front of her. "What do you mean?" the short woman hissed tightly. "You have never let a man touch you... You are a senshi!"
"Not true," Sailor Mercury called from her monolith.
Lilith turned and glared at her. "Your father doesn't count," she said cuttingly.
Sailor Mercury just looked back at her calmly. "Who said my father?" she asked steadily.
"And platonic relationships don't count either," Lilith growled as she clenched her hand on her staff.
Sailor Mercury lifted a calm, ice blue eyebrow. "I assure you, it was quite intimate."
"And who said it had to be a man?" Sailor Venus asked suddenly. Sailor Neptune nodded as Sailor Venus made her point for her. When Lilith turned at the movement and looked at her, Sailor Neptune deliberately turned and gave Sailor Uranus a long look. Her lover replied with one of her trademark smirks.
"Right, Mercury?" Sailor Venus continued. Her voice dropped an octave, and she gave the light haired senshi a smoldering look. Sailor Neptune's, Sailor Uranus', and Lilith's eyes all snapped to Sailor Mercury, who blinked and then blushed faintly.
"Mercury?" Sailor Mars said suddenly. "Wait, you, too?" She turned her head and glared at Sailor Venus.
The golden haired senshi blinked, and then looked a little affronted as Sailor Mercury's blush deepened. "What do you mean, me, too?" Sailor Venus asked.
"Shut up!" Lilith yelled suddenly. All of the senshi jerked to look at her once more. "It doesn't matter! You are all senshi untouched by men, virgins or not, and..."
"Wrong," Sailor Mercury said, interrupting her. She was still blushing, Sailor Neptune noticed. Lilith stood frozen in the circle as Sailor Mercury continued. "I never said it was a woman who touched me that way." As everyone jerked to look at her again, she stared calmly into Lilith's furious eyes.
"You... You..." Lilith stood in the center of the stone circle, breathing heavily as her hands alternately clenched and released on her staff. Slowly, she walked across the dead grass to stand in front of Sailor Mercury once more. Bright purple and black sparks flew out of the bottom as she dragged it along the ground beside her. "You..."
Suddenly, a dark purple light flared on the horizontal stone in the middle of the circle. The four blank eyed girls at the stone's corners were bathed in its power, and their shadows danced across the dead grass and up on to the imprisoned senshi.
Lilith spun around, and then laughed triumphantly. "Virgin or not, it is enough!" she exclaimed as she swept back towards the central stone. "Behold, the transformation!"
Somehow, she climbed up onto the stone. Sailor Neptune could only assume that there was a small step ladder on the other side that she could not see. As Lilith walked onto the table and entered the light, the Amazoness Quartet collapsed.
Suddenly terrified, Sailor Neptune began to struggle against her bonds again. Lilith's cold laughter filled the circle. The longer it went, the less it sounded like the short ringmaster.
As quickly as the purple light had appeared, it vanished. Unable to help herself, Sailor Neptune looked towards the stone. Lilith had indeed been transformed. She had grown almost a meter taller. She might have been taller yet, but she now had a hump in her back, pushing her head forward and down. She was also now bone thin, and when she smiled, there were not many teeth left in her wrinkled mouth.
"Free at last!" the ancient creature on the stone cackled in a parody of a laugh. "The Portal is open, and I, Zirconia, the Great High Priest of the Dark Moon, am free at last!" As their eyes met, Sailor Neptune felt her blood run cold.