Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Michiru’s eyes grew heavy while a sickly pink-purple light emanated from the Deep Aqua Mirror. The dull expression on her face did little to conceal the agony that shot through her as She paid a visit. She was making Herself known more frequently as of late, and it was always with Haruka.

 It was not so much a feeling of betrayal that coursed through Michiru when she watched the imagery displayed in the Mirror. No, it was the look of shock in Usagi’s expression as Haruka planted that forced kiss on her. The shocked expression of someone who had taken from them something that nobody had the right to take. And Michiru knew it was not the first time Usagi had that happen to her.

 “I’m so sorry, Usagi.” Michiru whispered, as if the blame fell on her.

 She set the Mirror down and stared across her bedroom. The silver light of the full moon faintly illuminated her surroundings. A weak smile etched across her face as she saw the old stuffed blue brontosaurus that was her most cherished childhood possession. Few would have assumed that the graceful world-renowned violinist still held on to such childish things. 

 Her other most sacred possession was the little shrine with the graven image of the newborn Goddess of Love rising from Mother Sea. The statue reminded her of the one girl who didn’t judge her for her childhood fancies, and who joyfully shared them with her. She stood and strolled over to the shrine, blowing it a kiss. 

 "I'm glad I could be in your arms once again, even if only fleetingly." She whispered.

Needing some fresh air, she stepped onto the balcony outside her room. A view of the ocean under the night sky might give her some peace. Instead, it had the opposite effect. The moonlight glistening on the waves allowed her to catch the glimpse of a distinct fin rising from the waters before disappearing below once more. Memories of another great loss flooded into her mind.

 “I wish you were here right now, Mama Same, Mama Saika.” She whispered as tears trickled down her face. “I really need you two by my side more than ever.”

 A melody whispered to her from inside the room. Her eyes widened. She recognized this song all too well. That song that was always sung to her by her bedside as a child, and the voice that sang it.

 “Mama?!”

 She quickly turned, but her heart sank as she saw only emptiness in the dark room before her. It did not last. A glowing blue light manifested at the heart of the room.

 “Little Ka’a!” a voice called out to her. There was no mistaking that voice, or of that nickname given to her as a child

 “Mama, where are you?!”

 “Little Ka’a!” the voice repeated. “My beloved needs your help! Please keep her safe”

 Michiru’s found her gaze fixed on the blue orb. Something withing the light began to take shape. She felt compelled to walk towards it. As she drew close, she could see a coiled ophidian shape within the light

 Something swelled within her. A feeling of warmth and love unlike any she had felt since she last saw her mother. She could not explain it, but an instinct in her heart told her to embrace the ophidian entity as if it were her own child. As she took the being in her arms, her body absorbed the entity. She felt no need to resist.

 Everything fell away. The whole world around her shifted, and her room, indeed her whole mansion and surroundings vanished, and a new setting took its place. She had been too caught up in her newfound euphoria to pay attention.

 It was only after her world was gone that she snapped to her senses. She quickly stood upright as she took in her new surroundings. A beachside by a dawning sun. However, that was not what shocked her. She felt a growing panic as she realized how *wrong* it all seemed. Everything, from the sand beneath her, to the water of the ocean, and even the sky looked like it was made of a substance alien to her. What did this all mean?

 “Greetings, stranger.” A gentle female voice called to her.

 She turned around to see who had spoken to her. A hooded figure in what looked like a skyblue kimono approached her. Michiru’s head cocked back in surprise as she noticed that the figure’s hands were scaly and inhuman. But, as quickly as she viewed this, the hands transformed and became femininely delicate and pale.

 “I welcome you to Mu, my home.”

                                                                            ***

 A soothing feeling overtook Sasami as the lullaby softly rang out from the lips of the woman sitting beside her on the bed. The girl admired the form of the woman. Her alabaster skin and pale blue tresses, with a dress that matched the locks of her hair.

 “I have the prettiest mommy in the universe!” the girl squeed with delight.

 “You flatter me, sweetheart.” The woman replied with a light chuckle.

 Standing a few feet away, Queen Misaki huffed. She would have felt insulted by Sasami’s words if she did not know it to be the truth. It was hard to imagine any woman having beauty that could compare to that of her lover.

 As Sasami’s gaze met the smile of the alabaster skinned woman, she found herself unable to contain her enthusiasm.

 “Mommy, when I grow up, I’m gonna marry you!” the girl proudly proclaimed

 The woman’s eyes grew wide. Her head cocked backward in surprise.

 “Oh, umm, wow.” She responded awkwardly

 Misaki’s face grew red as she covered her mouth. She could hardly contain her laughter.

 “I think our baby girl is taking some cues from her sister and Yosho.” Misaki explained.

 Sasami tried to take in this moment as best as she could, but it was not meant to be. The bad part was coming. It always did. The smile fell from her face.

 “Mama, you’ll always stay with me, won’t you?” the child asked in growing desperation.

  Her mother looked down at her. Her smile also fell away, and her eyes grew heavy with sorrow.

 “None of us can ever truly stay, can we?” she answered in a near whisper.

 The two of them peered above them. They saw a glowing orb that appeared as the sun. A feeling of encroaching darkness swelled within Sasami’s soul. The ground quaked below them. Her mother stood and stepped away from the bed.

 No, not again! Sasami jumped from the bed and tried to reach out for her mother, but the distance somehow only grew. As the quake intensified, it was joined by a chorus of screams.

The screams came not from one single source, but from everywhere, all corners of existence. Misaki even joined in the screaming.

 Sasami saw a dark form slither over the horizon. Her mother continued backing away. Tears began streaming down her face.

 “It’s all my fault.” The woman said in a voice that now seemed to come from a different woman. “I have failed to ease Her hunger.”

 Sasami looked up in horror as the dark entity devoured the orb of light within its vast maw.

She then realized that the orb was no sun. It was the Divine Light within all beings.

 She desperately looked back at her mother. The woman’s tears had now become a sob. Then, her form began to shift. Blue feathered wings emerged from her back, and her body and face transformed into that of a plumed serpent, its feathers and scales a matching blue. This form was strange to Sasami, but quite familiar to another being within her.

“Farewell, my love.” The serpent said as she took to flight.

 “No, I can’t lose you again, Jazirian!” Sasami called out to the serpent in a voice that was both hers and that of another.

 The winged serpent disappeared in the sky, off to face the dark light-consuming monster. Sasami turned her attention ahead of her. Another dark shape stirred. It moved about as if it was swimming in water. Red slitted eyes glared at her mockingly.

 “YOU!!!” Sasami cried in a tearful rage. “YOU DID THIS!!!”

 The red eyes continued their mocking glare, as if to say, “come at me.” Sasami obliged. Divine power swirled around her, and the white aura of Light Hawk Wings manifested. She flew at her foe.

                                                                               ***

 Sasami gasped as she jumped awake. She did not notice the glowing twin dots on her forehead that quickly vanished.

 The Second Princess of Jurai sat up in her bed. Her sister, Princess Aeka, slumbered in a bed next to hers, while the little cabbit Ryo-ohki snored away at her feet. All was quiet save for that snoring.

 Sasami buried her face in her hands as she quietly wept.

                                                                                     ***

 The threads of fate and destiny were constantly being woven. And She was always tinkering with them. The Five Faced Queen had long worked with the fabric of time and space to alter the course of destiny to suit Her purposes.

 And with one last strand pulled, the Queen’s Weaver aspect had finally set in motion the events that would at last bring Her together with Her love.

 She said a prayer to the 25 Spirits within the Womb of Creation for their continued guidance.

 Chapter 1

 As Sasami softly cried, it appeared that she did so alone. Yet, someone was with her.

 “I’m so sorry, Sasami.” Tsunami spoke to her within her mind. Sasami could tell from the sound of her voice that Tsunami was crying as well.

 Sasami knew that Tsunami shared this nightmare with her. And they were experiencing it more frequently in recent days. And they both knew things would only get worse if they continued remaining inactive.

 With regret, Sasami made a decision. She enjoyed her time staying at the Masaki house for the past year, but that enjoyment made her complacent. She loved Aeka, Tenchi, and all the others dearly, but they were not the reason she and Tsunami left Jurai for Earth. And now, she was going to have to return to her true purpose here.

 She took a long last look at her sleeping older sister before kissing the First Princess on the cheek. She also gave Ryo-ohki one last pat on the head. Then, in a swirl of light, she was gone.

 Down the hall, Tenchi Masaki slept in solitude, something he was thankful for nowadays. Deep within his subconscious, a girl’s voice spoke to him.

 “Please take care of Big Sister and the others, just as you promised you would, Tenchi. Tsunami has left you with that power.”

 A single tear trickled from Tenchi’s shut eye. Deep within, he realized that someone dear was now gone from his life.

                                                                                 ***

 Misaki, Second Queen of Jurai, shuddered as she watched them from across the ballroom. Her husband, Emperor Azusa, was engaged in a passionate kiss with Funaho, Jurai’s First Queen. It stabbed deep into her soul. She herself had never received that from him. And, even if he did, she was certain he wouldn’t do with the passion and affection he showed Funaho.

 Standing next to Misaki was her young daughter, Aeka. Aeka felt far different about what she saw than her mother did. Her eyes widened with delight.

 “When I grow up and marry Brother Yosho, I want him to kiss me just like Father kisses Lady Funaho!” the girl exclaimed.

 Misaki couldn’t take it anymore. Tears in her eyes, she bolted from the room.

 Why did it have to be this way? Since childhood, Misaki had always been the type to crave love and affection. So, it seemed like a cruel fate that she should be sucked into a political marriage with a man she did not truly love and who did not love her in return. It made matters worse that her husband was married to another woman, one whom he *did* love. Jurai laws did not allow Misaki the same luxury of having a second spouse of her own.

 After running a good way down the hall, she stopped to catch her breath. She clutched her chest. If not for her daughter, Aeka, Misaki might have thrown herself off the highest balcony years ago. Her daughter kept her alive, but even then, Misaki felt a sharp pain over the reality that Aeka had been conceived artificially in a test tube, something Misaki never had the heart to tell the poor girl.

 She removed a small pendant from between her breasts hidden under her gown. It displayed a symbol of a great serpent entwined around a tree. It had been given to her by her mother when she was little. Her mother had always promised her that this pendant would someday guide her to whom would hold her soul. As she got older, Misaki began to brush this off as a fanciful tale.

 “Misaki…..”

 She nearly jumped out of her skin. Did she really just hear the pendant speak?

 “I am waiting, my love….”

 There was no mistaking it the second time. And with the voice, and image was projected in Misaki’s mind. She knew the place she saw in this vision, though she had never laid eyes on it before. In fact, all Jurains knew of this place.

 Misaki had a long way down to travel, but she knew how to get there quickly. What she sought rested below, Tenju, the skyscraping World Tree that housed the Royal Capital within. There were a number of legends about the Tenju’s origins, but they were all variations of the same essential tale. It was said that when Tsunami first arrived on Jurai 10,000 years ago, she fell in love with someone she found there. Many were the trials and adventures the two had, but eventually, something happened to Tsunami’s lover and she needed to go into a deep sleep. A chamber was created for this individual for them to slumber through the ages. Then, Tsunami took the chamber within her body, and her body took root as she transformed into a Great Tree to mark her lover’s resting place.

 And there appeared to be some truth to this tale. Centuries ago, such a chamber was indeed discovered beneath the Tenju. Many have tried to open it, with no success, so it was unknown what lie within, and Tsunami remained quiet when asked of it.

 With her renowned strength that was superhuman even to Juraians, it was nothing for Misaki to climb down the Tenju. She did so frequently when she was a child. She then made the journey beneath the tree’s roots to where the chamber was said to be.

 She arrived at last. The queen marveled at how alien the place seemed. Writings on the passage to the chamber were of a language unknown to any races in the charted galaxy. A symbol of a watchful eye was etched on the ceiling. Yet, despite the strangeness of it all, Misaki felt no fear, and she was compelled to step further.

 As her foot touched the heart of the entrance, a reaction. The eye on the ceiling moved like the gear of a machine, and the room lit up as beams of light shot from the floor. Two beams of these shafts of light appeared close enough to touch Misaki, and as they did, they formed hands that caressed her cheeks for a brief instant. All of this only gave her a queer sense of warmth and serentity.

 The chamber before her slowly opened. Within, the form of an unconscious woman was propped up within, her head tilted down. Already, Misaki could see that this woman was not like any known in the galaxy. Her outfit was odd, with a black top going down to her waste, with a blue-purple form fitting bottom from the waste down. Her baby blue hair was not like the color of any ethnic group Misaki was familiar with, and it was held by a silken head piece. The most notable feature of this woman, however, was the large baby bump on her belly.

 Misaki gasped as the woman finally raised her head and revealed her face. The queen had never beheld such beauty. That ghost white skin, the delicate facial structure, the ruby lips, and the blue eyes that matched her hair perfectly. Tears streamed down the strange woman’s face, but when her eyes gazed upon Misaki, they widened with realization and delight.

 The woman was not the only one who felt delight. The sight of this woman’s beautiful face made Misaki’s eyes light up, and a huge smile formed on her face.

“WOW!!!!!” the queen squeed. “YOU ARE SOOOOOO CUTE!!!”

 The queen ran up to the woman and glomped the hell out of her. The woman seemed neither surprised nor taken aback by this.

 “You are the same Misaki I once knew.” The woman said with a smile.

 Misaki then looked up in confusion.

 “Umm, do we know each other, Miss?” the queen asked in bewilderment.

 The woman looked into Misaki’s eyes for a moment before speaking again.

 “You may not know me now, but our lives are joined across space and time.” The woman explained, though this explanation only confused Misaki more.

 The woman reached down and caressed her baby bump.

 “For 10,000 years, our daughter and I have waited under Tsunami’s care for the day we would cross paths again, my love.”

 Misaki’s head nearly exploded.

 “OUR daughter???!!!!” Misaki cried in shock.

 “Time grows short. “ The woman continued on. Misaki then noticed a light emanating from the woman’s hands. “Say hello to mother and I when you get to that old world.”

 The light engulfed the Second Queen. As she looked into the mystery woman's eyes one final time, the two of them could not help themselves. Misaki welcomed the woman's touch as their lips joined in a kiss. And then Misaki vanished from the face of Jurai, and the world of El Hazard awaiting her.....

                                                                                 ***

 Sasami smiled as she recalled this story of how her mothers met. It was like a fairytale, but they had truly lived through it all.

 Now, she was aboard Tsunami, and she looked upon the great secret that she kept hidden on the ship even from her sister. The woman who had given birth to her lie in a dormant state of sleep that none, not even Tsunami, could awaken her from. Sasami’s eyes grew heavy as she saw how peaceful the woman looked as she slept.

 “I miss hearing your voice so much, Mama.” Sasami whispered sadly.

                                                                         ***

 Washu giggled under her breath. She had all the footage of Ryoko crying in bondage on tape now. It filled her with such motherly pride to see her baby girl so helpless and vunerable like that. And now she could watch it all again and again.

 Her reverie was suddenly broken. As Ryoko was bound up, Washu could see through her eyes, and she saw something run past Ryoko. She rushed towards where she saw the shape run to.

 How could this be? Her laboratory had the greatest security in the universe! Nobody could possibly breach it, save for one individual. And the thing that Washu witnessed sure as hell *wasn’t* Mihoshi.

 She arrived in the room where she kept her live specimens. There it was. She nearly froze in horror at the sight of the thing. Superficially, it had the body of a human male. But, the blue-grey skin, the gills, the fin, and that great white shark head were definitely not human. And it appeared to have found what it came for.

 The creature looked up and caught sight of Washu. It’s jaws opened in delight.

“ Nom nom!” it exclaimed as it reached for her.

 Washu didn’t know what happened. The monster somehow was able to catch her before she could switch places with a dummy, like she did with Clay. It pulled her up towards its gaping jaw, and she knew what was going to happen next. She regretted that she wouldn’t be able to show her Ryoko video to the rest of the household now.

 A sound suddenly resounded through the air. A voice singing a gorgeous melody. Washu could feel the power emanating from this voice even as it caught the shark-man and forced him to let her go. She watched as a blue energy field surrounded the shark-man and held him in place.

 She turned her attention back to what the monster was after and quickly caught sight of something odd- a blue jay sitting on its cage. Not a bird you would expect to see in Japan. Her eyes widened as the blue jay unlocked the cage, and the creature inside slithered out. The bird and the escapee then made their getaway.

 “Hey! That’s my test subject!” She shouted. “Do you have any idea how many centuries I’ve spent finding it again?!”

 She swore that the blue jay’s cawing call was shouting an expletive back at her as the shark-man then vanished.

Chapter Text

Lady Sasami touched the cheek of her lover as the skin of their bare bodies touched. She adored those pink eyes that gazed back at her, and that blue hair that matched the skies above. And those adorable twin dots on Her forehead.

 This woman meant something profound to Sasami. For centuries, Sasami’s identity was not her own. On El Hazard, people called her the Demon God. And they also called her another name which was not the one her mother gave her at birth. But this blue-tressed beauty had come into her life and Her touch freed Sasami from those bonds and allowed her to reclaim her memories and her true identity.

 The woman touched Sasami’s alabaster cheeks. Her hands slowly glided down towards Sasami’s stomach. Sasami’s belly had begun to swell with the life she nurtured within.

 “Have you given her a name yet?” Sasami’s lover asked.

 “Indeed.” Sasami answered with a smile.

 As Sasami revealed her future daughter’s name, her lover chuckled playfully.

 “I like it.” She told Sasami. “And I vow to you that I will protect Little Sasami with my own being.”

With that promise, their lips joined.

                                                                                       ***

This was a far more soothing dream than the younger Sasami had been experiencing as of late. As she cuddled close to her perpetually slumbering mother, she experienced the woman’s dreams. It was of some comfort to Sasami to know that her mother’s thoughts were in a peaceful place while in this state.

 “Such a beautiful love story.” A voice in the waking world whispered.

 “Yes, but I’m afraid we must wake them.”

 A song spoke to Sasami’s spirit. One that resonated deeply in her heart.

 “We’re like Day and Night, Night and Day

We are both so different in so many ways

We’re like Night and Day, Day and Night

And we go together, just like black and white.”

Mama’s lullaby. Sasami realized in her slumber.

 Jurai’s Second Princess slowly opened her eyes. Greeting her at the edge of the bedside were a pair of figures made from shimmering water, each with a shapely feminine outline.

 Tsunami had given Sasami visions of other universes of a different look and substance to her own. Sasami soon realized that these were essentially, in her terms, “live-action” universes, with her own being “animated.” And two such beings stood in their presence now, and Tsunami knew them well.

 “Greetings to you both, Venus Callipyge, Aphrodite Kallipygos.” A voice not of Sasami's own reverberated from the girl's mouth.

 Water became flesh, and two beauties stood hand-in-hand as a swirl of seawater danced around them. Both women had marine-blue hair, one tied in a bun, and the other loose and flowing all around Her, the former with a regal, yet gentle demeanor about Her, and the latter with an air of playfulness in Her eyes.

 “It is so wonderful to see you again, Tsunami.” Lady Venus, Italia’s Goddess of the Sea and Love spoke. “And to meet you, Young Sasami.”

 Sasami blushed profusely and her heart raced. Venus and Aphrodite both stood bare, their buxom, curvaceous forms on full display, with Aphrodite’s flowing hair doing very little to cover Her. Venus noted Sasami’s embarrassment and whispered into Aphrodite’s ear.

 “Oh! I’m sorry my dear!” Aphrodite said, covering Her mouth with a chuckle. “We should make ourselves a little more presentable.”

    White, form-fitting togas manifested around each of the Goddesses, Venus’ toga depicting a serpent embracing the moon in its coils, and Aphrodite’s depicting two serpents, a shark, a brontosaur, and an all-too familiar blue-haired Goddess all dancing in the heavens. Venus’ hair and eyes became a matching color of brown, while Aphrodite’s hair became gold with Her eyes remaining blue as the sea.

 Aphrodite turned Her attention to the slumbering woman at Sasami’s side.

 “Your mother’s curse remains.” The Goddess said, Her cheefulness beginning to fade.

 “We still cannot find the one who can wake Mama up.” Sasami said sadly, looking to her mother’s comatose form.

 “We have found Her.” Venus announced. “That is why we have come to you now.”

 Sasami felt both her and Tsunami’s heart race. Not only was Sasami searching for this being to save her mother, but Tsunami had a special connection to Her and desperately wished to reunite with Her.

 Venus waved Her hand, and a swirl of water formed into a spectral globe. Though the continents were in places Sasami found unfamiliar, Tsunami knew this particular variation of Earth and its universe of origins, and Sasami felt the dagger through Tsunami’s heart.

 “There?!” Tsunami cried.

 “Yes.” Venus answered. “She has been reincarnated as a child on this world.”

 “No, we have to get Her out of there.” Tsunami said with growing desperation.

 “I have eyes in that world that are helping and protecting Her and Her mother, but we will need help, as another seeks Her out.” Venus explained.

 The globe image gave way to imagery of scenes from different worlds. They all told the story of a multiverse-spanning conflict. A race of fish people, with the sharks they held sacred, attacked holy sites wherever they could access them.

 A scene showed a pack of sharks circling a great sea snake, whose marine serpentfolk riders fought the fishfolk forces that assaulted them along with the sharks.

 Images played out of an immense coral reef as large as Earth’s Great Barrier Reef suddenly beginning to quake and move. The whole reef system rose up and revealed itself to rest on the back of an unimaginably titanic megalodon who made its way towards the coastal lair of a great wise boa titan who watched over Her children in this world.

Along with sharks, the great blue dragons of the so-called Dungeons and Dragons universes joined their sahuagin allies in assaulting the sacred places of their worlds’ scalyfolk. Sasami gasped to see a settlement of the half-couatl shulussakar blasted by a bolt of a blue wyrm’s lightning breath.

 A final scene was displayed of the fishfolk leading the charge on a great temple carved in the image of a coiled rattlesnake. As they pressed onward, a gargantuan shape surfaced in the sea behind them. A great titan, at least 100 meters in height, rose from the water. Sasami’s head cocked back in surprise as she realized the monster, with its maple leaf shaped dorsal spines, looked like an iconic Japanese movie monster, but with blue scales…..and a shark-like head.

 “The sahuagin.” She realized aloud. “But why? Why is Sekolah after Her?”

“I do not have an answer for that.” Venus admitted. “I just know the Great Shark has declared war on all religious faiths that follow the image of the Serpent.”

 Sekolah. The Primeval Mother of Sharks. Patron Goddess of the fish-like sahuagin. Her name was dreaded by land-dwellers in many worlds, but Tsunami and Venus had always known Her to be an important nature spirit who maintained balance within the oceans. While She was often savage and brutal in playing out this role, it was bizarre and completely unlike Her to carry out a grudge.

 “We have to help Her and find out why Sekolah is attacking Her and Her children.” Tsunami stated.

 “Of course, and we have a few loved ones who will help us….” Aphrodite added, Her smile returning to Her.

Sasami felt a familiar tongue lick the side of her face. She smiled at the return of a little furry, long-bodied friend who had been missing for quite a while.

                                                                        ***

 The ice fog hung through the cold February air, a hallmark of the Interior’s dreary winters. The sub-zero temperatures did not stop her from sobbing, even knowing how her tears would freeze to her face.

 Samantha fell to her knees on the frozen sidewalk. She and her friends had been searching all night for one of their own who had been lost, and who may not be coming back. She did not pay attention to the passage of time before someone spoke to her.

 “Sam….”

 The ethereal voice snapped Sam from her despair. She saw one of the prettiest faces she ever knew, but one that was familiar. And this time, there was an extra radiance to Her.

 “Joyce.” 

 The woman was a waitress around the corner of Sam’s high school whom she had formed a strong bond with in recent months. Now, the woman shone with a light that Sam believed could only come from Heaven itself.

 “You came.” Sam cried. “I…..need your help real bad righ now….”

 “Yes, your friend needs us.” The woman told Sam, reaching down to embrace her. “It is time to wake up, dear Anthea.”

  Anthea opened Her eyes, recalling that moment Her divine heritage awoke within Her. She looked beside Her to the woman who held Her hand, that same woman who led Her on that night to helping Her true divine nature awaken, and who turned out to be more than just a surrogate mother to Her.

 And once again, we have to search for Misao. 

 A young woman, just a few years older than Anthea, stood before Her and Mother Joy. One of those same friends who went out on that search with Her that night. With the expression of reverence towards them in Lauran’s eyes, one would never guess that she and Anthea were once girlhood friends rather than a priestess to her Goddess. Anthea touched Lauran’s cheek.

 “Please take care.” She told Her priestess.

 “Hey now, I bet hanging out with Tsunami’s avatar will be lots of fun!” Lauran insisted.

                                                                                 ***

 “EEEPPP!!!!” Lauran cried in the highest pitch possible as Sasami dragged her through the vortex.

 “Oh wow, this is lots of fun!” Sasami squealed with glee.

 Sasami had never traveled between universes before. Tsunami had always told her stories of it as well as showing her visions of past journeys across the multiverse, but it was a different feeling to finally experience it.

 Meanwhile, Tsunami had a journey of her own to take. An old friend was not acting right, and she needed to visit them and learn why.

 Sasami and Tsunami made their separate journeys, but in the end, one thing stopped them and caught their attention. As they traversed the space between spaces, something caught their ears. A song. However, the song Sasami heard was beautiful and calming, not unlike her mother’s lullabies, while the song Tsunami heard was baleful and venomous.

 As each reached the destination the separate songs drew them towards, they each saw an identical sight. Two cities were locked in battle.

Chapter Text

 The Holy One despaired at her people’s situation. And she knew everything was her fault. Though she did not understand why, she knew it was her that the otherworldly invaders sought. Or, rather, they believed that she was the one they wanted.

 They are coming for Her like they came for our daughter. And Lady Helen and Mother Aphrodite are too far away to help right now.

 Her wings tressed with sky blue feathers wilted with sorrow as she thought of that red and white blanket in her daughter's bedroom that was missing its owner. Her opidian head, enfolded by scales of a darker blue than her feathers, drooped low. Tears cascaded down her face. Such a thing was usually not a thing serpentkind were capable of, yet her unique heritage made her an exception. She hardly considered it a gift, not after what she had lost.

 “I think I have no choice now. “she told her two servents. “The city’s Keeper is trapped, and we have nowhere to go. If I do not give myself to these invaders, the people of this city will be slaughtered.”

 Her servants were beings similar to her, but not entirely alike. They, too, were snake-like beings, with vaguely humanoid armed upper torso, but lacking in legs like true snakes. They shared the Holy One’s dark blue scale patterns. What they lacked, however, were her feathers and wings. She was unique in that manner.

 “We can’t give you…” one of the servants tried to say in a feminine voice.

 “No,” she answered, quickly silencing the servant. “I am not worth everyone else’s life. And it is not as if I am any use to any of you now.”

 Her decision was made. Before the other two could say a further word, her wings unfolded, and she took flight from the open window in her room.

                                                                                     ***

 The malenti priestess observed the unfolding carnage with a blank expression. It concealed her dubiety. She brushed back her wet hair, it’s blue color and her blue skin the distinctive coloring of Toril’s Inner Sea sahuagin and their mutant malenti brethren.

 The great beast was trapped. Laqueel marveled at the monster. Such a thing was unknown on her Abeir-Toril. A great brontosaurus, unlike those which were known on the remote regions of her world. The animal towered to the sky like a mountain, making beings like her seem like less than ants.

 Even more alien to her was what it held upon its back. On her own Toril, she had heard legends of lost empires that held cities in the sky with forgotten magic, but this was even more stunning. The sauropod titan carried an entire city on its back. And the colorful megaliths of this city seemed more advanced than anything she was familiar with.

 And soon, it would be laid to waste.

 When Laqueel’s sahuagin brethren entered this world, they did so in a manner their prey did not anticipate. As the sauropod titan walked across the land, the denizens of the city likely would have never guessed that an aquatic foe could attack them in a landlocked region. They never saw it coming as a portal opened up beneath the titan and ocean waters began pouring out. Soon, the titan had extreme difficulty moving, and then the attack came.

 Sahuagin warriors crawled up from the waters. Though the titan may have been vast in size, the fish men were unnumerable and crawled up the beast’s body with ease. The city was in their sights.

 Laqueel shook her head. Why was the Shark Mother doing this? It had always been the will of the Goddess Sekolah that the sahuagin be savage and predatory, but She had always wished for them to be indiscriminate in their hunts and what prey they chose. Meat was meat, as the ancient teachings went. But something has changed.

 Things had been different for the sahuagin in the last decade and a half. From time immemorable, Great Sekolah manifested in Toril’s oceans in the form of a great white shark, and She would join Her sahuagin priestesses on their sacred hunts. However, She ceased to physically manifest in recent years, though She continued to grant spells and send omens to Her priesthood. And then in that time, there was a shift in the Shark Mother’s very character that baffled Laqueel, but which the fanatical sahuagin largely did not question.

 Sekolah had chosen a specific target for the first time in memory. That target was the scaled races of Toril, the various descendants of ancient race of snake women known as the sarrukh. The Great Shark gave no explanation for this decree of war, but Laqueel noted that specific attention was turned towards temples and relics of religious significance to the scaled races, leading her to suspect that their Gods had done something to offend Sekolah. Even the song that the Shark Mother sang to compel the sahuagin to battle had become more ridden with malice than ever before.

 If only I had your guidance. Laqueel spoke a silent prayer as she held the heretical medallion she wore. I worry this situation is starting to make me feel that vile emotion known as “pity” for our targets.

 Sekolah was not the only deity whose presence Laqueel yearned for. There was one whom Laqueel held a special connection to ever since the Time of Troubles. Silaqui, She Who Swims with Sekolah. The patron Goddess of the malenti, those sahuagin like Laqueel who had been inexplicitly born in the form of sea elves, seen as abominations to the rest of their kind. For those few malenti who were seen as useful enough to not be eaten right after birth, Silaqui was an upstart deity representing their kind who few malenti dared to worship openly, as sahuagin society considered the notion of a malenti deity swimming with the Shark Mother as a comrade a blasphemy.

 And Silaqui had fallen silent during the time of Sekolah’s odd crusade.

 At last, something broke Laqueel away from her silent ponderings. A soft song called out to counter Sekolah’s hateful melody. Sekolah’s song abruptly ceased, and with it the sahuagin forces halted. Laqueel’s keen eyes saw it. Something small took to the air and flew from the titan’s back. Laqueel nodded. The avatar had given herself up.

 And she seemed to realize whom she should be talking to, as she flew towards Laqueel’s direction. Gradually, yet surely, the winged being flew closer, and Laqueel could soon make out her form.

 The avatar landed before Laqueel. The malenti priestess found this being’s form impressive. Overall, she was much like the sarrukh females- a blue-scaled serpent with a vaguely humanoid torso and arms, but with the lower body that lacked legs. What set the avatar apart was that she had a pair of feathered wings. Such was her heritage as a hybrid of a sarrukh and a member of the race of mystical plummed serpents known as couatl.

 In turn, Suexanna found Laqueel’s form perplexing. The malenti was very pretty by the standards of humans and demihumans, and her short stature and soft, dainty appearance did well to conceal the fierce, savage bloodthirst she shared with her brethren.

 “I will do as you ask, as long as you don’t harm my people.” The avatar stated. “However, you should know that my body no longer houses the one you truly seek.”

 Laqueel raised an eyebrow. It was true. She could sense a good measure of magical power in the serpent woman, but no divine power.

 “I suppose you cannot tell me where She is?” Laqueel inquired rhetorically.

 “No.” the former avatar answered regretfully. “She was ripped from my being mysteriously, and I do not know what has become of Her.”

 Laqueel sighed and closed her eyes. She understood that there was someone else listening who was going to find that answer unacceptable.

 Sekolah’s song resumed with even greater anger and spite. With it, the sahuagin assault resumed.

 “Please don’t do this!” the former avatar cried.

 “Such is not my decision to make.” Laqueel said plainly.

 As the serpent woman tried to take to the air once more, an invisible force pulled her back to the ground. She looked back at Laqueel, her held her hand up and invoked divine magic.

 “I am sorry.” Laqueel told her. “My people cannot allow such a unique form of meat escape our grasp.”

                                                                                   ***

 Mighty Apotlas bellowed, and Her voice echoed for endless miles. The sauropod titan remained defiant as the invaders crawled up Her legs. As the guardian deity of the city upon Her back, she would not allow harm to come to its people. The growing tide of water beneath Her made movement increasingly difficult, but she trudged along regardless.

 Underneath it all, she seethed with a mixture of rage and bafflement. These invaders were driven by a divinity from beyond this world. Why had the Overpower Ao allowed them to crossover in such a manner?

 And Apotlas knew what the invaders were after, and it only made things even more bewildering. Why would these fish monsters target Her?

 Upon Her back was the holy city of Sar’Uokoth, and it was also the home of a young female who was born of a sarrukh female and female of the race of mystical serpents known as couatl. Her name Suexanna. Her heritage alone was special enough for the sarrukh to see her as a sacred being, but recent events made them revere her even more. During a world shaking event known as the Descent, the Gods were brought low to the world by the mysterious Overgoddess Ao and made to take on mortal avatars. Suexanna found herself becoming the avatar of a particular deity that was held among the most revered in this world- Jazirian, Mother of the Couatl and Goddess of Love, Wisdom and Motherhood.

 What was even more unique about Suexanna’s bond with Jazirian was that after the other Gods returned to their divine realms, Jazirian chose to continue working through Suexanna in this world. It was because Suexanna shared more than a mutual body. They carried within them a child that the Couatl Mother conceived before the Descent, and Jazirian, in a weakened state, needed to stay on Toril in Suexanna's body to raise the girl.

 However, a crisis hit as Jazirian's child was mysteriously ripped away, and Jazirian Herself removed from Suexanna’s being. Suexanna insisted that the Goddess was taken from her, just like their child was. And, just as that distressing event occurred, the world was now being invaded by these monsters who sought the Goddess for enigmatic reasons.

 The titan soon found Herself feeling even greater alarm as she heard a familiar song. No! Suexanna gave herself up to the invaders!

                                                                                ***

 Suexanna struggled against her magic bonds. If only Mother Jazirian were still with her, this magical attack would be little more than a minor annoyance. And what manner of beings would engage in the cannibalism that she was now threatened with?

 The earth quaked. Suexanna and Laqueel both darted their heads upward in surprise. The sauropod titan had drawn its attention towards them and moved in their direction. Startled, Laqueel released her captive. Suexanna took to the air as a wave swept the malenti priestess aside.

 As Laqueel was pulled though the tide, she found herself admiring her opponents. She had disregarded the titan as a potential opponent. Quite a mistake on her part. And when she gazed into the giant’s eyes, she realized that it was a sentient being rather than a dumb beast of burden. And a question in her mind soon loomed- how had the wise Shark Mother also underestimated the titan?

                                                                                   ***

 Suexanna flew up to Apotlas’ face. She was barely noticeable next to the Guardian’s immense eye as the titan looked down at her.

 “I’m sorry for being so reckless.” The serpent girl said in shame.

 The Guardian looked at her apologetically. However, there was no room for words. The attackers were stunned by the titan’s shift, but that would not last long. Apotlas tried Her best to leave the water trap. It slowed Her, but She made progress.

 Divine intervention soon came. The waters began to recede, and an invisible force pulled the sahuagin and back into the portal they and the waters came through. Apotlas sensed that this was the work of a divine being, yet She could only guess at who.

 The answer came quickly. The glowing form of a human-like woman manifested before Suexanna. The serpent girl’s heart became overwhelmed as she recognized an old love.

“Mother Aphrodite!” She cried with joy as she embraced the Mother of Cyprus.

                                                                           ***

 Laqueel looked around herself in a daze. The ocean waters her people came to this world in had vanished, and she found herself alone.

 A light manifested before her. Within the light appeared an entity unlike any malenti had ever witnessed.

 “Hello, there, friend.” Tsunami greeted her with a warm smile. “I believe you and I need to have a chat.”

                                                                                   ***

  In a distant watery realm, eyes watched the unfolding scene with amusement.

 “Well well,” a female voice giggled. “I think things might get a little fun now….”

Chapter Text

 “That vulgar noise has become incessant.” Kull spat as he observed the scene unfolding.

 This battle was not going as he expected.

  A land of abomination lay ahead of him and his forces. Since he took the bloody crown of Valusia from the decapitated head of its former king, the one-time barbarian from Atlantis spent his time as Valusia’s monarch carrying out a campaign to weed out and crush the vile scaled ones. After becoming king, Kull learned the mind-shattering truth that mankind was secretly being ruled by an ancient race of snake people who could magically assume human form. He made it his vow to break their power and wipe these abominable monsters from the Earth.

 In his own side of the world, he was becoming largely successful. However, a revelation from the eastern lands nearly turned his stomach, and he realized that his quest to destroy the snake people came under threat in a way that he could have never anticipated.

 Far to the east, there was a land that was almost a mirror of his former home of Atlantis in terms of its location and setting. They called it Mu. Contrary to the claims often made that Valusia was the original birthplace of the scaled ones, there were some who said that Mu was their truth primal birthplace. And now the Muvian snakefolk plotted something vile.

 The Great Experiment they called it. According to legends, 500 years ago, a mysterious human woman from another world had arrived in Mu. They said she held beauty like no other and had a mystical bond with the sea itself. She also held power over a mystical string instrument that could give form to its music. This woman, who the tales referred to as “Benzaiten”, the Muvian word for “beloved”, formed some manner of romance with the Ugajin, the queen of the snakefolk. Both of them immortal, they would rule Mu and for the next five centuries they gradually brought the humans and snakefolk together in peace. Disgusting.

 It only got worse. Now there were rumors that the two women had found some means to interbreed humans and snake people. They wished to make them one race. The rumors went further that they had already created one such abomination, this being the pair’s very own offspring.

 Kull could not allow this. He mustered all his forces, and they sailed to this distant land to eradicate this vile creature the two women had created. The journey was difficult for his army. In his drive to destroy this foe, Kull’s fanaticism blinded him, and he did little to properly prepare them. Two thirds of them did not survive the voyage. It did not matter to him, as long as the monster spawn was destroyed in the end.

 “There are many who would not agree with your definition of ‘vulgar’, my liege.” A man in golden robes said with amusement to Kull as he walked up beside the king. “Many would find the Ugajin’s song to be beautiful and soothing.”

 Kull shot an irritated glance at the priest, with that strange tiny bandage on his head. The king cared little for Yamnaya’s upstart faith, dedicated to some new deity called Mitra. In Kull’s eyes, Mitra seemed like a pale imitation to the Supreme Father Valka, the God most widely worshiped in the lands of Atlantis and Valusia. Yet, Yamnaya was the most vocal supporter of Kull’s crusade against the Muvians, and something about the priest’s charisma got the Valusian people to rally behind it.

 And what had become of it? Kull watched from his galleon as his army invaded Mu’s seaside capital city. They were being easily repelled. It seemed as if the king’s crusade was going to go down in flames. And through it all, a haunting song by the queendom’s snake queen emanated above the fighting.

 “Why does that monster woman make such noise?” Kull groaned with the grit of his teeth.

 His irritation shifted to shock and surprise as a sharp tremor hit, causing the water beneath the ship to churn. It did not last long, but it left him and his crew stunned. Except for Yamnaya. The priest smirked.

 “Rest assured, my liege, that what the snake queen is doing will fail.” The priest told him.

 His sneer elicited a raised eyebrow from the king. Neither were aware of the form that slithered up the ship from the waters below…..

                                                                            ***

 The tremor caused the pebbles and debris to fall from the ceiling of the immense chamber that the sun priestess Amaterasu stood watch over. Her heart trembled. As was feared, the Ugajin’s song was doing little to keep the Mother in Her slumber.

 Why were the Atlanteans doing this? Was their hatred for the mahoraga so intense that they would destroy the world to murder them?

 In the lands far to the west, it was known of the centuries of genocide wrought against the mahoraga, the snakefolk. Humans in those lands let their primal fears of ophidian beings overtake them and they sought to eradicate the very race that they took much of their knowledge of civilization from.

 The consequences of this genocide were becoming far more dire even for humans. Deep beneath the earth of Mu, the great Mother of All Snakes, one who has been given many names by mahoraga and humans alike, hibernated in a pocket that acted as a gateway between the waking world and the Land of Dreams. She was said to be the group oversoul of the mahoraga race, and as such, She felt all they felt. Including their agony. As more of the scaled ones were put to the sword, the pain that the Mother felt gradually drove Her mad. And she now stirred from Her slumber.

 She was not the only threat. Her awakening in anger would bring…..others. Those eldritch things that slumbered across the globe along with Her. The Mother awakening in a state of darkness was the key for the stars to become “right”, and for timeless horrors to reclaim the world. And now this renegade Atlantean king and his attempted assault on Mu was finally bringing about the Mother’s awakening.

 The priestess wept. Her people seemed at the dawn of a new era of union with their mahoraga brethren. This was supposed to be a time of joy and exultation, and now the world was doomed.

 “I am sorry, young ones.” She whispered, looking out upon the brood of eggs of which it was her duty to keep warm with her sun powers.

                                                                                         ***

 “What a gorgeous voice.” Lauran said as she and Sasami descended to the world below. “She almost sounds like….”

 “Mama.” Sasami answered almost dreamily.

 Whomever was behind the voice, they did not waste any time. Beneath the source of the song, an even greater power stirred in the earth. The divine senses granted to Sasami by Tsunami told her that this Earth was in peril from that awakening being. She also sensed that the song was somehow an attempt to keep that being asleep, and it was failing.

 As they descended closer, and city came into view. It was under attack from invaders from the sea, though the city’s defenses were repelling them rather easily. However, any victory the defenders gained would soon be meaningless.

 It did not take long for them to find the source of the song. Standing atop the highest monolith, a figure in a blue hooded kimono stood. Sasami and Lauran landed behind her. The mystery woman stopped her song and turned around to look at them. Sasami gasped. Emotions she could not describe hit her heart like lightning. The woman’s face was too familiar for comfort. Even though she was “live action”, there was no mistaking it. She bore a near perfect resemblance to Sasami’s mother.

                                                                                    ***

 “Are you alright, Michi?” Minako asked, slightly gasping for breath.

 She and Michiru took a break from their run through the subterranean caverns as Michiru clutched her stomach with one hand, and a biwa in the other. Her stomach was greatly distended. The child within her was due anytime now.

 “I don’t know.” Michiru answered. “I wish we could move faster, but I don’t know how much more she and I can take right now.”

 A tear trickled from Michiru’s eye. All was falling apart. She and her beloved Soma had grown too complacent in their dreams, and now the destruction that she had promised her queen centuries ago that she would prevent was at hand. And now their unborn child, indeed the whole world, may have no future. Soma’s song was failing to keep the Ryujin asleep, so now Michiru had to dive down into the bowels of the Earth to try and stop the monster there herself.

 And in her greatest time of need, a friendly face Michiru never thought she’d see again appeared in Mu. Minako Aino, Sailor Venus, had come to this world on behalf of the other Senshi. They had finally found a path between worlds, though Minako did not realize that, where mere weeks had gone by on Earth, five centuries had gone by in Michiru’s time on this Earth.

 “Maybe you should go ahead, Minako.” Michiru told her, beginning to weakly hand over the biwa. “We may be different in the kind of music we perform, but I think you may be talented enough to use this in my place.”

 “No.” Minako answered simply.

 The Guardian of Venus placed her hand alongside Michiru’s on her baby bump. She smiled at the ocean princess and winked her eye.

 “I’m not going anywhere.” Minako reassured her. “I swear in the name of Planet Venus that I’ll stand by your side and keep you and your little girl safe!”

 Minako then gave her a stern look.

 “Even though the kid really should be mine.” Minako chided her, half-jokingly.

 Michiru looked at her and chuckled under her breath. The moment of levity did not last. The tremor shook the cavern. They probably didn’t have much longer. As they tried to continue on, Michiru stopped again. She let out a shrill cry of pain that nearly hurt Minako’s eardrums. When she came back to attention, Minako realized what had happened

 “Oh crap…” she whispered faintly.

  Michiru was experiencing contractions.

                                                                                     ***

 Kull felt a growing panic within him. Something was not right. That tremor felt….unnatural. For his entire life, he had never given into fear. Yet, for the first time ever, he fought to resist the urge to take his army and flee this godsforsaken land.

 And why was Yamnaya smiling so much? What was it about this growing calamity that pleased this damn heathen priest so much?

 They did not see the large creature slithering up behind them. Its presence did not go undetected, however.

 “I believe we have a visitor, my liege.” Yamnaya announced, his interest drawn away from the battle.

 Kull pulled his sword and practically jumped as he turned around to view what crawled up behind him. By Valka! How the devil did he not notice this monster come aboard?!

 The python was massive, larger than any Kull had ever witnessed. Even more unnerving than its size was how it gazed at Kull with an intelligence that was far beyond any mere beast.

 Kull prepared to fell the monster, but he ceased in his tracks as the serpent began to shift in form. This was a type of magic that the King was quite familiar with. The serpent gradually formed limbs and took on a humanoid shape. At last, the snake was replaced by a man. Kull was surprised to see a young man of indigenous Valusian ethnicity standing before him, dark brown skin with long hair tied back in a ponytail.

 “Who the devil are you?!” the king growled at the intruder.

 “Your answer lies in my gaze.” The stranger told him coldly.

 Kull looked closer. There was indeed something chillingly familiar with those unnatural blue eyes. The venomous manner the man looked at him only confirmed it.

 That damned priestess! The high priestess of the Temple of the Great Serpent back in Valusia, whom Kull publicly beheaded before her entire following. This man shared her eyes and her gaze. There were rumors that the witch had progeny, but Kull’s hunt for such an individual proved fruitless.

 “My birth mother and the queens who adopted me in this land both believed in striving for peace with men like you.” Thulsa explained as he pulled out the small living snake that tied up his hair, which transformed into a dagger. “I shall not repeat their errors…..”

                                                                            ***

 “Crap crap crap…” Minako muttered as Michiru continued crying out.

 Minako’s warrior spirit left her. What was she supposed to do now? She had zero experience with children that were already born, let alone helping someone going into labor.

 Michiru ceased her cries. Her baby bump illuminated with a blue glow coming from within. Michiru felt the euphoria of the pain leaving her body. She looked down and gently placed her hands on her stomach.

 “My little Jaziria doesn’t want me to suffer through any of this.” Michiru explained.

  Minako hugged her friend in relief.

 “Jaziria. I like that name.” she told the mother to be.

 “That is indeed a remarkable child.”

 They realized they were not alone. Ahead of them, the floor of the cavern appeared to shift and slide. The two Sailor Guardians took a defense stance as a gargantuan shape lifted itself from the ground. It loomed over them, and Minako conjured a light to see what this thing was. Her eyes widened in horror.

 Looking down at them was the gigantic head of a rattlesnake. More dreadful than that was the large human skull that was fused into the center of the monster’s forehead, with pinpoints of light beaming out its sockets as it observed them.

 “Wha…what the hell is that thing?” Minako whispered to her friend.

 “Yig.” Michiru answered, her voice stern and defiant.

 “That welp you carry is a wonder to behold.” The creature boomed, the skull being what spoke as the snake part of the head remained silent. “I’m sure the little runt will be tasty.”

 “Father Yig, you need to let us through.” Michiru told the monster. “Your mother will soon awaken, and if She awakens in darkness, we are all doomed!”

 “You are doomed, perhaps.” The serpent brushed her point off. “And you brought it on yourselves. When I helped guide the evolution of reptilian life on this planet, I never intended for my serpent children to pollute their blood with that of you little hairballs. And you dare wear His holy symbol on your chest?"

 The Father of Serpents glared at the emerald pendant Michiru wore around her neck.

 "By committing this affront to my design, you have only hastened the doom upon your people you arrogantly believed you were preventing. Now that the Mother awakens, I hope She devours all of you naked apes!”

 “Yeah, Michi, I don’t think he’s gonna be any help to us.” Minako commented with a drop of sweat coming down her forehead.

 “If it’s any consolation, I’m sure your offspring will be a scrumptious morsel for me.”

 The monster opened the jaws of His serpent head and prepared to strike at the pair. The two of them stood ready for combat.

 “I wouldn’t try it.” Came a voice from an unknown source.

 The Snake Father drew His attention away from the pair. From the darkness, another pair stepped forward.

“You’re being a big meanie, Mr. Snake Monster.” Sasami cheerfully told Yig with Lauran by her side. “Maybe we should teach you some manners….”

Chapter Text

  “Greetings, stranger. I welcome you to the land of Mu.”

 Michiru observed in wonder as the scaly hand of the one who greeted her shifted form and became delicate and feminine. The woman pulled back the hood of her blue kimono. Michiru’s heart galloped. That beauty. There was nothing like it.

 Her flowing hair was a shade of blue somewhere between the sky and the sea, and her eyes matched. Her alabaster skin was unlike that of any ethnic group Michiru had seen in her life. It was all complimented by the woman’s ruby lips.

 Michiru’s heart would not stop fluttering. She had never felt such powerful emotions and attraction to anybody in either life. It….was too overwhelming.

 What’s happening to me?!

 This was more than mere attraction she felt. Her mind was flooded with the deep desire to take this strange woman right here and now and engage in all manner of carnal behaviors.

 Michiru realized that this was unnatural. The strange woman was giving off some manner of magical lust aura, and Michiru was quickly losing control. If she didn’t find away to resist, things would soon happen that could never be undone.

 Help would manifest from within. Michiru felt an aura inside her. It was not her own. That entity she took within herself before being sent to this place was giving her power, the power to resist the lust spell she was under.

 While the lust urges remained, Michiru found herself somewhat able to resist. She looked back up at the stranger. The woman looked confused and bewildered by Michiru’s behavior. It occurred to Michiru that this woman was not in control of, or even aware, of whatever power she was emanating to induce these urges.

 “Please, stranger….go back to the form I first saw you in.” Michiru begged her.

 “Umm…..okay.” the woman answered, still confused.

 The woman’s form shifted again. Where once there was an exotic human beauty, now stood an alien being. The being’s head and neck were like that of a Burmese python, albeit with scale patterns that were of varying shades of blue rather than brown and yellow. Unlike a snake, however, this being had a feminine, humanoid upper torso, propped up by a legless lower half . Michiru glanced downward and could see a blue tail sticking out from the back of the being’s kimono. While this being’s form was still beautiful in an alien way, at least the lust aura was gone, and Michiru returned to her normal senses.

 With that, Michiru could finally examine her surroundings. What manner of world was this? Nothing was as it should be. The sea, sun, and skies seemed like they were made of a wholly alien substance unlike her own world. Then, it struck her.

 Of course. How could I forget?

 Michiru looked down to examine herself. She looked the same as usual. She turned back towards the ophidian stranger. Even though the being’s face was expressionless, she could still tell they were bewildered.

 “Where am I?” Michriu asked with a growing panic. “What world is this?”

 Realization hit the snake person, and they jumped back into the previously interrupted introduction.

 “Oh…well, my people have given this world the name Eingana.” The snake person answered in a feminine voice. “However, the humans of this world call it…Earth.”

 Michiru was dumbstruck.

 This is obviously nothing like the Earth I know.

“My name is Soma.” The snake woman finally introduced herself. “My people, the mahoraga, call me the Ugajin, but the humans of this land call me simply the Dragon Queen.”

 The snake woman’s friendliness suddenly made Michiru realize that she herself wasn’t exactly coming off as cordial.

 “My apologies, my name is Michiru Kaioh. Umm, you seem to know why I’m here…..”

 “Ah, of course. A prophecy told me of your arrival. You probably have many more questions. If you will come with me….”

 Michiru followed Soma down the beach. She took one last look at the strange sun and ocean, an object caught her attention. Her eyes widened when she realized she was looking at her stuffed brontosaurus, which had apparently come to this world with her. She ran over and fetched it before it got wet from the incoming tide and then resumed her journey.

                                                                                      ***

 Michiru watched the city from the balcony dreamily as night fell upon it. The view was wonderous. The odd towers all lit up in the dark, not unlike Tokyo or any other modern metropolis. It was both strange and breathtaking at once. The towers of this city looked like something out of feudal era Japan, yet the people were in many ways more advanced than the people of the Earth Michiru knew.

 And what odd people they were. Two completely separate races populated this land. There were humans, of course, but the second race was something unknown to her. The mahoraga, they called themselves. However, humans apparently just called them snakefolk, or the scaled ones. These were Soma’s people.

 From the story Soma had told Michiru, the mahoraga were unfathomably ancient in this world. So ancient, that they were able to watch as tiny primates evolved and grew larger over the ages before finally becoming what was known as “humans”. Unfortunately, this proved to be a nightmare for the mahoraga. These evolved primates had a natural fear of snakes which extended to the mahoraga themselves. Though the scaled ones were ancient, they were not skilled in combat and warfare. As humans became civilized and grew in number, they waged genocidal wars on the mahoraga across the globe, and the mahoraga were losing the fight.

 Mu was said to be the last stronghold of the snakefolk on Earth, the one place where they weren’t hunted and driven underground. It was unknown how long that would last, however, as Muvian humans weren’t all that much friendlier to the mahoraga than the rest of the world. Soma wished to change that.

  Once more, Michiru closed her eyes and prayed to that Elder God she always called to during the Silver Millennium. For the first time in her new life, she sensed that old connection to Him.

 While Michiru was lost in reverie, Soma glided up beside her. She listened to Michiru whisper the prayer. When she finished, they both looked out to the city.

 "May you receive your patron's blessing." Soma told her gently.

  "If Father Gozuryu will hear me at all, it will definitely be in a world of snake people." Michiru mused.

 Michiru could almost detect a smile in that expressionless reptilian face. She marveled at her host’s physical appearance. The humanoid upper torso had the oddity of human-like breasts, and Soma was quite well-endowed, making Michiru wonder about the biology of these snakefolk. Also rather interesting was the detail that Soma’s legless lower half was a feature unique to her people’s females, with mahoraga males being legged bipeds.

 “I hope things have been accommodating enough for you in our world.” The snake went on. “I’m really sorry you ended up here like this. I wish I knew how you were brought here or how I could help you reach home again.”

 But I don’t know why you are here. Soma mused.

 Michiru’s thoughts echoed Soma’s as she asked the next question.

 “This prophecy, you really don’t know much more about it?”

 Soma shook her head.

 “All I’ve found are fragments, but there is no doubt that you are the woman who is described.”

 That Princess of the Seas from another world with emerald tresses and aquamarine eyes. The one whose arrival would bring about the era of peace between mahoraga and humans. A peace that Soma had always dreamed of.

 “And it was a dream vision that told me you would arrive on the seaside today. I wish I knew more than that.”

Michiru sighed. So much to take in, but at least she had one major detail about this world confirmed. When Soma described things to her, she used terminology that Michiru had never heard before, but she still understood. Michiru was an animated being now in a live action world. Such knowledge was nothing new to Michiru. During the Silver Millennium, the people of Neptune knew of the greater multiverse and considered it their sacred duty to protect it and guard its secrets. The Neptunians even knew how their universe was an animated one, along with the existence of live action universes like the one Michiru stood in now.

And Michiru's inner child secretly delighted at the knowledge that she was apparently the protagonist of a magical girl anime.

 There were still details that confused Michiru, however. The more Soma described this “Earth”, the more apparent it became that it was nothing like the Earth Michiru knew. Even the continents on the map Soma showed her were all wrong.

 Michiru rubbed her right temple. She could use a good distraction right now.

 “Hey, Soma, do you have any manner of musical instruments?” Michiru inquired. “I really need something to help me relax, and the one thing that normally helps me find some peace…..didn’t come with me to this world.”

 Soma’s head darted up in realization.

 “Y…yes. I do have such an item…..”

                                                                                        ***

 Michiru’s interest was only perked even further when she looked upon the instrument Soma brought her to. A biwa. It was a traditional Japanese string instrument. Despite all her years playing music, Michiru had never gotten to see one before. And the manner which this one was enshrined suggested it was something sacred, though it did not appear special in of itself at first glance.

 “This belonged to my mother.” Soma explained. “I do not know if it will be any use to you. My mother was the only one who was ever able to bring out its true potential.”

 Michiru was just happy to see something that could fill the void of Marine Cathedrale’s absence. She sat on the floor and took hold of the biwa. Her fingers touched the strings, and Soma was struck with awe.

 Michiru was amazing. Though she had never even seen a biwa before, Michiru played it as if she had a lifetime of experience. And it was beautiful. As the melodies Michiru played became more complex, Soma began swaying her serpentine head to the rhythm.

 The snake woman’s mouth opened. A voice as angelic as any Michiru had ever heard sang a song that matched the melody which Michiru played. As the pair became more and more immersed in their song, Michiru felt the power swelling from the strings as she strummed them. And, as if working in concert with it all, the blue ring on Soma’s right hand began to glow. It only made them both more determined to play on.

 The air above them was now alight with a blue aura. The aura gradually took substance. It became the image of liquid water. As the song played on, the image became more complex, and soon it displayed as scene the ocean depths. A diversity of ocean life danced and swam in the currents in the scene that was created, mirroring the drive and emotions that were sung and played below.

 The pair finally finished their song. The scene above them faded to nothing, and all was normal again. Michiru smiled as she watched Soma flick her forked tongue in satisfaction.

 “I…I…don’t know what to say.” Soma spoke up, her voice beginning to shake. “Nobody else besides my mother has been able to bring that biwa’s power out the way you just have. I….felt like she was right here in this room again.”

 Michiru could tell that Soma would likely be crying right now. Her reptilian eyes probably lacked the tear ducts to allow her to do so. At first, Michiru thought that Soma was feeling some fond remembrance for her mother, but she soon realized that something was off.

 Soma began to tremble and shake. It quickly grew more intense until she finally collapsed to her knees and screamed.

 “Why?! Why did he take her from me?!! She didn’t do anything wrong to him!!! Why do human men keep doing this to us??!!!”

 Michiru rushed to her and quickly knelt down to embrace her. She tried her best to comfort her friend as Soma buried her face into her.

 “Michiru, I’m so alone. We’re all so alone now. My mother was everything to me. Even as a queen now, I feel like I have nothing. I’m not the only one. My people are being exterminated all around the world. There are so few of us left. We’re a race of orphans. Mu is the final place where we exist in any significant numbers, but I know that won’t last.”

 And she believes I’m the key to saving them. Michiru’s eye grew misty as the gravity of all that was at stake sunk into her mind.

 “Michiru, I haven’t told you everything. There is something about the prophecy that makes me feel….uneasy.”

 She paused and took a breath.

 “I must show you something……”

                                                                                       ***

 “This is where you found the prophecy?!”

  The shrine was squat and hideous. Though it was made of stone, it had the appearance of rotting away like old wood. All manner of mold and fungus infested the structure. Michiru felt like the place was gazing at them like a predator.

 “Indeed.” Soma affirmed. “Now you understand my unease. It is odd to find a prophecy of hope in a place such as….this.”

 Soma began to approach the shrine. Michiru gave her a questioning look, wondering why her friend would want to go any further.

 “Come. If you think the outside of this shrine is the worst thing about it, you must see what lies within.”

 Michiru followed her apprehensively. As they stepped in, they moved down some manner of hall that seemed more like the tunnel of a cavern. And it went downward, deeper into the earth at an odd angle. While Soma had little difficulty slithering down the slope, Michiru had trouble maintaining her balance, with Soma catching her from falling over a few occasions. Michiru only felt more unsettled the deeper they went, though she held back from turning and running for the sake of her friend.

 The tunnel finally ended. That brought no relief. The expanse before them was mostly dark, but there was just enough light for the pair to see and make out what stood before them. Michiru’s blood froze as she looked up at the two statues that seemed to glare down at them hungrily.

 “Umm, Soma, who do these statues depict?”

 “The first one is Yig.” Soma explained, gesturing to the statue of a great coiled rattlesnake-like creature. “My people believe Him to be the firstborn offspring of the Great Snake Mother, and the progenitor of snakes on Eingana.”

 “And the other one?” Michiru asked with growing dread.

 Soma was silent for a short time. She shared her friend’s dread.

 “My people do not know His name. Humans know, but they dread speaking it aloud. Humans believe that He came to this world with His spawn eons ago. They dwelled in a horrid city that sunk beneath the waves. It is believed that this city lies deep in the ocean off Mu’s coast.”

 Michiru cradled herself with her arms. She knew this thing depicted in stone. A winged creature with a body like a gargoyle or a twisted and misshapen dragon. A head that looked like a warped octopoid creature with tentacles stretching out from where its mouth should be.

 “Tell me, Soma, in the lands to the west, was the home of the mahoraga there known as Valusia?”

 Soma looked at her, her expressionless face somehow unable to hide her shock.

“Y..yes.”

 Michiru collapsed to her knees. There was no mistaking the truth. She was indeed on an Earth. Now she knew which Earth she was on. That world which was thought to have been the fantasy of a famous New England horror writer. And the octopus-dragon depicted in stone was that author’s most famous creation, an icon of popular culture.

 Foreboding filled her soul as she now comprehended her situation. All over this Earth, abominations like the ones displayed in stone slept, waiting for the day they could awaken and scour the world once more. And, far beyond time and space, even greater eldritch horrors watched the world.

 She looked at her ophidian friend, and her heart sunk with a tragic realization.

 Oh, Soma….

 Soma’s people were doomed. Her dream of peace with humans was going to crash and burn, regardless of what this vague prophecy might have told her, and what was left of the mahoraga would decline and degenerate into near obscurity before a likely final extinction. Michiru broke down crying.

 Something inside spoke to her. Was it an instinct? Or was it the being within who saved her from the lust aura? Whatever its nature, it told her that she should not give up. It then occurred to her that she and her fellow Senshi had defeated far greater cosmic horrors than this glorified octo-dragon, and even though she did not have her transformation brooch with her in this world, hope was not lost.

 Regaining her confidence and stamina, she stood once more and rushed to Soma. She clasped the serpent woman’s hands.

 “Soma, I vow to you that I will not allow any more harm to come to your people! In the name of Neptune, I will see to it that your dream is given life!”

 The Princess of the Sea embraced her friend once more. Soma was confused at first, but something about Michiru’s warmth eventually led her to return her embrace.

 I won't let you suffer as I did ages ago. Michiru said internally.

                                                                                            ***

 People from both races gathered at the amphitheater outside Soma’s palace at the Ugajin’s beckoning. The crowd was largely mahoraga. Few humans would answer any call by the Dragon Queen, though some showed up out of curiosity.

 Their curiosity was rewarded. Gasps rang out as the strange emerald-haired beauty walked on stage. Her appearance was so otherworldly. Yet, even with how alien her appearance was to them, they all remarked at her enchanting looks. With the manner her green hair blew in the breeze like waves of water, they felt as if they were looking upon a manifestation of the sea.

 Even more startling was what this mysterious newcomer carried with her. The sacred biwa that the previous Ugajin was almost always seen with. What use could this woman have for it?

 Soma finally glided upon the stage and took her place alongside the stranger. They wasted no time with introductions and the stranger began playing while Soma sang. There was a collective jaw dropping as everyone heard the Ugajin’s voice. None realized that she had such a voice for song.

 The audience hushed themselves and focused their attention on the song and the story that it told. The words of the song were semi-familiar to the mahoraga, but new and exciting to the humans. It was an old creation myth of the snake people.

 What was new to them, however, was getting to see the tale unfold before their eyes. As the song played out, the magic of the biwa combined with the Ugajin’s ring caused a manifestation above them that displayed the full imagery of the tale.

 The story spoke of three primal sister Goddesses who rested in the endless blue mists of existence before the beginning of known time. They were the Blue Goddess, the Red Goddess, and the Gold Goddess. These human-like Goddesses looked across the void and saw twin serpents gazing back at them. These were the Snake Mother and the Ouroboros Dragon.

 When the Gold Goddess and the Ouroboros Dragon looked into each other’s eyes there was only venom and abhorrence. They could not tolerate the other to live. A battle erupted between the two across the void. Even in vast emptiness, ripples shot out across the mists. The fabric of reality was warped, and unspeakable abominations were born from their violence and their ill emotions. The abominations would continue to cause terror and madness to all reality to this day.

 This only delighted the Red Goddess. She watched the battles and took notes in Her mind. The chaos was an intense source of entertainment for Her, and She whispered words into the ears of Her sister and the Dragon to increase their rage and make the battle more heated.

 On the other side of the void, a different story unfolded. The Blue Goddess and the Snake Mother gazed into each other’s eyes, much as their sisters had done, but they did not see the same thing. In their eyes was only love and affection for one another. They danced and played and eventually embraced each other in passion. From their union, the Snake Mother laid a cosmic egg. From the egg hatched their first daughter. She was the spirit of the first universes in what became the Blessed Multiverse. They elated in joy at their beautiful child, and how their love would bring more such blessings to all of existence.

 The Red Goddess observed what Her Blue sister had done, and She was overjoyed. She realized that nurturing love and creation could be just as fun in its own way as chaos, and She vowed She would bring forth both in equal measure. She also desired to create Her own serpent, as She did not have one to mirror Her the way Her sisters did. She began eons long work and creating a being She called the Naga.

 And thus, the story ended on that abrupt note. It was an unfortunate fact that this creation story was far from complete. Parts of it had been lost to ancient history. It was not known how the Blue Goddess and the Snake Mother would raise their daughter, and, perhaps more ominously, it was unknown what happened regarding the war between the Gold Goddess and the Ouroboros Dragon and whether that war was still waged.

 Still, it was enough. The audience was enthralled not only by the story told, but by the imagery that danced above the stage as the Ugajin and her partner sang and played. Soma and Michiru looked at each other with satisfaction.

                                                                                         ***

 “Looks like our performance had the desired effect.” Michiru remarked as the pair stepped backstage. “Hopefully, we’ve just planted the seeds of something bigger.”

 “Indeed.” Soma responded. “I knew they would all be as taken by that tale as I was when I was a little girl.”

 Soma froze up. She began to show signs of tremors, like Michiru had seen her do once before. Michiru quickly took her in her arms to provide comfort.

 “It was your mother who told it to you, wasn’t it?” Michiru asked solemnly.

 “All she ever wanted was for mahoraga and humans to live in harmony. The Snake Mother and the Blue Goddess were her inspiration. She dreamed of our two races loving one another they way those two did.”

  “If you want to talk about it, I’m right here.” Michiru whispered.

 Soma’s head lowered. Her mood only grew darker, but she decided Michiru was safe to open up to.

 “My mother was Mu’s previous Ugajin. One of the Five Matriarchs she was ancient, blessed by Mother Ryujin and Yig with immortality. She and the other Matriarchs were so ancient that there was much about her life that she never got to describe to me in the time I knew her. I know that the Five were old enough to watch as tiny mammals evolved and grew into apes, which then lost much of their hair and became humans.

 “Humans started out as many different species, but global catastrophes dwindled them down to just one. My mother told me that the final species of human started out as lovers of peace and fun, worshiping the image of the Snake and the their own feminine kind, and she delighted watching these mammals play amongst themselves. It would not last.

 “As humans began to expand and grow their own cities to mirror our kind, something of their peaceful nature was lost. She did not understand why. The males began to rape and murder their own mothers and daughters to take dominion over their own kind. Their kingdoms rose and grew even greater, and so did their hunger for power at the expense of all else.

 “It was not enough for them to turn on each other. The human bore a fear of all things reptilian, remembering how the women they overthrew worshipped the Snake’s image, and they soon became aware of us and turned that fear on us. Ages would go by, and humans would systematically slaughter snakefolk and drive them underground. One by one the Matriarchs were murderd, and our numbers had dwindled tremendously even long before I was born.

 “My mother, the last standing member of the Matriarchs, was undeterred as she watched it all unfold. She still saw something of those playful and delightful creatures she once knew and believed she could bring that out in them once more. She sought to make her home of Mu a bastion of love and acceptance for us and humans. She used the combined power of her magical music and the artifact which she called the Blue Ring of Adara to try and bring out the better natures in both our peoples. And she was making progress in my lifetime.

 “Many humans resented what she tried to build. From lands to the west, my mother fought off the predations of human warriors who sought to murder her. These warriors, always seeming to be male, saw my mother as some manner of mythical monster to slay, and believed that glory would come to the one whom succeeded.

 “For centuries, she kept these would-be killers at bay with her magic. But they only grew more and more bold. And, one day, a barbarian king would arrive in Mu, and my mother’s magic would not be enough to save her.”

 Soma’s voice began to shiver.

 “He made me watch, Michiru!” she cried hysterically as Michiru continued holding her. “He cut off her head and gloated at me as he held it in my face! I was still a child!”

 God, this is worse than I thought. How is she not completely broken?

 “I think he would have soon killed me as well. I was only saved because one of his own men apparently decided that he had seen enough. I watched as the other man put a dagger in the back of my mother’s murderer. With that monster dead, the other man carried his dead king’s body away. He looked back and gave me a sympathetic stare for a moment before he walked away, saying nothing. They all left Mu after that, leaving our people, and me, alone.”

 Michiru let Soma have her quiet time after that. That was a lot for her to get off her chest, and she obviously never had anybody to talk to about it prior to this. It was miraculous that Soma wished to continue her mother’s dream after all this. How had she not gone down the path of wanting vengeance against humans? Did it have something to do with that unnamed man who saved her from her mother’s killer?

 “What of your mother, Michiru?” Soma whispered faintly. “Did you have a happy life with her?”

Michiru felt a shadow creep over her. Two tragedies hung over her, one in this life, and one from a distant age. The flashes of her life in the Silver Millennium danced across her mind, her mother, two little girls who bore her features. She touched her lips, quivering at the memory of the thing that wore her mother’s face and what She did….

 Michiru shook her head. She would save that story for another time. For now, she would concentrate on telling Soma about her mother in the modern era.

 “I’m afraid not. But what happened with my mothers was……strange. My family lived a life that people found eccentric. I actually had two mothers, though it would not be until adulthood when I learned how that was possible. People around us certainly thought our lifestyle was strange, and we didn’t have too many friends. But we were happy just the same.

 “Like me, both of my mothers had a powerful affinity for the sea, but there lay one of the things people ostracized us for. Of all the animals of the ocean, my birth mother loved something others hated and feared-  the shark; great whites in particular. She would speak of them as if they were more than just an animal she fancied. She treated them like they were family to her, just like me. Her love for them was so intense that she often gave me the nickname ‘Little Ka’a’, after a Hawaiian Shark Goddess named Ka'ahupahau. I always loved her funny motto, “never trust an orca.”

 “I remember how the three of us would take trips to various shark cage diving hotspots across the globe. As a child, I loved it, but during these dives, my birth mother would do something that horrified people and made them fear her even more. She would take us and we would dive without being in a cage.

 “It was always a wonder to behold. The great whites would surround us, but never to attack. Instead, they gathered before my birth mother and would bow to her, as if they revered her somehow. And my second mother would bow along with them. It was something that made me look up to her even more, since as a child I did not understand why this was so strange to the eyes of a normal person.

 “I also gained a love for fantasy stories from them. They would thrill me every night with bedtime stories about the journeys of the Shark Goddess Sekolah and Her consort, Silaqui the Forbidden Goddess as they swam the oceans of worlds like Abeir-Toril, Nenar, Quamundi the Fated Place, Barbuda, Mystara and many more. Yet, it was somehow different hearing it from her. There was always a certain intimacy in how they told the stories of the Shark and Her mate, and I always imagined my mothers living those stories themselves.

 “And one night they were just…..gone. My birth mother was singing a lullaby to me before bed, her voice as beautiful as yours. Then, out of nowhere, some manner of portal opened behind the two of them. My second mother stood and tried to shield us, as if she thought she had a power which could fend off whatever would come out of that portal, but it was no use. Both of them were pulled into the portal, my birth mother reaching for me as the two of them were sucked in.

 “Nobody believed my story. Because of their eccentric nature and ill reputation, everybody presumed that I was simply abandoned. If it weren’t for the inheritance they left me, I would have ended up in an orphanage. Years later, my Sailor Senshi powers would awaken, and I vowed to use them to find them and to protect the sharks my birth mother loved, but….certain events….sidetracked me from that life mission.”

 “I hope you can find them someday.” Soma told her, the reassuring tone in her voice a stark change from her earlier expression of trauma.

 “Yes.” Michriu went on.  “Maybe we can help each other fulfill our dreams.”

 Soma leaned against Michiru, who held her tighter.

 Indeed, the two of them began a spark. In the coming months, word started to reach out across Mu of the performance by the Ugajin and her otherworldly new friend. More and more people of both races came to see these shows.

 It was far more than entertainment. Something about the story of the Snake Mother and the Blue Goddess resonated with all who heard it. Learning of the union of love between human and serpent spurred the two races to see one another in a different light.

 Nothing would be the same.

                                                                                 ***

 Soma brought Michiru to a spot on the beachside one morning. Although Michiru had only been to this spot once before, she knew it well, and she knew the reason Soma brought her there. And it was clearly equally special for Soma, as she was wearing a much shorter cut and more revealing dress than her usual kimono.

 “One year ago on this day, you and I met for the first time right here.” Soma announced. “I recall that when you first saw me, I greeted you in another form than this one. It was the first time I had ever attempted such shapeshifting magic, and I realize there were……issues…with it back then. However, since that time, I think I have perfected my technique.”

 As she had that time before, Soma’s form began to shift, and Michiru once again beheld that blue-haired human-like beauty. Sure enough, this time around, there was no lust aura, so she could take in the features of this human form much better than before.

 And take it in she did! Since Soma was wearing a more revealing dress this time rather than her kimono, Michiru’s eyes widened as she realized it- Soma’s human form was stacked! Michiru could have never guessed at the curvaceous form Soma’s human body would appear in. Even without that aura, the Sea Princess’s heart galloped.

 “You obviously like what you see.” Soma said, giving a sly smile, which was something Michiru was not use to after a year of the expressionless face. “You should know that this is no mere illusion. What you see is truly me. This form is a human representation of how I appear in the eyes of my own people.”

 Michiru understood. Soma was a true beauty in both forms. And it was far from skin deep.

 Soma walked up to Michiru and took her hands.

 “Since you came to me, my life has changed in ways I could not anticipate, and there is no going back.” Soma raised her right hand and showed Michriu the blue ring. “When my mother handed this ring down to me, she told me it contained the Blue Light of Adara, my people’s word for “hope”. When she was taken from me, the ring felt useless. I could never bring out its light. It wasn’t until that first time you played my mother’s biwa that the ring’s light finally manifested. For the first time, I felt that light of hope because of you.

 “And even more, you gave me that connection to my mother I thought was gone forever. Since you came to me, I have felt her reach out to me through you. I can never express how you have made me feel.”

 Michiru started to cry.

 “Soma, you have no idea how much you have helped me in return. Since my own mother vanished, I have felt alone. The girl who I loved in this life I was forbidden to be with, and I kept losing loved ones in this life and the past. Now.....I don't feel alone anymore.”

 Soma soon shared Michiru’s tears. It was the first time Michiru had seen tears come from her partner, as she had been incapable of it in serpent form. The two of them embraced each other far more intensely than they had ever done before.

 “I know this world is not my real home, but I never want to leave your side.” Michiru whispered in her partner’s ear.

 “And I will never leave yours.” Soma vowed. “Wherever your journey may take you, I will be with you.”

 Soma whispered one more word in Michiru’s ear.

 “Benzaiten.”

 Michiru knew what that Muvian word stood for. A confession. Their true feelings. They pressed close to each other, and shared something Soma had never experienced when their lips touched.

                                                                                 ***

 Such nostalgic memory. Michiru reminisced as she thought about both that day and where it had since brought them.

 Five hundred years would pass in the land of Mu. These were five centuries of change and evolution. When Michiru and Soma sparked that slight shift in how mahoraga and humans viewed each other, that spark would gradually spread to a blaze.

 It took time, but what started as mere tolerance between the two races gradually grew into genuine friendship. It eventually became even more than that. The two races would come to see one another like sisters and brothers. And that was not as far as it would go. At last, there came a time when serpent and humans saw each other as even more than just sisters and brothers. They finally began to see each other as if they were both one race. The ancient divisions between them had been erased.

 And Soma oversaw it all with her new queen by her side. With Soma inheriting her mother’s immortality, and Michiru’s latent Sailor Senshi powers giving her immortality of her own, the pair spent these five hundred years overseeing all they had created with untold pride.

 The pair were like semi-divine legends among their people. The Dragon Queen and the Empress of the Sea they were called. They were seen as the shining symbol of the union of the mahoraga and human. As the centuries rolled on, their love never wavered. Michiru would have regrets about never being able to find a way back to her own Earth or to return to being the Guardian of Neptune, and she fiercely missed her beloved, silly blonde, but here in this world she had found another kind of happiness.

 And she would soon find even more profound joy, for the union between serpent and human would soon become far more than just symbolic. After centuries of attempts, Michiru found a way for her and Soma to use their magic to create a miracle. Lying in bed with Soma's coils wrapped gently around her, Michiru caressed the ever-growing bump in her belly. Michiru and Soma’s new pride and joy grew within, and Michiru held that old brontosaurus toy in anticipation of passing it to her child. Soma gave Michiru an affectionate lick on the cheek before leaning down to her mate's stomach to sing a lullaby to the life within.

 Maybe my prayers have been answered after all. Michiru mused as she held the emerald pendant carved in the shape of a coiled snake she wore around her neck.

 As they shared this moment, their adopted son, Thulsa, glanced up towards their window in the palace before returning his attention to the crashing waves under the moonlight. Standing on the beach, an intense foreboding filled his heart.  Thulsa had come to them after having fled the western land of Valusia when his mother, the High Priestess of the Great Serpent, was murdered by the kingdom’s new usurper king. He found this dream of his new surrogate mothers noble, but it was far too much like that of his birth mother. And he knew how her story ended. He believed that his new mothers could share a similar, or worse fate.

 The queens did not know it, but Thulsa’s fears may have been coming to fruition. A shadow hung over them and their people that threatened to shatter their joy. As the centuries passed by, Michiru had grown so happy with Soma and what they had achieved that she had all but forgotten what she had witnessed in that vile old shrine. Deep within the bowels of the Earth, Yig, the primordial Father of Serpents, observed all that Soma and Michiru were creating. He did not view any of it with kindness. And, far to the west, a barbarian king not unlike the one who murdered Soma’s mother watched Mu with bile…..

Fear of Tomorrow (feat. Melissa Bonny)

Chapter Text

Echoes of a distant story whispered in the ears of the new mother. The warmth of two lovers from different worlds reflected how she felt in this moment.

 Sasami held her newborn daughter close to her and suckled her. Her lover, Queen Misaki, stood by her bedside.

Sasami’s eyes grew heavy looking at her child. A profound truth had finally set in. For ages, Sasami was used as an instrument of destruction who ended lives. Now, for the first time in her life, Sasami created life. And, beyond this single act of creation, she would now be someone who nurtures and protects. Her emotions began to overwhelm her.

 “Sasami, w..why are you crying?!” Misaki asked, with the sight of her lover in tears beginning to cause her to cry.

“Sasami.” The queen’s partner answered. “That is the name I had chosen for her.”

 Misaki’s tears abruptly ceased and were replaced with a confused look.

 “I will pass down my own name to her.” Sasami explained with growing pride.

 And I pray that she will never know darkness like that which I was made to live.

 A new mother will have all manner of hopes and dreams for her child. However, fate and destiny can often have other plans.

                                                                                       ***

 Aeka’s eyes grew big at the news. Her baby sister had finally been born.

 “I always wanted to have little sister!” The princess elated.

 Someone in her presence was far less thrilled. Gathered in the hospital world were Emperor Azusa, Prince Yosho, and First Queen Funaho. Yosho felt the same joy Aeka did. Even though Misaki’s newborn daughter was not a blood relation to him, he would see her as a sister just the same. Azusa felt a good measure of happiness for his second wife, as he always secretly felt guilty over her being put into an arranged marriage with him and he was glad she could find love elsewhere.

 Funaho did not feel the same as the others. She never took a liking to her co-wife’s lover. She quietly stepped out of the room, sparking questioning glances from the other three.

 How can Misaki do this to us?! Breeding with that thing!

 When Funaho entered into marriage with Jurai’s Emperor, it was like some old romantic folktale from her home on Earth. And, not only did she marry this king of her dreams, she entered into that marriage with another whom she fancied- Misaki Jurai.

 This should have been the perfect marriage, with her being married to a man she loves while sharing him with another who she also loved. And then Misaki had to violate it all by betraying Azusa to that monster from another world. Not a human in peril, like Funaho herself, but an ancient horror who once terrorized the world she originated from. And now they have begotten some manner of offspring, and who knows what that will become.

 The queen pondered the future.

                                                                                           ***

 Princess Sasami giggled as she hopped into the bed with her birth mother.

 “This is gonna be a wonderful sleepover!” the child cheered.

 “Yeah, I could certainly use the company tonight. “ The older Sasami said with smile.

 Queen Misaki and her mother, Lady Relrye, were away on a diplomatic visit to Seniwa, and it was not good for the older Sasami to be alone on Jurai. The Second Queen and Lady Relrye were among the very few who truly looked out for Sasami since she came to Jurai. The Juraian people had a long held mistrust of “aliens”, and whispers abound of Sasami being a monster on her homeworld, making them hate Misaki’s mistress all the more. Having her daughter stay with her at night while her lover was away would provide some comfort.

 Little Sasami snuggled up against her mother’s bosom. She peered at the pendant that hung from the woman’s neck. It depicted a silver python coiled around an aquamarine egg.

 “Mama, what’s the story of that thingy hanging from your neck?”

 The woman held the pendant. The warmth of her hand sparked a reaction in the aquamarine gem. It lit up, and the swirl of light within appeared as spinning stars and galaxies.

 “It represents something from my old home. An old Pagan faith on El Hazard believed that the universe was born from an egg laid by a cosmic mother snake. She protects the universe within Her gentle, loving coils.”

 “That’s sooooo neat!” the wide-eyed child cried joyfully.

 The little girl then reached up and patted her mother on the head.

 “You know what, Mama? I’m gonna protect you the same way that mommy snake protects her egg!”

 “Hmm?” the older woman questioned her.

 “I know people on Jurai are not very nice to you, and I know Mommy Misaki isn’t around enough to keep you safe from them. So, I’m gonna be the one to protect you and keep you safe!”

 The girl squeezed her mother even tighter, making the woman remind her of someone else.

 “I’m never gonna leave you alone, ya hear?” the girl declared.

 “Oh, Sasami….”

 The woman’s body shook a bit as she returned her daughter’s embrace.

 “Mama, will you sing me a lullaby?”

Sasami was struck a bit dumbfounded by the question.

 A lullaby, huh? What would be a good song for that?

 A smile spread across her face as it struck her. An old hymn sung by the Pagans of El Hazard back before the Holy Wars. It would surely be soothing enough for a child to fall asleep to.

“Maybe you and I see life with two different visions,
And neither one of us is wrong or right.
And maybe we're too serious and don't wanna listen.
I just wanna make you laugh tonight.

We're like day and night, night and day.
We are both so different in so many ways.
We're like night and day, day and night,
And we go together just like black and white.”

                                                                                  ***

 Explosions rocked the palace at dawn. Sasami darted awake. Her daughter awoke more slowly and dreamily.

 “Mama, what’s happening?”

 “Something is wrong.” The woman answered with alarm.

 Sasami recognized the sounds of an attack all too well. The door to the room burst open, and Princess Aeka ran in along with a servant woman named Mamma.

 “Lady Sasami, the palace is under attack!” Aeka cried, she, along with Prince Yosho, being one of the few Jurains who called Sasami by such a respectful title. “We need to get you and my sister to safety!”

 “Is somebody here to try and hurt my mama?!” Little Sasami cried with outrage.

 “Come on now, sweetheart, we need to go with your sister now.” Sasami said in a vain attempt at reassurance.

 As the group rushed down the hall, Sasami wondered who could launch such an assault on Jurai. The Juraians were reputed to be the most powerful military force in the known galaxy. Or so they claimed.

 A shrill sound echoed from the skies. Like the cries of a household feline, only more angry and bloodthirsty.

 “Mama, whatever that is, it sounds really mean!” Little Sasami cried.

 Another blast shook the palace. The impact caused Sasami to loose her grip on her daughter. The girl ran ahead

 “I know just the way to protect you, Mama!” the girl declared as she ran off.

 Sasami tried to run after her daughter, but the girl ran too quickly. Another blast, and the ceiling came down between them, blocking their path from where the girl ran.

 Sasami, Aeka, and Mama cried out. For the first time since she was freed on El Hazard, Sasami felt true fear and panic.

 Something swelled within Sasami. She knew it, and never wanted to feel it again, but she suddenly lost control of herself. An orb of white hot light formed from her being and shot out towards the rubble. Aeka and Mamma gasped as the rubble was vaporized.

 Aeka looked at her mother’s lover in shock. Misaki had told her the stories of who Sasami was and the power she could wield, but this was her first time witnessing it. As Sasami collapsed to her knees in tears, Aeka ran to her side.

 “Where is she??!!” Sasami cried hysterically as they could see the girl was nowhere to be found after the rubble was destroyed.

 “Lady Sasami, we’ll find he…” Aeka tried to reassure her before being cut off.

 “I need to find her!!!!” Sasami continued crying.

 The woman wasted no time. Shocking Aeka and Mamma even further, the woman then took to the air and flew out the hole in the ceiling.

 “We need to find my sister.” Aeka told Mamma, trying to hold back that she felt the same panic as Sasami.

                                                                                     ***

 Sasami flew the lengths of the palace in the direction her daughter appeared to have gone. Nothing. She screamed and cried incoherently as she sped around searching. ‘This can’t be happening’ was the closest thing to any sensical words that she cried over and over again.

 “Well well, looks like we have another flyer just like me.” A voice sneered from behind her.

 Sasami turned and beheld another woman floating in the sky just above her. Wearing a shapely form-fitting body suit, the woman’s spikey punk hair complemented her twisted facial expression and red glowing eyes. Sasami understood she was looking at Jurai’s attacker.

 “I’m Ryoko. Maybe you and I can have a little bit of fu….” The woman tried to say.

 The spike-haired woman was cut off as she found a hand gripping her neck. Sasami threw Ryoko down to the ground far below.

 What the….??!!! Ryoko thought as she lay in a crater in the ground, trying to take in what just happened.

 She did not have time to hold that thought. Sasami divebombed towards Ryoko. Normally, Ryoko’s reflexes were like lightning, but this strange woman moved too fast even for her. The pirate nearly puked her guts out as Sasami landed on her and punched her in the stomach over and over again.

 Ryoko desperately teleported away. She manifested behind Sasami, coughing up blood. She decided she wasn’t going to play with this one. She launched a barrage of energy beams at Sasami. Explosions enveloped her. Ryoko grinned in triumph….until the smoke cleared. Sasami stood in the clearing, and aside from her tattered clothing, she was practically untouched. Ryoko received a look that could have ripped her limb from limb.

 Ryoko’s eyes shot wide in shock and terror as Sasami launched Ryoko’s own energy attack right back at her.

 “Oh, fu…” the pirate muttered before teleporting away again.

 The pirate reappeared a mile away, thinking she was at a safe distance.

 Looks like you’ve gotten yourself into quite a pickle there, Little Ryoko a voice from within Ryoko’s power gems said with a giggle.

 Unless you’re going to help me, shut the hell up!!! Ryoko chided the voice.

 Ryoko tried to fly further away to rejoin Ryo-ohki, but her path was blocked. The blue haired woman manifested in front of her. Again, she was using one of Ryoko’s own abilities, this time her teleportation technique!

 This called for some heavier firepower. Ryoko grinned as the gems in her arms began to glow red. A cloudy mass swirled around her. It coalesced in front of her and took shape. A mist creature with orb-red eyes and pirhana jaws glared at Sasami hungrily.

 “Summoning of entities from the spectral realms.” Sasami noted aloud. “How amateur.”

 Without the power of any manner of gems or relics, a similar spectral mist appeared around Sasami. It also coalesced, taking the form of a blue serpent with a multitude of sapphire eyes. This creature dwarfed what Ryoko had summoned. Ryoko’s demon recoiled in fear.

 “AWWW, COME ON!!!!!!” Ryoko growled.

 In the back of Sasami’s mind, she knew she was losing control. She was reverting back to that old personality. The Demon God. But she was slipping too far now. Her fear for her daughter and her anger towards this invader caused her to lose control. Now all that mattered was erasing this invader from existence. And she had to make erasing this invader hurt, badly.

 A sound snapped her back to reality. A scream in her mind following a nearby explosion.

 Sasami!!!!

 And she knew where her daughter’s scream originated from.

 Tsunami, save her!!!!

 As she cried out telepathically to her Goddess, she heard that baleful feline cry come up behind her. She was hit in the back by a blast of energy before her senses went dark. But, even in her unconsciousness, she heard a voice that felt like an answer to a prayer.

 “Mama, I can protect you now!”

                                                                                  ***

 Sasami’s eyes opened, and she found herself in an infirmary bed. Before she could react or look around, she found herself being hugged by the two of the most important people in her life in the intense way that only they could.

 “Oh, Sasami, I was so worried!!!!” Misaki cried like a small child.

 “I told you I would protect you, Mama!” Little Sasami proudly declared. “I drove the mean woman and the screechy ship away! Now, Brother Yosho is off chasing them in space!”

 The older Sasami looked down at her daughter questioningly. She then noticed Misaki’s mother, Lady Relrye standing further away. The look on her face was dark. It was the look of someone who had awful news to give.

 “Misaki, sweety, can you and Little Sasami step out of the room for a moment?” Lady Relrye said.

 When they left the room, Misaki’s face became even more sad (she must know whatever her mother knows), Lady Relrye step up to Sasami’s side. Before saying anything, Lady Relrye gave Sasami a hug. Not as intense as Misaki’s, but still very intense.

 “I almost lost both of you today.” She cried as she held Sasami.

 “Mother Alielle….”

 “That is past now.” Alielle told Sasami. “I have more pressing things to discuss now.”

 “My condition is bad, isn’t it?” Sasami asked.

 Sasami could feel the damage to her internal mechanisms, those that originally made her a weapon, the moment she woke up.

 “I’m sorry, sweetheart. They can’t fix it. They say you may have a few years left, but eventually your internal control mechanism will fail, and you won’t be able to remain conscious anymore.”

 Sasami gritted her teeth. It was a horrible and twisted fate. Although the control mechanism within her no longer had power over her thoughts, she was still slave to it in other ways.

 “What will I tell Little Sasami?” Ifurita said, her voice shaking. “I’m everything to that child.”

 “I…I have something else to tell you.” Lady Relrye said, her voice taking a similar shaking tone as Sasami’s. “And what I have to say to you is something that is classified by Jurai’s High Council and you must not tell anybody what I’m telling you now.”

 Sasami lay in stunned silence at all that was explained to her. A long while passed after Lady Relrye had her talk before Misaki and Little Sasami were allowed back in the room. Sasami felt all manner of conflicting emotions as her daughter hugged her once more.

 Tsunami, what have you done??!!

                                                                                           ***

 Sasami and her daughter took a stroll through the grassy fields beyond the Tenju. Sasami knew Little Sasami used to run through these fields with Aeka all the time when they were younger, and she understood why the two of them enjoyed it so much.

 Five years have passed since Ryoko’s attack. The elder Sasami held on longer than anybody expected, but she knew her time was short. She was going to cherish what time she had left with her daughter.

 The older Sasami suddenly became lightheaded and nearly stumbled. The younger Sasami caught her.

 “Maybe coming out here wasn’t a good idea, Mama.” The girl told her mother, becoming more than a little concerned. “You probably shouldn’t be using your energy like this.”

 Sasami smiled at her daughter. Even though she still hadn’t hit her teens, she was already a rather precocious girl. She had to wonder how much of that was her natural personality and how much came from Her.

 Little Sasami began to break down and cry. The older woman gently hugged her. She knew that her daughter carried a tremendous sense of guilt with her these past few years.

 “It’s all my fault, Mama! I wanted to protect you that day, but I just ran off and left you behind! And now I have Tsunami’s power, and even that can’t save you!”

 The older Sasami tried very hard to comfort her daughter, but she just didn’t know what to say. Horrible things can happen to people for no good reason, and sometimes there is no easy form of comfort or reassurance for that.

 “I can’t do this, Mama. I’m not gonna be ready to lose you.”

 There was a silent pause.

 “And neither is She.” The girl meekly added.

 At last, there it was. All these years, the girl remained quiet about her assimilation with Tsunami. Sasami had long waited for the day when her daughter would finally open up to her on the matter. The older woman sighed. Of course, her daughter also knew of a concealed truth about Jurai’s patron Goddess. It likely all entered her mind the moment she and Tsunami’s souls were bound.

 When Misaki was sent to El Hazard, she was not alone. And it was not Misaki alone who freed Sasami from the bondage of being a Demon God.

 “You’ve seen everything about me and my past.” The older woman said plainly

 The girl nodded in the affirmative. She saw everything that her mother had gone through. How she was taken from her scientist mother at a young age, and all the terrible things done to her to transform her into a weapon. They even changed her name. Sasami was her birth name, but they would imprint another, far darker name on her, a name that the people of El Hazard came to fear in all their legends and campfire tales. Ifurita.

 And they made her inflict such horror. All the people that were slaughtered when her mother was under the control of others. All the cities that burned and were vaporized. It was all as surreal as a nightmare. And it finally ended when Misaki and Tsunami arrived in El Hazard.

 Tsunami had power like no other.  When “Ifurita” faced Her, Tsunami touched the Demon God in more ways than one. When Tsunami laid her palm on Ifurita’s cheek, She saw into the Demon God’s soul, something she had forgotten she even had. Not only that, but Tsunami unlocked all of the memories of Ifurita’s past that had been sealed away by the computer mechanism her old torturers put in her body. She remembered her past life, and her true name and identity. And, more importantly, Tsunami’s touch freed *Sasami* from the mechanism’s control over her mind.

 But, Tsunami’s touch had far more profound effect on Sasami, one that had….consequences…..for the present. When the older Sasami and Tsunami’s minds joined, it affected their emotions for one another. While Sasami did indeed come to love Misaki during their journeys, and would even conceive a child with her, her feelings towards Tsunami were even deeper.

 Which came to the true reason Sasami didn’t marry Misaki when she reunited with her on Jurai. Yes, Misaki was betrothed to Azusa, and Jurai law didn’t allow a woman to marry a second spouse the way a man could, but that was hardly the only reason. When Sasami was sent to Jurai in Jurai’s distant past, she encountered Tsunami again. Tsunami was a being whose mind transcended the normal flow of time and space, so She knew Sasami, and knew Her feelings towards the former Demon God. It was Tsunami who Sasami ended up in matrimony with all those centuries ago. And Tsunami was the first to know the name Sasami had given her daughter.

 And this was the problem now, one that Sasami knew the moment Lady Relrye told her what happened to Little Sasami, and which the girl herself clearly understood as she looked at her mother with remorseful eyes. The Goddess that Sasami took as her bride had now assimilated with Sasami’s daughter and they would one day become the same being.

 Juraian royals do not bat an eye at such things, but other cultures.....

  Lady Sasami leaned closer to her daughter and wiped a tear from her eye.

 "Whatever the future holds for us, you are always my darling daughter." She whispered to Her. "My real daughter."

 Young Sasami gasped before She finally let Herself go and let the tears flow as She buried Herself in Her mother's arms. The girl could not accept or believe that She was the "real" Sasami. She believed the real Young Sasami was killed on the day of Ryoko's attack, and the one who stood there now was a copy created by Tsunami. Though Her mother's words may not have been enough to convince Her otherwise, Young Sasami knew at least that Her mother still loved Her and would never stop loving Her. 

 And I will not let Mama die. Young Sasami swore. I will find a way to save her.

                                                                                                ***

 Indeed, the young Sasami would find a way. Her mother did indeed slip into unconsciousness months after that day, but hope was not lost. Tsunami revealed to her one that could help her mother. Sasami held her mother’s pendant in her palm and put it to her heart.

 “I really hope you can help us, Snake Mommy.” The girl whispered.

 “I still think you should have brought Misaki with us.” Tsunami told her. “She will have a rough time with the two of you gone.”

 “I left a good person with her to keep her company!.” Sasami explained, alluding to her close friend from the Galaxy Police. “And Mommy needs the people of Jurai to lead them, because you know Papa Azusa is no good at doing that!”

 “I still feel bad for your sister, though.” Tsunami went on. “She still hasn’t figured out that Yosho broke things off with her. I guess she’ll feel better having you along with her.”

 Sasami chuckled. She supposed that it was going to be some fun going on this trip with Aeka, though she had to keep the reason why she was tagging alone a secret.

 She looked back at her mother’s unconscious form. Her mother looked so peaceful in her state of slumber. Her mood darkened a bit, but she did not lose her determination. Her mother was her heart and soul, and she would be with her until the end of time.

                                                                                 ***

 The next morning, the news broke among the Jurai Royal Court that the two princesses had snuck away, presumably to find Prince Yosho. Misaki was devastated, though a note left by Little Sasami gave her some reassurance that her little girl would be okay.

 Someone else felt less sad. Funaho smirked as she pondered how things had turned out. Misaki’s abominable wench was gone, leaving Azusa and the Second Queen all to her.

 Things had worked out rather well. At first, she felt that Kagato had made a major blunder that backfired on her and him, as Ryoko failed to destroy Misaki’s mistress, and the whole situation led to Funaho losing her only child as he fled Jurai under the pretext of chasing Ryoko. She still missed her beautiful boy. That…did not go as she and Kagato had planned.

 But Jurai was now hers and Azusa’s to rule, and that Demon God and Tsunami would not stand in their way. The future was ever so bright.

Sasami's lullaby- Night and Day (2015 Remaster)

Chapter Text

Agony. It ripped through Her in all Her facets. Make their cries stop! She cried wherever She slept. Her coils began to stir, and the earth rumbled in the worlds where She hibernated. With Her pain came hunger. She would make all the cries stop…..by devouring the Light…..

                                                                                 ***

 Laqueel, like her sahuagin brethren, was not one to feel fear. Yet, as she stood before this strange blue-haired woman, she felt something that, at the very least, could be described as extreme caution. Somehow, this being had overridden the Shark Mother’s divine magic as if it was nothing and banished Laqueel’s brethren from this world. The malenti priestess held her trident in defense, but she secretly understood how utterly feeble this gesture was. And now that sarrukh/couatl hybrid landed next to the woman, along with another female entity whom Laqueel could feel the divine essence of.

 “Before we begin, priestess, you should know that the Shark Mother is missing.” Tsunami announced.

 Laqueel’s eyes narrowed.

 “What are these strange things you say? And who are you?”

 “A friend of your Shark Mother.” Tsunami told her with a gentle smile.

 Laqueel gritted her teeth. She felt disgust at both this woman’s vulgar smile and by the claim that great Sekolah could have a “friend”.

 “And you should know, a close friend is searching the Fated Depths, and thus far there is no sign of Great Sekolah.” Tsunami went on.

 Laqueel froze. What did this mean?

 She did not have long to ponder this. The ground beneath them quaked. Suexanna cried buckled over in pain, and Aphrodite rushed to her side. She put a hand to Suexanna’s stomach, and with a glowing light some of the serpent girl’s pain eased.

 “I think your people have helped make a mess of things.” Tsunami plainly told a shocked and confused Laqueel.

                                                                                 ***

 “How fascinating.” Yig hissed with a mixture of curiosity and delight as He looked down at Sasami. “You have the blood of El Hazard’s Demon God in your veins, and you have merged your being with Shub-Niggurath.”

 Tsunami never really liked that name. Sasami noted in her mind.

 “Mama and Tsunami have told me about you, Mr. Snake Monster.” Sasami told Yig cheerfully as Lauran stood next to her nervously. “You weren’t very nice to either of them when you showed up on El Hazard, and I see you haven’t learned any lessons.”

 “Umm, Sasami, that monster is really terrifying and I’m just about to wet myself.” Lauran whispered to her, her voice shaking. “Do you really want to make it angry?”

 “I don’t think we have anything to worry about.” Sasami reassured her.

 A sound resonated throughout the caverns. It made Michiru smile.

 “Soma.” She whispered.

 Soma continued her song. Something was different this time. It was the same song, but it coursed through everyone’s spirits with even greater potency than before. Yig looked back at the humans. Even with His expressionless face, the group could see His anger.

 “I do not know what you have done, but I will not allow you to end Mother’s awakening!”

 The Father of Serpents opened His jaws once more to strike. Lauran eeped aloud and made her own move…..

                                                                                    ***

 “So, whelp of the cursed priestess, do you have a name?” Kull spat at the newcomer.

 A fiery smile that Kull found damnable etched itself across Thulsa’s face. He opened his mouth, and as his name was announced, Kull shook with both rage and dread. Aten smirked.

 “Valka!” Kull cried.

 “You need not concern yourself about my identity further.” Thulsa said. “I am not him. I merely bear the name of my faith’s greatest hero.”

 Thulsa Doom. That was the name of this “hero” of those who venerated the Great Serpent. The mysterious skull-faced necromancer who somehow took leadership of Valusia’s serpentfolk and taught them his dark arts, in particular the ability to enslave the ghosts of men they murdered.

 “However, while I may not be the same man as my namesake, I have learned of his arts.” Thulsa stated. “Your wretched ghost will serve me well as a slave, false king.”

 Soma’s song rang out once more. It was enough all of them to draw their attention from their face off. Yamnaya gritted his teeth.

 Shub-Niggurath, you b….

                                                                            ***

 “Oh….wow….” Michiru said in a muted tone.

 Yig, the great Father of Serpents, lie unconscious before the group. Lauran stood flustered at what she had just done. The others were stunned, save for Sasami, who smiled with joy and pride at her friend’s accomplishment.

 “You….just knocked out a God with a single kick.” Minako said in the same muted tone as Michiru. “I am so turned on right now.”

 “Eh, umm, it wasn’t that impressive!” Lauran claimed, “I mean, he was just a minor deity as far as this world goes!”

 Michiru smiled and walked up to Lauran and took her hand.

 “Such an act of valor is worthy of the greatest Senshi.” Michiru said. “You would fit in well among us.”

 Lauran’s eyes widened with realization. Her hold on Michiru’s hand tightened to the point of making the Senshi slightly uncomfortable.

 “OMG!!!!!! YOU’RE SAILOR NEPTUNE!!!!!! AND SAILOR VENUS!!!!! I’M SUCH A HUGE FAN!!!!”

 Lauran began shaking Michiru’s hand with such intensity that Michiru’s eyes were wide with shock.

 “MY FRIEND JENNY AND I USE TO WATCH SAILOR MOON ALL THE TIME AFTER SCHOOL!!!! I NEVER THOUGHT I’D MEET YOU GUYS FOR REAL!!!!!”

 While Lauran geeked out, Sasami came up to Michiru and lowered herself towards her baby bump. Lauran and Michiru stopped to look at her questioningly.

 “Tsunami and I have been looking for your little girl for quite some time, Mrs. Michiru.” Sasami told her. “And I really need Her help to save somebody dear to me.”

                                                                             ***

 The vein in Yamnaya’s forehead nearly popped. As Soma’s song resounded to the very heavens Yamnaya could sense the Ryujin being calmed back into Her slumber. The coming apocalypse had been halted, and a way had been found to prevent it from happening again. He threw his staff to the deck so hard it shattered, eliciting stunned looks from everyone, including Kull and Thulsa.

 “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!” the priest roared. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TIME I’VE SPENT PLANNING THIS WHOLE THING????!!!!!

 He began stomping his foot to the deck angrily again and again like a child having a tantrum.

 “You are speaking strangely, priest.” Kull said uneasily as he tried to place a hand on Aten’s shoulder to calm him down.

 “Ah, go suck a fat one, He-Man!” Yamnaya growled as he shoved Kull aside, causing the barbarian king to fall to the ground.

 Aten instantly vanished, leaving everyone behind bewildered. As he recovered his senses and got to his feet, Kull turned his attention back to Thulsa. Whatever was behind the sun priest’s queer behavior, it provided enough of a distraction for Kull to turn the tables on his would-be assassin.

 “Guards, seize this cur!” the King growled.

                                                                                  ***

 Tsunami, Aphrodite, and Suexanna both felt a gush of relief flow through them.

 Excellent work, Sasami. Tsunami congratulated Her other-self.

 “I do not know what happened, but the Eater of Nightmares has returned to Her rest.” Suexanna sighed.

 After being certain that the serpent girl was alright, Tsunami returned her attention to Laqueel, who was still confused about all that was transpiring.

 “So, malenti priestess, as I said before, your Shark Mother is missing, and I think you alone among your people know why.” Tsunami went on.

 Laqueel closed her eyes. Yes, she secretly knew the truth, but realized none of her brethren would hear such a thing, especially from a malenti.

 “My people have fallen under the sway of an imposter.” Laqueel answered bluntly.

                                                                                     ***

 “Tee hee, I guess Tsunami is on to me!” the girl giggled.

 The animated girl’s gold eyes were alight. She swished back her blonde hair and crossed her legs. She stroked her chin as she pondered how she should proceed next.

 “If you really want to know what you should be doing next, maybe I can give you ideas!” a familiar voice shouted at her.

 The girl nearly jumped out of her skin as she saw Yamnaya storming into her throne room.

 “Oh, umm, it’s you.” The girl stammered nervously. “What the heck do you want?”

 “Seriously, if you want to rise to true supervillainy, you could at least use real profanity like a fucking professional!” he snapped.

 A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead as the sun priest got up in her face with a look of death.

 “Look, jailbait, ever since you decided to wage this petty little war of yours with all things ophidian, I have granted you what you needed to wage it. But you haven’t been holding up your end of the bargain, have you?!”

 Yamnaya held out his hand, and an image of Mu’s Earth manifested in it.

 “You see this? A whole lot of my plans for this world just went down the drain! The snake people here are going unchecked, and where are you and all you little fish friends in all this?!”

 “Eh, heh, well, I suppose I could cook up some remedy for that.”

 Yamnaya backed off a bit, and the girl collected herself. Getting serious, she scratched her chin. Her eyes widened. She looked back as if somebody or someone behind her caught her attention.

 “……are you sure?” she whispered.

 Her blood froze. She turned back to the priest

 “I….think I have….someone….who can help you out.” She told him.

 “Good.” He responded. “Now, get yourself to work. I’d really hate to take back all I’ve given you.”

He vanished as suddenly as he appeared. The girl collapsed into her chair; her eyes wide with terror.

                                                                                                   ***

 In the depths of many universes, there were wonders to behold. And sometimes, such wonders conceal unfathomable horror.

 In Soma’s universe, farther away from the Earth than its inhabitants could ever see with even their best viewing devices, a vast cosmic ocean hovered and swirled in space amongst the stars. It spanned the length of an entire solar system. The existence of such a thing defied all logic, but what humans thought of as “logic” meant nothing in this universe.

 Within the heart of this cosmic ocean, She slept. It was Her who ruled and maintained this ocean with Her power, and She was content to dwell here. Yet, something compelled Her to look outward from Her home.

 A voice. It was hard to imagine there being one greater than Her, one who could command or compel Her to do what it asked, but somehow She found it hard to resist this voice and its song.

 She saw it. A little blue and green world. With the help of this voice, She realized what a tasty treat this little globe would be. The waters of the cosmic ocean rippled with tidal waves as She moved for the first time in eons.

 Yamnaya observed all of this. An obnoxious grin spread across his face.

 “Yes, this should be entertaining….”

                                                                                       ***

 As the battle in Mu’s capital halted, with Kull’s invading army standing down for unknown reasons, Michiru and Soma had something to attend to. Sasami had invited the two queens and Minako aboard Tsunami-fune. She had somebody they needed to see. The three of them gasped when they saw the comatose form of the older Sasami.

 “Oh, Soma, she looks just like an animated version of you!” Michiru elated.

 Soma nodded. Seeing that she was in her human form at that moment, it was easy for anyone present to see.

 Michiru looked down at her bump. Something within, like an instinct of sorts being communicated to her, told her what she needed to do.

 “I understand, little one.” She whispered to her child within.

 Michiru walked up to the older Sasami’s bedside. She gently touched the woman on the cheek. Michiru’s baby bump lit up with a blue glow, and soon the older Sasami’s body was awash with the same blue light. The younger Sasami understood what was happening, as it was something she directly experienced herself at one point in life.

 When the light subsided, they only had to wait a mere moment. The older Sasami’s eyes slowly opened. The younger Sasami held her hands to her mouth as her eyes grew misty. It had worked.

 The older Sasami sat upright, coming to her senses. The first person she saw was Michiru. She smiled at the Senshi, and though Michiru had never seen this smile before, she knew who it came from.

 “Mama.” The older Sasami said in a voice that her daughter knew wasn’t quite her own.

 “Jaziria.” Michiru said, tears gushing from her eyes.

Chapter Text

The elder Sasami looked around in a bit of a daze after Jaziria spoke through her. The moment her eyes met her daughter’s; they couldn’t contain their emotions. Little Sasami ran into her mother’s arms, tears mixed with jubilation.

 “You did it!” the elder Sasami rejoiced.

 Indeed, the elder Sasami could feel within her something she had not felt in several millennia. True freedom. The mechanism inside her had not only completely lost control over her, but it had vanished entirely. The woman was struck as she took in the reality that a new era in her life was about to unfold.

 Little Sasami was too happy to find any words to say. Michiru sat down to rest while Soma came to her side. Minako smiled when she saw the tenderness between Michi and her mate.

So happy she was able to find her joy here.

 Within the minds of both Sasamis two others made contact with one another.

 “I’ve finally found you.” Tsunami said, Her voice shaking. “After searching across the gulf of time and space, I never thought I’d be able to find you again.”

 “I’m so sorry for everything, my love.” Jazirian told Her, Her own voice shaking with intense emotions. “I wish I could promise that we would never lose each other again.”

 “Let’s just stay in this moment.” Tsunami said to Her softly.

 The group became aware of two more individuals that were approaching them, and they proved to be a sight for sore eyes for the Snake Goddess.

 “Suexanna! Aphrodite!” Jaziria cried.

 For the first time, Sasami/Jaziria stood and rushed over to greet the serpent priestess and the Sea Goddess, who both embraced Her.

Once again, She’s not wearing clothes. Young Sasami noted upon Aphrodite’s arrival with a blush in Her cheeks and grin on Her face. Definitely not complaining this time.

 “Mother Jazirian, I thought you were lost to me!” Suexanna wept.

 Michiru had been watching this, and a realization struck her that made her cover her mouth in shock. She had chosen the name Jaziria for her daughter after Jazirian, the beneficent Goddess of the Couatls from the Dungeons and Dragons gaming multiverse which her mother had gotten her into as child. She felt it would be a perfect name for a girl who would usher in an era of peace between serpent and human. And now it occurred to her that her daughter *is* an incarnation of Jazirian. Fate works in strange ways sometimes.

“Are you alright, Michiru?” Soma asked her with concern.

 Michiru snapped back to the present. While Jaziria eased the pain from it, Michiru was still in labor. While her daughter’s spirit had manifested through Sasami, the girl’s true body was about to be born, and they had to prepare.

 Tsunami-fune shook. All at once, the three Goddesses and Michiru cried out. Michiru clutched her stomach. The labor pains had returned.

 “What was that??!!” Minako cried, feeling a strange ripple or disturbance in the fabric of reality.

 “Something is coming our way.” Tsunami announced cryptically.

                                                                                               ***

 “So, great king, you cannot kill me yourself?” Thulsa jeered at Kull.

 “Few things would please me more than your head joining your witch-mother’s among my trophies.” Kull growled. “However, you will be more useful to me alive for the time being.”

 “Taking hostages is pretty damn cowardly for a guy who is as big and supposedly tough as you.” A female voice rang out.

 Thulsa watched as a blonde woman, short in stature, landed behind Kull, seemingly from the sky. Kull darted around and only caught a quick glimpse of Lauran before she struck him in the gut with a swift kick. The Atlantean king was sent flying overboard and into the water.

 The guards who held Thulsa looked at this woman who just took out their king with anxiety and dread. She looked back at them and smiled cheerfully.

 “Boo.” She said to them plainly.

 The men screamed in panic and jumped overboard to join their king. Lauran made her way to Thulsa and began to untie him.

 “You know, it isn’t a very good thing to run away from home like that.” Lauran chided him playfully. “You’re making your dear mothers worry about you.”

 Thulsa did not know who this woman was, but there was now no question about who sent her. Once his bonds were cut, he wasted no time looking over the side.

 “I would have gladly killed that king myself.” Thulsa stated bluntly.

He didn’t even thank me. You’d think that a guy being raised by sweet women like Michiru and Soma would have better manners! Lauran grumbled in her mind.

 The Earth quaked again, this time with greater intensity than the previous times.

 What’s going on?! I thought Soma put the Her back to sleep! Lauran thought with alarm.

                                                                                    ***

 What was this creature that Tsunami and Jazirian saw in their minds?  It traversed the void of space as if it was swimming through water in the ocean. As it moved, the space and time around it ruptured. Entire star systems were being displaced, shoved aside, or just plain unraveled. Those poor people who must inhabit those star systems!

 Tsunami knew of beings in this universe that had such power, but as this entity drew closer in Her and Jazirian’s minds, She realized this was a previously unknown entity to Her. And She finally understood that the Imposter had made their move in this universe.

 Outside their minds, things had become chaotic onboard Tsunami-fune. Michiru cried out along with Sasami/Jaziria.

 “Damn damn damn…” Minako kept repeating, once again realizing that she knew nothing about helping a woman with childbirth.

 Mina felt a gentle, divine hand on her shoulder

 “Guardian of Venus, I will try to take care of Michiru, here.” Aphrodite explained. “I need you to do something for us. I need you to return home and bring the other Senshi here.”

 Minako bit her lip.

 “How will I even get home?” Mina asked, barely concealing her panic. “We had so much trouble getting me here.”

“A friend shall guide you….” Aphrodite assured her.

 Minako felt something furry glide between her legs. She glanced down to see Yurlun looking back up at her. He looked as if he was beckoning Minako for something.

                                                                                     ***

 The imposter watched the scenes unfolding in the Sothothverse. She sighed.

 “This whole thing is getting to be a pain in my rear.” She muttered. “But at least I can kill several birds with one stone here.”

 She made that note as she saw that Tsunami-fune was now in orbit around the Sothothverse’s Earth, and that Jazirian was inside.

 “I hope you’re happy.” She whispered.

 Her eyes shot wide open when something came to her attention.

 “Well well, looks like we have some intruders.” She giggled. “I needed a fun distraction right now.”

                                                                                        ***

 Two hooded figures snuck around in an unknown realm. Along with them, they brought the shark man who invaded Washu’s lab in tow.

 “Alright, Nanaue, show us to where the bad voice had been speaking to you from.” One of the figures told the shark man gently.

 Nanaue led the way. The shark man was both excited and feeling rather loved. For only the second time in his life, he had found true friends.

Chapter Text

Michiru gritted her teeth in agony as Soma and Suexanna had her in a squatting position for the labor process. It was not just physical pain. She felt the emotional turmoil of knowing her daughter was also in pain. She felt so helpless now. So many times in her existence she had failed to save those she cared about. She failed her mother in the Silver Millenium, she failed her princess and the Moon Kingdom when the Silver Millenium came to a fiery end, and now she was about to fail her family and the people of the world she protected. Why did it always come to this?

 “Michiru, someone has come to see you.” She heard Aphrodite’s soothing voice tell her.

 Michiru struggled to regain focus. As her vision became clearer, she saw a smiling face, one she had not looked upon in centuries.

 “Hey, there.” Usagi greeted her.

 “P..Princess?” Michiru responded weakly.

 “Yeah, it’s us.” Usagi said. “And we brought a little something with us.”

 Minkao strolled up beside Usagi, and Michiru’s eyes grew wide. The Princess of Venus held Marine Cathedrale. 

Michiru gazed around, and she saw the friendly faces of so many she thought she would never get to see again. Usagi, Minako (complete with Sasami’s strange pet coiled over her shoulders), Makoto, Ami, Rei, Chibiusa, Hotaru, Setsuna. Only one was missing, and that was upsetting, but seeing the rest of them renewed her spirits.

As Michiru’s spirit found strength again, Soma looked down as her Blue Ring lit up. Aphrodite touched both their shoulders.

“Your child needs you both.” The Goddess told both of them, Her voice becoming ethereal as Her eyes were lit with the same blue light as the Ring.

Michiru and Soma felt their spirits look inward…….

                                                                                                    ***

  Nanaue’s two companions didn’t really know where he was going, but the shark man was eager, nonetheless.

 “You’re putting a lot of faith in that hybrid, woman.” Laqueel chided her partner.

 “Hey, he got us here, didn’t he?” The other woman shot back. “Besides, he’s turning out to be kind of a sweetheart.”

 They did not get much farther. Nanaue grabbed the sides of his head in sudden agony.

 “Bad lady’s voice now hurts!” he cried.

 As the hooded woman rushed to try and comfort him, they realized they had company. A lone figure in a white cowl approached them. They stood at attention.

 “Ta da!” the figure elated as they threw aside the cowl and revealed themselves.

 It was a little animated girl. An insufferably adorable one. She looked no older than age ten. Her hair was blonde with gold eyes that almost matched. Her odd outfit was silver over her torso, with the sleeves and legs a jungle green color. She stood proudly with her hands at her waists and a huge grin across her face.

 “Beware, intruders, for I….” the girl tried to announce before being cut off.

  The hooded woman burst into laughter, while Laqueel glared in a bemused manner. The girl’s head cocked back in shock and annoyance.

 “Hey! What gives!” the girl cried in outrage. “You guys are all in really serious danger now, gosh darn it! You have no idea who you’re dealing with, here!”

 The girl’s annoyance increased when the woman wouldn’t stop laughing.

 “You all dare laugh at Great Sekolah??!!” She yelled at them.

 The woman eased her laughter and looked at the girl, though her amusement did not entirely fade. Was this child the imposter they were after all along?

 “No, kid, you are not Sekolah.” The woman chided the little girl.

 The kid was taken aback by her confidence in stating that. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead.

 “Y….you question a Goddess?!”

 “Trust me, kid, Sekolah is not blonde jailbait who speaks like a lame valley girl.” The woman rebuked her.

 Laqueel looked at her partner questioningly. While Laqueel also did not believe this child’s claim, and indeed found it insulting and blasphemous, she questioned how a human would even know anything about the Shark Mother.

 The girl gritted her teeth. Without a further word, she snapped her fingers. Laqueel and Nanaue companions suddenly lost consciousness. Their eyes closed and their heads drooped down, yet they still stood.

 The hooded woman remained conscious, and the girl was suddenly very nervous.

 Why didn’t she go under along with the others?!

                                                                                       ***

“Oh, Benzaiten, is that….?” Soma gasped as they saw a little girl.

Deep within Michiru’s being sat her daughter’s spirit. It manifested as a child, one that looked so much like the elder Sasami. The girl had a blue snake tail coming out the backside of her otherwise human form. The girl lay balled up, whimpering.

They both leaned down and Michiru embraced the girl and stroked Her hair. Jaziria looked up at them. Michiru noted the unique birthmark the girl had over her right eye which appeared as a blue snake.

 “Mommy Michiru, Mommy Soma, why do they keep doing this to me?” the girl wept. “They won’t stop hurting me. Everywhere I go, they won’t stop. I keep trying to do good things for all of existence, but somebody always comes and hurts me.

 “First, my sister and Tsunami’s sister hurt me. They wouldn’t stop fighting, and they got me in the middle of their fight.”

 An image manifested. It was not unlike the scenes that appeared above the two mothers back in the days when they performed for Mu’s people. A aubern-tressed woman battled a ghostly white dragon beast in the void of the cosmos.

 A third being entered the fray. Another character from that old tale. A blue python-like serpent whose coils could enshroud the cosmos. The Snake Mother. However, what happened next was a part of the story that neither Michiru nor Soma knew or could have guessed at. That fabled lost fragment of the mahoraga creation myth.

 The Snake Mother, clearly distraught over the battle between Her sister and the Aubern Goddess, tried to intervene in hopes to cease their war. She rushed into the middle of the battle, and She was caught in the crossfire. She gave out a cry that pierced Michiru and Soma’s souls.

  Reality hit Michiru. The identity of the child she carried. All along, she had known Her both from the story she and Soma told, to that blue ophidian idol she venerated as Princess Neptune in the Silver Millennium. One of the Goddesses Neptune venerated in those days was with her in a way she had never guessed.

 "Please tell us what happened to you, Snake Mother." Michiru whispered to the child gently.

“The wounds they inflicted on me poisoned and corrupted my being, and I had to tear myself asunder before it could consume me completely.” Jaziria continued on.

 Michiru’s eyes quivered and she clutched her chest as she saw Snake Mother’s suffering. The Ouroboros Dragon and the Aubern Goddess literally put all their hate into their attacks. Hate which infected Snake Mother.

“Gods!” Soma cried.

 The next scene was dreadful. Snake Mother began to pull Herself apart. Soma buried her head in Michiru’s shoulder, and Michiru had to force herself not to look away. However, something both curious and wonderous took place afterwards. Each piece or fragment of Snake Mother’s torn body took a life of its own. New serpent deities were born of these fragments, far too many took count, and they spread throughout reality. Many were their names, and many were the cultures that revered them. All over the Blessed Multiverse, the Snake Mother’s aspects, both light and dark, were recognized by all.

 “The part of me that you see now is the part that represented my love for Tsunami and everything wonderful that have ever come from our love. This part of me tries to do good to fix all the chaos and destruction caused by my corrupted selves. And there is one dark aspect of me that I have struggled with more than any other.”

 A new scene manifested. It displayed two cosmic serpents locked in a struggle. One was covered in scales the dark blue of night. Its eyes were sickly yellow, and a rattle adorned its tail.

 The second closely resembled Snake Mother in Her original python-like form. The important difference, however, was that this serpent was adorned in plumage and bore feathered wings. Michiru knew she was looking upon Jaziria’s original incarnation, Jazirian.

“They kept hurting Her too. The nightmares that poisoned Her mind....”

 “Dendar.” Michiru realized, already having a rather intimate knowledge of Abeir-Toril’s myths and legends.

 “She was among my darker fragments, but still She once served a good purpose- to eat away what was corrupt and rotten to make way for me to renew. But Her herald, Merrshaulk, fed Her the nightmares of Gods and mortals, and it was too much. She became twisted and wanted to devour all that me and my beneficent selves tried to create and maintain. And Merrshaulk only drove Her to greater depths of madness. Then, they struck an even more grievous wound."

 An apocalyptic scene unfolded. There was much chaos, but from what could be discerned, Jazirian fought Dendar to protect some unknown star system. And She failed. Dendar consumed the system’s sun, plunging it into perpetual night. But Jazirian fought own even in the aftermath. Both Serpents were wounded to the point where they could fight no longer. Dendar returned to Her lair in the undershadows. Jazirian, meanwhile, used the last of Her strength for one personal act of love.

 Michiru and Soma watched the heavily wounded Jazirian descend to the dying world and take up someone in Her coils. A young woman.

 "She was a priestess who had been fighting to save that world, and she failed." Jazirian explained. "And I failed her. She was a surrogate daughter to me, and I could not let her die."

 Soma understood what Jazirian was doing as She took the priestess within Herself.

 She became a mother of Her own.

 "I already had a life-embryo growing within me from a union with Tsunami, and my priestess, Misao, became the soul."

 Jaziria held Herself even tighter.

 "She was taken from me. With Suexanna as my avatar, we were raising my daughter, and whoever was after me took her. I don't know where she is or what they are doing with her."

 Michiru held her tighter.

 "Why do people keep hurting me and the ones I love?" Jaziria cried as She buried Her face into Michiru's chest.

 I ask myself the same question. Michiru told herself.

 Soma nuzzled Jaziria and finally spoke her own nurturing words.

“I don’t think we could ever provide you with answers, sweet child. I just know that whatever comes our way, we stand together, just like your Mama Michi’s friends stand with her.”

The Blue Light flashed in Jaziria’s mind, and She saw the Senshi by Her mother’s side as she fought her labor pains. She saw how they had fought with her as Sailor Neptune in the past and came to her once more from across the Sea between universes.

 "Thank you, Mommy Soma. I think I know what I can do at this moment."

 The answer to protect those She loved was in front of Her all along. Jaziria needed to stop running from the darkness.

                                                                                          ***

 Father Yig finally came to His senses. He wasn’t sure what had hit Him, though He would make somebody pay for this transgression.

 Something hit His senses. Something very pleasing.

 “So, She will awaken after all….” He said under His breath.

                                                                                          ***

 Yamnaya's eyelids twitched as he watched the unfolding events.

 “What the f….??!!”

                                                                                      ***

  The blonde girl backed away from the woman slowly. In response, the woman pulled back her hood, revealing a youthful-looking woman with dark hair and eyes with light tan skin. She was beautiful enough to make the blonde girl blush.

 The dark-haired woman held out her left hand, and a large item manifested. A cello. A bow then appeared in her right hand.

 “Err, umm, what’s this?!” the blonde girl stuttered.

 The woman put the bow to the instrument and began to play. The sound that resonated through the hall was amazing. In an instant, the dark-haired woman’s companions snapped out of their spell. Laqueel and Nanaue seemed like they had just been suddenly startled awake from slumber.

 The blonde girl was also affected. She appeared to be getting woozy. The cellist’s eyes narrowed. For a split second, she saw it. The kid’s form was altered before returning back. The cellist had a sneaking suspicion now.

 The moment was interrupted when Nanaue loudly charged at the child.

 “NOM NOM BAD KID!!!”””

 The kid regained her senses and her jaw dropped as the shark man ran towards her.

 “Ah, crud!” she yelled.

 The girl turned tail and ran off, Nanaue charging after her.

 “Quick, we need to catch up to them!” The cellist told her friends.

 “I’d almost rather he ate that brat!” Laqueel said, highly disgruntled.

 “No, you don’t understand!” The woman went on as she began running. “We can’t let him harm her!”

                                                                                       ***

That old memory returned to Anthea’s mind.

Samantha’s frozen tears thawed and evaporated in the blue light of Joyce’s ring as the older woman embraced Her. A blue mist encircled them both. The cold air around Sam became warm, and She felt like She was in a mother’s warm embrace.

 “She waits for us.” Joyce spoke, lifting Her to Her feet.

Sam took Joyce’s hand, and they watched as two pairs of blue eyes opened within the mists. The mists coalesced into a solid form, and Sam soon realized that the mists were the very body belonging to one set of eyes.

 The mists became a woman of beauty beyond what Sam could have ever dreamed of, Her blue hair flowing like an ocean behind Her. A blonde woman with a face that looked just like Sam and Joyce’s stood beside the blue-haired beauty while She held a little girl with similar blue hair in Her arms.

 “Hello, my fellow daughters of Kypria and Psyche.” The blonde priestess greeted them.

Chapter Text

“Tsunami….”

 The voice of the Goddess’ lover came to Her gently. Tsunami broke Herself from the mental distress She had fallen into. She turned around to see a sight She had not laid eyes on in ages.

 That pale blue python with the marine-colored eyes, blue plumage, the intricate symbols and patterns over Her head. Jazirian appeared with a sort of confidence that Tsunami had not seen in Her since before Her battles with Dendar the Night Serpent. Jazirian wrapped Her coils around Tsunami softly, an old comforting feeling that Tsunami intensely missed.

 “Please don’t cry anymore, my love.” The Couatl Mother told Her.

 “I can’t let this happen, again, Jaz. I’ve only just found you again, and now I’m afraid you’re going to be taken again.”

 “It’s okay to be scared, Tsu. I want us to face our fears together this time.”

 “If your darker facets awaken again….” Tsunami whispered.

 “Yes. The thing is, I believe that was always what was meant to happen. It was a mistake for me to be fighting them all this time.”

 Tsunami’s eyes widened as She realized what Jazirian meant.

 “Come on, Tsu. Even if we go down, we’ll go down together….”  She declared as they both saw Aphrodite’s flames burn within them.

 

                                                                                   ***

 “Oh, wow.” Makoto spoke in a muted tone, her jaw dropping. “That’s….new to me.”

 On a superficial level, the entity resembled a shark along the lines of a great white or a mako. But, this was unlike any shark nature had produced on Earth in the planet’s billion plus history. Its grey body was covered in rugged armor that appeared to be made of stone. Instead of two simple eyes, it had a dozen oil-black eyes, six on each side of its head.

 The worst part was not its physical appearance. It was the size. This monster was gigantic enough to crush an Earth-sized planet in its jaws. And this monster was now “swimming” through the gulf of space towards the solar system. With it, the beast’s movements caused “waves” that seemed to mess with the fabric of space.

 The Sailor Senshi hovered in space beyond the edge of the solar system and waited for the abomination to arrive. They had saved their own Earth from cosmic horrors before, and they were determined to not let this one destroy the Earth where Michiru had made a home.

 “The way it messes with the fabric of time and space isn’t like anything we’ve seen before.” Ami noted cautiously.

 “I will try and fix that problem.” Setsuna declared. “It will not exactly be easy, though.”

  They all hardened themselves with determination.

 “Do you think this thing with care if we shouted catchphrases at it?” Minako quipped.

 The others smirked as they prepared to fight.

                                                                                       ***

 Beneath the ocean depths, the Enlightened One slept and dreamed with His spawn. His great city had sunk beneath the waves eons ago, but such a passage of time meant little to Him. It would all be the same when the stars were right and the Herald called to Him.

 What was this? The Herald was already making Her move. The stars were not right yet, but She was stirring. And Her call was loud and clear. The Enlightened One could always use a brief jaunt to the surface.

                                                                                      ***

 On Toril, Apotlas felt the disturbance in the Planes. It had been millennia since She last felt this manner of disturbance. Panicked, She called out to the one who maintained vigilance against this threat.

 “I must stand down for this.” Ubtao answered. “The Night Serpent has a purpose to fulfill this day.”

 Confused, Apotlas turned Her immense head towards the sky. She realized who it was that called the Night Serpent forth.

 What are you doing, Jazirian?

                                                                                                 ***

 As the earth continued to quake in Mu, the boat Lauran and Thulsa were on was being rocked by the waves below them.

 As Lauran wondered why this was happening, a voice resonated in her mind. Tsunami. Lauran looked up in shock, and then back down to earth again. So….that’s what was going on. Tsunami and Jazirian were going to do it. Lauran’s lost friend, Misao, once had a name for what the two Goddesses were about to cross.

 “The Godzilla Threshold.” She muttered.

 She grabbed Thulsa by the shoulder.

 “Come on, we have something we need to do.” She told him as they took to the air, much to his surprise.

                                                                                        ***

 Laniakea Ai was the name She was known by across many worlds. The Cosmic Shark who devoured and reshaped the reality around Her to create a cosmic, multidimensional ocean for Her and Her brethren to dwell in.

 Now, a song called to Her. She had seen Herself as one with very little peer in this universe, but this song came from a voice who was great enough to compel Her to direct Her attention and Her hunger to a little blue and green world in some insignificant little corner of the galaxy. She was not sure why this voice felt this world deserved such attention, but the planet would make a tasty meal regardless.

 The Eater froze in Her tracks. What was this? Something was stirring in this seemingly insignificant rock. Suddenly, this little rock did not seem like such an easy target after all. She was uncertain, as the voice still attempted to compel Her onward. What to do….

                                                                                      ***

 The Senshi also stopped in their tracks.

 “Umm, why did it stop?” Chibiusa wondered aloud.

 “Heh, maybe it’s just scared of how badass we are!” Minako boasted, her cheerful demeanor a façade to cover her own uncertainty.

 “I don’t like this.” Hotaru said in a cryptic tone.

 As one, the group clutched their heads in pain. The feeling was like an explosion going off in their minds. They turned their attention back towards Earth.

 “Michiru!” Usagi cried out.

                                                                                          ***

 Across the entire quake-stricken continent of Mu, the humans watched with concern as their mahoraga brethren suddenly fell into a trance-like state, almost like they were meditating. They did not realize that this same scene was happening with serpentfolk all over the globe.

 The ancient race of snake people held within their genetic memory the song of their Mother, the great progenitor of all ophidian life on the world of Eingana, including Father Yig Himself. She was the group oversoul of their entire race, their spirits being born from Her being, and returning to the comfort and peace of Her womb when they departed from their physical life.

 Now, Her song was replaced by one of anger, and a desire to destroy. The mahoraga knew that when this day came, Her anger would bring about the end of this world as they had always known it. Then, it would be remade for the liking of the Enlightened One and his spawn, as well as other Old Ones who slumbered in the dark places of the world. So, the snake people waited for Mother to rise up so they could join Her womb one final time.

 Only Soma remained free of her race’s collective trance, though she heard Mother’s anger. Perhaps this was because of Jazirian and Tsunami’s protection. She and Suexanna continued to tend to Michiru as she gave birth.

 “You are almost there, Benzaiten.” Soma told her queen, trying her best to soothe her while she held her hand.

 While Michiru’s pain was still intense, she now had the strength to give her daughter life. She pushed harder as Suexanna prepared for the child to emerge.

 Soma tried not to give in to heartache as the vision in her mind unfolded. She saw the Oro-Chi crevice, a canyon that stretched out for miles at the heart of the Muvian continent. The floor of the canyon contained a gate that was the crossroad between Eingana and the Land of Dreams, and at this crossroad Mother slumber.

 Millennia ago, the human priestess Izanami, whom Soma’s friend Amaterasu descended from, gave her life to seal this gate, and her spirit was said to guard it still. Izanami’s spirit now faded into the next world, and the gate cracked, and with it, it felt like the whole world cracked.

 Soma saw a head slowly emerge from the crevice. A face that her people had always known in their dreams had transformed into a living nightmare.

 “I hope you know what you are doing, my child.” Soma whispered.

 The monster’s head was like a semi-skeletal dragon, with a pair of jagged horns atop of it, and milky pupil-less eyes that seemed to spew venom. As more of its body emerged from the canyon, the creature seemed as if it was covered with blue fur, with a blue mane surrounding its head. Further examination revealed that the “fur” and the mane were not hair, but countless smaller serpents that grew from the monster’s body.

 As the monster glided outward, its serpentine body seemed to go on forever. The beast was truly mountainous, and it made human-sized creatures seem like barely noticeable specks. The monster roared to the heavens, and the sky seemed to be set aflame with blue fire.

 The Mappo no Ryujin had risen.

Chapter Text

Laniakea Ai’s uncertainty transformed into thrill as She heard the roar of challenge emanating from the blue and green globe. It was not often that a being like Her found a worthy opponent, but She could feel such a being charging forth from the tiny planet to meet Her.

 The Cosmic Shark let out a sound that seemed like it should come from a cetacean than a shark and charged forward.

                                                                                                   ***

 The Senshi saw this, and there was a collective panic.

 “Oh….no….that’s not good.” Rei muttered.

 “Aaaannnd, I don’t like what’s coming from the other direction, either.” Makoto said.

 “The Ryujin is not your enemy.” Came a disembodied voice that Mina recognized.

 The two Sasamis manifested beside the Senshi. This was the first time most of the Senshi were getting to meet them, with only Minako having been previously acquainted with them. Minako noted a small change to the older Sasami- a mark over her right eye in the shape of a blue snake. The younger Sasami now had a pair of dots on her forehead. Only Minako understood what this meant.

 “Jazirian, weren’t you trying to prevent that thing from waking up?” Minako questioned the Snake Mother.

 “Yes, and all along I was wrong to do so.” She answered plainly. “I was never meant to battle and run from my darker facets.”

 “We have more company.” Setsuna announced. 

 The Guardian of Time could feel something coming into this universe from outside time and space itself. And Hotaru, the Guardian of Ruin, not only felt a new arrival, but felt a darkness that transcended even her own. They both trembled.

Yellow slitted eyes appeared in the black of space, and Jazirian felt venom when those eyes were upon Her. Nightmares. That is what those yellow eyes exuded.

 “You make a bold choice calling me, my Other.” The being in the darkness hissed at Jazirian.

 Usagi understood. Though she had not gotten to know Jazirian, she felt Her spirit. This new being seemed the opposite, yet Usagi could feel they were connected as One. The fragmented parts of a greater whole. 

 “The Ryujin is your avatar, and we need Her power now.” Jazirian insisted, Her ethereal voice resounding through Lady Sasami.

 The hiss of gratification that echoed through the void almost froze the Senshi’s souls.

 “Then, by all means, let me in….”

                                                      ***

 Laniakea Ai’s eagerness to fight and eat intensified when Her opponents came towards Her. The Ryujin came towards Eater, and Her form had altered. An aura surrounded the Ryujin that lit Her up brighter than any star in the sky. And She was joined by the equally luminous form of Tsunami, who joined in the charge.

 Tsunami and Jazirian-Ryujin clashed with the Cosmic Shark. And then their forms disappeared from this space.

  “How long can you keep them in there?” Usagi asked her with intense concern.

 “I don’t think I can do so very long.” Setsuna answered, her voice heavily strained.

 The Guardian of Time, with a new ability granted to her by Tsunami, sent the cosmic beings into pocket outside of linear time. She hoped that they could carry out their battle in that place so that the fabric of space and time in this universe did not get ripped to shreds by their fight. If Setsuna’s power could not hold them, Hotaru was prepared to sever the time pocket’s connection to this reality with the Silence Glaive. They hoped it wouldn’t come to that, because they did not know if Tsunami, Jazirian, or either Sasami could return.

 “You guys need to go back and check on Michiru.” Hotaru told the others. “We'll keep guard here.”

 Usagi and the others nodded in agreement. They turned and made their way back to Earth. Gods only knew what had been going on over there since the Ryujin awoke.

                                                                                 ***

 The combined entity Jazirian-Ryujin held Laniakea Ai in Her grip. The shark abomination held great power and thrashed against the Snake Mother’s hold, using both Her physical body and Her ability to ripple the fabric of reality to shake the Great Serpent off. However, as Jazirian allowed Herself to integrate with the Ryujin more and more, Her power grew, and so did her grip on the monster.

 For Her part, Tsunami also tried to bind the monster with the power of the Light Hawk

Wings. She and her mate had to be careful. Tsunami still had a limiter on Herself to prevent Her power from ripping apart the lower dimensions, and She also tried hard to not put any further strain on Setsuna than necessary. Snake Mother had a similar limiter upon Herself.

 “Please, we do not wish to harm you.” Tsunami pleaded to the Laniakea, though She was secretly skeptical that Her mate’s darker side agreed with that stance. “Just tell us who it was that summoned you.”

 If the shark monster understood what Tsunami said, it gave no hint of it. However, something was changing in the monster. It was resisting less and less, which was strange, as Mother did not seem to be intensifying Her grip. Something about that hold that the Mother kept on the creature with the jaws of one head…..

 Oh! That’s it!

 Tsunami knew that Her mate’s darker facets still had a hunger, and now She understood how that hunger was satisfied. It was no longer the Divine Light that they craved. The Snake Mother was consuming the very darkness within the shark monster. The monster was gradually being pacified.

 Outside, Sestsuna felt the strain upon her being relaxed.

 “I guess you will not need that after all.” She said to Hotaru, who held her Glaive at ready.

                                                                                ***

 Michiru pushed harder. She was almost there. With Aphrodite’s healing hands and the others keeping the Cosmic Shark occupied outside, a great deal of her labor pains had been eased.

 “You’re doing very well.” Suexanna reassured her. “I can see Her already.”

 The other Senshi, minus Setsuna and Hotaru, arrived just in time. The wait was driving them all nuts.

 It happened. She was out. She came in a soft egg, much like those laid by some constrictor snakes (the Senshi, save for Minako, were somewhat taken aback by this), but like the hatchlings in such eggs, She was ready to come out right after birth.

  Suexanna held the egg for the others to view as she peeled away the soft shell. Slowly, the hatchling inside was revealed. She looked like a tiny version of Soma, but both Michiru and Soma noticed something different. Her eyes were closed. She had eyelids. And it became readily apparent from the way She twitched Her face that She was capable of facial expressions unlike Soma’s people.

 Suexanna handed the baby to the Mother of Cyprus. She touched Her forehead and the circle-cross symbol marked the Goddess’ blessing

 “Lady Michiru, Lady Soma, your daughter.” Aphrodite gently announced as She brought the baby to the couple.

 As Michiru held her newborn child, she and Soma noticed something else about the infant, something that should not be.

 “Michiru, is that….a fin?” Soma asked with bewilderment.

 Michiru saw it, too. The baby had a fin on Her back. Not just any type of fin, one that was shaped like that of a great white shark.

 “My…god…” Michiru whispered.

 The others gathered around to get a better look. Eyes widened with bewilderment. Even Aphrodite was puzzled.

 “Umm, I don’t think that came from Soma.” Minako said.

 They all looked at the one of the two parents who always had a connection to the ocean, and whose background had always been an enigma to her fellow Senshi. Mina met Michiru’s eyes, both of them remembering that old affinity for the ocean’s apex predators held by Michiru and her mother.

 Who am I?!

  Michiru’s anxiety faded as her child snuggled against her. All that mattered in this moment was her beautiful child, and the love she felt for Her. And seeing Michiru’s happiness evoked the same feelings from all those around her.

 Usagi’s happiness secretly faltered as a hard realization struck her. She and the other Senshi had come to this universe to bring Michiru home. She was needed back home as the Guardian of Neptune. Yet, now, Usagi understood that Michiru had found a home on this

Earth. And she had found something invaluable here that was likely more important to her than the duties of a Senshi could ever be. How could Usagi and the others ask her to leave that all behind?

 On top of that, we haven’t even told her about Haruka yet.

                                                                                    ***

 “Crud crud crud!!!!” the blonde imposter muttered again and again as she ran.

 “Get back here, kid!” The cellist yelled.

 “Nom nom!!!” Nanaue called out eagerly.

 Laqueel was having trouble keeping up with the others. Running on land was not something the malenti was accustomed to. Suddenly, she had a better idea.

 The malenti priestess muttered a spell into her trident. She then launched it, and it flew at a greater distance than it would be naturally capable of. The blonde child was hit in the back of the head and fell forward.

                                                                                            ***

 Why am I reliving this moment?

 Mother Sozo, Her priestess Renee by Her side, held Her daughter Jaziria in Her arms. In contrast to Renee, Sozo and Jaziria were animated beings, looking like they could have stepped out from a Japanimation feature. Sam couldn’t believe Her eyes. Even more astounding than their animated appearance where the blue-scaled serpent tails Sam could see coming out Sozo and Jaziria’s backsides. 

 Yet, in spite of the bizarreness of what She witnessed, Sam felt only love and peace in standing before these women. And their presence awoke something within Her in return.

 Sozo and Jaziria walked up to Sam. Sozo touched Sam’s cheek, and Her blue eyes held the light of the cosmos in them as She gazed into Sam’s brown eyes.

 “You have your mother’s spirit within you.” Sozo whispered gently.

 "My mother...?" 

 The sea-mists swirled behind Sozo, and a figure stepped forward from them. Sam gasped. The woman could have been a future reflection of her, looking exactly like her, only slightly older in appearance and a little bit taller. Joyce walked beside this woman and held her hand. A spark flared in the back of Sam's mind. The reason Joyce looked similar to her and had been such a motherly presence in her life. 

 Flashes in the blue mists sparked images in Sam's mind. The story of the daughter of the Goddess of Love and the Goddess of the Sea, the embodiment of the souls of all life. Sam saw how the daughter bore that face just like her and the woman before her. She saw this young Goddess in the arms of Her divine mothers, and one by one more Goddesses were born from their union, the personifications of all that gave people happiness. She recognized the face of fourth born Grace as She lay in the arms of the Goddesses who bore Her, just as they had with each other before. Sam gasped when she snapped out of these visions.

 The woman who looked like her and Joyce strolled up to her beside Sozo. Sam cried when she realized the truth.

 "Let's help you find your friend." Helen whispered, embracing her.

 "Misao..." Sam whispered.

  The name sent a jolt through Sam and Joyce. Suddenly, the atmosphere around the two of them. lost all its love and warmth. The blue-mists gave way to void. Sam and Joyce both reached out to Helen and Sozo desperately as the image of them, Jaziria, and Renee all fell away.

 A lone figure replaced them. By now, Anthea and Joyce were both familiar with this young woman as her blue eyes met theirs. At the time Anthea first met the Mother and Firstborn, Misao had not transitioned, but now the vision of her in present time reminded Her and Joyce that they were searching for Misao once again.

 “Misao….you’re…” Anthea tried to say.

“I’m sorry, Sam, Mama Joyce.” Misao responded, uttering Anthea’s old mortal name. 

 “Wh….what do you mean? What’s going on?” Joyce prodded.

 “She got me, Sam. I failed her and her people, and now she’s going to destroy all I love.”

 “Who? Who has you?” Joyce pressed her.

 Misao’s image fell away, and Anthea and Joyce nearly screamed at what took her place. The creature’s eyes locked with Anthea and looked downward. Its eyelids narrowed with newfound intent…..

 Anthea and Joyce gasped as they jumped awake from their dream-vision. Anthea started breathing heavily, and Joyce reached out a hand to try and settle Her down.

 “She found us….” Anthea whispered.

                                                                                         ***

 “Owwwwwww….” The blonde kid moaned as she rubbed the back of her head.

 The three pursuers finally caught up to her. Laqueel had to hold Nanaue back from chowing down.

 “You know, Laqueel, I kinda wanted us to not hurt her!” The cellist chided the malenti.

 Laqueel paid the comment little mind. Her action achieved the proper goal.

 “Eh, umm, I’m really sorry you guys!” the girl tried to tell them, nervously backing away. “So, umm, can’t we talk about this?”

 “That’s what exactly what I wanted to do, kid.” The cellist reassured her.

 Before another word could be uttered, the child cried out. Her very form began to fluctuate, as if diluted by water. When it settled, the girl they had been seeing was no longer there. In her place was another girl, hair dark purple with pale green eyes. Her skin was an unhealthy pale. They only took in her appearance for a moment before the girl fainted.

 The cellist rushed to the child and lifted her up. She tried to resuscitate her.

 “Bad lady’s voice stop.” Nanaue announced.

 “What is going on?” Laqueel wondered, becoming bewildered.

 “This girl was a decoy.” The cellist answered. “We’ve been had, you guys.”

                                                                                          ***

 Tsunami and the Snake Mother had finally calmed the cosmic shark. It floated, placid in the time pocket.

 “Are you alright?” Tsunami and Sasami spoke as one to their respective loved ones.

 “I….think so.” Jazirian and the older Sasami answered as one, the darker facet’s hunger finally being satisfied.

 They moved to embrace one another. They did not get the chance. Laniakea Ai’s placid state suddenly broke, and the shark monster glared at them.

 “You have done everything that I wanted, Snake Mother.” The cosmic shark spoke out in a voice that was not Her own. “Now, you belong to us.”

 Tsuanmi/Sasami didn’t have time to cry out as a yellow shaft of light beamed down upon

Her mate. Jazirain’s form became distorted and displaced before She vanished.

                                                                                    ***

 Michiru’s friends stood around and conversed, as Michiru suckled her newborn daughter

(another mammalian quality of the child, and one that made Usagi and Makoto blush, and Mina and Aphrodite grin). Before they knew what happened, Minako cried out and doubled over and an odd noise caused Aphrodite to be struck catatonic. Before anyone else could react, a shaft of yellow light enveloped Michiru, her family, and Suexanna. Their forms became distorted and displaced before they vanished.

 All the other Senshi could do was cry out for their lost friends.

                                                                                   ***

 Joyce rushed to Her temple’s library of books. There was one in particular She sought. When her surrogate daughter, Misao, was still with them, She had a special interest in a specific group of animals, sharks, and there was a book on them which She searched for now.

Found it.

 She flipped through the pages until she found the image she was looking for. And there it was. One of the rarest species of known sharks. And one of the more bizarre looking. The goblin shark.

 There was no mistaking it. This animal was nearly identical to the monster She and Anthea witnessed in their nightmare-vision, but the monster they saw had a cold intelligence behind its eyes.

 What is going on?

                                                                                    ***

 At the heart of the Romulus galaxy, they waited. The Shiver, a name that inspired fear in their universe. A fleet of ships were countless in number, stretching as far as the human eye could see. Behind them lay a cold star system, much of its life drained away. Absent was the system’s sun.

 The sun was a victim of something that defied all scientific logic and reason. It became food for the jaws of an eldritch horror the likes of which came from chronicles of fantasy. And with the sun gone, the system became dark and cold, and the race that dominated it found their empire crippled.

 Their Queen had found a way. With a newfound power, she was carving a new destiny for them. Soon, they would reform their empire from a new home. All they needed was the command and direction from Her Majesty.

 That command had finally arrived. The entire army received the mental image of their target. It was one universe’s version of Earth. There was a collective surprise that the queen had not chosen the Earth where that turtle burned her son to ashes, but this Earth would be suitable enough. The humans of this Earth would be scrumptious just the same.

 A hole in the fabric of space was unlocked. As the Mother of ancient Italia screamed from Her prison in the Fated Depths, the invasion of the world She watched over began.

Chapter Text

 Mother Venus traversed the waters of the plane known to mortals as the Fated Depths. While Her followers continued to deal with Sekolah’s wayward followers in the mortal planes, Venus continued seeking clues to the Great Shark’s strange absence.

 A light in the darkness caused Her to halt. A red glow which should not be here. Her spirit froze as an immense red, slitted eye opened before Her.

 “You are not…..” She whispered in shock before She felt an unseen force bind Her movements.

 In the mortal planes, Minako Aino felt a pain in her gut as she and the other Senshi helplessly watched Michiru and her family whisked away by an unknown force.

                                                                                       ***  

What just happened?!

 Michiru’s head darted around her surroundings. Things were dark, and she couldn’t quite tell where she was, but she knew she was no longer aboard Tsunami-fune. Thankfully, she still had Jaziria in her arms, and Soma and Suexanna by her side.

 “Benzaiten, we are not alone.” Soma whispered.

 She realized Soma was staring upward. Her mouth was agape with surprise and awe.

 Michiru gazed upward. Her blood froze as she saw a gigantic red, slitting eye gazing down at them. The creature shifted, and they caught a view of a beaked mouth lined with razor teeth.

 That mouth opened wide and moved towards them.

                                                                                            ***

 Misao stood firm as the ophidian being rose up above her. It was not easy with this world’s intense gravity, but her magic protected her. Pil'it'ith, Chosen of Merrshaulk, was an albino of her species, not having the blue scales of her fellows. Her red eyes lacked the reptilian slits one would normally see in sarrukh, making her red eyes look demonic and otherworldly.

 “Pathetic.” The white serpent spat. “Jazirian’s herald has made a human His Chosen. I will bathe Mother’s altar with this little creature’s blood.”

 It was not truly Pil'it'ith speaking. Merrshaulk, horrid Snake God of the yuan-ti and the herald of Dendar, spoke through His Chosen.

 Do not allow Him to intimidate you. A voice spoke in Misao’s mind.

 Yurlun’s words were easier said than done. Faith did not come easy to Misao, even with all the blessings and wonders of Mother Jazirian she had seen in her life. For this was a foe that even Jazirian may not be able to overcome.

 Explosions rocked from over the horizon. Misao knew this whole world was being set ablaze, and this planet being turned to a cinder would not be the worst thing that would happen to its inhabitants. Misao and her own sarrukh allies would not let that happen.

 The renegade sarrukh of the fallen Okoth empire had become a blight on the multiverse. Venerating Dendar, one of the Snake Mother’s darker facets, they plundered worlds across all of existence not only to steal power and wealth, but for mass sacrifices to the Night Serpent. They did so under the leadership of Merrshaulk, Dendar’s offspring and herald, who Himself spoke through his Chosen, Pil'it'ith.

 They did not go uncontested. Another faction of Okothon sarrukh rejected the evil ways of their fellows and turned to the worship of Jazirian, one of the Snake Mother’s most beneficent facets. Through the leadership of Jazirian’s own herald, Yurlun the Rainbow Snake, these sarrukh fought back against their evil brethren and defended others from their predations. And Yurlun had done something that many sarrukh would have thought unthinkable- He chose a human as His herald.

 Now, a desperate struggle had ensued over this world. The giant, shark-like people of planet ZIgra had technological advances beyond the dreams of most human civilizations. Alas, such technology was nothing in the face of magic, and though Merrshaulk’s sarrukh followers were far fewer in number than the Zigrans, the Zigrans were no match for the power of the dark serpentfolk when they invaded, seemingly at random.

 Misao and the sarrukh followers of Jazirian would not allow Pil'it'ith to take this world. Misao promised the Zigran queen this much. Jazirians children would end Pil'it'ith and her followers this day. Or so they thought.

 “You have come to the aid of these fish creatures too late.” Merrshaulk sneered through

Pil'it'ith.

  A shadow loomed over them. More than just them, in fact, but the entire planet Zigra. Misao looked up in horror as she saw those jaws in the sky open and clutch Zigra’s sun within them. Merrshaulk had done something far worse than He had done in previous worlds his forces invade. He had summoned Dendar Herself into this universe, and now She was devouring the Zigran sun.

 Together, Misao and Yurlun had to take extreme measures of their own. They called out to Mother Jazirian to summon Her into battle…..

                                                                         ***  

 “Wake up, kid!”

 The cellist gave the purple-haired girl a tiny slap to get her back to her senses. The girl’s eyelids slowly opened, and her green eyes looked up at the woman. Instant recognition flashed in the little girl’s expression.

 “T….Tai? Is that you?” the girl asked in a daze.

 “You know this girl, priestess?” Laqueel

 “Never seen her before.” Tai answered bluntly.

 The girl started coming to her senses. Not only did she recognize her fellow priestess, Tai, but she recognized the character of King Shark, her first time seeing him in person, and she saw what was either a sea elf or a malenti. The girl hoped it was the latter. Then, Taian’s statement finally hit her.

 “Tai, what do you mean you don’t….oh.”

 It occurred to Misao that Tai and the other priestesses had not seen her in this form yet.

 "It's me, Misao."

 Tai felt like she had been hit by a freight train.

                                                                   ***

 The monster’s jaws came down towards Michiru, Soma, Suexanna, and baby Jaziria. In a moment of panic, Michiru cried out.

 “STOP!!!”

 Soma was stunned. She had never heard her queen’s voice sound like that before. And she was not the only one taken aback. The monster halted.

 “You!” it hissed. “You have Her blood flowing in your veins!”

 The monster noticed a certain feature on Jaziria- the fin on her back.

 “And you dare contaminate Her bloodline with that vile avatar!”

 Michiru did not understand what was happening, but she was still weak from giving birth, and she was in no shape to fight this mysterious monster if it attacked again.

 The monster moved closer again, and its form became clearer. Michiru knew her sharks, but what she saw resembled one that she had only seen in photographs. It was like a goblin shark, though its scales were of a blue-silver coloring, and those red eyes were unlike any shark species she knew. However, she had seen this specific creature somewhere other than in a book. She had some familiarity with her childhood home country’s old B movies.

 The monster stalled. Why didn’t it attack again? Slowly, it backed away into the darkness until it was gone from sight.

 “What’s going on?” Soma asked nervously. “What was that being?”  “Zigra.” Michiru answered.

 “We have to get out of here.” Suexanna said. “Wherever ‘here’ is.”

 “I’m still in too much pain to walk.” Michriu explained in a strained voice.

 They looked at their baby girl. While Jaziria didn’t loudly cry out the way a human child would, tears ran from Her eyes. Something was distressing Her, and She was apparently in no position to ease Her mother’s pain the way She had done before.

 What is wrong, my child? Michiru asked in her mind, attempting to reach her daughter’s mind as she had done before.

 No answer came.

                                                                            ***

 “You damned parasite!!!! You have the gall to mix the Shark Mother’s blood with your own??!!”

 The voice stung the depths of the Snake Mother’s soul. She knew that voice.

 “Zigra.” Jazirian pleaded, invoking the name of the one who ruled the planet that shared her name. “What are you doing?”

 Images flashed in the Snake Mother’s mind of Dendar devouring the Zigran sun and the calamity that befell the Zigrans afterwards. On Her own, Jazirian would have tried to argue that She was the one whom tried to save the Zigrans from Dendar, but then reality hit her like a brick- She had let Herself blend with Dendar to empower Ryujin. And, in truth, She, Dendar, and all the other aspects of Snake Mother were never truly separate.

 “I’m so sorry, Zigra.” Jazirian wept.

 It was not a hollow apology. The guilt that overwhelmed the Goddess was now destroying Her within. So much destruction, carnage, and chaos had been wrought by Her darker facets. All this because She wanted to purge them from Herself rather than facing and overcoming that part of Her, and She had unwittingly unleashed them on all of creation as a result. She now believed that all the pain She suffered was justified because of all the pain She had caused.

 Sasami saw what Jazirian saw and felt Her feelings. This was not alien to Sasami. All the destruction, death, and grief she herself had caused on El Hazard, the guilt of it all that still haunted her. Even if one argued that it was not truly her fault, it did not erase the guilt within. It was a strange twist of fate that Sasami would find herself merged with a Goddess who shared this.

 “I know you’ve done something with Sekolah.” Jazirian went on. “Please, I beg of you not to harm Her because of what I’ve done. I don’t want any more suffering because of me.”

 “The Shark Mother is a peace right now. Which is more than I can say for you and you’re progeny.”

 The Snake Mother no longer felt Zigra’s presence. She was lost in Her own gloom until Sasami spoke up.

 ‘Jazirian, I need you to listen to me very carefully….’

                                                                          ***

  It did not take long for full recollection to come to Misao. Memories flooded her mind of being taken by Queen Zigra, and what had been done to her. She shivered and began to huddle in a fetal position.

 “Are you okay?” Tai asked, putting an arm around her.

 “Nothing is ever okay.” Misao responded bluntly.

 Laqueel snarled. She never cared for the weakness and grief of other beings in the past, but her outrage over the blasphemy this imposter committed against her people and faith sparked an outrage over what the imposter did to this girl that would otherwise have been nonexistent.  

“When we find this imposter, you may join me in dining on their flesh!” Laqueel declared to Misao.

 Tai was disturbed by the comment, but Misao chuckled a bit.

 So, she’s a malenti after all. Good. Misao thought, her mood lightening slightly

 “Imposter’s flesh yummy!” Nanaue shouted, nearly jumping for joy.

 “Umm, you guys realize we’re supposed to be the heroes, right?” Tai reminded them.

 “I think they may have a good idea.” Came a familiar voice.

 Out stepped Sasami, followed by the remaining Senshi. The Goddess Incarnate carried little Yurlun around Her shoulders.

 “Hello, my dear Misao.” Tsunami spoke through Sasami.

 Misao felt a sudden rush of conviction rise within her. Mother Tsunami recognized her even in this new form, and now looked upon her with that angelic smile she had missed.

 “Somebody else wants to see you.” Tsunami announced. “Though you may not recognize Him at first.”

 Yurlun slithered from Sasami’s shoulders and made His way to Misao.

 “Hey, what’s up?” the little weasel-snake greeted Misao.

 “….Yurlun?” Misao asked, recognizing the voice of Jazirian’s herald. “You’re taking the form of something mammalian?”

 “Yeah, kind of a long story involving this deranged red-haired scientist that’s been stalking me for several hundred years.” The snake-weasel replied. “But what matters now is that we’re here.”

 Sasami walked over and put Her hand on Misao’s shoulder.

 “Let’s get Her back, Misao.”

                                                                  *** 

The computers went crazy at NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in Pasadena, California. Everybody scrambled to look over the readings.

 “Are you reading this?”

 “Reading it? Yeah. Believing it? No.”

 “Guys, you need to see this!”

 The satellite imagery was a bit fuzzy from interference, but they could see it. It opened above the Earth, and it was vast enough to almost swallow it.

“My….God…..”

 A cosmic singularity had appeared above the Earth.

                                                                       ***

 Everyone in the northern hemisphere could see it. That blue rip in space that now adorned the skies. It was beautiful, yet it foretold doom. It seemed to them like the jaws of some immense cosmic beast that would soon eat the world. Families huddled together, frightened of what was to come.

 From her own home in Fairbanks, Alaska, Anthea watched the wormhole with even greater dread than everyone else on Earth. She knew what was coming.

 Frightened silence gave way to collective screams of terror and panic across the globe as something else opened above the wormhole. A red, slitted eye the size of the Earth glared at the people of the world with intent-filled malice. On the planet below, Anthea and Joyce held each other close. Anthea felt as if the eye in heavens glared at Her specifically.

 The eye only heralded what was to come, as the first Zigran ship came out of the wormhole.

 Mother of the Sea help us. Joyce prayed.

Chapter Text

"Anthea, don’t!" Joyce cried as her Goddess’ child broke from her arms. "She’s after you and them!"

 "I know, but right now I'm the only one in our world that might be able to stop her. Anthea declared, unable to mask the fear within her voice.

 Joyce continued running after Samantha before her daughter vanished in light.

                                                                                                            ***  

 Little Ka’a…

 Michiru’s heart nearly stopped when that voice resounded in her mind.

 Mama?

Yeah, it’s me. Thank you for caring for Jazirian for me. And thank you, Soma, for loving both of them.

 Michiru turned to Soma as she realized Soma could hear her mother’s voice as well. Soma smiled back at her.

 So, you were the one who took Mother Jazirian from my being. Suexanna spoke up mentally, showing that she could hear the voice as well.

 Sorry about that. Zigra was making her move on your world, and I had to use what power I could at the time to save Jazirian from her. I acted fast and had no time to explain.

 We can hear you, Mother Kaioh, but where are you? Soma pointedly inquired.

 I only have a vague awareness of my whereabouts. Zigra has me in a comatose state. She has been siphoning my power to use in her little hissy fit of petty revenge. It has only been through the aid of Adara that my mind is now able to touch both of yours.

  Michiru and Soma looked at Soma’s ring. Its wonders never seemed to cease.

 And it seems Adara is guiding your friends here as we speak…..

                                                                               ***

 “This is so wrong.” Ami said, her gloom being shared by all the others.

 This was worse than what befell the Sol System at the end of the Silver Millennium. This entire star system was cold and necrotic. Its sun was not dead, it was gone.

 Tsunami-fune descended on the planet Zigra. This world was once an ocean world not unlike Earth, albeit with far less land masses on the surface. Now, the once-breathtakingly beautiful oceans that covered a majority of the world where solid ice, and none of the indigenous life of this planet could take the new eternal winter and lack of sunlight. Laqueel and Nanaue trembled to see an ocean in such a state. Even the Senshi of Silence was mortified.

 “There can be no new beginning from this world’s death.” Hotaru stated in dull tone.

 “All of the life on this world extinguished, because we failed to protect it.” Misao said grievously.

 “All of this because my sister wouldn’t stop fighting with the Ouroboros Dragon.” Tsunami corrected her. "Dendar was created from that."

 “What happened to the Zigran’s themselves?” Usagi wondered aloud.

 “I….don’t know.” Misao answered. “They had the technology to survive for a while, but this whole star system has been abandoned.”

 “Nothing ominous about that at all.” Minako said, still feeling that physical pain she couldn’t explain.

 Wincing as she looked up, Minako watched the frozen state of Aphrodite, who stood still as the statues once carved in Her image. Minako dreaded to think what sort of being could do that to the Great Goddess.

 She did not have a chance to ponder this further. Spectral beak-like jaws opened from seemingly thin air and bit down on Tsunami-fune. Tsunami cried in pain, Sasami’s cries mirroring Hers.

                                                                                      ***   Snake Mother’s darker-self raged at the image that was projected to Her of Zigra clutching Tsunami-fune in her jaws. Her rattlesnake head hissed wildly. Zigra wanted Her to watch the one She loved be eaten. Jazirian, on the other hand, listened to what Sasami told Her.

 Jazirian, I, too, have struggled against a dark side of mine. Now, seeing the way you have embraced and used yours, I believe I must learn to do the same. And, if we can both fully control our dark side, we can work together. I think I have a way out of this.

 At first, Jazirian struggled to get a grip on what Sasami told Her. But, through Jazirian’s connection to Sasami’s mind, She finally began to connect Her other facets to Sasami.

 Attagirl! Dendar chimed in for the first time. Now we can really have some fun.

The twin Serpents joined.

                                                                                               ***

 At once, baby Jaziria and Suexanna lit up with a blue aura, startling Michiru and Soma.

 “Mother Jazirian.” Suexanna said, reclaiming her sense of hope.

 Michiru and Soma felt their own hope returning as baby Jaziria’s eyes opened again. With that, Michiru felt her own physical pain begin to subside, and her strength regained.

 That divine aura Suexanna missed swelled within her. Jazirian needed her as a vessel once more. The serpent priestess welcomed the opportunity.

                                                                              ***

 Tsunami-fune felt the stress upon Her hull. That Zigra could inflict damage on Her was impressive. She clearly drained much of Sekolah’s power into herself.

 A burst of power shot out, blowing Zigra’s spectral form back and releasing her grip. Ten Light Hawk Wings appeared around Tsunami. In response, Zigra’s full spectral form appeared where once Tsunami only saw the jaws. She seemed to “swim” in the vacuum of space. A blue-silver goblin shark-like creature, with those venomous red eyes, and an entire row of five fins, a large one followed by four progressively smaller fins, on her back. The beak-like jaws that snapped open and shut in anticipation. The shark monster seemed unimpressed by Tsunami’s display.

 “That’s the ugliest shark I’ve ever seen.” Makoto commented as the group aboard Tsunami-fune watched the monster from a viewing screen.

 Misao propped Sasami as Tsunami’s avatar struggled to stand. The girl gnashed her teeth as she and Tsunami waited for their attacker’s next move.

 “Can’t we pinpoint the location of Michiru and the others?” Ami asked, becoming more desperate.

 “Zigra apparently found a way to weaken Adara’s beacon when she became aware of our arrival.” Yurlun explained. “It would be nothing for me to take us there if I knew exactly where “there” was.”

 Zigra phased out of view. Tsunami was alarmed at how She could not sense where Zigra had phased to. The answer came quickly and it was quite unpleasant. Zigra “swam” against Tsunami’s Light Hawk Wings, and as she passed through, her razor fins sliced through them. Tsunami felt as if She had been physically cut open, and Her scream echoed in the emptiness, while Sasami’s scream was nearly enough to deafen all aboard the ship.

 “YOU LITTLE PEST!!!!!”

 Surprised, Zigra turned her attention to witness a rattlesnake-like head speeding towards her, ready to strike. She did not have time to wonder how the Mother escaped, or to think about how Sasami was able to learn the teleportation technique Zigra used to bring them here. She only had enough time to phase out of position before the Snake struck there like lightning.

 That loss of focus in Zigra’s attention was all Yurlun needed. He teleported all aboard Tsunami down to the planet, save for Misao and Sasami. Yurlun knew their business was here.

                                                                                    ***

 The Vandenberg Space Force Base in California sparked with activity as Space Delta 5 forces scrambled.

 Personnel at the base watched in horror as the satellite footage displayed one Zigran ship after another exiting the vortex above Earth.

 “Do you think they are friendly?” One officer asked.

 “That demonic red eye hovering above the singularity tells me ‘no’” another answered.

 “Colonel, I don’t think there is enough firepower in the entire planet Earth to stop that.”

 The Colonel had never been a religious man, even with the world returning to ancient faiths in recent decades, but he could not help but call out in my mind to someone who may be out there.

 Perhaps the answer came.

 “Colonel, I’m picking up something from outside the Earth’s atmosphere, in between us and the fleet. A sound.”

 “What manner of sound?”

 “Colonel, it appears to be singing.”

                                                                                          ***

 Anthea hovered in the emptiness between Earth and the invasion force. In the short time of Her awakened divinity, She had never had to use her voice as She would now. But She was determined to save the world She loved.

 The melody that rang out from her vocal cords pulsated through the void. The Shiver halted. The ships had hit an invisible barrier. Samanta tried not to lose her composure as the immense red eye narrowed at her.

                                                                                             ***

 Venus struggled against Her bonds. Whoever this entity was, they were forcing Her to watch as they struck at Anthea’s Earth. Venus saw Anthea put up a defense against the invasion. Her power was already impressive, but Venus knew she had not grown into her true divinity.

 I must break free! She needs my help!

                                                                                   ***

 They were a sight for sore eyes. Michiru’s friends ran to give her a group hug.

 “How many times are we gonna have to rescue ya, Michi?” Minako asked, being the most choked up among her Senshi friends.

 Yurlun slithered up to baby Jaziria, who squeed in delight at seeing Him.

 “I missed you, too, Mother.” He told Her.

 “I feel a divine presence.” Laqueel announced. “It is Her.

 “Yes, I feel it as well.” Yurlun said.

 “Shark Mama!” Nanaue cried with delight.

 The shark man charged onward.

 “Are the rest of you going to just stand there? Follow him!” Laqueel yelled to the others.

                                                                                ***

 If Dendar’s face could make expressions, She would be snarling. She scanned the void around Her as Zigra sped around space, almost too fast for even Her lightning reflexes.

 Meanwhile, Snake Mother’s Jazirian aspect coiled Her body around Tsunami-fune in protective embrace. She would not let Her mate be harmed again.

 Inside the ship, Sasami could barely remain standing. The wound Zigra inflicted on Tsunami dealt Sasami a physical pain she had not experienced since…..what happened right before she assimilated with Tsunami. Misao continued trying to support her and not let her lose consciousness.

 What do I do? She can’t keep up this fight much longer. Misao thought.

 A figure manifested before them in the same yellow shaft of light that she had previously been taken away in. Young Sasami knew the one who could replicate another’s power like that, and she was a most welcome sight right now.

 “Mama!” Young Sasami cried.

 Mother Sasami ran and embraced the two young girls.

 I guess She knows who I am. Misao realized. I wonder if I should call Her Jazirian, or Ifurita.

 You can call my human-self Sasami. She answered warmly within Misao’s mind. And it’s wonderful to see you again, Misao.

 Mother and daughter Sasami looked into each other’s eyes. Young Sasami noticed one small physical change in her mother. Over her eye was a mark, like a tattoo or a birthmark, that appeared as a blue snake. Young Sasami touched it gently.

 “I like that.” She told her mother.

 Young Sasami winced again, reminding herself of the injured state she and Tsunami were in.

That was not all they needed to be reminded of.

 Queen Zigra did not speak to them with words. She had something that could hurt far worse, especially for one of them. The three of them saw a vision in their minds of an Earth. A fleet of Zigran ships hovered above it, revealing why their homeworld was abandoned.

 Misao’s heart nearly collapsed. They all saw Samanta trying her best to hold off the fleet with the powers of her voice, and Misao and Jazirian realized which Earth the Zigrans were attempting to invade. Misao realized that Queen Zigra was going to exact her revenge on Misao in the worst way she could, by invading her Earth. And Anthea probably couldn’t hold the Zigrans off much longer.

 Sasami/Snake Mother’s eyes narrowed.

                                                                                 ***

                                                                                            ***

 The Light of Hope traveled through Venus’ incarnation to where She lay imprisoned in the Fated Depths. It was more than enough for Her to make the bonds crack.

                                                                                          ***

 Anthea kept up Her song. Thus far, the Zigran forces could not breach the barrier She set up, though they seemed to be waiting in patience. And that eye still glared at her.

 Another sound rang out. Another voice. The melody this voice sang was full of venom and spite. And it wielded power.

 Anthea felt this voice fighting against Hers. She felt the opposing voice undoing Her barriers. And it was overpowering Her.

 No, I can't stop her now. She realized.

                                                                                          ***

 Misao, and the Goddess incarnates saw the scene unfold in their minds. Anthea was growing helpless before Zigra’s voice.

 Stop this, Zigra! Misao pleaded. I’m sorry I failed you and your people! Please don’t harm others because of me!

 The pleas went unanswered. Then, a change.

 Zigra glared at the planet below. Sasami/Snake Mother smirked.

                                                                                         ***  

 “Hey, Little Ka’a.”

 Michiru clutched her chest. The being she and her friends beheld spoke to her in her mother’s voice, but she did not recognize what lay before her.

 She was massive, gigantic enough that Her eye alone nearly dwarfed the group. A gargantuan great white shark. She had been in a state of slumber when they arrived, and their presence woke Her up. Laqueel and Nanaue bowed in reverence to Her.

 “Mother Sekolah.” Laqueel addressed the Great Shark.

 “Shark Mama!” Nanaue shouted with jubilation.

 A jolt struck Michiru’s soul. She knew the name. Her mother had gotten her into Dungeons and Dragons well enough to know all about Sekolah, shark deity of the sahuagin. And now, so many things made sense to Michiru, like why her mother had gotten her into such things, and, most of all, why her mother’s knowledge of these worlds, especially their oceans, was so intimate and detailed.

 Laqueel came over to Michiru and bowed to her as she had just done towards her mother.

“I do not comprehend how the Great Shark gave birth to a child so human, but you have my devotion all the same.” The malenti told her.

 “You have your own kind’s patron to thank for that.” Sekolah told Her priestess.

  Michiru and Laqueel’s eyes both widened. Silaqui, the Malenti Goddess.

 “Mama Saika is…?” Michru began.

 Sekolah paused. She did not know how to tell Michiru what happened to her second mother.  “I must break free.” Was the only response the Goddess could give.

 Hotaru examined the bonds holding Sekolah. They were invisible to the naked eye, but their spectral power was easy to detect for those sensitive to spiritual power.

 “These bonds are strong; unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” Hotaru explained. “My Glaive alone will not be able to break them. I do not know if any of us have such power.”

 Soma felt something from within. She looked at her Blue Ring and felt it call to her. It told her what must be done.

 “Benzaiten, your Marine Cathedrale.” Soma spoke up. “I’m asking you to play it just as you always played our sacred Biwa.”

She turned to the others. 

“And I’m asking the rest of you to pour all your feelings of hope into Marine Cathedrale. Please, believe me.”

  “Please believe me.” Soma answered.

 “Yes, believing her would be nice.” Sekolah added.

  Everybody looked at Soma. Something about her spirit inspired them.

 “Alright, let’s do this!” Usagi told them. “Everybody put everything you have into the Silence Glaive!”

 As they prepared, Michiru put her hand on Soma’s cheek and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

 “Thank you, Soma.”

 They all combined their power. The Senshi, Yurlun,  Laqueel, and Nanaue. All of their divine and spiritual power was directed into the Silence Glaive. Another unexpected individual joined in- baby Jaziria.

 With all their power together, Soma touched the Blue Ring, and it emanated with the brightest blue light Soma had ever seen it give off. Adara’s blue light resonated with them all.

 The Blue Light coalesced into Michiru’s violin. She pulled up her bow, and strum the strings. Michiru’s playing had always been heavenly, but with the Blue Light of Hope, it struck a chord that could shift galaxies. Like a tidal wave, the music struck Sekolah’s bonds and broke the Great Shark free.

       Sekolah began to rise and float into the air. The air was like water that She “swam” in.

 “Zigra has done this to me. She acquired some form of sarrukh magic that allows one to bind deities and siphon their power. And I shall crush her for what she has done to my mate!.”

  Sekolah was not the only one feeling sudden invigoration. Minako realized that strange pain in her gut was suddenly lifted.

                                                                                                       ***  In the Fated Depths, Venus felt the power behind Her bonds falter just enough for Her to crack them. Enough of Her power was released for Her to call to Her catatonic mate……..

                                                                                         ***

 Anthea faltered. She could no longer keep up Her strength. She ceased singing, and the barrier fell. The Shiver was now free to proceed with their attack.

 “Hey, there.”

 She knew that voice. It was something she and her friends had yearned for a long time now. She turned to see a certain couatl/sarrukh hybrid hovering in space behind her. Anthea did not know Suexanna, but she knew the Goddess that the serpent priestess was now the vessel of. The avatar of Jazirian flew and embraced Earth’s protector.

 “You came.” Anthea whispered tearfully.

 She nearly collapsed, but a gentle arm held her up.

 "You shouldn't leave your poor mother behind like that." Joyce told her in a joking mock-scold as She lifted Her up.

 Anthea saw that Her surrogate mother wasn’t alone. Joyce’s blood daughters, Aglaea and Thalia, had joined them.

  "We will not leave you this time." Jazirian declared as She embraced the young Charitie.

Chapter Text

Together, Anthea and Her loved ones sang a song of which the people of Earth below had never heard. Across the globe, people stopped to watch the sky, a sense of peace overtaking everyone as they listened to the Goddesses sing. Zigra’s baleful eye began to fade as Anthea’s divine aura took on its brightest form yet in Her life.

                                                                   ***

Tsunami and Snake Mother could feel Zigra’s silent venom as her forces were drawn back.

Zigra’s power was also diminishing. 

I will devour you all with the last of my power! She spat. 

She did not get far. As she lunged at Tsunami and Snake Mother, something else collided with her and knocked her off her path. 

The others all smiled as they saw the spectral form of a great white shark. Sekolah was free, and Zigra’s diminishing power meant the Shark Mother was taking it back from her. “Zigra, you little twit. My power isn’t the only thing you stole, and I will have Her back.” Sekolah spat.  

 The divine energy being taken back from Zigra made the monster ill. She could not longer hold a recent morsel she had devoured, and vomited up a small point of blue light.

 Snake Mother took advantage of the distraction. Thick coils took hold of Zigra, and monster had too little energy left to put up much of a fight. She quickly had the wind squeezed from her and lost consciousness.

 Five human forms manifested around Queen Zigra and the small light she had thrown up. Two of them had arrived from Anthea’s universe. One of these forms appeared as the elder Sasami. One appeared in the form of Young Sasami as an adult. And the new one looked much like Michiru, but with marine blue hair and silvery skin. A shark fin could be seen on Her back.

 Sekolah took the point of light in Her arms, and the light faded to reveal a blue-skinned humanoid woman with pointed ears and webbed hands and feet.

 “Is She okay?” Snake Mother asked fearfully.

 “She is still alive.” Sekolah said of Her divine malenti mate. “Zigra could not entirely digest Her, but She has been greatly reduced in power and will take time to recover.”

 Venus and Aphrodite clasped hands while the five of them turned and pondered the comatose shark kaiju.

“What shall we do with her?” Tsunami asked.

“Together, Aphrodite and I can quell the bitterness and hate in her soul.” Venus suggested.

She turned to Planet Zigra.

“And perhaps we can do something to aid this ailing world.” She added.

 “It appears that others have joined the party.” Aphrodite mused. 

The Goddesses looked up to see Zigran ships hovering above them. ***

“So friggin’ adorable!” Lauran squeed. 

Lauran stood with Amaterasu in the Muvian nursery. They both tended the hatching eggs. Emerging from the eggs was the future of Mu, indeed the world. These were the first generation of children who combined the blood of mahoraga and human. This is what Soma and Michiru spent centuries cultivating, and the successful fruits and efforts of their vision could now be seen. 

For the first time since his birth mother was murdered, a hint of true joy and warmth appeared in Thulsa’s eyes as he observed the hatchlings. He did not truly believe that his adoptive mothers’ vision would become reality. He had seen too much of human cruelty to the Scaly Ones to believe that humans could ever change their bloodthirsty nature. As he saw the newborns, as he saw the beauty of their mixed serpent and human forms, he realized that the error was his all along. 

The genocidal bloodthirst of Kull and men like him had come to nothing. Thulsa understood that the future would see such men fade to obscurity, while all they tried to destroy would grow and thrive. In the end, Thulsa would have no need to kill the Atlantean king. Better to allow the man to wallow in his loss. 

“Strength does not lie with steel.” He said to himself, taking one last look at the dagger he wanted to slay Kull with before casually tossing it aside.

***

What had happened? All over Eingana, the mahoraga stood puzzled. They had been prepared for the angered Ryujin to consume all, but the world was still here. 

Furthermore, the serpentfolk of the world no longer felt anger or rage from the Mother. They felt….peace. A peace their kind knew very little of since the rise of humans. 

Across Mu, the mahoraga citizens each found themselves embraced by the nearest humans beside them. Muvian humans were overjoyed and relieved to have their loved ones back to normal again. 

Perhaps that relief was too hasty. 

Mu’s coastal capital quaked. Its people halted their jubilation as a shadow hung over the city. It was a figure of their nightmares given flesh. That sickly green and vaguely draconic body and shape. The octopus-like head with massive tentacles reaching out from where its mouth should be. 

Great Cthulhu observed the city. Was it curiosity which He looked upon them all with? Each individual Muvian felt as if He was looking at them personally. And yet, somehow, they did not feel the horror they had always imagined they would when the Enlightened One awoke. 

Cthulhu made a strange gesture with his shoulders. Then, He turned tail and returned to the sea. His little jaunt was over. It was time to sleep again. 

Michiru and her friends witnessed this as they arrived in Mu. They were prepared to fight Cthulhu, but apparently didn’t have to for the time being. 

“What was that at all about?” Ami wondered aloud. 

“I think He…..shrugged.” Rei answered. 

“Sam!” came a voice from behind them. 

The young Goddess heard Her old human name and turned to see a tearful Lauran standing there. She was carrying a small snake-human child in her arms. Lauran ran to greet Samantha and the others. “These little guys are so cute!” Lauran told Anthea, showing her the child. “I wanna have one of my own!” 

Michiru and Soma stood in awed silence seeing the child Lauran held. There it was. The final result of all they had strived for in the last five centuries. 

“It has finally happened, Benzaiten.” Soma told Michiru as she leaned against her. 

“And we have you to thank for it all.” Michiru whispered to their child in her arms.

                                                                                        ***

After everything had settled in the coming days, Michiru and the others were watched from afar. Tai held a hand to her heart and smiled.

 Mother Sekolah actually got that old brontosaur toy to Michiru. She still holds it just like she held him back then.

 She felt a presence manifest nearby. One which was intimately familiar to her.

 “You are making a quick recovery, Lady Silaqui.” Tai commented.

 The Malenti Goddess glided up beside her. It was a wonder to Tai that such a radiant beauty in her eyes was regarded a hideous abomination to Her mate’s prime worshippers.

 Especially a Goddess that bears my mother’s face. Tai reflected sadly.

 “Will you not pay Michiru and Minako a visit?” The Goddess inquired.

 “It’s….not the right time.” Tai answered. “I’m still living my life over with my mother a second time and getting to start a new family. Maybe I’ll be ready when the others return to us.”  

Tai bit her lip. There was another moment she had waited for and now was as good as ever.

 “Thank you both for caring for Michiru all these years.” Tai finally said before she turned away to leave.

 Silaqui smiled pleasantly.

 “Even the celestial hoard of Ninefold Io could never hold such a precious treasure as our Michiru.” The Malenti Goddess reflected. “I adore my time with Her the same as I did with your mother.”

 Tai smiled and began to turn away.

“Tell your mother and Little Tai I said hello.” Silaqui called out as Tai walked away.

 Tai waved goodbye. Then, she paused for a moment, having one more thought.

 “By the way, Malenti Mother, a certain priestess of yours doesn’t seem to get spanked often enough….”

***

Sam concentrated her thoughts before a concrete image appeared in the blue sea-mists. At last, she saw her. Misao lay huddled, crying in a street corner. Anybody who didn't know Misao would have assumed this was a boy laying there, not knowing the true spirit within.

"There she is." Sam whispered.

"And your friends who are searching for her?" Sozo asked.

Sam focused again. Down in the realm of Earth, her friend, Lauran, heard a whisper in the back of her mind. At the time, Lauran could not explain that voice that would guide her to find her friend. Even in this timeless realm, it seemed like a painful eternity before Lauran and her mom drove up to the streetside to find Misao. Sam felt a weight fall from her heart when she saw Lauran burst from the van to embrace her friend. Sam felt a hand on Her shoulder as She felt a new power growing within Her from this experience.

"I'm proud of you, my Anthea." Helen whispered.

The youngest of the Five Graces once again found peace in that memory while She and Her loved ones stood watch over the Zigran homeworld along with Suexanna. No longer in Her sarrukh/couatl hybrid form, Suexanna now took a form bearing a striking similarity to Soma, albeit with her hair a darker shade of blue. Suexanna put an arm around Misao.

 Funny how she’s about Aglaea and Thalia’s age in this incarnation now.Jazirian told Suexanna internally as She looked down at little Misao and at Anthea. But I’m happy to have her back.

 Their gaze turned upward. Laniakea Ai's gargantuan form descended upon Planet Zigra. 

“Is this really going to work?” Lauran asked. 

Suexanna/Jazirian nodded. The cosmic shark’s ability to reshape reality and to create oceans would help restore life to this world. Jazirian, indeed Snake Mother as a whole, felt it was Her responsibility to do this. With Sekolah’s help and the control She had over Laniakea, they went to work. 

“I think the burning question is are you okay with this, my child?” Jazirian asked Misao. 

“Yeah.” She answered plainly as she reached up and gently touched Suexanna’s hand. 

This was difficult for Misao. What Queen Zigra had done to her was beyond traumatic. It was a violation on both a physical and spiritual level. Yet, Misao had made a promise not just to Zigra herself, but her people as a whole to protect them. She decided she would not let her traumas and anger towards Zigra make her turn back on that promise. Though, it was rather uncomfortable standing on Queen Zigra’s ship. 

“So, Jazirian, since you are to make peace with Dendar, does that mean Merrshaulk’s little reign of terror will also come to an end?” Joyce inquired. 

Misao shuddered at that name. Jazirian took a more serious tone. 

"Dendar devoured Merrshaulk in anger shortly after I defeated Her.” Jazirian explained. “I do not know what happened to Merrshaulk’s sarrukh followers, but they are likely powerless now.” 

“We never did find out why they targeted Planet Zigra in the first place.” Misao stated. “If that even matters now.” 

They all wanted to return to a lighter mood. 

“Hey, Misao, Thalia and I noticed you and Little Sasami getting pretty cozy with each other.” Aglaea prodded slyly. 

The others noticed Misao's cheeks flush. 

"Yeah, not just Little Sasami." Thalia added with a sneering grin. "Dirty ‘ol Misao was totally checking out those huge boobies and enormous butt on Lady Sasami!"

"That makes sense, seeing as Lady Sasami looks a lot like me." Jazirian/Suexanna remarked. "I've known all these years that Misao had that complex with how she was always too eager to use my human form's chest like a pillow when she napped and how she frequently tried to catch a peak at my backside." 

Misao's eyes widened. Her face was now redder than blood as the others burst into laughter. "Oh, and on that note...." Lauran went on.

She whispered something in Misao's ear. Misao looked up at her, and Lauran winked. Misao smiled and looked back at the world below. She would play her own role in restoring life to Zigra. While Laniakea would restore life to the planet, the sun would also need to be restored, and that’s where Misao came in. She stroked the ring Soma gave her, and its blue light began to show.

***

It was a wonder. Michiru’s daughter stood before her, Soma, and Sekolah right now, and at the same time She rested in her arms. Soma touched Sasami’s cheek. She marveled at how the woman looked like an animated mirror image of her own human form. It was amazing how deities like Jazirian could be multiple places at once, with Her also manifesting through Suexanna in Zigra’s universe. 

“Tsunami and I have to leave soon, but I wanted to see you both with these eyes before I leave.” Jazirian told them, a mixture of happiness and regret in Her voice. 

“And I wanted to say goodbye to my grandmas” Young Sasami said, standing beside Her mother and with Yurlun wrapped around her neck. 

“Promise us you’ll return.” Soma implored them. “We may have you here with us still, but we would like to get to know this aspect of you better sometime.” 

“We will return soon enough.” Elder Sasami explained. “Right now, there is someone back home that my daughter and I regrettably left behind, and I have a feeling she needs to see us pretty bad.” 

Sasami paused. 

“Take care of yourselves and this beautiful land you’ve created, Mother Michiru, Mother Soma, Nana Sekky and Sila.” 

The three of them each gave the two Sasamis a peck on the cheek before bidding them farewell themselves.

Laqueel had been standing off in the distance alongside Nanaue and Her patron Goddess observing. She could only shake her head at the cutesy nickname that had just been given to Great Sekolah, to say nothing of how utterly wrong it was to see Her in human form and see Her display affection. Disgusting. This was far worse than Her being usurped by an imposter. Silaqui snickered at Her priestess and Laqueel nearly shouted as she felt a sharp pain on her buttocks from her Goddess fulfilling a promise, something the Laqueel would have to get used to.

Mother and daughter Sasami each gave them one long final look before they vanished.

Michiru turned her attention further down the hall. Minako and the Senshi stepped closer. “Are you sure you can’t come back with us?” Usagi asked, still feeling more than a little devastated at Michiru’s decision. 

“Don’t worry, I promise I will return at some point to try restoring some measure of my Senshi duties.” Michiru explained. “However, for the time being, I have some work here that must be finished. With the new generation of Muvians to nurture, I’m also building a bridge between Mu and Toril. Suexanna will be acting as Toril’s ambassador when she has finished aiding Zigra.”

There was a pause. And Michiru walked up to Usagi. 

“Princess, I’m so sorry for what she did to you.” Michiru whispered to her. “I should have kno….”

Usagi touched her lips as Michiru trembled in her speech.

She knows! Usagi realized. 

“Oh, Michiru, it was not your fault.” Usagi tried to assure her. “Please don't blame yourself.”  Usagi gave her friend a big hug to try and ease that long held weight on her heart. Michiru tried to take in what comfort she could from the embrace. 

“Thank you, princess. Please take care of my old home.” Michiru said 

The two of them held on to each other a while longer. Then, the Senshi turned to leave. All except one. Usagi looked at Minako and nodded. The Senshi of Love’s eyes grew heavy. She clasped Makoto’s hands

 “Tell Luna to take care of Artemis for me.” Minako told them, and looked into Mako’s eyes especially.

 Mina and Mako gave each other a small kiss. Mina then left her comrades’ side and walked towards Michiru and Soma. 

"Welcome our land, dear Venus Pontia.” Soma greeted her warmly 

“I think you will enjoy life in this land.” Michiru told Minako as she took her hands. "And

I know Soma will love being a mom twice over." 

In that instant, Michiru saw the sea-blue eyes of that little bundle in her arms from the Silver Millennium gazing back at her.

 “I’m so happy to have you back in my life, dear Naderi.” Michiru whispered as she wrapped her arms around Minako.

 “I won’t leave your side this time, Mama.” Minako whispered in return.

 Their foreheads touched, and the symbols of Planet Neptune and Planet Venus shone brighter than the Morning Star.

***

As the Senshi departed, Usagi took one last look at the friends she was leaving behind. A weak smile etched from her face as she saw Michiru and Soma welcome Minako into their lives.

“Will Mina be alright in this new world?” Rei wondered, trying not to let her own feelings show. 

“Venus and Neptune are tied to one another like Aphrodite to Her mother Thalassa.” Setsuna told everyone. “Minako and Michiru’s fates will always be entwined, as they were in the Silver Millennium.”

The group thought of the revelations Mina gave them, the long-held secret of Planet Venus and Planet Neptune. A shadow had hung over Rei ever since the truth came to light.

All this time, Mina carried what we did to her people with her. Rei told herself, keeping her heartbreak concealed under a stoic mask. Yet, she remained my dear friend in spite of it all.

 “I’m really gonna miss her.” Makoto said, tears swelling in her eyes. 

Usagi gave Mako a big hug as she began to cry.

“Hey, guys, I’m sure Michiru will do a good job helping Minako adjust.” Chibiusa said, trying to sound cheerful and reassuring. 

It didn’t do much to help their mood. There was another matter troubling them all. “You never did tell Michiru about Haruka did you, Usagi?” Rei asked. 

Usagi shook her head. 

“I couldn’t bring myself to after what she said to me. And I can’t take the happiness she is experiencing right now away from her. I guess Minako will have to break that news to her.” “It’s a bad situation.” Ami said. “I just contacted Luna and Artemis and they still aren’t able to figure out what universe Haruka ended up in.” 

“With Michiru and Minako remaining here for the foreseeable future, we are now down three Senshi.” Hotaru stated. “The Solar System remains even more vulnerable than ever before.” "And when he comes....." Rei said in a hushed tone. 

“We’ll manage.” Usagi assured them. “We now have some new allies in universes we never knew existed. Whatever the true nature of this coming enemy, we'll rise to the challenge as we always have.” 

“And then there’s that new prophecy.” Setsuna added. 

Indeed, this new dream vision Rei experienced was a jolt to them all. A new enemy unlike any other was foretold. The Zo-zla Halawa was the name whispered to Rei's mind. But there was more. A hint of a coming guardian that none of them ever expected. Even in the Silver Millennium, she was regarded as little more than a myth. After all, Prince Endymion was the one who was already thought to embody what she embodies. But the prophecy revealed to her to be real, and she would soon awaken. The Senshi of Earth.

***

Kull babbled incessantly, drool gushing from his mouth. The once-proud king was reduced to a quivering mass that huddled in a dark alleyway who had been soiling himself. He was not alone in this. All of his men were reduced to madness. The sight of Great Cthulhu blasted their sanity, their minds not able to show the same resistance to the horror that the Muvians had built up. Most of Kull’s men drowned in the ocean waves, but he found his way to land, and remained in a corner where none would ever find him. 

All but one. Aten grumbled as he watched the jabbering mess of a man next to him. He tipped Kull with his finger, and the former king fell over to his side, still babbling incoherently. He scratched the bandaged spot on his forehead. 

Well, and least I can take some joy from this in seeing this himbo crap himself in a dark corner. 

Everything had gone wrong. Yamnaya had spent tens of thousands of years guiding humans from being playful and harmless creatures to being power-hungry conquerors who ravaged the planet and marched towards their own demise. Unfortunately, the gambit to give Zigra the sarrukh spell to steal Sekolah’s power didn’t pay off for him. His whole vision of humanity in this world had gone down the drain. With their genes mixed with that of the serpentfolk, humans, or rather the new race that will descend from them, no longer had to fear the power of the Old Ones. 

Would these serpent-humans ever be able to defeat the likes of Cthulhu in a fight? No, but it did not matter. These new serpent-humans now had the mental capacity to deal with the reality of the universe. They had a psychological humility that past humans did not have. They were perfectly fine with the reality that they were not the center of the universe. And because Old Ones like Cthulhu would pay little attention to them, their ability to not lose their minds in his presence meant they had little to fear in the future. And they also had the mental guards to prevent their minds from being forcibly switched place with other minds, an ability that would come in handy in the distant future. 

So much would be lost now. Yamnaya saw a vision in his mind of young Thulsa being embraced by Michiru and Soma. Because Mu’s destruction by the Ryujin had been averted and his mothers’ deaths prevented, Thulsa would never go down the dark path he was supposed to go down and take up the mantle of his namesake. 

And Shub-Niggurath. His ancient nemesis. Yamnaya was so looking forward to seeing Her downfall. That dark future where the full corruption of Snake Mother caused Shub-Niggurath Herself to go mad, twisting Her and Her tree children into indescribable horrors that haunted the dark corners of existence. Would have been fun to see the surprise the Juraians got when this happened.

Yamnaya saw an even deeper future for the new serpent-human people. He saw a future where the men no longer hated their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, but honored and venerated them for their magic and power over life. He saw a future when the image of the serpent was worshiped rather than demonized. In the distant future, many cultures of this new race would tell a tale of man, who either represent the Sun or fire or the sky, who wished glory for himself by trying to destroy a great serpent mother. He fancied himself a hero by killing that which he came from. He feared the power of the mother snake because he secretly realized she had power he could never have, and she could survive without him, while he could not do the same. The snake and her daughters had that power over life and creation that he would never have, and he envied and hated them. The tales would be varied, but in the end, the man's arrogance would get the better of him, and the serpent and her daughters would triumph over the wannabe-hero's predations, showing him that he would never gain her power or control her. And the mother snake and her daughters thrived while the man was only remembered for his humiliation. 

Yamnaya looked to his own would-be future. All the fun he would have had messing with the humans of this world. In his mind he saw the image of a being in samurai armor, only within the armor was an inky shadow-blackness infested with countless tiny maws with dagger teeth. 

The Aku Shin-Kage. Too bad I won’t get to use that form here. 

Welp, there was no point bothering with the humans of this world anymore. There were plenty of other places in the multiverse to have fun with. 

Yamnaya grabbed his scalp. His nails tore into it, and he violently ripped apart his head. His hands continued to tear away until his whole body opened up and was pulled away, like tearing open a paper bag. A winged horror emerged from the torn human body. Black and vaguely bat-like, the monster had more of a reptilian tail, and its three-lobed red eyes were unlike any organism on Earth. 

The Crawling Chaos determined His next target as He took to the air. He had something in mind. In a distant universe, a bunch of religious fanatic tools with stupid-looking noses. They were called Bajorans. He saw in them saw potential for chaos and carnage, perhaps even more than the humans of this world ever had.

                                                                               ***

Jurai's Second Queen felt the gentle touch of her mother's hand while she watched the night sky above the balcony.

"You're thinking of our girls, aren't you?" Alielle asked her.

Misaki's eyes swelled with tears. 

"It's been 700 years, Mommy." The Queen cried. "I wonder if Little Sasami will ever be able to save Big Sasami."

Alielle pulled her close while she sobbed.

"Now now, I know Little Sasami will take good care of her mommy." Alielle assured her. "And don't forget, you've got a certain someone looking after you here."

There was a tiny spark that lifted Misaki's spirit when Alielle reminded her of the Galaxy Police officer assigned to be her bodyguard, and who began a relationship with her charge that the GP probably wouldn't approve of.

 “Don't be so worried.” A familiar voice came to her. "Our girl has taken good care of her dear mother." 

The two of them practically jumped as turned around and peered into the room behind them.

A gathering of light and mist swirled at the heart of the room. It cleared away, and the Second Queen saw two of the greatest loves of her life standing before her. Lady Sasami and their daughter stood together smiling at the Queen. 

Misaki covered her wide-open mouth with her hands. Tears formed in her eyes. She did not hold back. The Queen ran to her lover and embraced her. Young Sasami and Alielle both giggled as the two women joined lips, and she hugged them both. 

I guess Kiyone will have to learn to share. Alielle mused with a chuckle.

                                                     ***

 Night fell over the Tenju, and the light of Jurai’s moon gleamed through the bedroom. For the first time in 700 years, Young Sasami and Lady Sasami got to sleep in their bed in their old home. With Misaki slumbering by their side, Young Sasami rested against Her mother as they drifted away. No one was awake to see the marks on their faces start to glow. 

 In their shared dream, Young Sasami and Lady Sasami did not question the surroundings of blue-mist they found themselves in. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket or a nice bath. Hand-in-hand, they walked along, feeling someone beckon them forward.

 Two pairs of blue eyes greeted them in the mists, and the mists coalesced into a solid form around one pair of eyes. The mists became a blue-haired woman whose radiance outshone even Tsunami’s. By the woman’s side were a young woman with similar blue hair and a live-action woman with flowing blonde tresses that reminded them both of Anthea and Joyce.

 Both Sasamis smiled as they walked up to greet the dream visitors. The older blue-haired beauty embraced Lady Sasami, and the younger woman embraced Young Sasami.

 “Welcome home, Mommy.” Sozo whispered to Lady Sasami.

Chapter Text

Epilogue

Lady Tokimi was mildly pleased with Her observations. Far into the higher dimension, she had watched all that had transpired with Her sister, Tsunami and Her emotional reunion with Snake Mother.

“I am glad that all worked out of the better.” Tokimi said to Herself aloud. “It has always been my deepest regret for what happened to my sister’s mate as a result of my actions.”

Now, she could turn Her attention back to Her own personal concerns.

“D3, report.” She spoke to Her servant that oversaw the third dimensional realms.

“There has been another battle.” He divulged. “We are making the proper repairs, but they continue to draw closer to us.”

Tokimi closed Her eyes. This was frustrating. The Great Red Dragon and His forces were giving Her far greater headaches than even the Ouroboros Dragon had ever done. Her thoughts turned back to Her old nemesis.

“D3, what it’s the status on the Ouroboros Dragon’s location?”

“She has assumed human form in the lower dimension and appears to have taken interest in a minor dragon avatar named Issei Hyoudo and his rabble”

“And Sister Washu is still playing around among the Masaki family for reasons unknown at this time.” Tokimi added.

Tokimi was still confounded by that situation. Tenchi Masaki had some power that was an enigma even to Her. Washu and Tsunami had also taken an interest in it, though it seemed like Tsunami’s focus was drawn back to Her old personal matters at this point.

Tokimi had an idea. She called down to one of Her greatest servants in the third dimension.

“I have new instructions for you. There is a boy I wish for you to pay a visit to. His name is Issei Hyoudo. I feel Issei and Tenchi should have a little meeting with one another.”

Z smirked.

                                                                                               ***   A soft smile which Her progeny would have found alien shone on the face of the Malenti Goddess as She watched Her slumbering mistress and stroked Her blue hair. Silaqui may have preferred Sekolah's shark form, but She still found beauty in Her mate's human form and enjoyed these past few years they spent together with their family in Mu. 

 Silaqui looked up at the moonlight, thinking of the Princess in a far-off universe whom Her daughter called friend. Seeing that light of the full moon motivated Her to take a stroll through the Palace, as She rather enjoyed being out and about during the night hours when She didn't have the sun hurting Her eyes. While She walked along, She passed by Her daughter's bedroom. Taking a peek through the crack in the doorway, She saw Her dear Michiru sleeping alongside Soma and Minako, Mina between the two of them with Soma's coils wrapped around her lovingly.

 Michiru and Soma really do baby that young woman. Silaqui remarked, smirking while She watched and listened to Mina snore. You'd never know she was an adult now.

 Her attention was drawn to a small figure coming down the hall. She recognized little girl rubbing Her eyes with Her free hand while She carried Her stuffed brontosaur.

 “Jaziria, my dear, why are you awake?” The Malenti Goddess whispered to Her ancient friend-turned-grandchild.

 “I had a bad dream.” Jaziria began to whimper. “I heard Nana cry out to me….”

                                                                                     ***

Deep within catacombs beneath a backwater Valusian city, a dark gathering took place. More than a hundred mahoraga chanted in unison as their leader stood before them in the darkness the single rib of a vast skeleton loomed above them all.

“Doom!!!” they called out in unison.

Thulsa Doom felt the exhilaration of their cries in his name. Yet, none could read any expression on his face. Beneath his cowl was a face devoid of flesh, all of it having rotted away to a skull long ago.

It was an honor for him to aid the serpentfolk in fighting back against the humans who would murder them all. He had spent centuries teaching them new arts to use in their resistance. He brought the art of necromancy to them, allowing them to steal and enslave the ghosts of the humans they killed and use those ghosts to fight against other humans.

Now, there had been positive developments in their war. Valusia’s new king, Kull, had fallen in his campaign against the Muvians in the east. Kull had become the greatest threat to Thulsa Doom’s crusade, nearly crushing the mahoraga resistance he had built up. On top of that good news, it had been revealed to Doom that the Black Shadow had turned His attention away from the world, meaning Doom’s latest designs could proceed without little interference. All that remained was that meddlesome Pict, Brule.

Doom held in his hands a gift from the deity Father Yig. A great crown from another universe carved in the shape of a coiled serpent. This crown contained the power of one of Yig’s greatest allies. An ally who had a vested interest in Mu's newest Empress. They would provide Doom with the power he needed for this next ritual.

Doom placed the Serpent Crown upon his head. He could feel Set’s power coursing through him. And he could feel Set’s spirit guiding him. Doom’s necromantic abilities always had their limits. He was skilled at raising human undead, but he lacked the power to raise undead among the serpentfolk. And there was one particular mahoraga woman he always wished to summon and commune with. And with Set’s aid, he found her, as well as the spirit of another woman who would prove equally useful.

Slowly, their ghosts manifested before him until their forms became fully clear. The first was an animated woman of unearthly beauty. Her flowing blue tresses and eyes were the color of the sea itself. Queen Masela Neptune, mother of Princess Neptune of the Silver Millennium.

The second was one closer to this his own world. A mahoraga woman, and one of great importance to her people’s history. For untold ages, she had been a queen to her people, watching over the world since long before humans had risen from the life of apes. Doom knew her, albeit only briefly. He always regretted not acting soon enough to kill his king and stop him from murdering the queen in front of her young daughter. He would never forget the look on the young serpentgirl’s face as she watched Doom carry away his slain king.

“Queen Shamaran.” He greeted Mu’s former Ugajin, as spectral light of the two ghosts helped illuminate the titanic skeleton behind them. “It has been far too long.”

Night and Day (2015 Remaster)