Alan
18th November 2003, 07:00 AM
Phase 1 - New Moon
"Please... don't hurt me!" the young woman cried out, backing away as her boyfriend fell limp from the arms of the thing that had attacked them as they were heading home.
"I won't hurt you..." it said, it's face twisted in a hideous leer as it took a step forward. "I'll simply drain you of your energy for my Queen!" It reached out, one clawed hand flexing menacingly, toward the young woman.
"Noooo!"
A moment later, the young woman lay still, her chest rising slowly.
"Lord Jaedite will be pleased," the creature hissed, then crouched before launching itself into the air, aiming for the nearby roof.
A colored blur struck as it was halfway through the jump, slamming into it with enough force to pitch the creature back to the pavement in the alley way.
"I had almost given up hope that one of you would show your face tonight," a voice said cheerfully. "Thank you so much for not dissapointing me, youma."
The youma hissed, moving into a crouch as it scanned the area. It was her. It had to be. The Destroyer.
"Behind you," the voice said, a velvet whisper in the dim alley way. The youma hissed, spinning, its claws extended to shred whatever might be there.
They met only air.
"Ooops, too slow," came the voice again, from above, mocking. "Have to be faster if you want to live."
The youma crouched again, hissing still, then shot from the alley way at a sprint.
"Looks like this one might be a bit smarter than the last few," the voice remarked, before a shadow detached itself from the ledge above where the youma had stood and took off at a run across the rooftop after the creature, twin pigtails trailing behind her as she ran.
Alternate Views
A Sailor Moon Fiction
The youma's breath burned in its lungs as it ran, sparing a second every few minutes to look back over its shoulder fearfully. Seeing nothing, it slowed down, gasping for air.
"Shouldn't have stopped, youma," the voice of the Destroyer called out, air whistling as the hunter catapulted off of the roof, feet smashing into the middle of the youma's back, sending it sprawling. The figure backflipped out of the attack, using her momentum to land gracefully.
"I will not be taken by you, destroyer!" the youma screamed, regaining its feet with startling swiftness and lunging at the shadowed figure of its attacker.
"The last fifty said the same thing," retorted her attacker, smoothly moving out of the way of the charge and seizing the creature's arm in the same instant, throwing it into a light post with all the momentum of the avoided charge. The lightpost bent around the youma's body with a loud clang. "You're no different from them."
"Raaaarrrr!" it screamed, charging at her again, enraged.
"This ends," the voice whispered, blocking the attack with a sharp kick to the chest, before spinning once with another kick that flung the youma up into the air. For a moment, it seemed to hang there, motionless.
"Moon Tiara...Action," the words wafted across the gap as the youma hung there, its eyes widening as it realised it was going to die.
The spinning golden disc tore through the air with a hiss, and the youma convulsed once, then exploded into sparkles, leaving behind a glowing sphere of energy.
"I'll just return this to those people, I suppose," the figure said, catching the disc in one hand as it returned to its original shape, a golden tiara with a jewel in the center.
Lightning raked across the ground before she could reach the sphere, stopping her just short of it. "Not so quickly."
"And the king shows himself again..." she murmured, the tiara settling on her forehead. "I was wondering when you'd grace me with your presence...Jaedite."
"I'll be taking that energy, Sailor Moon," the hard cold voice spoke again, a blonde male appeared, clad in a military-style uniform.
"Considering the outcome of our last little fight, I don't recommend you try that." the female said, the lightning's flashes illuminating her at last. Golden hair crowned her features, twin buns with ponytails reaching down to her knees on either side of her head. A red, white, and blue fuku adorned her body, a red collar with a moon on it circled her neck.
"That was a fluke," he snarled. "You will not fare so well next time." He put out a hand, and the energy sphere floated toward him.
"Your side still bothering you?" Sailor Moon asked sweetly, an almost smile on her face that did not reach her eyes.
"Begone, Destroyer," Jaedite snapped, the sphere hovering above his hand. "You'll find no more prey tonight."
"You're partly right," she agreed. "Only you left to finish off." With that, she sprang at him, all trace of humor gone.
"Predictable," Jaedite murmured, his other hand coming up. Light flickered before him, a rounded barrier springing up just seconds before she reached him. She struck it and rebounded, landing in a crouch and launching herself forward again. He inwardly allowed a smile, remembering how she had landed in an ungainly tangle of limbs once, long ago, when they had fought like this. But now, she didn't waste time crying for help. She merely changed tactics, launching herself up before she reached his barrier.
"Another time, Sailor Moon," Jaedite said, saluting as he faded away, the energy sphere in hand. She came down in a rush, fist at the ready, but passed only through air to strike the concrete where he had stood. A crater blossomed out around her fist upon impact, the sound reverbrating through the night.
"Damn..." she swore, standing slowly and looking around. "Damn, damn, damn."
"Sailor Moon?" a soft voice asked, the light, almost imperceptible sound of tiny feet on concrete reaching her ears.
"Yes, Luna?" she answered, tilting her head to the side.
"Did he get away?"
"Yes, damnit," she addressed the black cat that stared up at her, the crescent moon on its forehead gleaming. "He always runs away."
"Patience," Luna murmured. "Eventually you will corner him."
"And then what?" Sailor Moon asked. "They'll send someone else, most likely. And we'll play the whole thing out again."
"The police are coming," Luna answered, too familiar with her protege to feed her frustrations with arguments. "We should go."
"You're right," Sailor Moon nodded. "Nothing left to do here but be harassed by the police." With that, she leapt onto the nearest lightpole, then onward onto a rooftop, the cat following easily. Side by side, the two ran off into the night, where no moon was visible overhead.
*
Elsewhere, in a place where no moon had ever graced the sky above, Jaedite knelt, the energy he had retrieved held out before him in offering.
"You have done well, Jaedite," the sultry voice proclaimed from her throne. "This energy will be essential to our plans of conquest."
"You honor me, my Queen," Jaedite replied, his head bowed.
"But," she continued, as if he had not spoken. "I sense that you enjoy fighting our adversary. Perhaps a bit too much."
"I admit that my heart soars when I fight her," he said quietly. "She is a worthy opponent, my Queen. But, I would not permit that to endanger the tasks you have set down for me."
"See that it does not," Queen Beryl nodded, her eyes watching him intently. "You have redeemed yourself from your earlier blunder, of letting yourself get too involved in fighting her. My generals are too precious to be killed. Take care that your lust for combat does not overwhelm your loyalty to me."
"I am your loyal servant, my Queen," Jaedite told her. "I shall not fail you."
*
Sailor Moon landed on the roof without a sound, turning once to see Luna land neatly beside her, then walked toward the unlatched skylight before them.
"Another night and I still haven't found it, Luna," she said quietly, raising the opening in the window to let Luna drop down into the loft. "I wonder sometimes if this is really worth it."
"We can't let the Dark Kingdom acquire this world, Sailor Moon," Luna's voice drifted up as she landed smoothly on the back of a couch. "That would be disastrous."
"You know that's never been my reason for doing this," Sailor Moon replied, turning to look up at the sky for a moment before falling backwards through the opening and landing smoothly on her feet. The skylight snapped shut behind her, the latch falling into place with a click.
"Reasons aside, it is still your mission," Luna said, the words carrying the feel of a ongoing argument as she curled up on the back of the couch.
"Whatever, Luna," she laid a hand across the golden locket nestled in the red bow on her uniform and closed her eyes. It grew warm beneath her hand, and ribbons unwound from around her body, flowing back into the locket until she stood in her normal clothes once more.
As always, she reached up, touching the back of her head, relieved to find the odango and pigtails gone, leaving her with the short bob-cut she'd worn for years. That done, Tsukino Usagi placed the locket on the coffee table and crossed the room, her feet sinking slightly into the plush carpet.
"Did anything seem odd about that attack to you, Usagi?" Luna asked, watching the girl enter the kitchen and begin looking for some food.
"No," the muffled reply came back. "Standard hit and run energy drain. Nothing they haven't been doing for several years now."
"Jaedite doesn't show himself just for a hit and run, Usagi," Luna countered, yawning. "Especially not since he challenged you and lost."
"Yeah, he has been playing it safe since then," Usagi agreed, placing a container of chinese leftovers in the microwave and setting it to warm up. "Probably doesn't want to be gutted again."
"Being overconfident will cost you one day, Usagi," Luna warned, resting her head on her paws as she watched the young woman come back into the living room and settle on the couch with her dinner.
"Perhaps," Usagi agreed. "But I'll deal with that day when it comes." She switched on the tv to the news, turning it up loud enough to signal that she wasn't interested in continuing the conversation.
"In breaking news tonight," the announcer said as the screen came up. "Sailor V was again spotted this evening, preventing a bank robbery as well as several convenience store robberies."
"Wonderful," Usagi muttered. "Her again."
"You idolized her once, didn't you?" Luna asked quietly.
"Don't remind me," came the reply as she turned her attention back to the tv.
"Sailor V!" a reporter called out, rushing forward at the head of a crowd toward the figure as she dusted off her hands. "Can we get a comment?"
"I have a few minutes," the blonde said, eyes sparkling behind the mask she wore.
"What do you think of the reports about this vigilante Sailor Moon?" one screamed, shoving a microphone into her face. "And the similarities between your costume and hers? Are you her in disguise?"
"Sailor Moon is a myth," Sailor V said patiently, with the air of someone who has answered this question many times. "No one has ever seen this so-called vigilante or ever gotten her picture."
"You didn't answer if you were her, though!" Another shouted.
"Sorry, that's all the time I have for questions," Sailor V announced, flashing the victory sign at the cameras. "Take care." With that, she launched into the air, vanishing from sight as the cameramen tried to track her movements.
"Show-off," Usagi muttered, pressing the remote's channel up button and snarling as she found another news report about Sailor V.
"We at channel twelve want to extend our thanks to Sailor V, our city's protector, for the valiant efforts she puts forth to keep us all safe from harm." the anchorman was saying.
"We here at the Tsukino household want you to stuff it," Usagi retorted, mimicking the man before changing the channel yet again to a music station.
"Ooooh, Aino Minako," Usagi smiled, setting the remote down and starting on her food as Aino Minako's latest single, Moonlight Densetsu, echoed from her television's speakers.
"I don't understand how you can listen to this preprocessed garbage," Luna complained, shaking her head slowly as she regarded her charge. "Why don't you try some classical music? Tchaivosky. Mozart. Beethoven."
"They're all boring, Luna," Usagi rolled her eyes, as if the answer was obvious. "Aino Minako is not."
"Sayeth she who has never listened to them," Luna muttered, turning her head away from the televsion. "When all you listen to is that tripe, it's little wonder you fail to recognise good music when you hear it."
"Pfftt," Usagi turned her head toward the feline, sticking out her tongue. "You're just jealous that I won't let you play those cds when I'm around."
"Seeing as how I am a feline," the cat said, turning her nose up slightly. "It would hardly do for me to be bothered with something as mundane as putting the cd in the stereo. That's what you humans are for."
"Oh, right," rolling her eyes, Usagi set her food down and scooped the cat off of the back of the couch, setting Luna down in her lap. "So we're not here to pet you until you're lazing about like a lump, then?"
"Well...that too," Luna purred, curling up against Usagi's stomach. "In all seriousness, I am a bit concerned about this Sailor V's activities. She's been drawing more and more attention to herself recently. In fact, she started doing this right about the time you started drawing more attention to your activities."
"You think she's drawing attention away from Sailor Moon?" Usagi asked, frowning.
"It is possible," the cat admitted. "She may be one of the Senshi."
"And so we come back to that," Usagi sighed.
"You can't keep doing this by yourself, Usagi," Luna told her evenly. "Eventually they're going to send something you can't handle."
"I'm not going to let you wake someone else up and have what happened to my family happen to them," Usagi retorted. "The answer is still no. Now, back on topic. Sailor V. Senshi."
Luna sighed. "I suspect she may be a senshi, as I said. Not, however, one I am familiar with. She probably woke on her own. What I don't understand is why she's drawing so much attention to herself, or who, exactly, she is. My memories are clouded, but I don't remember a Sailor V from the past."
"I suppose we'll find out who she is, eventually," Usagi said, settling the cat on a cushion nearby before rising to dispose of her food. "In the meantime, I have an early day tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep." She dumped the container in the trash and placed her fork in the dishwasher, then went into her bedroom. Luna sat there a moment, an almost frown on her normally inscrutable feline face, then followed.
She narrowly missed the pair of shorts that were flung carelessly to the floor without a backward glance as her protege undressed. "Usagi, you have no shame."
"You're probably right, Luna," Usagi said, not really paying attention as she pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the floor as well.
"Are you planning to go out again tomorrow night?" Luna asked, jumping up onto the bed and watching the slender young woman pull on a oversized shirt to sleep in.
"Probably," Usagi yawned, flipping off the lights and crawling under the covers. "Sleep now. Talk tomorrow."
"Good night, Usagi-chan," Luna whispered quietly, curling up as well.
"G'night, Luna." the young woman replied, drifting off into slumber.
*
It was after three a.m., and the young woman lay blissfully unaware as she slept, curled next to the black feline she kept. He didn't know what drew him, night after night, to this place. But here he came, every night, looking down on her through the skylight above. His eyes traced the lines of her face as he touched the glass lightly, then drew away. A rustle of cloth later, and he was gone, leaving nothing but silence.
*
Tsukino Usagi had never been one to rise early. This fact had not changed, despite a multitude of other things giving way to the pressures of living alone. But, on this odd occassions that she did, in fact, give in to her baser desires and sleep late, something inevitably woke her.
Today was no exception. And the thing that chose to disrupt her sleeping was the harsh trilling of the phone by the bedstand. A muffled grunt, and a hand fumbled out from beneath the covers, lifting the cordless unit and pulling it back underneath the sheets.
"...It's only nine a.m. What could possibly be so bad?" she grumbled.
"Tsukino-san?" a bright voice said. "We need you down at the Osa-P center. There was a robbery last night. We need as many photos as possible before the police cordon off the area. You're closest. So hurry."
"...Yes, sir," Usagi hung up without another word, pushing herself free of the covers and heading for the shower.
She emerged roughly ten minutes later, scrubbing her hair while rooting around for suitable clothes. Her clothes of choice were simple. A white t-shirt with a rabbit on the front and cream-colored slacks. Grabbing her camera and equipment, she started toward the door, then stopped. A moment's frown and she turned back to the couch, grabbing the golden locket on the table and pocketing it before heading out the door without a backward glance.
The Osa-P shopping center was a fairly impressive place, all things considered. Usagi didn't spend much time there, as it was the place where she had rescued Naru multiple times. The fact that so many people were always coming and going through it made it a feeding ground for the youma.
Or it had.
After her first few stumbles, she had taken a rather brutal approach to dealing with the youma. Not long after she made a few object lessons out of the creatures, they had stopped with the incredibly juvenile schemes to gather energy and resorted to the hit and run attacks. Despite this, the Osa-P was still a prime target, and she often faced down youma here when her hunting of them left them with nowhere else to go.
Usagi shook her head and tilted the camera up, taking a shot of the building from the exterior before heading toward the doors. If she was right, she knew where the break-in had occurred. She slipped through the door, flashing her press badge at the security officer and brushing past before he could protest her presence. Her path brought her by the courtyard where she stopped, staring at the scaffolding and canvas tarps covering a good portion of the area.
"They still haven't repaired it all," she murmured, eyes falling on a section of a sculpture that was missing half its torso, the cut smooth and polished, as if done with a heated object.
"Cuts through anything," Usagi said whimsically, turning and heading for the escalator. As she expected, the jewelry store had been cordoned off, a younger woman with auburn hair arguing loudly with the mall security.
"I don't care if the entire store was looted," she was saying. "I run this store and I am going in there. Now get out of my way." She made as if to push past the guard, then saw Usagi.
"Usagi....?" her eyes widened, then she pulled away from the guard, who, caught in trying to impede her, lost his balance and fell backwards to the floor. "Usagi!"
"Hullo, Naru," Usagi said, suppressing a smile as the girl swept her up in a fierce hug.
"I haven't seen you in months, Usagi!" Naru said, stepping back. "What have you been up to?"
"Work, mostly," Usagi shrugged. "And school. Just taking care of things."
"Oh," Naru's eyes fell to the camera. "You're here to take pictures?"
"If at all possible," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "My boss said I was closest, so I got the assignment."
"Well, I think I can arrange for my best friend to get the scoop," Naru told her, grinning. "Follow me." She strode past the guard, who was still trying to get up, with Usagi close behind.
"Sometime during the night," Naru said, as Usagi began taking pictures. "We had a break-in. I was crashing in the back room after working late and came out to find him again."
"Him?" Usagi looked at Naru, pausing in mid-motion. "The gentleman bandit, as the Journal dubbed him?"
Naru nodded. "The same. All dressed up in a tuxedo and cape, with a top hat. Honestly, he looked rather silly."
"What happened then?"
She shrugged. "He saw me and ran, dropping what he had. But, he'd already made quite a mess." She swept an arm around the room, indicating the broken cases. "Honestly, I don't know what he's looking for."
Usagi made a noncommital sound, taking a few more pictures and then frowning. "Did you find the rose?"
"Rose?" Naru blinked. "Oh, yah, he always leaves a rose behind, right? Afraid not."
"Ah well," Usagi slipped between a pair of overturned cases, taking more pictures as Naru began arguing with the security guard again. Glancing back to be sure she wasn't noticed, she knelt, reaching beneath the nearest display, smiling as she found what she was looking for. A single red rose, the thorns glinting menacingly, rested in her hand.
"There you are..." she smiled slightly, holding the rose up to her nose and breathing in the scent before quickly slipping it into her camera bag.
"Naru, I've got to run. Thanks for letting me take some pictures." Before Naru could protest, Usagi left, putting her camera away as she walked, her eyes regarding the rose for a moment before she closed the bag. "I'm going to find out what you're up to, cape-boy." And she knew just who could help her out.
*
Hikawa Shrine sat on the top of a large hill, a fact that had once irked Usagi to no end due to having to climb to the top. Now, it barely registered on her as she cheerfully skipped to the top, coming to a stop at the overhang and looking around. As always, when she reached the top, the noise of the traffic on the streets below seemed to fall away, as if some unnatural silence reigned her.
That was another thing that had bothered her once. It was so quiet here. Except for the crows whenever she approached. It was almost impossible for her to sneak up on the person she had come to visit.
"Usagi."
"Aaah!" Usagi jumped, spinning to face the source of the voice. "How do you keep doing that?"
Hino Rei merely smiled. "Secret of being a shrine maiden. Can't tell you."
"Or you'll have to kill me?" Usagi smiled, walking over to the red and white clad girl.
Rei nodded. "There would be screaming, I think."
"Got a present for you," the blonde girl said, reaching into her pack and extracting the rose, which had, somehow, avoided being crushed by the camera. With a smile, she held it out.
Sighing, Rei went back to sweeping. "You could just ask, you know."
"Should have figured I couldn't fool you," Usagi muttered, lowing her arm. "I'm sorry."
"Baka Usagi," Rei murmured, exasperated. "Fix me some tea and I'll look into it."
"Yay!" Usagi squealed, hugging the dark haired girl. "You're the greatest, Rei-chan!"
"Clutz, stop molesting me or I won't be able to do this," Rei retorted, laughing.
"You're just afraid you can't resist my charms," Usagi told her, grinning impishly before darting away toward the main building.
"You..." Rei trailed off, shaking her head as she watched Usagi go, then turned toward the shed to put the broom away.
The fire crackled before them, filling the small room with warmth. Usagi sat just behind Rei, a tray with tea and cookies resting to her left.
"You really should think about tying your hair back when you do this, Rei," Usagi said pointedly, producing a ribbon and pulling Rei's hair back, tying it off neatly in a ponytail so it wasn't in danger of catching fire.
"Given that I've been doing this for several years now," Rei said, smiling at the gesture. "I don't think I have anything to worry about, Usagi. But... thank you."
Usagi beamed, settling back as Rei began to work.
Five minutes passed with nothing but the steady sound of Rei's breathing, and the frequent flaring up of the fire, a fact that made Usagi glad she'd tied off Rei's hair beforehand. Then, Rei's shoulders slumped and she opened her eyes, the fire dying down somewhat as she released a breath.
"Still nothing." Rei murmured, eyes dark.
"Damn," Usagi bit her lip, nodded, then scooted forward, her arms slipping around the raven-haired woman from behind.
"Now," Rei said, leaning into the embrace. "Where's that tea?"
"Here, let me," Usagi smiled, releasing Rei and pouring two cups halfway full with tea.
"You were out last night, weren't you?" the shrine maiden asked, staring down into the cup with a thoughtful expression.
"Just a routine sweep," Usagi admitted, looking down at her cup as well.
"And you saw him," she added, arching an eyebrow as Usagi looked up in shock.
"How did you..." Usagi began.
Rei tilted her head toward the fire. "I saw."
The blonde was silent for a moment. "Yes. Jaedite appeared last night."
"I don't need to ask if you got away, I guess," Rei murmured, after a moment. "Since you're here and all."
"Pbbtt!" Usagi sniffed. "I'll have you know he ran away."
"Still smarting after the beating you gave him?" she asked, rising gracefully and heading toward the door. She paused a moment as Usagi got up as well and followed.
"I'm not sure," was the reply. "It seemed like he wanted to fight me, but had been told not to."
"Superiors?"
"Probably," usagi shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."
Rei smiled. "Aren't we arrogant?"
"Confident," retorted Usagi. "There's a difference."
"You're not the same ditz I remember first meeting on these steps," Rei remarked.
"No?" Usagi glanced over at Rei, who smirked.
"Not at all," she said. "You're a different ditz. But a ditz all the same."
"You are so mean!" protested the other, pitching her voice into an almost squeal. "Something like that, no?"
"Just like that, clutz," Rei said, smiling now. "Where are you headed now?"
Usagi shrugged. "I need to drop these pictures off at the Journal, and then my day's free. Why?"
"I was hoping we could have lunch."
"I think I can fit you into my busy schedule," Usagi murmured, flipping through an imaginary book.
"Also," Rei said slowly, reaching into her hakama. "I have two tickets for Aino Minako's concert at the end of the week. Interested?"
Usagi stood there for a moment, then her voice erupted in a massive squeal. "Rei-chan!"
Again, Rei found herself being hugged by the shorter girl, an embrace that was just on the proper side of being too friendly. "Baka Usagi. If you bust my eardrums, I won't be able to hear."
"Alright!" Usagi crowed, her face alight the happiness. "I'll drop these off, and then we can go have lunch and plan out what we'll do for the concert. It'll be great!" She grinned, then kissed Rei soundly, leaving the raven-haired girl standing there dazed as Usagi raced off down the stairs.
"I'll meet you at Kino's!" Usagi called, waving.
Rei smiled, walking toward her house to change clothes. It was going to be a good week.
*
"Jaedite!" Beryl's voice cracked out, drawing whimpers and prompting the youma crowding the throne room to cringe. "Before me, NOW!"
"Yes, my Queen?" Jaedite said, his voice echoing before had finished appearing in front of her, kneeling gracefully.
"Your forces have been depleted severely," she remarked. "Are you certain that you can still accomplish the tasks that I desire of you?"
"I am certain, my Queen," he replied, bowing his head. "The interference of Sailor Moon is of no matter. She cannot stop our inevitable triumph."
"Be that as it may," Beryl said evenly, her voice surprisingly calm. "I can no longer afford to have you wasting my army against this girl. I am leaving you in charge of this, for the moment. But I am relieving you of your forces."
"But, my Queen!" Jaedite began, almost rising from the floor in anger.
"Be silent!" she cracked. "Except for ten that you may choose as you please, you will have no more youma. Make them count, Jaedite. Because you will not get any more chances once they are gone. I tire of this game."
Jaedite's mouth worked as he tried to form a reply, then he knelt again. "Your will, my Queen."
"Now, go," Beryl pronounced, the words echoing throughout the throne room as Jaedite vanished to the whispers of the youma.
*
Four years.
For four years, he had fulfilled every task set before him, turning countless near-defeats into partial victories by still managing to salvage energy despite the loss of youma. But now, Queen Beryl had finally reached the limit of her patience.
Sailor Moon.
It was all her fault. Since that first night at the Osa-P shopping center, where his feud with her had begun, she had bedeviled him. She seemed nothing then, a child of no account. But her eyes. Her eyes had blazed with hatred. Something had set her on the path of vengeance. He did not know what. Nor did he expect to ever find out, to learn why she had chosen him and his forces as the target of her rage. He had enjoyed it. The game of cat and mouse. She blossomed before his very eyes, from an angry, uncertain fledgling, into a powerful and fierce combatant. He supposed he was a bit in love with her. With the challenge she embodied. Fighting her had proven a thrill like few things had since he came into Beryl's service. Even when she had nearly killed him, he found that he could not be angry. It impressed him that her skills and resourcefulness had grown enough to overcome a General of the Dark Kingdom in single combat.
The most irritating thing, though, was his utter futility at unmasking her. It was as if she mocked him with impunity. Nothing he did gave him any sign of who she might be. Powerful magic shielded her identity, he was certain. Beyond his ability to break outright. But there were other ways.
Somewhere in Tokyo, there had to be someone who knew the identity of Sailor Moon. All he had to do was find that someone. Then, he would have the key to finally ending this stalemate before Beryl lost all patience with him.
But where to begin? In four years, his familiarity with this time and culture had grown, but that still was nothing to someone who had grown up here, as he suspected she had. Any plot he could hatch would be seen through for the obvious ploy that it was. So, it had to be exceptionally subtle. A thing that the ten youma he had been allotted would be useless for. Which meant the first steps of whatever plan he concocted had to start with him. Outright challenging her was futile. His last real duel with her had proven that. No. For this, he had to tilt the odds in his favor.
"A gauntlet..." he murmured aloud, pondering. "If I dispatch the youma to locations I've used before, that are heavily populated... I can use the presence of people against her. Hinder her freedom to fight." Indeed, that was the youma's biggest weakness against her. The alleyways and streets of the city favored her more than the creatures of the Dark Kingdom.
Jaedite turned, his thoughts racing. "So if I dispatch the youma in quick succession, in situations that they have an upper hand, she will run herself ragged to stop them. And while she's trying to contain the flood, I find someone who knows. Someone that Sailor Moon will place value upon over her own life. Then...."
It could work. But before he dispatched the youma, he had to find that leverage on Sailor Moon. It went against everything that had developed between them, but it was time to end this.
"I apologise, Sailor Moon," Jaedite said to the air. "But my Queen must be obeyed." A plan developing, Jaedite faded away from his chambers, to prepare for his victory.
*
Rain pelted against the skylight as Usagi laid in bed, one arm curled loosely around Rei, who was sleeping peacefully. Usagi, however, was not. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the barely visible sky through the rain-covered window above. She could feel the moon. Without even trying, she could pick out its exact position as it moved across the night sky.
It called to her.
On nights like this, it was easier. The clouds obscured it from view and thus, its pull weakened. But it was always there, tugging at her. Somewhere there was something that demanded her attention. A need for Sailor Moon.
Once, she would have answered it without a second thought. Hoping that the youma she would inevitably find would be the one she had sought every night for four years. But it never was. Now, she went out both for that, and for other reasons.
A reason that currently slept in the bed with her, pressed close for warmth.
And that was the reason she was going out tonight.
Without disturbing her companion, she carefully slid from bed, tucking the covers around the sleeping raven-haired beauty and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well, Rei."
Luna stood on the bathroom counter as she quietly closed the door, watching her, eyes serious. "You're going out?"
"Yes," Usagi whispered, nodding. "Watch her, please?"
"Be careful, Usagi," Luna whispered as the blonde's expression turned to steel and five words slipped from her lips.
"Moon Prism Power...Make up!" Light flared in the bathroom, momentarily blinding the feline as magic swirled within the room. When the brilliance faded, Tsukino Usagi stood transformed.
Red and white boots surrounded her legs to just below the knees, a blue skirt attached to a white body-suit and red ribbon that covered her torso. Nestled in the center of the ribbon was a golden locket, glinting in the flourescent light. A red ribbon circled her neck, a crescent moon glinting on it. Tiny crescent moon earrings dangled from her ears, and a golden tiara rested on her forehead. As always, the twin odango & ponytails had returned, hair ornaments of red and gold attached to them now. Lastly, white gloves covered her arms to just above the elbow.
"I'll be back in a few hours, Luna," Sailor Moon told her mentor, stepping over to the window above the shower and pushing it open so it leaned outward. Her hands gripped the edge and she pulled herself through, her feet the last thing Luna saw as she departed.
"She's gone?" Rei asked quietly from the doorway, a sheet wrapped around her body.
Luna nodded silently, saying nothing as Rei walked over to the shower, reaching up to close the window.
"Can't let the rain in," Rei said, voice held steady, with only the faintest hint of worry. She turned to the cat as the latch clicked. "Would you like some ice cream, Luna? I think I need some."
Again, Luna nodded, saying nothing. Rei scooped the feline up and together they went back into the main apartment to wait.
*
The rain had started coming down harder since she had set out, and it was now close to flooding in some areas. She hadn't found a youma yet, but had managed to help a few people out here and there.
"As bad as Sailor V," she muttered, stopping on a roof to look around. "Stopping muggers and such." Sighing, Sailor Moon closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses. There had to be something...
There.
Her eyes snapped open and she backed up, then started running toward the roof's edge. Without breaking stride, she leapt into the air, coming down across the street with enough force to crack the cement. Not stopping, she continued on, crossing several streets in this fashion until she reached a darkened alleyway and launched herself into the air. She spun in the air, diving straight down at the youma standing there, terrorising a group of thugs.
The impact sent the youma sprawling before the feet of the terrified punks.
"Go," Sailor Moon told them, voice firm. "Before you get hurt."
The five boys all nodded, eyes wide, and took off running as fast as they could.
"Now then," Sailor Moon said brightly, tilting her head to look down at the youma. "Where were we? Ah, yes." She kicked the youma viciously in the ribs, hard enough to send it flying into the nearby building.
"Destroyer..." it hissed, finally getting a good look at her.
"Why yes, I will be yours in a moment," she agreed, neatly sidestepping its charge as she spoke. "I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am."
"I will not be killed by you!" it snarled, throwing a punch at her.
She caught it effortlessly in her hand. "You know. I would have some witty remark here any other time, but frankly, you're boring. You haven't said anything that the rest of your kind haven't already told me." A quick twist, and the youma over-balanced, its arm wrenched painfully to the side. Sailor Moon's free hand came around, clenched into a fist, and struck the creature squarely in the torso. The blow drove it back several feet toward the mouth of the alley. It slumped there, holding an arm to its midsection, then snarled.
"DIE!" Both hands came up, lightning crackling between them, that arced out toward her.
"Pathetic," she muttered, one hand catching her tiara as it fell free, already beginning to change shape. A rustle of cloth obscured her vision and strong arms encircled her before she could finish her attack, someone carrying her to the roof above.
"Let go!" she snarled, struggling against whoever held her as they landed. She whirled to stare down into the alley, looking for the youma. The alley lay dark and empty, though. It had fled in her moment of distraction.
"Are you alright?" a male voice asked behind her, a white gloved hand settling on her shoulder. "It didn't hurt you..." His words cut off in a grunt as she drove her elbow into his stomach, then spun, punching him in the face viciously.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Sailor Moon snarled. "It got away!"
He stared up at her through his white domino mask, one hand to his jaw, clearly confused. "But... you were right in the way of its attack... I saved you."
She looked at him for a moment, then snorted. "I was about to wipe the damned thing out. Do me a favor, freak, don't bother me again. I don't need saving."
"This is wrong," he said, clearly still confused. "I'm supposed to save you..."
"Yes, it is!" she agreed, voice rising. "And no, you're not. I'm not a damsel in distress and you're not my white knight on his horse. In fact, I don't even know who you are."
"Tuxedo Kamen..." he murmured, rising slowly.
"Oh, well that's a clever nickname," Sailor Moon snorted. "Just... do me a favor and don't get in my way again." She turned to go, then stopped.
"Oh, and one other thing," she turned to face him, then punched him again, once more knocking him down. "That was for the hands." That said, she leapt down into the alley, vanishing out of sight.
Tuxedo Kamen sat there for a moment more, trying to figure out what had just happened here. And why it felt as if his entire universe were several notes away from where it should have been. He sat there a bit longer, the rain pouring down from above, then got to his feet again and disappeared into the night as well.
*
Sailor Moon skidded to a stop in the main section of the park, looking around in frustration. "Damn! It got away."
The night was turning exceedingly less pleasant. The youma had escaped, due to the interloper and now she was standing here, in the pouring rain, searching for it futilely.
"I should have punched him a few more times," she muttered, shaking her head. "As it is, I might make it back in time not to have Rei yell at me." Frustrated, she set off at a run toward home.
She arrived about ten minutes later, frowning irritably at the bathroom window as it had somehow been latched, and dropped into the bathroom silently. A quick touch of her brooch, and she was again Tsukino Usagi. Humming under her breath, she quietly opened the bathroom door and walked out into the main area of the apartment.
"You're back?"
Usagi jumped, then turned her head to regard Rei. "You take an inordinate amount of pleasure in doing that, I swear."
"It amazes me how the scourge of the Dark Kingdom can be so easily surprised," Rei murmured, seated at the table near the bed, a mug of hot chocolate held in her hands that she was watching Usagi over.
"Don't tell anyone," Usagi replied, yawning as she opened the refrigerator and extracted the milk jug and poured a glass. "Why are you up?"
"Waiting," Rei told her. "And thinking."
"About?"
"What you've been keeping from me."
The glass of milk hit the floor, shattering as Usagi stared at Rei, paling. "What?"
"Baka Usagi," Rei murmured, exasperated as she rose from the table and began cleaning the mess up. "I was talking about the photo assignment you've got next week in Hokkaido. You can't go to Aino Minako's concert."
"Oh," Usagi turned away, digging in the closet for the mop. "That."
"That is the only thing you haven't told me, isn't it, Usagi?" Rei asked from the floor, her voice like steel.
"Where the hell is the mop?" Usagi snapped, glowering at the closet.
"Usagi."
"I don't want to talk about this, Rei," the blonde replied, not looking at the raven-haired female.
"Then, when?" Rei murmured, letting the pieces of the cup fall to the floor from her hands.
"How does never sound?" Usagi growled. "Is never good?"
"There's no need to get angry, Usagi. It is just a question."
"Not one I want to answer," the blonde retorted.
"Fine," Rei snorted, her own temper coming to the fore. "When you feel like talking, you know where to find me." She stood, moving over to collect her clothes from the floor and began to get dressed. Usagi watched her for a moment, then opened her mouth.
"Baka," Rei announced, fastening her bra as she spoke. "As I said, when you feel like talking, come find me." She pulled her shirt on, grabbed her jacket, and walked out without another word.
"Rei..." Usagi stood there in the kitchen, staring at the door as it closed. Then, she sighed, digging out the mop and broom to begin cleaning up.
* The Past
"You know your mother doesn't think this appropriate," the slender female in the red gown whispered, eyes half-lidded as she almost purred.
"My mother," the other said, muffled somewhat. "Is a dreadful bore and thinks I should marry that Prince from Terra."
"It is a politically sound marriage, Princess," her companion replied, sitting up on her elbows to regard the blonde as she lay sprawled on the bed next to her, head resting against the pillow. "And he is not unattractive."
"Yes, he is handsome," she admitted, irritation in her voice. "But he has the manners of a pig and insulted me. In fact, I think he's carrying on with his bodyguards." She sniffed, eyes twinkling with mischief.
The other giggled, turning to regard the Princess. "You shouldn't tell tales, Princess."
"Who says I'm telling tales?" she replied, laughing. "It's little wonder he was so rude, given that I interrupted his tryst with the brown-haired member of his guard. Nephlite? Nephrite?"
"His name is Nephrite," the Senshi of Mars said with a sigh, shaking her head at her Princess. "And I find it hard to believe that he is having trysts with his bodyguards while here to formalise his betrothal to you. That would be a massive insult to the Queen. She would hardly abide such an action."
"Mother has been too busy closeted with the senshi from the outer planets to notice any such thing," the Princess grinned. "And while Luna and Artemis have been handling the negotiations, they can't observe every single thing that the Prince has been doing."
"Selene..." the Senshi of Mars began. "What have you seen?"
"Oh, nothing," Selene laughed. "Except for Endymion and Nephrite being very friendly in the royal gardens."
"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked, raising one perfect eyebrow. "This isn't some prank you and Aphrodite set up, is it?"
"This is far too good for us to bother with that," Selene laughed. "Though, letting it get back to my mother isn't a bad idea. Maybe it will disgrace him enough in her eyes that I won't have to go through with this marriage."
"You're a Princess, Selene," came the patient reply. "You will be Queen one day. You don't have the luxury of doing things at a whim."
"If I can't be with who I want, then I don't want to be Queen," she told her Senshi firmly. "Mother knows I don't like this too-pretty Prince and his overbearing entourage. Yet she still insists on trying to force this through, because it will be 'politically convenient.' I think not. The only person I might ever want to marry, is you, Phoebe."
"I'm flattered that you feel that way, Princess," Phoebe murmured. "But you know that can't ever happen."
"We'll see about that." Selene said darkly, turning to place a single, chaste kiss on her companion's lips. "I'm going to go talk to mother. Take care of yourself." With that, she slid off of the bed, brushing her dress out and departed with a smile.
* The Present
The door had been smashed in, the door frame itself also badly damaged.
"Shingo, stay here," Usagi said, giving him a look that brooked no argument. Carefully, she stepped through the rubble of the door, entering the living room of her house.
And stopped, gasping.
There was blood everywhere. The walls. The floor. The furniture. All of it. Covered in blood.
"U-usagi-chan..." a voice rasped out. Usagi blinked, her eyes falling on her parents. Her mother had spoken, one hand raised weakly.
"Momma..." Usagi whispered, something inside her welling up in response as tears tracked from her eyes. "Poppa..."
She took a step toward them. Then something heavy struck her from behind, pitching her down where her parents lay. She twisted over, eyes searching for what had attacked her. And she saw. And screamed.
"Pretty girl.." it hissed, hunched over, a pulsating mass of red and black that defied the imagination. "Pretty shiny girl..."
"Usagi!" Shingo yelled from the doorway, having rushed in.
"Shingo! GO! Get away!" she screamed at him. "
"Kill pretty girl..." it hissed, started to lunge at her. A rush of feet, and someone slammed into her, pushing her away. She slumped, dazed, and then recovered awareness. The thing held Shingo, hissing at him as he struggled.
"Shingo!" Usagi screamed, starting to crawl toward them, but slipping in the blood. So much blood.
"Annoyingstupidboy," the creature hissed at Shingo, shaking him violently. "Make stupidboy suffer." A black star coalesced on the surface of the creature's chest. Light crackled from it, striking Shingo in the chest. He began to scream, as if he were being torn apart.
"SHINGO!" Usagi's scream was piercing as she again tried to get up. There had to be...
"Someone..." she whispered. "Anyone...help..."
"Usagi." a voice said, drawing her attention. A black cat stood before her, almost crying. And it spoke.
"Awaken."
Light consumed everything.
Flash.
"No one's really sure what happened," the detective said to his superior who had just arrived. "Screaming was reported at around five in the afternoon, and the first patrolmen on the scene found her, crying and holding her younger brother in her arms. The parents were dead, and whatever happened, it was a doozy. The place was completely trashed." He pointed at the huge hole in the building on the side facing the street.
"Witnesses reported a red and black, and I quote, monster, tearing its way out of the house, leaving a trail of, and I quote again, red slime and blood in its wake." he continued, rolling his eyes. "The girl apparently also chopped off her hair. Two lengths of it were in a pile near her. As near as we can tell, during whatever happened, she fell and got her parents' blood all over her hair. Probably freaked."
"Think she did it?" the chief asked, frowning.
"Killed them?" the detective shook his head. "Not a chance. Whatever did that in there was insane. And definitely not the work of a teenage girl."
"What about the brother?"
"Well... we're not really sure," the detective admitted. "Physically, he's only got a few bruises and maybe a cracked rib. But... he's even less there than the girl. She at least is somewhat aware. Hysterical, but aware. The boy... it's like he's not even there."
Flash.
"Tsukino Usagi," the judiciary said, giving the blankly staring girl as comforting a smile as he could manage. "Until you reach the age of majority, I am remanding you to the custody of your aunt."
"Come, Usagi-chan," her aunt said quietly, leading the girl away without a word.
A few hours later, she sat in a quiet bedroom, the walls blank and unadorned. She did as she had been doing for the past three days. Staring at nothing.
"Usagi." the voice said again. Her head turned slightly, regarding the black cat with almost a hint of awareness.
"I'm so sorry, Usagi..." the cat continued, almost crying as it lunged forward, burying itself against her midsection."
"Luna..." the girl said, her voice rough with disuse.
Flash.
Naru was screaming. The thing that had pretended to be her mother loomed over her, one hand reaching out menacingly.
There was a hiss. And a golden light streaked past Naru's cheek, tearing into the creature above her. It screamed, the sound hideous as it dissolved into nothing.
Then he was there. Eyes cold as he regarded her for a moment. Then he saluted once and vanished.
Tsukino Usagi woke with a gasp, almost screaming out.
Luna was there, batting her head against Usagi's arm to get her attention and calm her as she had done countless times before.
"The nightmare again?" Luna asked as the girl's eyes refocused in the present and she scooped the cat up in her arms.
Usagi said nothing, merely nodding, eyes bright with unshed tears.
"You haven't had one in a while," Luna murmured, resting against Usagi.
"No," Usagi agreed. "When Rei's here, they don't come."
"I'm sorry about all this, Usagi," the cat said. "Rei was very inquisitive this evening. I thought I had diverted as usual. It seems that she's not buying the excuses anymore."
"It's alright, Luna," Usagi whispered. "I knew this would happen. As much as I wanted it to be different."
"Are you going to tell her, then?"
"Soon," she said. "But not yet. I...can't."
"Go back to sleep, Usagi-chan," Luna told her charge. "I'll make sure you have no more bad dreams." With that, she met Usagi's eyes, her golden crescent flashing once, and the young woman fell back onto the bed into dreamless sleep.
"Usagi-chan.." Luna whispered, eyes sad as she watched the slumbering girl. "Why did it all have to be like this?"
She was watching from across the street as the raven-haired young woman began the ascent up the stairs to Hikawa Shrine. She was the only one who knew that the one she watched was crying, heart torn over events earlier in the night. She knew all of this. It didn't change that she was unable to do anything but watch. She had watched as a civilization unrivaled in its glory had fallen to the whims of a mad queen and her demented obsessions. She had been unable to do anything then. But now... she would act and hope that the tragedies of the past would not repeat themselves.
"Forgive me, Mars," she whispered to the wind, watching her prey's back as she vanished over the crest of the hill. She raised one hand, palm up, and blew air across it, as if blowing something away in the direction of the shrine. With a single pained look in the direction of the shrine, she turned to go, green hair that was almost black swirling out behind her. Two steps, and she vanished, leaving the rain-wet sidewalk dark and empty.
End Chapter One.
C&C is appreciated. Off-list is preferred.
.---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
| Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
| Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
| Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject |
`---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'
"Please... don't hurt me!" the young woman cried out, backing away as her boyfriend fell limp from the arms of the thing that had attacked them as they were heading home.
"I won't hurt you..." it said, it's face twisted in a hideous leer as it took a step forward. "I'll simply drain you of your energy for my Queen!" It reached out, one clawed hand flexing menacingly, toward the young woman.
"Noooo!"
A moment later, the young woman lay still, her chest rising slowly.
"Lord Jaedite will be pleased," the creature hissed, then crouched before launching itself into the air, aiming for the nearby roof.
A colored blur struck as it was halfway through the jump, slamming into it with enough force to pitch the creature back to the pavement in the alley way.
"I had almost given up hope that one of you would show your face tonight," a voice said cheerfully. "Thank you so much for not dissapointing me, youma."
The youma hissed, moving into a crouch as it scanned the area. It was her. It had to be. The Destroyer.
"Behind you," the voice said, a velvet whisper in the dim alley way. The youma hissed, spinning, its claws extended to shred whatever might be there.
They met only air.
"Ooops, too slow," came the voice again, from above, mocking. "Have to be faster if you want to live."
The youma crouched again, hissing still, then shot from the alley way at a sprint.
"Looks like this one might be a bit smarter than the last few," the voice remarked, before a shadow detached itself from the ledge above where the youma had stood and took off at a run across the rooftop after the creature, twin pigtails trailing behind her as she ran.
Alternate Views
A Sailor Moon Fiction
The youma's breath burned in its lungs as it ran, sparing a second every few minutes to look back over its shoulder fearfully. Seeing nothing, it slowed down, gasping for air.
"Shouldn't have stopped, youma," the voice of the Destroyer called out, air whistling as the hunter catapulted off of the roof, feet smashing into the middle of the youma's back, sending it sprawling. The figure backflipped out of the attack, using her momentum to land gracefully.
"I will not be taken by you, destroyer!" the youma screamed, regaining its feet with startling swiftness and lunging at the shadowed figure of its attacker.
"The last fifty said the same thing," retorted her attacker, smoothly moving out of the way of the charge and seizing the creature's arm in the same instant, throwing it into a light post with all the momentum of the avoided charge. The lightpost bent around the youma's body with a loud clang. "You're no different from them."
"Raaaarrrr!" it screamed, charging at her again, enraged.
"This ends," the voice whispered, blocking the attack with a sharp kick to the chest, before spinning once with another kick that flung the youma up into the air. For a moment, it seemed to hang there, motionless.
"Moon Tiara...Action," the words wafted across the gap as the youma hung there, its eyes widening as it realised it was going to die.
The spinning golden disc tore through the air with a hiss, and the youma convulsed once, then exploded into sparkles, leaving behind a glowing sphere of energy.
"I'll just return this to those people, I suppose," the figure said, catching the disc in one hand as it returned to its original shape, a golden tiara with a jewel in the center.
Lightning raked across the ground before she could reach the sphere, stopping her just short of it. "Not so quickly."
"And the king shows himself again..." she murmured, the tiara settling on her forehead. "I was wondering when you'd grace me with your presence...Jaedite."
"I'll be taking that energy, Sailor Moon," the hard cold voice spoke again, a blonde male appeared, clad in a military-style uniform.
"Considering the outcome of our last little fight, I don't recommend you try that." the female said, the lightning's flashes illuminating her at last. Golden hair crowned her features, twin buns with ponytails reaching down to her knees on either side of her head. A red, white, and blue fuku adorned her body, a red collar with a moon on it circled her neck.
"That was a fluke," he snarled. "You will not fare so well next time." He put out a hand, and the energy sphere floated toward him.
"Your side still bothering you?" Sailor Moon asked sweetly, an almost smile on her face that did not reach her eyes.
"Begone, Destroyer," Jaedite snapped, the sphere hovering above his hand. "You'll find no more prey tonight."
"You're partly right," she agreed. "Only you left to finish off." With that, she sprang at him, all trace of humor gone.
"Predictable," Jaedite murmured, his other hand coming up. Light flickered before him, a rounded barrier springing up just seconds before she reached him. She struck it and rebounded, landing in a crouch and launching herself forward again. He inwardly allowed a smile, remembering how she had landed in an ungainly tangle of limbs once, long ago, when they had fought like this. But now, she didn't waste time crying for help. She merely changed tactics, launching herself up before she reached his barrier.
"Another time, Sailor Moon," Jaedite said, saluting as he faded away, the energy sphere in hand. She came down in a rush, fist at the ready, but passed only through air to strike the concrete where he had stood. A crater blossomed out around her fist upon impact, the sound reverbrating through the night.
"Damn..." she swore, standing slowly and looking around. "Damn, damn, damn."
"Sailor Moon?" a soft voice asked, the light, almost imperceptible sound of tiny feet on concrete reaching her ears.
"Yes, Luna?" she answered, tilting her head to the side.
"Did he get away?"
"Yes, damnit," she addressed the black cat that stared up at her, the crescent moon on its forehead gleaming. "He always runs away."
"Patience," Luna murmured. "Eventually you will corner him."
"And then what?" Sailor Moon asked. "They'll send someone else, most likely. And we'll play the whole thing out again."
"The police are coming," Luna answered, too familiar with her protege to feed her frustrations with arguments. "We should go."
"You're right," Sailor Moon nodded. "Nothing left to do here but be harassed by the police." With that, she leapt onto the nearest lightpole, then onward onto a rooftop, the cat following easily. Side by side, the two ran off into the night, where no moon was visible overhead.
*
Elsewhere, in a place where no moon had ever graced the sky above, Jaedite knelt, the energy he had retrieved held out before him in offering.
"You have done well, Jaedite," the sultry voice proclaimed from her throne. "This energy will be essential to our plans of conquest."
"You honor me, my Queen," Jaedite replied, his head bowed.
"But," she continued, as if he had not spoken. "I sense that you enjoy fighting our adversary. Perhaps a bit too much."
"I admit that my heart soars when I fight her," he said quietly. "She is a worthy opponent, my Queen. But, I would not permit that to endanger the tasks you have set down for me."
"See that it does not," Queen Beryl nodded, her eyes watching him intently. "You have redeemed yourself from your earlier blunder, of letting yourself get too involved in fighting her. My generals are too precious to be killed. Take care that your lust for combat does not overwhelm your loyalty to me."
"I am your loyal servant, my Queen," Jaedite told her. "I shall not fail you."
*
Sailor Moon landed on the roof without a sound, turning once to see Luna land neatly beside her, then walked toward the unlatched skylight before them.
"Another night and I still haven't found it, Luna," she said quietly, raising the opening in the window to let Luna drop down into the loft. "I wonder sometimes if this is really worth it."
"We can't let the Dark Kingdom acquire this world, Sailor Moon," Luna's voice drifted up as she landed smoothly on the back of a couch. "That would be disastrous."
"You know that's never been my reason for doing this," Sailor Moon replied, turning to look up at the sky for a moment before falling backwards through the opening and landing smoothly on her feet. The skylight snapped shut behind her, the latch falling into place with a click.
"Reasons aside, it is still your mission," Luna said, the words carrying the feel of a ongoing argument as she curled up on the back of the couch.
"Whatever, Luna," she laid a hand across the golden locket nestled in the red bow on her uniform and closed her eyes. It grew warm beneath her hand, and ribbons unwound from around her body, flowing back into the locket until she stood in her normal clothes once more.
As always, she reached up, touching the back of her head, relieved to find the odango and pigtails gone, leaving her with the short bob-cut she'd worn for years. That done, Tsukino Usagi placed the locket on the coffee table and crossed the room, her feet sinking slightly into the plush carpet.
"Did anything seem odd about that attack to you, Usagi?" Luna asked, watching the girl enter the kitchen and begin looking for some food.
"No," the muffled reply came back. "Standard hit and run energy drain. Nothing they haven't been doing for several years now."
"Jaedite doesn't show himself just for a hit and run, Usagi," Luna countered, yawning. "Especially not since he challenged you and lost."
"Yeah, he has been playing it safe since then," Usagi agreed, placing a container of chinese leftovers in the microwave and setting it to warm up. "Probably doesn't want to be gutted again."
"Being overconfident will cost you one day, Usagi," Luna warned, resting her head on her paws as she watched the young woman come back into the living room and settle on the couch with her dinner.
"Perhaps," Usagi agreed. "But I'll deal with that day when it comes." She switched on the tv to the news, turning it up loud enough to signal that she wasn't interested in continuing the conversation.
"In breaking news tonight," the announcer said as the screen came up. "Sailor V was again spotted this evening, preventing a bank robbery as well as several convenience store robberies."
"Wonderful," Usagi muttered. "Her again."
"You idolized her once, didn't you?" Luna asked quietly.
"Don't remind me," came the reply as she turned her attention back to the tv.
"Sailor V!" a reporter called out, rushing forward at the head of a crowd toward the figure as she dusted off her hands. "Can we get a comment?"
"I have a few minutes," the blonde said, eyes sparkling behind the mask she wore.
"What do you think of the reports about this vigilante Sailor Moon?" one screamed, shoving a microphone into her face. "And the similarities between your costume and hers? Are you her in disguise?"
"Sailor Moon is a myth," Sailor V said patiently, with the air of someone who has answered this question many times. "No one has ever seen this so-called vigilante or ever gotten her picture."
"You didn't answer if you were her, though!" Another shouted.
"Sorry, that's all the time I have for questions," Sailor V announced, flashing the victory sign at the cameras. "Take care." With that, she launched into the air, vanishing from sight as the cameramen tried to track her movements.
"Show-off," Usagi muttered, pressing the remote's channel up button and snarling as she found another news report about Sailor V.
"We at channel twelve want to extend our thanks to Sailor V, our city's protector, for the valiant efforts she puts forth to keep us all safe from harm." the anchorman was saying.
"We here at the Tsukino household want you to stuff it," Usagi retorted, mimicking the man before changing the channel yet again to a music station.
"Ooooh, Aino Minako," Usagi smiled, setting the remote down and starting on her food as Aino Minako's latest single, Moonlight Densetsu, echoed from her television's speakers.
"I don't understand how you can listen to this preprocessed garbage," Luna complained, shaking her head slowly as she regarded her charge. "Why don't you try some classical music? Tchaivosky. Mozart. Beethoven."
"They're all boring, Luna," Usagi rolled her eyes, as if the answer was obvious. "Aino Minako is not."
"Sayeth she who has never listened to them," Luna muttered, turning her head away from the televsion. "When all you listen to is that tripe, it's little wonder you fail to recognise good music when you hear it."
"Pfftt," Usagi turned her head toward the feline, sticking out her tongue. "You're just jealous that I won't let you play those cds when I'm around."
"Seeing as how I am a feline," the cat said, turning her nose up slightly. "It would hardly do for me to be bothered with something as mundane as putting the cd in the stereo. That's what you humans are for."
"Oh, right," rolling her eyes, Usagi set her food down and scooped the cat off of the back of the couch, setting Luna down in her lap. "So we're not here to pet you until you're lazing about like a lump, then?"
"Well...that too," Luna purred, curling up against Usagi's stomach. "In all seriousness, I am a bit concerned about this Sailor V's activities. She's been drawing more and more attention to herself recently. In fact, she started doing this right about the time you started drawing more attention to your activities."
"You think she's drawing attention away from Sailor Moon?" Usagi asked, frowning.
"It is possible," the cat admitted. "She may be one of the Senshi."
"And so we come back to that," Usagi sighed.
"You can't keep doing this by yourself, Usagi," Luna told her evenly. "Eventually they're going to send something you can't handle."
"I'm not going to let you wake someone else up and have what happened to my family happen to them," Usagi retorted. "The answer is still no. Now, back on topic. Sailor V. Senshi."
Luna sighed. "I suspect she may be a senshi, as I said. Not, however, one I am familiar with. She probably woke on her own. What I don't understand is why she's drawing so much attention to herself, or who, exactly, she is. My memories are clouded, but I don't remember a Sailor V from the past."
"I suppose we'll find out who she is, eventually," Usagi said, settling the cat on a cushion nearby before rising to dispose of her food. "In the meantime, I have an early day tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep." She dumped the container in the trash and placed her fork in the dishwasher, then went into her bedroom. Luna sat there a moment, an almost frown on her normally inscrutable feline face, then followed.
She narrowly missed the pair of shorts that were flung carelessly to the floor without a backward glance as her protege undressed. "Usagi, you have no shame."
"You're probably right, Luna," Usagi said, not really paying attention as she pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the floor as well.
"Are you planning to go out again tomorrow night?" Luna asked, jumping up onto the bed and watching the slender young woman pull on a oversized shirt to sleep in.
"Probably," Usagi yawned, flipping off the lights and crawling under the covers. "Sleep now. Talk tomorrow."
"Good night, Usagi-chan," Luna whispered quietly, curling up as well.
"G'night, Luna." the young woman replied, drifting off into slumber.
*
It was after three a.m., and the young woman lay blissfully unaware as she slept, curled next to the black feline she kept. He didn't know what drew him, night after night, to this place. But here he came, every night, looking down on her through the skylight above. His eyes traced the lines of her face as he touched the glass lightly, then drew away. A rustle of cloth later, and he was gone, leaving nothing but silence.
*
Tsukino Usagi had never been one to rise early. This fact had not changed, despite a multitude of other things giving way to the pressures of living alone. But, on this odd occassions that she did, in fact, give in to her baser desires and sleep late, something inevitably woke her.
Today was no exception. And the thing that chose to disrupt her sleeping was the harsh trilling of the phone by the bedstand. A muffled grunt, and a hand fumbled out from beneath the covers, lifting the cordless unit and pulling it back underneath the sheets.
"...It's only nine a.m. What could possibly be so bad?" she grumbled.
"Tsukino-san?" a bright voice said. "We need you down at the Osa-P center. There was a robbery last night. We need as many photos as possible before the police cordon off the area. You're closest. So hurry."
"...Yes, sir," Usagi hung up without another word, pushing herself free of the covers and heading for the shower.
She emerged roughly ten minutes later, scrubbing her hair while rooting around for suitable clothes. Her clothes of choice were simple. A white t-shirt with a rabbit on the front and cream-colored slacks. Grabbing her camera and equipment, she started toward the door, then stopped. A moment's frown and she turned back to the couch, grabbing the golden locket on the table and pocketing it before heading out the door without a backward glance.
The Osa-P shopping center was a fairly impressive place, all things considered. Usagi didn't spend much time there, as it was the place where she had rescued Naru multiple times. The fact that so many people were always coming and going through it made it a feeding ground for the youma.
Or it had.
After her first few stumbles, she had taken a rather brutal approach to dealing with the youma. Not long after she made a few object lessons out of the creatures, they had stopped with the incredibly juvenile schemes to gather energy and resorted to the hit and run attacks. Despite this, the Osa-P was still a prime target, and she often faced down youma here when her hunting of them left them with nowhere else to go.
Usagi shook her head and tilted the camera up, taking a shot of the building from the exterior before heading toward the doors. If she was right, she knew where the break-in had occurred. She slipped through the door, flashing her press badge at the security officer and brushing past before he could protest her presence. Her path brought her by the courtyard where she stopped, staring at the scaffolding and canvas tarps covering a good portion of the area.
"They still haven't repaired it all," she murmured, eyes falling on a section of a sculpture that was missing half its torso, the cut smooth and polished, as if done with a heated object.
"Cuts through anything," Usagi said whimsically, turning and heading for the escalator. As she expected, the jewelry store had been cordoned off, a younger woman with auburn hair arguing loudly with the mall security.
"I don't care if the entire store was looted," she was saying. "I run this store and I am going in there. Now get out of my way." She made as if to push past the guard, then saw Usagi.
"Usagi....?" her eyes widened, then she pulled away from the guard, who, caught in trying to impede her, lost his balance and fell backwards to the floor. "Usagi!"
"Hullo, Naru," Usagi said, suppressing a smile as the girl swept her up in a fierce hug.
"I haven't seen you in months, Usagi!" Naru said, stepping back. "What have you been up to?"
"Work, mostly," Usagi shrugged. "And school. Just taking care of things."
"Oh," Naru's eyes fell to the camera. "You're here to take pictures?"
"If at all possible," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "My boss said I was closest, so I got the assignment."
"Well, I think I can arrange for my best friend to get the scoop," Naru told her, grinning. "Follow me." She strode past the guard, who was still trying to get up, with Usagi close behind.
"Sometime during the night," Naru said, as Usagi began taking pictures. "We had a break-in. I was crashing in the back room after working late and came out to find him again."
"Him?" Usagi looked at Naru, pausing in mid-motion. "The gentleman bandit, as the Journal dubbed him?"
Naru nodded. "The same. All dressed up in a tuxedo and cape, with a top hat. Honestly, he looked rather silly."
"What happened then?"
She shrugged. "He saw me and ran, dropping what he had. But, he'd already made quite a mess." She swept an arm around the room, indicating the broken cases. "Honestly, I don't know what he's looking for."
Usagi made a noncommital sound, taking a few more pictures and then frowning. "Did you find the rose?"
"Rose?" Naru blinked. "Oh, yah, he always leaves a rose behind, right? Afraid not."
"Ah well," Usagi slipped between a pair of overturned cases, taking more pictures as Naru began arguing with the security guard again. Glancing back to be sure she wasn't noticed, she knelt, reaching beneath the nearest display, smiling as she found what she was looking for. A single red rose, the thorns glinting menacingly, rested in her hand.
"There you are..." she smiled slightly, holding the rose up to her nose and breathing in the scent before quickly slipping it into her camera bag.
"Naru, I've got to run. Thanks for letting me take some pictures." Before Naru could protest, Usagi left, putting her camera away as she walked, her eyes regarding the rose for a moment before she closed the bag. "I'm going to find out what you're up to, cape-boy." And she knew just who could help her out.
*
Hikawa Shrine sat on the top of a large hill, a fact that had once irked Usagi to no end due to having to climb to the top. Now, it barely registered on her as she cheerfully skipped to the top, coming to a stop at the overhang and looking around. As always, when she reached the top, the noise of the traffic on the streets below seemed to fall away, as if some unnatural silence reigned her.
That was another thing that had bothered her once. It was so quiet here. Except for the crows whenever she approached. It was almost impossible for her to sneak up on the person she had come to visit.
"Usagi."
"Aaah!" Usagi jumped, spinning to face the source of the voice. "How do you keep doing that?"
Hino Rei merely smiled. "Secret of being a shrine maiden. Can't tell you."
"Or you'll have to kill me?" Usagi smiled, walking over to the red and white clad girl.
Rei nodded. "There would be screaming, I think."
"Got a present for you," the blonde girl said, reaching into her pack and extracting the rose, which had, somehow, avoided being crushed by the camera. With a smile, she held it out.
Sighing, Rei went back to sweeping. "You could just ask, you know."
"Should have figured I couldn't fool you," Usagi muttered, lowing her arm. "I'm sorry."
"Baka Usagi," Rei murmured, exasperated. "Fix me some tea and I'll look into it."
"Yay!" Usagi squealed, hugging the dark haired girl. "You're the greatest, Rei-chan!"
"Clutz, stop molesting me or I won't be able to do this," Rei retorted, laughing.
"You're just afraid you can't resist my charms," Usagi told her, grinning impishly before darting away toward the main building.
"You..." Rei trailed off, shaking her head as she watched Usagi go, then turned toward the shed to put the broom away.
The fire crackled before them, filling the small room with warmth. Usagi sat just behind Rei, a tray with tea and cookies resting to her left.
"You really should think about tying your hair back when you do this, Rei," Usagi said pointedly, producing a ribbon and pulling Rei's hair back, tying it off neatly in a ponytail so it wasn't in danger of catching fire.
"Given that I've been doing this for several years now," Rei said, smiling at the gesture. "I don't think I have anything to worry about, Usagi. But... thank you."
Usagi beamed, settling back as Rei began to work.
Five minutes passed with nothing but the steady sound of Rei's breathing, and the frequent flaring up of the fire, a fact that made Usagi glad she'd tied off Rei's hair beforehand. Then, Rei's shoulders slumped and she opened her eyes, the fire dying down somewhat as she released a breath.
"Still nothing." Rei murmured, eyes dark.
"Damn," Usagi bit her lip, nodded, then scooted forward, her arms slipping around the raven-haired woman from behind.
"Now," Rei said, leaning into the embrace. "Where's that tea?"
"Here, let me," Usagi smiled, releasing Rei and pouring two cups halfway full with tea.
"You were out last night, weren't you?" the shrine maiden asked, staring down into the cup with a thoughtful expression.
"Just a routine sweep," Usagi admitted, looking down at her cup as well.
"And you saw him," she added, arching an eyebrow as Usagi looked up in shock.
"How did you..." Usagi began.
Rei tilted her head toward the fire. "I saw."
The blonde was silent for a moment. "Yes. Jaedite appeared last night."
"I don't need to ask if you got away, I guess," Rei murmured, after a moment. "Since you're here and all."
"Pbbtt!" Usagi sniffed. "I'll have you know he ran away."
"Still smarting after the beating you gave him?" she asked, rising gracefully and heading toward the door. She paused a moment as Usagi got up as well and followed.
"I'm not sure," was the reply. "It seemed like he wanted to fight me, but had been told not to."
"Superiors?"
"Probably," usagi shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."
Rei smiled. "Aren't we arrogant?"
"Confident," retorted Usagi. "There's a difference."
"You're not the same ditz I remember first meeting on these steps," Rei remarked.
"No?" Usagi glanced over at Rei, who smirked.
"Not at all," she said. "You're a different ditz. But a ditz all the same."
"You are so mean!" protested the other, pitching her voice into an almost squeal. "Something like that, no?"
"Just like that, clutz," Rei said, smiling now. "Where are you headed now?"
Usagi shrugged. "I need to drop these pictures off at the Journal, and then my day's free. Why?"
"I was hoping we could have lunch."
"I think I can fit you into my busy schedule," Usagi murmured, flipping through an imaginary book.
"Also," Rei said slowly, reaching into her hakama. "I have two tickets for Aino Minako's concert at the end of the week. Interested?"
Usagi stood there for a moment, then her voice erupted in a massive squeal. "Rei-chan!"
Again, Rei found herself being hugged by the shorter girl, an embrace that was just on the proper side of being too friendly. "Baka Usagi. If you bust my eardrums, I won't be able to hear."
"Alright!" Usagi crowed, her face alight the happiness. "I'll drop these off, and then we can go have lunch and plan out what we'll do for the concert. It'll be great!" She grinned, then kissed Rei soundly, leaving the raven-haired girl standing there dazed as Usagi raced off down the stairs.
"I'll meet you at Kino's!" Usagi called, waving.
Rei smiled, walking toward her house to change clothes. It was going to be a good week.
*
"Jaedite!" Beryl's voice cracked out, drawing whimpers and prompting the youma crowding the throne room to cringe. "Before me, NOW!"
"Yes, my Queen?" Jaedite said, his voice echoing before had finished appearing in front of her, kneeling gracefully.
"Your forces have been depleted severely," she remarked. "Are you certain that you can still accomplish the tasks that I desire of you?"
"I am certain, my Queen," he replied, bowing his head. "The interference of Sailor Moon is of no matter. She cannot stop our inevitable triumph."
"Be that as it may," Beryl said evenly, her voice surprisingly calm. "I can no longer afford to have you wasting my army against this girl. I am leaving you in charge of this, for the moment. But I am relieving you of your forces."
"But, my Queen!" Jaedite began, almost rising from the floor in anger.
"Be silent!" she cracked. "Except for ten that you may choose as you please, you will have no more youma. Make them count, Jaedite. Because you will not get any more chances once they are gone. I tire of this game."
Jaedite's mouth worked as he tried to form a reply, then he knelt again. "Your will, my Queen."
"Now, go," Beryl pronounced, the words echoing throughout the throne room as Jaedite vanished to the whispers of the youma.
*
Four years.
For four years, he had fulfilled every task set before him, turning countless near-defeats into partial victories by still managing to salvage energy despite the loss of youma. But now, Queen Beryl had finally reached the limit of her patience.
Sailor Moon.
It was all her fault. Since that first night at the Osa-P shopping center, where his feud with her had begun, she had bedeviled him. She seemed nothing then, a child of no account. But her eyes. Her eyes had blazed with hatred. Something had set her on the path of vengeance. He did not know what. Nor did he expect to ever find out, to learn why she had chosen him and his forces as the target of her rage. He had enjoyed it. The game of cat and mouse. She blossomed before his very eyes, from an angry, uncertain fledgling, into a powerful and fierce combatant. He supposed he was a bit in love with her. With the challenge she embodied. Fighting her had proven a thrill like few things had since he came into Beryl's service. Even when she had nearly killed him, he found that he could not be angry. It impressed him that her skills and resourcefulness had grown enough to overcome a General of the Dark Kingdom in single combat.
The most irritating thing, though, was his utter futility at unmasking her. It was as if she mocked him with impunity. Nothing he did gave him any sign of who she might be. Powerful magic shielded her identity, he was certain. Beyond his ability to break outright. But there were other ways.
Somewhere in Tokyo, there had to be someone who knew the identity of Sailor Moon. All he had to do was find that someone. Then, he would have the key to finally ending this stalemate before Beryl lost all patience with him.
But where to begin? In four years, his familiarity with this time and culture had grown, but that still was nothing to someone who had grown up here, as he suspected she had. Any plot he could hatch would be seen through for the obvious ploy that it was. So, it had to be exceptionally subtle. A thing that the ten youma he had been allotted would be useless for. Which meant the first steps of whatever plan he concocted had to start with him. Outright challenging her was futile. His last real duel with her had proven that. No. For this, he had to tilt the odds in his favor.
"A gauntlet..." he murmured aloud, pondering. "If I dispatch the youma to locations I've used before, that are heavily populated... I can use the presence of people against her. Hinder her freedom to fight." Indeed, that was the youma's biggest weakness against her. The alleyways and streets of the city favored her more than the creatures of the Dark Kingdom.
Jaedite turned, his thoughts racing. "So if I dispatch the youma in quick succession, in situations that they have an upper hand, she will run herself ragged to stop them. And while she's trying to contain the flood, I find someone who knows. Someone that Sailor Moon will place value upon over her own life. Then...."
It could work. But before he dispatched the youma, he had to find that leverage on Sailor Moon. It went against everything that had developed between them, but it was time to end this.
"I apologise, Sailor Moon," Jaedite said to the air. "But my Queen must be obeyed." A plan developing, Jaedite faded away from his chambers, to prepare for his victory.
*
Rain pelted against the skylight as Usagi laid in bed, one arm curled loosely around Rei, who was sleeping peacefully. Usagi, however, was not. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the barely visible sky through the rain-covered window above. She could feel the moon. Without even trying, she could pick out its exact position as it moved across the night sky.
It called to her.
On nights like this, it was easier. The clouds obscured it from view and thus, its pull weakened. But it was always there, tugging at her. Somewhere there was something that demanded her attention. A need for Sailor Moon.
Once, she would have answered it without a second thought. Hoping that the youma she would inevitably find would be the one she had sought every night for four years. But it never was. Now, she went out both for that, and for other reasons.
A reason that currently slept in the bed with her, pressed close for warmth.
And that was the reason she was going out tonight.
Without disturbing her companion, she carefully slid from bed, tucking the covers around the sleeping raven-haired beauty and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well, Rei."
Luna stood on the bathroom counter as she quietly closed the door, watching her, eyes serious. "You're going out?"
"Yes," Usagi whispered, nodding. "Watch her, please?"
"Be careful, Usagi," Luna whispered as the blonde's expression turned to steel and five words slipped from her lips.
"Moon Prism Power...Make up!" Light flared in the bathroom, momentarily blinding the feline as magic swirled within the room. When the brilliance faded, Tsukino Usagi stood transformed.
Red and white boots surrounded her legs to just below the knees, a blue skirt attached to a white body-suit and red ribbon that covered her torso. Nestled in the center of the ribbon was a golden locket, glinting in the flourescent light. A red ribbon circled her neck, a crescent moon glinting on it. Tiny crescent moon earrings dangled from her ears, and a golden tiara rested on her forehead. As always, the twin odango & ponytails had returned, hair ornaments of red and gold attached to them now. Lastly, white gloves covered her arms to just above the elbow.
"I'll be back in a few hours, Luna," Sailor Moon told her mentor, stepping over to the window above the shower and pushing it open so it leaned outward. Her hands gripped the edge and she pulled herself through, her feet the last thing Luna saw as she departed.
"She's gone?" Rei asked quietly from the doorway, a sheet wrapped around her body.
Luna nodded silently, saying nothing as Rei walked over to the shower, reaching up to close the window.
"Can't let the rain in," Rei said, voice held steady, with only the faintest hint of worry. She turned to the cat as the latch clicked. "Would you like some ice cream, Luna? I think I need some."
Again, Luna nodded, saying nothing. Rei scooped the feline up and together they went back into the main apartment to wait.
*
The rain had started coming down harder since she had set out, and it was now close to flooding in some areas. She hadn't found a youma yet, but had managed to help a few people out here and there.
"As bad as Sailor V," she muttered, stopping on a roof to look around. "Stopping muggers and such." Sighing, Sailor Moon closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses. There had to be something...
There.
Her eyes snapped open and she backed up, then started running toward the roof's edge. Without breaking stride, she leapt into the air, coming down across the street with enough force to crack the cement. Not stopping, she continued on, crossing several streets in this fashion until she reached a darkened alleyway and launched herself into the air. She spun in the air, diving straight down at the youma standing there, terrorising a group of thugs.
The impact sent the youma sprawling before the feet of the terrified punks.
"Go," Sailor Moon told them, voice firm. "Before you get hurt."
The five boys all nodded, eyes wide, and took off running as fast as they could.
"Now then," Sailor Moon said brightly, tilting her head to look down at the youma. "Where were we? Ah, yes." She kicked the youma viciously in the ribs, hard enough to send it flying into the nearby building.
"Destroyer..." it hissed, finally getting a good look at her.
"Why yes, I will be yours in a moment," she agreed, neatly sidestepping its charge as she spoke. "I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am."
"I will not be killed by you!" it snarled, throwing a punch at her.
She caught it effortlessly in her hand. "You know. I would have some witty remark here any other time, but frankly, you're boring. You haven't said anything that the rest of your kind haven't already told me." A quick twist, and the youma over-balanced, its arm wrenched painfully to the side. Sailor Moon's free hand came around, clenched into a fist, and struck the creature squarely in the torso. The blow drove it back several feet toward the mouth of the alley. It slumped there, holding an arm to its midsection, then snarled.
"DIE!" Both hands came up, lightning crackling between them, that arced out toward her.
"Pathetic," she muttered, one hand catching her tiara as it fell free, already beginning to change shape. A rustle of cloth obscured her vision and strong arms encircled her before she could finish her attack, someone carrying her to the roof above.
"Let go!" she snarled, struggling against whoever held her as they landed. She whirled to stare down into the alley, looking for the youma. The alley lay dark and empty, though. It had fled in her moment of distraction.
"Are you alright?" a male voice asked behind her, a white gloved hand settling on her shoulder. "It didn't hurt you..." His words cut off in a grunt as she drove her elbow into his stomach, then spun, punching him in the face viciously.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Sailor Moon snarled. "It got away!"
He stared up at her through his white domino mask, one hand to his jaw, clearly confused. "But... you were right in the way of its attack... I saved you."
She looked at him for a moment, then snorted. "I was about to wipe the damned thing out. Do me a favor, freak, don't bother me again. I don't need saving."
"This is wrong," he said, clearly still confused. "I'm supposed to save you..."
"Yes, it is!" she agreed, voice rising. "And no, you're not. I'm not a damsel in distress and you're not my white knight on his horse. In fact, I don't even know who you are."
"Tuxedo Kamen..." he murmured, rising slowly.
"Oh, well that's a clever nickname," Sailor Moon snorted. "Just... do me a favor and don't get in my way again." She turned to go, then stopped.
"Oh, and one other thing," she turned to face him, then punched him again, once more knocking him down. "That was for the hands." That said, she leapt down into the alley, vanishing out of sight.
Tuxedo Kamen sat there for a moment more, trying to figure out what had just happened here. And why it felt as if his entire universe were several notes away from where it should have been. He sat there a bit longer, the rain pouring down from above, then got to his feet again and disappeared into the night as well.
*
Sailor Moon skidded to a stop in the main section of the park, looking around in frustration. "Damn! It got away."
The night was turning exceedingly less pleasant. The youma had escaped, due to the interloper and now she was standing here, in the pouring rain, searching for it futilely.
"I should have punched him a few more times," she muttered, shaking her head. "As it is, I might make it back in time not to have Rei yell at me." Frustrated, she set off at a run toward home.
She arrived about ten minutes later, frowning irritably at the bathroom window as it had somehow been latched, and dropped into the bathroom silently. A quick touch of her brooch, and she was again Tsukino Usagi. Humming under her breath, she quietly opened the bathroom door and walked out into the main area of the apartment.
"You're back?"
Usagi jumped, then turned her head to regard Rei. "You take an inordinate amount of pleasure in doing that, I swear."
"It amazes me how the scourge of the Dark Kingdom can be so easily surprised," Rei murmured, seated at the table near the bed, a mug of hot chocolate held in her hands that she was watching Usagi over.
"Don't tell anyone," Usagi replied, yawning as she opened the refrigerator and extracted the milk jug and poured a glass. "Why are you up?"
"Waiting," Rei told her. "And thinking."
"About?"
"What you've been keeping from me."
The glass of milk hit the floor, shattering as Usagi stared at Rei, paling. "What?"
"Baka Usagi," Rei murmured, exasperated as she rose from the table and began cleaning the mess up. "I was talking about the photo assignment you've got next week in Hokkaido. You can't go to Aino Minako's concert."
"Oh," Usagi turned away, digging in the closet for the mop. "That."
"That is the only thing you haven't told me, isn't it, Usagi?" Rei asked from the floor, her voice like steel.
"Where the hell is the mop?" Usagi snapped, glowering at the closet.
"Usagi."
"I don't want to talk about this, Rei," the blonde replied, not looking at the raven-haired female.
"Then, when?" Rei murmured, letting the pieces of the cup fall to the floor from her hands.
"How does never sound?" Usagi growled. "Is never good?"
"There's no need to get angry, Usagi. It is just a question."
"Not one I want to answer," the blonde retorted.
"Fine," Rei snorted, her own temper coming to the fore. "When you feel like talking, you know where to find me." She stood, moving over to collect her clothes from the floor and began to get dressed. Usagi watched her for a moment, then opened her mouth.
"Baka," Rei announced, fastening her bra as she spoke. "As I said, when you feel like talking, come find me." She pulled her shirt on, grabbed her jacket, and walked out without another word.
"Rei..." Usagi stood there in the kitchen, staring at the door as it closed. Then, she sighed, digging out the mop and broom to begin cleaning up.
* The Past
"You know your mother doesn't think this appropriate," the slender female in the red gown whispered, eyes half-lidded as she almost purred.
"My mother," the other said, muffled somewhat. "Is a dreadful bore and thinks I should marry that Prince from Terra."
"It is a politically sound marriage, Princess," her companion replied, sitting up on her elbows to regard the blonde as she lay sprawled on the bed next to her, head resting against the pillow. "And he is not unattractive."
"Yes, he is handsome," she admitted, irritation in her voice. "But he has the manners of a pig and insulted me. In fact, I think he's carrying on with his bodyguards." She sniffed, eyes twinkling with mischief.
The other giggled, turning to regard the Princess. "You shouldn't tell tales, Princess."
"Who says I'm telling tales?" she replied, laughing. "It's little wonder he was so rude, given that I interrupted his tryst with the brown-haired member of his guard. Nephlite? Nephrite?"
"His name is Nephrite," the Senshi of Mars said with a sigh, shaking her head at her Princess. "And I find it hard to believe that he is having trysts with his bodyguards while here to formalise his betrothal to you. That would be a massive insult to the Queen. She would hardly abide such an action."
"Mother has been too busy closeted with the senshi from the outer planets to notice any such thing," the Princess grinned. "And while Luna and Artemis have been handling the negotiations, they can't observe every single thing that the Prince has been doing."
"Selene..." the Senshi of Mars began. "What have you seen?"
"Oh, nothing," Selene laughed. "Except for Endymion and Nephrite being very friendly in the royal gardens."
"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked, raising one perfect eyebrow. "This isn't some prank you and Aphrodite set up, is it?"
"This is far too good for us to bother with that," Selene laughed. "Though, letting it get back to my mother isn't a bad idea. Maybe it will disgrace him enough in her eyes that I won't have to go through with this marriage."
"You're a Princess, Selene," came the patient reply. "You will be Queen one day. You don't have the luxury of doing things at a whim."
"If I can't be with who I want, then I don't want to be Queen," she told her Senshi firmly. "Mother knows I don't like this too-pretty Prince and his overbearing entourage. Yet she still insists on trying to force this through, because it will be 'politically convenient.' I think not. The only person I might ever want to marry, is you, Phoebe."
"I'm flattered that you feel that way, Princess," Phoebe murmured. "But you know that can't ever happen."
"We'll see about that." Selene said darkly, turning to place a single, chaste kiss on her companion's lips. "I'm going to go talk to mother. Take care of yourself." With that, she slid off of the bed, brushing her dress out and departed with a smile.
* The Present
The door had been smashed in, the door frame itself also badly damaged.
"Shingo, stay here," Usagi said, giving him a look that brooked no argument. Carefully, she stepped through the rubble of the door, entering the living room of her house.
And stopped, gasping.
There was blood everywhere. The walls. The floor. The furniture. All of it. Covered in blood.
"U-usagi-chan..." a voice rasped out. Usagi blinked, her eyes falling on her parents. Her mother had spoken, one hand raised weakly.
"Momma..." Usagi whispered, something inside her welling up in response as tears tracked from her eyes. "Poppa..."
She took a step toward them. Then something heavy struck her from behind, pitching her down where her parents lay. She twisted over, eyes searching for what had attacked her. And she saw. And screamed.
"Pretty girl.." it hissed, hunched over, a pulsating mass of red and black that defied the imagination. "Pretty shiny girl..."
"Usagi!" Shingo yelled from the doorway, having rushed in.
"Shingo! GO! Get away!" she screamed at him. "
"Kill pretty girl..." it hissed, started to lunge at her. A rush of feet, and someone slammed into her, pushing her away. She slumped, dazed, and then recovered awareness. The thing held Shingo, hissing at him as he struggled.
"Shingo!" Usagi screamed, starting to crawl toward them, but slipping in the blood. So much blood.
"Annoyingstupidboy," the creature hissed at Shingo, shaking him violently. "Make stupidboy suffer." A black star coalesced on the surface of the creature's chest. Light crackled from it, striking Shingo in the chest. He began to scream, as if he were being torn apart.
"SHINGO!" Usagi's scream was piercing as she again tried to get up. There had to be...
"Someone..." she whispered. "Anyone...help..."
"Usagi." a voice said, drawing her attention. A black cat stood before her, almost crying. And it spoke.
"Awaken."
Light consumed everything.
Flash.
"No one's really sure what happened," the detective said to his superior who had just arrived. "Screaming was reported at around five in the afternoon, and the first patrolmen on the scene found her, crying and holding her younger brother in her arms. The parents were dead, and whatever happened, it was a doozy. The place was completely trashed." He pointed at the huge hole in the building on the side facing the street.
"Witnesses reported a red and black, and I quote, monster, tearing its way out of the house, leaving a trail of, and I quote again, red slime and blood in its wake." he continued, rolling his eyes. "The girl apparently also chopped off her hair. Two lengths of it were in a pile near her. As near as we can tell, during whatever happened, she fell and got her parents' blood all over her hair. Probably freaked."
"Think she did it?" the chief asked, frowning.
"Killed them?" the detective shook his head. "Not a chance. Whatever did that in there was insane. And definitely not the work of a teenage girl."
"What about the brother?"
"Well... we're not really sure," the detective admitted. "Physically, he's only got a few bruises and maybe a cracked rib. But... he's even less there than the girl. She at least is somewhat aware. Hysterical, but aware. The boy... it's like he's not even there."
Flash.
"Tsukino Usagi," the judiciary said, giving the blankly staring girl as comforting a smile as he could manage. "Until you reach the age of majority, I am remanding you to the custody of your aunt."
"Come, Usagi-chan," her aunt said quietly, leading the girl away without a word.
A few hours later, she sat in a quiet bedroom, the walls blank and unadorned. She did as she had been doing for the past three days. Staring at nothing.
"Usagi." the voice said again. Her head turned slightly, regarding the black cat with almost a hint of awareness.
"I'm so sorry, Usagi..." the cat continued, almost crying as it lunged forward, burying itself against her midsection."
"Luna..." the girl said, her voice rough with disuse.
Flash.
Naru was screaming. The thing that had pretended to be her mother loomed over her, one hand reaching out menacingly.
There was a hiss. And a golden light streaked past Naru's cheek, tearing into the creature above her. It screamed, the sound hideous as it dissolved into nothing.
Then he was there. Eyes cold as he regarded her for a moment. Then he saluted once and vanished.
Tsukino Usagi woke with a gasp, almost screaming out.
Luna was there, batting her head against Usagi's arm to get her attention and calm her as she had done countless times before.
"The nightmare again?" Luna asked as the girl's eyes refocused in the present and she scooped the cat up in her arms.
Usagi said nothing, merely nodding, eyes bright with unshed tears.
"You haven't had one in a while," Luna murmured, resting against Usagi.
"No," Usagi agreed. "When Rei's here, they don't come."
"I'm sorry about all this, Usagi," the cat said. "Rei was very inquisitive this evening. I thought I had diverted as usual. It seems that she's not buying the excuses anymore."
"It's alright, Luna," Usagi whispered. "I knew this would happen. As much as I wanted it to be different."
"Are you going to tell her, then?"
"Soon," she said. "But not yet. I...can't."
"Go back to sleep, Usagi-chan," Luna told her charge. "I'll make sure you have no more bad dreams." With that, she met Usagi's eyes, her golden crescent flashing once, and the young woman fell back onto the bed into dreamless sleep.
"Usagi-chan.." Luna whispered, eyes sad as she watched the slumbering girl. "Why did it all have to be like this?"
She was watching from across the street as the raven-haired young woman began the ascent up the stairs to Hikawa Shrine. She was the only one who knew that the one she watched was crying, heart torn over events earlier in the night. She knew all of this. It didn't change that she was unable to do anything but watch. She had watched as a civilization unrivaled in its glory had fallen to the whims of a mad queen and her demented obsessions. She had been unable to do anything then. But now... she would act and hope that the tragedies of the past would not repeat themselves.
"Forgive me, Mars," she whispered to the wind, watching her prey's back as she vanished over the crest of the hill. She raised one hand, palm up, and blew air across it, as if blowing something away in the direction of the shrine. With a single pained look in the direction of the shrine, she turned to go, green hair that was almost black swirling out behind her. Two steps, and she vanished, leaving the rain-wet sidewalk dark and empty.
End Chapter One.
C&C is appreciated. Off-list is preferred.
.---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
| Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
| Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
| Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject |
`---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'