Aftermath

I held my breath as I walked toward the battered throne where Queen Beryl
once sat. Was I afraid? No. No, I was the victim of no emotion. But the
foul stench that plagued the room was unbearable. I saw, in every
direction, broken bodies, blood, and decay. The battle had been big,
all right. Too big.

Among the rubble I could see that someone had taken a blow head on from
their most powerful warrior, for they are in four separate parts, with bone
hanging out of each bloodied piece. But there is some comfort in knowing
that this being, now unrecognizable, did not suffer. How could one suffer
from a blow like that?

I soon realized that I could not hold my breath any longer. I knew that I
was going to have to breathe. So I did. The foul odor of decaying flesh
and congealing blood inflamed my nostrils. That poisoned air, once in my
lungs, made me want to cry from the pain. But I held back. My lungs soon
quit screaming, and I continued on my way. I maneuvered to behind the
throne. And there she was. She was so beautiful, even in this state of
death. No, it was not Queen Beryl, but my beloved companion in life,
Ionite.

In almost no time at all, I found myself kneeling beside her. I had no
idea what was to become of me, now that this.... This unbearable THING was
surging through me. It was something that I was feeling deeply, very
deeply. Yet, I understood it not. I had never felt this before. It was
almost like... like pain. But, I was not injured in the battle. No, I
had been too scared to fight. And so, I had survived.

But Ionite... Ionite had died in battle. She had died an honorable
death. Fighting the enemy. The enemy known as the Sailor Senshi. 
I was now a strange concoction of emotions. I was sad for the loss of my
love. I was also mad, for the fact the Sailor Senshi had won, and also... 
That I was too scared to fight! I had now also forgotten the stench of
death that surrounded me. All I could focus on was Ionite. Somehow, her
body had remained intact. I don't know how, but it did. And quite
frankly, I don't much care. All that matters is that it did.

I got up, after my moment of silence, and teleported out of that dismal
place, what used to be the great Dark Kingdom. I have not returned since
that day, for I knew that nothing would change. All that could change,
would be how much decay the bodies had gone through.

After I teleported out, and arrived back on Earth, I immediately made
myself look like a human. That was my lowest point. Actually blending in
with the human world. O what a tragedy it was! And, to this day, I have
not forgotten the tragedy of that battle. The death of Ionite... The
destruction of the Dark Kingdom... And the falling of me, Tanzanite.
I was too scared to face death, and so I was forced to see my entire world
fall, and be turned into ashes. And worse, I now live among my enemy,
still afraid of the fact that I might die, if I ever face them. As I
reflect on myself, and my actions, I am forced to wonder... What if I had
fought? Would she still be alive?


The End...

OK, I know, a really short fic, but, at least it's more than nothing. 
Sailor Moon and all related characters are property of Takeuchi Naoko, whom
I hope never reads this, because she'll probably kill me for what I wrote. 
Unless she liked it. Anyway, if you sue, me, you'll get nothing, cause I'm
a poor person, so don't waste your time. Thank you.

Prince Darien