"You have failed me, Tsuruga!!"
Daisuke Tsuruga winces under that withering gaze. "Forgive me, Mistress, but I warned you that my daughter might oppose us..."
"Idiot!! You should have not rebuilt her as you did the others! Another girl would've sufficed to be Sailor Moon's twin!!"
"True, Mistress, but I couldn't allow my daughter to die..."
"SILENCE!!!!" the creature barks. "I gave you the key to the power necessary to destroy the Senshi!! We must move quickly!!!"
The robotics specialist trembles, wondering whatever persuaded him to accept these creatures' help in finishing his project. He had watched a witches' brew of diseases like AIDS, ebola and hepatitis threaten to ravage a whole generation. Like many throughout the world, he was determined to find some way to preserve and protect that generation from being lost to the ages. Inspiration came one day when he saw his only daughter Nona picking through her large manga collection. One of them, Masamune Shirow's "Ghost in the Shell," depicted a future where people could become living cyborgs, their minds encased in very powerful robotic bodies so they could compete in a increasingly wired society.
Discovering the means to preserve one's soul in a cybernetic system was quite easy; the brain worked on the same type of electronic impulses, only more complicated, as the most advanced computer. It was quite easy to construct a containing system that shielded the fragile organ from outside damage, plus a life-support system to keep it alive. Designing the body was the difficult part...until someone developed the blueprints for a very advanced alien android that could be easily modified to the task at hand.
But making use of that would eventually cost Tsuruga his very soul.
And his daughter's love.
"Mistress...if Nona is determined to warn the Senshi that you plan to attack them, you will be stopped," he stares at the monstrosity before him. "The powers the Twins have come from a force far beyond even your control. It, in fact, contributed to their rebellion against you."
The creature rises, then emerges from shadow to reveal a slender female hominoid with gaunt pale skin seductively covered in black chainlink armour akin to bones, her red hair forming a frizzy halo around her still pretty face. Her eyes, as black as darkest space, bore into him. "You are right, Professor," she smiles, stroking a finger over his nose, causing him to shiver from her icy touch. "So many've tried to destroy those wretched reincarnations of Serenity's brat and her friends over the last few years. They were fools because they didn't understand the real nature of the Moon Queen's power. How she keyed into the life-essence of Creation itself, dared manipulate the elements that compose the universe as we know it, to create the perfect team of champions! Well, TWO can play at that game," she walks back to her throne, shrouding herself in darkness. "Yes...two can play at that game. Do not worry about your rebellious creations trying to stop us, Tsuruga. There are other ways to destroy the Senshi...other ways indeed."
Hollow laughter echoes through the dark hall...
* * *
...while elsewhere, in a place of eternal light, a lithe figure walks through the rambling mists of the *te'a.* She cants her head slowly to listen to that laughter, then allows herself a light smile. Did she stupidly think she could manipulate the very elements of Creation Itself to her will? The ancient Sagussans tried it fifteen millennia ago when they created the *haijo-ju* and its numerous prototypes...and within a thousand years, were fighting a war for their very existence. Millennia later, using data obtained from Sagussan records buried on Neptune, Queen Serenity used That Power to create the Imperium Silver Crystal, the source point from which her avenging angels, the Sailor Senshi, would rise again to destroy those who would threatened the last remaining elements of the Silver Millennium.
Technically, the *te'a* was neutral in the eternal fight between Creation and natural Entropy, the mortal decay and disintegration of all physical things. For a beginning, there was always an ending. For a birth, a death. For a creation of a world, a destruction of another world elsewhere. That was the way of Existence.
But unnatural Entropy in all its forms was a different matter. The Sagussans wanted to use the *haijo-ju* to try to remould the races around them in their image. The War of Clone Rights resulted from that. But Serenity's creation of the Silver Crystal, using the *te'a's* power to bring forth the Sailor Senshi, was a different matter. Oh, there were those who tried to kill Creation's warrior-maidens. Beryl and the Dark Kingdom. Prince Demand and the Black Moon Clan. The Death Busters, Mistress Nine and Master Pharaoh Ninety. Galaxia. All the others. None succeeded because they didn't understand, didn't take the time to understand, the exact nature of the power the Senshi welded.
Until now.
The woman/cyborg now calling herself Sailor Hades smiles as she uses the Styx Staff, her personal *haijo-ju,* to gaze at the creature who dare believe she could use the *te'a's* might against Its pretty warriors. "Good luck, you stupid bitch! You don't have a prayer!!" she smiles, a bit of Yuki Tetsujo coming through the rational demeanour her twin wouldn't find so strange, then repeats the ancient Sagussan saying that might as well be the Sailor Senshi's real fighting motto:
Of the parts of Existence,
One thing can be said:
Entropy has a reason for everything.
But Creation is unreasonable.
* * *
In another part of That Power, Sailor Pluto looks up from her stylized Time Door, a smile touching her face. "Yuki..."
"Setsuna," a voice echoes from behind her.
Time's guardian turns to see Eternity's guardian standing there. It had been disorientating to stare at this exact replica of herself at first, even for one who knew what would soon happen to both her beloved friends and Yuki's new family. But Yuki had been born with the power to touch, to manipulate, the *te'a* to her own will. People born with this power came only once in a nearly infinite cases spanning thousand of years. The last one Setsuna knew of was named Serenity.
"Almost time," Pluto smiles.
"Hai," Hades nods. "Almost time."
Soon the ten would become twenty.
Then watch what would happen!
* * *
"Sailor Twins"
a tale of the Sailor Senshi
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
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Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
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Based on "Sailor Moon," created by Naoko Takeuchi
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WRITER'S NOTES
1) This story takes place some months after the conclusion of my SM/UY-TSY crossover fic "Lonely They Who Guard..." Usagi and the Inner Senshi are preparing to enter university. Naru's powers as Sailor Terra remain the same. This story is also inspired by the fanfic "Senshi Kurai," but only the Greek names of the second set of Senshi (save for Sailor Moon's counterpart; see below) will be used.
2) Instead of using Hecate for Sailor Moon's double, I selected Diana (the name of the Roman goddess of the moon). Luna's and Artemis' child has returned to the future by this time. Further, "Diana" would be better known to most Japanese girls than "Hecate" (who is more associated with magic and witches).
3) The story of the *te'a* and Sagussa is described in detail in many of my UY-TSY stories. My recommendation is to read the series from the beginning to get a better feel of the concept of the *te'a* and what It does to others. The best stories to look at for just a quick reference is "A Hectic Vacation" (story #34) and "Dakejinzou's Story" (story #36). The Shoozooki appear in my UY lemon fic "The Galatea Syndrome."
4) Nokoko, the Nendo-kata, Nicole and Mujanba are characters from UY-TSY. They first appeared in "Together the Outland" (story #11).
5) Everyone's symbols:
Sailor Diana...The moon with a bow and arrow over it.
Sailor Sunaru...A hurricane symbol over crossed arrows.
Sailor Zeus...A heart over arrows and a lightning bolt.
Sailor Hermes...A caduceus with a heart fixed at its apex.
Sailor Aphrodite...A heart with an arrow piercing it.
Sailor Chronos...A "C" with an hourglass suspended between the opening, an arrow piercing it.
Sailor Gaia...Earth's symbol over a caduceus.
Sailor Ares...A heart over a bow and arrow.
Sailor Poseidon...A snowflake over a heart.
Sailor Hades...The infinity symbol pierced by an arrow.
**** **** ****
And with that...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!
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PART ONE - SECRET HANDS
"This isn't my day!" Sailor Moon groans.
The pretty warrior was, as usual, making an understatement.
Dangling precariously off a projecting I-beam several hundred feet off Juuban's streets, with a daemon ready to mash her fingers and send her plunging to a certain fate, it could be said to be a typical day for the Senshi's leader. Looking around, Moon can't see her friends. Gritting her teeth, she glances up. The daemon, a griffon-like creature with a hydra's forest of heads snapping greedily at her, had terrorized the district's Ginza before Usagi had stumbled onto it. Not waiting for the others to show up, she transformed and leapt into the fray. "Not really smart, Usagi-chan," she grits her teeth.
The creature above her bellows its challenge, then recoils as something smacks into the I-beam! Moon's eyes lighten up, hopeful that it was one of Tuxedo Kamen's roses. Looking at it, however, elicits confusion; it's a very sharp energy dagger.
"Hold it, sleeze ball!!!" a VERY familiar voice barks.
The daemon grunts as Moon peers over her shoulder...to see HERSELF standing on the roof of the building across the street! However, this Sailor Moon has red hair, the bangs tied in a tight French braid down the centre of her back. Further, several more energy darts and a javelin-like weapon are in her hands. "You're not going to make Sailor Moon street pizza today, ugly...not as long as Sailor Diana, Huntress of the Moon, is around!!" the newcomer challenges.
"Sailor...Diana...?" Moon blinks, immediately wondering if this woman had come from the future like Chibi-usa and Luna's daughter.
Snarling, the daemon bellows a challenge. Crouching, Diana leaps into the air, the darts in her hand glowing star-white. "***ENERGY MOON DARTS!!!!***" she barks, sending a storm of the lethal projectiles at the creature before her.
A pained shriek explodes from the daemon's multiple mouths as it staggers, greenish ichor exploding from dozens of wounds as the energy darts make their mark. Diana lands with unnerving grace on the I-beam, inserting herself between Moon and her attacker. "Let's see you try to knock me off, bud!!" she assumes a fighting stance with her javelin.
Howling mad with pain, the daemon lunges. Diana twirls the javelin, sweeping the creature off its feet with one pass. The daemon drunkenly flips over, its hind claws barely seizing the I-beam before it plunged atally to the unyielding concrete below. Seeing it is too busy to interfere, Diana kneels, hand out to Moon. "Grab on!!"
"Thanks!" Moon extends her hand, then is effortlessly hoisted up. Drawing the Silver Crystal, she glares at the creature. "Let's see you run now, sleezoid!!" before summoning a banishing wave of energy to send the daemon back to the dark place it arose.
As the dying creature's helpless bellows echo through the air, Diana guides Moon back onto better footing. "Who are you?!" the latter seizes the former's arm. "Where did you come from? I don't remember someone like you from the Moon Kingdom..."
"I'm not from that place or time, sister," Diana warmly smiles, eliciting an embarrassed blush from Moon. "I was created a year ago as part of a private project to produce a replacement team of Senshi should you and your friends perish in battle. This is my first time in actual combat."
Moon mentally staggers, trying to quickly absorb the full meat of Diana's words. "Created?! By whom?! What are you?!"
Diana smiles. "I cannot say any more for now, sister. My powers, unlike yours, are quite taxing on my body's energy reserves. Right now, I have to go. We'll meet again!"
With that, the other Senshi sprints away. "Wait!!" Moon runs after her. "At least tell me your name!"
Diana pauses at the edge of the uncompleted floor, staring at her blonde look-alike. "Nona," she calls out, then leaps into the darkening abyss below.
Moon reaches the edge, then looks down. "Gone!"
The rustle of a cape diverts her attention behind her. "Are you alright, Usako?" a concerned voice inquires.
Automatically, Moon sinks into Tuxedo Kamen's comforting embrace. "I don't know, Mamo-chan..."
* * *
Across town, Makoto and Minako pick their way through the Ginza, chattering excitedly about the vast selection of clothes and other items up for sale. "Hope our wallets appreciate this when it's all over," the former picks her way through a rack of blouses.
"Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it!" the latter drapes a cardigan sweater over her. "How's this look, Mako-chan?!"
"It's looks nice," Makoto's voice echoes from behind her.
Minako blinks surprisedly, then spins around to see *Makoto* gazing appraisingly at her. The only difference between the two is the pleated long-sleeve shirt and designer slacks the newcomer wears in lieu of a soft gold sweater and skirt. "No way!!" Minako exclaims.
"I'm sorry!" the newcomer blushes. "Besides, your friend's busy gazing at Katsura there," she points.
Minako turns back to see Makoto drooling unashamedly at a raven-haired version of Haruka now picking her way through a rack of blue jeans. *Haruka, too?! Whoa...Twilight Zone time!!* she mentally exclaims, then returns her attention to Makoto's double. "W-well, you sure this looks nice?"
"It really matches your hair and eyes," the taller woman smiles. "Wearing that would make you fade into the fog. Really romantic notion if you ask me!"
Minako giggles, eliciting a deep laugh from her appraiser. "I'm Minako Aino," she holds out her hand.
"Junko Satoda," Makoto's double beams.
Minako blinks surprisedly at the very firm grip, then slings the sweater over her arm. "Well, what else do you think I should get, Junko-chan?" she glances around.
"Me!" Junko points to herself. "I'm available, free!"
Minako gags at the awful joke, then pitches over in a spasm of giggles. Junko notions her to the make-up counter. Meanwhile, Makoto has not once taken her eyes off the alluring Katsura. *Oh, man, who is that?!* the tallest of the Senshi breathes in, her teeth nibbling her finger. *Boy?! Girl?! Whoever it is, except for the hair, that could be Haruka! Gods, what do I do...?!*
"You know, you're going to do your hand a serious injury if you keep nibbling at it," the stranger then speaks.
Makoto turns stark-white as Katsura turns to face her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!!" she rambles a mile a minute, waving her hands frantically.
Katsura blinks. "My! You look so much like my friend Junko!" She then notices the woman in question guiding Minako into trying out some lipstick. "Seems your friend's already made her acquaintance!"
"No way!!" Makoto parrots Minako's expression on seeing Junko. *That's me!! But...how?!*
"Let's just hope she's not your doppelganger," Katsura pulls out some pants, draping them over herself. "What do you think?"
Makoto looks back, now realizing Katsura was a she. "Nice!" she nods, then smiles. "By the way, I'm Makoto Kino."
"Katsura Utai," the raven-haired woman offers her hand, giving Makoto's a firm grip. "Pleased to meet you, Makoto-san. Care to stay with me? Seems your friend's kind of busy right now."
"Um...y-yeah, s-sure!" Makoto shrugs...
...then everyone jolts as a powerful shock rocks the Ginza! Eyes spin outside as a vent of lava explodes through the concrete, followed by a luminescent column. Despite its stark beauty, the multi-limbed creature at the column's end hints at something more dangerous. "A monster!!!" someone screams.
"Oh, hell!!" Makoto grunts, then blushes apologetically at Katsura. "S-sorry, Katsura-san! We better run!!"
"G-good idea," Katsura readily nods.
The two sprint out of the shop, Minako and Junko in their wake. The two Senshi dodge into one alley while their new friends duck into another. "Can we do this?!" Junko wonders.
"We have no choice!" Katsura concentrates, then calls out, "SUNARU HEAVENLY ECLIPSE POWER, MAKE UP!!!!"
"ZEUS LIGHTNING ECLIPSE POWER, MAKE UP!!!!" Junko echoes.
Energy warps their civilian clothes into Senshi fuku, the same colours as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Uranus. "Let's go!!" Sunaru nods.
"Right! Hey, who was that girl with you?!" Zeus wonders.
"We'll figure it out later! Monster-bashing first!"
"Hai!!"
* * *
"***LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!!!!***" Sailor Venus blows a kiss.
The bolt of energy, combined with Sailor Jupiter's Supreme Thunder Dragon, sends the daemon sprawling! However, its mass remains locked in the hole in the middle of the Ginza. "Wish Mercury was here!" Jupiter grunts. "She could scan that thing and probe for a weakness!!"
"Let's hope the others get here soon!" Venus grits her teeth. "Okay, ugly, let's dance!!"
Bellowing, the creature lashes out with an energy bolt. "Oh, shit!!!" Venus moves to dodge.
Jupiter blinks surprisedly as *she* leaps protectively in front of Venus, hands out. "***AEGIS PROTECTION!!!!!!***"
The bolt slams into an unyielding energy field around Sailor Zeus! Sunaru then appears beside Jupiter. "Seems your powers come from the earth!" the raven-haired Senshi smiles. "Time for you to leave home and embrace the heavens! ***WINDSTORM PASSION!!!!!!***"
A tornado leaps down, seizing the daemon and dragging it out of its hole! Howling, the creature struggles to withdraw to the safety of the soil, but Sunaru's winds are too strong. "Drag her out of there, Sunaru!!" Zeus smiles. "We'll wean it from its mama!!"
Finally, the creature, well over a hundred metres in length, is yanked free! Howling with pain, it struggles to slither down the funnel, its luminescence fading. "Take it down, Zeus!" Sunaru warns.
"No problem!" Zeus winds up. "***AEGIS ENTRAPMENT!!!!!!***"
The energy field which had prevented Zeus and Venus from being charcoal-broiled lashes out, sealing the daemon from ever reaching earth again. Zeus shudders as the creature's still-formidable power struggles against her forcefield. "Can't...keep this up...much...!"
"Don't have to!!" Venus bolts to her feet. "Drop the shield!"
Zeus grunts, the shield fading, the daemon free to plunge back to earth. "***LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!!!!***" Venus fires.
"***SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!!!!!!***" Jupiter barks.
The twin bolts of energy slam into the daemon, pulping it long before it could re-energize!! "Dusted!" Jupiter laughs.
"Nice one!!" Venus beams, high-fiving her friend.
"Hey, we had help this time!!" Jupiter turns to thank Zeus and Sunaru...then blinks on finding no one. "Where'd they go?!"
Venus looks around, then crosses her arms. "Don't worry, Jupiter. I've a funny hunch who those two were!"
"If they were, where'd they come from and how'd they become Sailor Senshi?!" Jupiter gazes at her friend.
"Good question," Venus muses...
* * *
Ami browses through her biology text as she wanders between the shelves of the local library. In spite of passing her college examinations with flying colours, the studious Senshi didn't believe in letting up on her studies. The library is quiet today; few others are in attendance. "I need more information," she muses to herself, then remembering where some detailed texts were located, turns a corner...and collides into someone!
"I'm sorry!" a voice indistinguishable from hers utters as Ami falls flat on her backside.
Ami looks up...to see a blonde, bespectacled version of herself staring at her. "Y-y-you're...!" Ami stammers, pointing at the woman.
"No, I don't believe I'm you," the woman twirls her blonde locks, then offers her hand. "I'm Tsuyako Yuuri. I didn't expect many people to be here today."
"Ami Mizuno," Ami introduces herself, allowing Tsuyako to boost her to her feet. "I came here to study. Always good to get a head start on university."
"Really?!" Tsuyako blinks, her eyes reflecting a thirst for knowledge which matches Ami's. "Me, too...even thought I suspect I might not be going to university. What are you studying?"
"Biology...I intend to be a doctor," Ami smiles as the two proceed down a row of books. "Didn't you do your entrance exams?"
"I did...then I got very sick," Tsuyako haltingly replies, clearly hesitant on revealing the whole story. "Look, why don't I help you study? I've really got nothing to do."
"Would you? I don't want to deprive you..."
"I don't mind," Tsuyako smiles. "Please?"
Ami blinks. The things Tsuyako said...and DID NOT say...would fill enough material in a dozen school quizzes. "Sure," she nods, then pulls out a sheet. "I need these books..."
In a minute, the two are at a table, a stack of library books between them. To Ami's surprise, a rapport forms between herself and Tsuyako. Given the latter's stylish jeans and button shirt, she seemed well off. With her raw intelligence, it struck Ami as tragic that Tsuyako was unable to attend college. Curiosity rears its ugly head. Ami barely fights it down; if Tsuyako wanted to reveal more, she would have to make that decision.
Time passes. After scouring through several chapters, Ami uses Tsuyako as a quizmaster, drilling her on various topics which would be covered in the first year biology course. Much to the former's delight, the latter doesn't stint on questions, picking a balanced mix between common topics and obscure points which could be a surprise question in a quiz. Then, Ami becomes the quizmaster, drilling Tsuyako in chemistry, the subject the latter would have taken were she to attend college.
As the sun begins its descent behind the Kantou-sanchi, Ami and Tsuyako stretch themselves. By that time, the former's curiosity in unbearable. "Tsuyako, can I ask you something?"
"What, Ami?"
"Why is it you can't attend college?" Ami muses. "You have such raw intelligence, you could almost be considered a child prodigy..."
"You don't understand," pained regret crosses Tsuyako's face. "Ami-chan, I like you very much. But...even if I could bring myself to trust you enough to reveal my secret, you'd think me either insane or a liar."
Ami mentally kicks herself; whatever was tearing at Tsuyako hurt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't've asked. But...I've come to like you very much. In fact, I'd consider us twin sisters were it not for the...hair," she points to her own raven locks.
Tsuyako gazes intently at her. Since meeting Ami, her mind has been ruthlessly performing a comparison between her and the woman Tsuyako was literally reborn to replace should the unimaginable happen. Should she? "Alright," she sighs. "But, before I begin, could I ask you something?"
"Sure," Ami nods.
Tsuyako looks around. No one within hearing range. "Can you speak German?" she inquires, altering languages.
"I'm proficient," Ami automatically switches.
Tsuyako nods. "Ami...are you Sailor Mercury?"
Ami jolts as her mind interprets those words. Tsuyako winces, sensing the shock overwhelming her new friend. "I assume that's a 'yes,'" she sighs, then reverts to Japanese. "Gomen nasai. I didn't mean to come at you like that."
"How did you guess?" Ami hoarsely wonders.
"Well, your...other uniform doesn't break up your facial features enough," Tsuyako smiles, then switches back to German. "Besides...I was constructed in your image."
Ami blinks, stunned shock freezing her in place as her mind rehashes Tsuyako's words. "You're...what are you?"
Tsuyako sighs. "It's hard to explain," she switches back to Japanese. "If you go to the birth records office in Okinawa, you'd find my birth certificate. But I assure you that I never looked anything like this growing up," she points to her face.
Ami stares at the blonde. "Cosmetic surgery?"
"Oh, this goes a lot deeper," Tsuyako chuckles. "You can call me a cyborg. Almost all this body before you is mechanical. My brain and the direct support mechanisms to keep it alive are all that remain of my old body. Here," she rolls back her sleeve.
Even though Tsuyako's words gave Ami ample warning, the shock on seeing complex cybernetics under a circuit hatch in the lower arm jolts her. "Gods..." she gapes, then looks around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Drawing her computer, she does a cursory scan. "This is unbelievable," she gapes at the readings. "Your cybernetics are light-years more advanced than anything I've encountered to date."
Tsuyako closes up her arm as Ami slips the computer away. "Thanks," she smiles. "I'm grateful that we've met. Ever since our...conversion, all of us have wondered what we were going to do with ourselves."
"I can understand that...and thank you for being so honest with me..." Ami smiles, then blinks. "Wait! You said 'others.'"
"Yes," Tsuyako nods, does a glance around the room, then lowers her voice. "There are now doubles of all the Senshi, including Sailor Terra. As a matter of fact..."
Before she could complete her statement, an explosion rocks the street outside the library. Both leap to their feet as they see a particularly foul daemon emerge from the sewers. "This'll have to wait!" Ami grits her teeth. "I've work to do."
"I can help," Tsuyako smiles. "C'mon!!"
Ami is dragged out of the library by the blonde. In a moment, both are in a secluded alley. Ami already has her henshin stick in hand. "This is good enough," Tsuyako looks around, then calls out, "HERMES HERALD ECLIPSE POWER, MAKE UP!!!!"
Ami gapes as Tsuyako's clothes melt away, reforming into an electric-blue sailor fuku with winged form-fitting boots, a visor now fixed before her eyes. Her symbol adorns the button over her tie. In her hand is a caduceus the length of her arm. "There!!"
"Y-y-you're...!!" Ami stammers, the information onslaught almost ready to overwhelm even her.
"Transform!!" Sailor Hermes snaps. "I'll explain later! That daemon's not going to wait!"
Shaken out of her stupor, Ami points her henshin stick to the heavens. "MERCURY COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!!!!"
In a second, Sailor Mercury joins her altered twin in charging out of the alley. "Hold it, creature!!" she barks. "How dare you interrupt this day of study?! In the name of Mercury, I will not permit this to continue!"
The daemon hisses, its glowing eyes fixed on the blue-sheathed Senshi. "*MER-...CU-...RY...!*" it snarls.
"It appears our opponent is not much of a conversationalist, sister," Hermes muses.
Roaring, the creature lunges. Before Mercury could dodge, she finds herself fifty feet away! "What on Earth...?!" she exclaims, staring at Hermes, who seems not winded for running so fast.
"You should know your mythology by now, sister!" Hermes winks.
Mercury watches as the Senshi herald becomes a white-and-blue blur, appearing before the daemon. "Would you care to do that again?!" Hermes taunts.
Bellowing, the creature snatches a car. Mercury gasps as it winds up, flinging it at Hermes. Instead of dodging, the Senshi herald draws her caduceus. "***STRIKE OF A THOUSAND KNIVES!!!!!!***" she bellows as her weapon becomes a fast blur.
The car is sliced to ribbons before it could cause her harm. However, the friction ignites the gas tank! Seeing the burst of energy, Mercury calls out, "***AQUA ILLUSION!!!!!!***"
A storm of water slams into the inferno, dousing the gasoline. Hermes, fortunately, ran clear. "Up here!!!" she taunts.
The daemon spins around to see the Senshi herald now standing on a light pole. "Continued resistance is futile," Hermes crosses her arms. "You cannot outrun the Herald of Justice, Sailor Hermes. Surrender and your fate will be merciful!"
Roaring, the creature lunges at Hermes. She cocks her fist back, then punches, the fist vibrating until it is encompassed in energy. "***HYPERSPEED ACCELERATION!!!!!!***"
Mercury watches as the daemon is slammed by the energy blow. Drawing her visor, she watches as the creature's molecules are accelerated past solid state to liquid to gas in the blink of an eye. Its internal organs fatally compromised, the daemon disintegrates as the energy fades around Hermes, allowing the blonde Senshi to drop back to earth. "I believe that creature will not bother us anymore," she walks up.
"Nicely done," Mercury whistles. "But...how did this happen?"
Before she could answer, Hermes jolts, her body sagging. "An explanation later...if I may, sister," she grits her teeth. "My power systems...have finite levels. Right now, I...need a very good recharge. Let's return to normal, then...could I trouble you to help me home?"
"Sure," Mercury nods as she slips herself under Hermes' shoulder, helping the Senshi herald off the street...
* * *
"Did you save her?" Katsura wonders.
"You bet!" Nona smiles as she stares at the tricorder in her hand, one lead connected to the servicing unit each of the Twins needed to stay alive and healthy, the other to her systems analysis terminal located in her breastbone above her cleavage. After a good hour laying nude on the roof of their private apartment outside Tokyo, the solar collectors built into her skin soaking up the Sun's limitless energy, Nona had recovered from her brief fight with the daemon who had tried to kill Sailor Moon. "That sucker didn't know what hit it!! How about you two? No problems with the one you fought?!"
"Piece of cake," Katsura snorts, shutting off the blender and pouring her special fruit shake into glasses for everyone else to have. Solar energy was good to restore their internal batteries so they could continue to fight alongside the Senshi, but their organic parts still needed nutrients to remain healthy.
The Twins understood the advantages and liabilities their new bodies possessed. Each woman living here was in truth a technological marvel the likes of which Earth had never seen, their cybernetic systems derived from advanced androids used by a patriarchal race known as the Shoozooki, amoral beings who traded their knowledge to everyone who wanted it without care for the social and cultural damage it unleashed.
But androids had a inherent limitation: their computer brains were limited in their ability to think on their own. Daisuke Tsuruga had got past that by using organic brains extracted from the dying shells of Nona and nine other women he had found at his patron's instigation to create a strike team meant to destroy the Sailor Senshi.
Unfortunately for the creature Nona's father worked for, its desire to make the Twins kill the Senshi were dead aborning. With organic minds came a subconscious, the ability to dream, reach out beyond the realm of the physical and a will that no controlling program could suppress no matter how complex. Nona, horrified that her father would want her to kill a group of women she admired greatly, helped the others free themselves, then fled the professor's lab in Nara for this private home Nona's late mother had set aside for her just before she was killed.
Nona had a lot to be angry at. Her father for using her and the others in this way, allowing her mother to die, turning her into this mechanical monstrosity to help some extra-terrestrial would-be dictator conquer her people. The nameless thing that had instigated this in the first place, wherever it may be. But she would NEVER hate her "sister," Sailor Moon. Why was it monsters who picked fights with the Senshi, used innocents to prove how macho they were?! Cowards! Fighting bullies and cowards; that's all this was. Someone couldn't stand the fact that others didn't bow to them, pay them respect, so they came out, disrupted everyone's lives, probably killed people, then caused a mess when people like the Senshi rose to stop them.
Not while Nona Tsuruga and her friends drew breath. Somehow, some way, they were going to have new organic bodies so they could use their special powers effectively, then they were going hunting. Nona would first kill her father, then the creature who instigated this. After all, she was Sailor Diana. Diana was the goddess of the moon, a master hunter, in Roman myth. The beings Nona were after were animals...and she was in the mood for a hunt.
Blinking, she smiles on seeing that her diagnostic had shown no errors, then she disconnects herself, sealing her body up for another week. Straightening her jogging pants and T-shirt, she walks into the common room, accepting the offered shake from Katsura. Chooko was still shopping with Nareta in Hachiouji. Tsuyako hadn't come back from the Juuban library. Yuki was heaven knew where; with Sailor Hades, one could never tell. Junko was preparing dinner. Sakebu had her nose buried in a magazine. And her hearing could detect Ayako's and Matsuri's passionate lovemaking from their bedroom.
Walking over to the television, Nona flips it on NHK, sitting down to watch the news. A reporter was now on the street near the Juuban library, speaking to several surprised students. "...it was wild!!" a boy with round-frame glasses gasps. "I mean, there was Sailor Mercury fighting this thing right over here," he gestures wildly, "...and with her was someone I'd swear was her own twin sister!!"
"Looks like Tsuyako-chan was busy, too," Katsura parks herself beside Nona, sipping her shake.
"Did you hear the name of the other Senshi?" the reporter asks.
"Yeah, it sounded like Sailor Hermes," the boy responds, then hums. "That would make sense; in Greek mythology, Hermes was the herald of the gods, the equivalent of Mercury in Roman myth! Sailor Hermes called herself the Herald of Justice...!!"
The image changes to a generic broadcaster. "And so ended the third strange incident this day concerning Juuban's legendary Sailor Senshi and their mysterious twins," she gazes at her notes. "So far, no one has been able to ask any of the Senshi about this phenomena. Do all ten of the Senshi have twins who are named after the Greek versions of their names? Only time will tell..."
"With this sort of publicity, we'll be able to flush out Dad and his friends," Nona scowls, a dangerous glitter in her eyes. "Once we do that, then there'll be a reckoning!"
"We still don't know how powerful they are, Nona-chan," Katsura warns. "Can we actually defeat them?"
"With the Senshi's help?" Nona smiles. "Count on it!"
There is a shuffling at the front door, followed by the doorbell. "I'll get it!" Junko calls out as she runs into the main hall, opening the door. "Yes, can I...Tsuyako-chan, are you alright?!"
Tsuyako now leans on Ami's shoulder, the two having spent the last hour getting out here from the nearest subway station without the police or anyone else wondering why the former wasn't in a hospital. "She's very low on primary charge," the latter reports, her eyes widening on seeing this double of Makoto staring at her. "Could you help me? Carrying her wasn't too much of a problem, but she is quite heavy..."
Junko nods, grabbing Tsuyako and boosting her into the living room. The other Twins help the Senshi herald into her bedroom. With quick speed, Katsura unbuttons Tsuyako's shirt, then reaches for a very heavy power cable fixed to one wall. "Open up," she orders.
Tsuyako nods, a hatch opening under her breasts to reveal a power jack. Katsura plugs her friend in, then stares at Ami, her eyes widening in recognition. "Sailor Mercury...?"
"I'm Ami," Ami states, then gazes at everyone else. An exact double of Makoto, a black-haired Haruka, a Naru with her hair in a bun and an Usagi with her red hair done in a long pig-tail? She then turns to see a crimson-haired Rei and a black-haired Minako emerge from one bedroom, very short housecoats barely covering their bodies. "Oh, gods, I thought Tsuyako-chan was joking...!!"
"We're no joke," Junko winks. "Hey, look, Tsuyako-chan's gonna be a bit. Want something to eat? You had a pretty busy day too."
"I wouldn't mind," Ami nods...
* * *
"Man, that's cool!!" Shingo whistles as he stares at the television in the Tsukino living room. "Doubles of all the Senshi! Wouldn't it be neat if you got the chance to meet them, Dad?!"
"Well, it was strange enough when Sailor Terra appeared some months back," Usagi's father muses. The family and Mamoru were relaxing after a pleasant supper, though Usagi wasn't in the mood for conversation. "I wonder how many more Senshi'll come out?" he then chuckles. "Perhaps Senshi for all the moons in our solar system?!"
"Sailor Phobos, Sailor Deimos, Sailor Io, Sailor Europa..." Shingo rambles off, then yelps as Usagi swats him with a pillow! "Hey, what was that for, sis?!!"
"That's not the least bit funny, idiot!!" Usagi bolts to her feet. "Could you imagine what these girls are going through?! Having their whole lives disrupted because of monsters and aliens and who knows what else?! Believe me, being a Sailor Senshi isn't fun, you know!"
"How would YOU know?!" Shingo demands.
Usagi jerks. Oh, boy, she put her foot into it THIS time! "Shingo, Usagi has a point," their mother cuts in. "The Senshi aren't always active; they must have private lives of their own. They're probably normal girls like Usagi and everyone else. I don't think they like it one bit being forced to fight monsters and all that."
"Yeah, but it's cool with the way they finally got rid of the Dark Kingdom some months back when Sailor Terra showed up," Shingo shrugs.
*And nearly committed genocide,* Usagi mentally adds, then stands. "I'm going upstairs," she stretches herself. "Mamo-chan?"
"Hai," Mamoru nods as he follows Usagi to her room.
Shingo shrugs. Their parents head into the kitchen, where their mother finally allows tears to flow. "Relax, honey," Usagi's father sighs. "You know she was born to do this. We have to accept it."
"Accept what?" her mother wonders, keeping her voice down to ensure Shingo didn't hear. "Accept the fact that my daughter puts her life on the line every day fighting those things?! Accept that my daughter supposedly lived a thousand years ago on a kingdom on the Moon?! That is OUR child who's Sailor Moon! Why doesn't she tell us the truth...?"
He embraces her. "Maybe Usagi-chan's trying to protect us."
"She doesn't have to," she sobs...
* * *
"Usako?"
"I'm alright," Usagi sighs, staring at the pale globe hovering nearly a half million kilometres away high in the night sky. Hers ...no, her former self's...old home, now just a lifeless husk.
Mamoru nods, gently embracing her from behind. Even now it was so hard. She wasn't Princess Serenity anymore. She was Usagi Tsukino, who also happened to be Sailor Moon. The final battle with the Dark Kingdom should've settled everything, especially since Naru, someone who wasn't resurrected from the Silver Millennium, had become Sailor Terra. But still, the fragmented memories of her first life haunted her.
Why? Why couldn't Serenity rest in peace, leave Usagi alone and let her live her life as best as she could, not following some plan conceived a thousand years ago on the Moon? No matter how hard Naru reminded her that she had to get her mind on the here-and-now, her first life was flowing back to her like a relentless tide. Usagi knew it would lead to some crisis sooner or later. One part of her rebelled now at the idea of Sailor Terra even though it had been Naru's wish to become a Senshi. If Usagi said anything wrong in front of her best friend, it would really hurt Naru's feelings. Naru wanted to stand by her friend. Couldn't the part of Usagi that once was Serenity accept that and let it be?
And now MORE Senshi, possibly doubles of everyone? Usagi shakes her head. Part of her welcomed the newcomers, especially since Nona had given her real name without hesitation. They seemed friendly enough, determined to fight by their doubles' side. But that hidden voice told her this wasn't the way this was supposed to be. There were supposed to be NINE Sailor Senshi, not TWENTY, especially since eleven of them didn't depend on the Imperium Silver Crystal for their powers.
Usagi blinks as Luna appears in the window, then steps inside, leaping onto the bed. "Usagi, we must investigate this," the cat climbs onto her lap. "Whoever these..."
"SHUT UP, LUNA!!!!" Usagi snaps.
Luna and Mamoru jolt as Usagi bolts to her feet, glaring at the raven-haired cat. "Why is it whenever something that doesn't fit with the plan Queen Serenity made when the Silver Millennium was destroyed is automatically looked on with distrust?!" she demands, shaking furiously. "You hated it when Naru-chan became Sailor Terra and now you want to hold Nona-chan and all the others at bay?!"
"Usagi, think!!" Luna hisses, trying her best to keep some sense of calm to this discussion. "These women possess powers that should come only from the Imperium Silver Crystal! How is it they were able to fight alongside you, Minako, Makoto and Ami like that?! Where did they get their powers from?! Who gave it to them?! We have to know, Usagi!"
"Why?!" Usagi demands. "If Nona-chan really wanted to kill me, she could've let the daemon knock me off that beam or stabbed me with that javelin of hers! She didn't; she saved my life! That makes her good in my books!! Sailor Sunaru and Sailor Zeus saved Minako-chan and Mako-chan from that other one...and Ami-chan would've had loads of trouble with the daemon she fought if Sailor Hermes didn't help out! Look, they obviously want to work with us. Why can't you accept that?!"
Luna shakes her head. After Usagi had come home, she and the cat had a heated discussion over who Nona was and how she got her powers. Usagi was all for welcoming Nona and the others into the team while Luna had more than understandable reservations. They knew NOTHING about these Sailor Senshi Twins, as the media now called them. Discussing it with Artemis didn't produce any solutions either. "I cannot!" she sighs. "Usagi, you are far too trusting! And what was wrong with what your mother conceived?! It's worked so far!"
"Barely!" Usagi sighs, then glares at her. "And my mother isn't Queen Serenity, Luna! She's downstairs in the kitchen right now! I thought we settled this debate back before Naru-chan joined us!!"
"Not in my eyes," Luna snaps. "Usagi, you, Mamoru and the others are all that's left of the Silver Millennium! You are all that's left of everything I knew and cared for back then!!"
"Everything you knew is dust, Luna!" Usagi glares at her, crossing her arms. This had been coming for some time now. "Because you demanded we willingly do to the Dark Kingdom what they did to the Silver Millennium, we almost committed genocide!! I will NEVER allow that to happen again, Luna! We're gonna do things a little differently around here from now on and if you can't accept that, tough!!"
Luna jolts. Usagi's grief, rage and anger at herself for nearly slaughtering thousands of defenceless Dark Kingdom denizens had been building over the last few months. She did her duty as Sailor Moon even now, did it with zeal...but the fatigue of four years of constant battle was wearing her down. Privately, Luna welcomed Sailor Terra and would gladly welcome the Senshi Twins once she could trust they wouldn't turn on the Senshi like Hotaru nearly did once.
This young woman before her was as much Luna's daughter as she was Queen Serenity's; Luna would ALWAYS look on Usagi as the Princess of the Silver Millennium no matter how Usagi looked on herself. Very soon, she would have to prepare to become Neo-Queen Serenity if Chibi-usa's future was to be reality. Already, she was showing the necessary maturity to be Crystal Tokyo's future queen...but she needed the chance to relax and contemplate before taking those final steps. And Luna would give her that chance as long as she could ensure Usagi's future safety.
Suddenly, all three tense as they feel a fourth presence. "It is always the way of Entropy to hold back, to look always to the past," a familiar voice warns. "But if you are truly to be Creation's warriors, you must look to the future."
They spin around to see a figure standing in the near-darkness of the corner, a figure dressed in a familiar black-and-white sailor fuku. "Setsuna...?" Usagi blinks, then her eyes widen on seeing the newcomer's staff. "Wait, you're not...!"
"Sailor Hades, I presume," Mamoru hums.
"Correct, Tuxedo Kamen," Hades emerges from shadow. nodding pleasantly at them. "I apologize for coming in unannounced, but you're obviously curious about myself, Sailor Diana and the other Twins. If you want, we could meet at Hikawa Jinja tomorrow after lunch so we can get to know each other more."
"You know about Hikawa Jinja?" Usagi blinks.
"But of course," Hades smiles, raising the Styx Staff as she moves to depart. "When one guards the very power of Eternity, learning things like Sailor Mars' real name is very elementary. Until tomorrow."
She vanishes. "Wow!!" Usagi whistles.
"I'm glad they're on our side," Mamoru hums.
"Can you be sure?" Luna stares at him...
* * *
To be continued...
Daisuke Tsuruga winces under that withering gaze. "Forgive me, Mistress, but I warned you that my daughter might oppose us..."
"Idiot!! You should have not rebuilt her as you did the others! Another girl would've sufficed to be Sailor Moon's twin!!"
"True, Mistress, but I couldn't allow my daughter to die..."
"SILENCE!!!!" the creature barks. "I gave you the key to the power necessary to destroy the Senshi!! We must move quickly!!!"
The robotics specialist trembles, wondering whatever persuaded him to accept these creatures' help in finishing his project. He had watched a witches' brew of diseases like AIDS, ebola and hepatitis threaten to ravage a whole generation. Like many throughout the world, he was determined to find some way to preserve and protect that generation from being lost to the ages. Inspiration came one day when he saw his only daughter Nona picking through her large manga collection. One of them, Masamune Shirow's "Ghost in the Shell," depicted a future where people could become living cyborgs, their minds encased in very powerful robotic bodies so they could compete in a increasingly wired society.
Discovering the means to preserve one's soul in a cybernetic system was quite easy; the brain worked on the same type of electronic impulses, only more complicated, as the most advanced computer. It was quite easy to construct a containing system that shielded the fragile organ from outside damage, plus a life-support system to keep it alive. Designing the body was the difficult part...until someone developed the blueprints for a very advanced alien android that could be easily modified to the task at hand.
But making use of that would eventually cost Tsuruga his very soul.
And his daughter's love.
"Mistress...if Nona is determined to warn the Senshi that you plan to attack them, you will be stopped," he stares at the monstrosity before him. "The powers the Twins have come from a force far beyond even your control. It, in fact, contributed to their rebellion against you."
The creature rises, then emerges from shadow to reveal a slender female hominoid with gaunt pale skin seductively covered in black chainlink armour akin to bones, her red hair forming a frizzy halo around her still pretty face. Her eyes, as black as darkest space, bore into him. "You are right, Professor," she smiles, stroking a finger over his nose, causing him to shiver from her icy touch. "So many've tried to destroy those wretched reincarnations of Serenity's brat and her friends over the last few years. They were fools because they didn't understand the real nature of the Moon Queen's power. How she keyed into the life-essence of Creation itself, dared manipulate the elements that compose the universe as we know it, to create the perfect team of champions! Well, TWO can play at that game," she walks back to her throne, shrouding herself in darkness. "Yes...two can play at that game. Do not worry about your rebellious creations trying to stop us, Tsuruga. There are other ways to destroy the Senshi...other ways indeed."
Hollow laughter echoes through the dark hall...
* * *
...while elsewhere, in a place of eternal light, a lithe figure walks through the rambling mists of the *te'a.* She cants her head slowly to listen to that laughter, then allows herself a light smile. Did she stupidly think she could manipulate the very elements of Creation Itself to her will? The ancient Sagussans tried it fifteen millennia ago when they created the *haijo-ju* and its numerous prototypes...and within a thousand years, were fighting a war for their very existence. Millennia later, using data obtained from Sagussan records buried on Neptune, Queen Serenity used That Power to create the Imperium Silver Crystal, the source point from which her avenging angels, the Sailor Senshi, would rise again to destroy those who would threatened the last remaining elements of the Silver Millennium.
Technically, the *te'a* was neutral in the eternal fight between Creation and natural Entropy, the mortal decay and disintegration of all physical things. For a beginning, there was always an ending. For a birth, a death. For a creation of a world, a destruction of another world elsewhere. That was the way of Existence.
But unnatural Entropy in all its forms was a different matter. The Sagussans wanted to use the *haijo-ju* to try to remould the races around them in their image. The War of Clone Rights resulted from that. But Serenity's creation of the Silver Crystal, using the *te'a's* power to bring forth the Sailor Senshi, was a different matter. Oh, there were those who tried to kill Creation's warrior-maidens. Beryl and the Dark Kingdom. Prince Demand and the Black Moon Clan. The Death Busters, Mistress Nine and Master Pharaoh Ninety. Galaxia. All the others. None succeeded because they didn't understand, didn't take the time to understand, the exact nature of the power the Senshi welded.
Until now.
The woman/cyborg now calling herself Sailor Hades smiles as she uses the Styx Staff, her personal *haijo-ju,* to gaze at the creature who dare believe she could use the *te'a's* might against Its pretty warriors. "Good luck, you stupid bitch! You don't have a prayer!!" she smiles, a bit of Yuki Tetsujo coming through the rational demeanour her twin wouldn't find so strange, then repeats the ancient Sagussan saying that might as well be the Sailor Senshi's real fighting motto:
Of the parts of Existence,
One thing can be said:
Entropy has a reason for everything.
But Creation is unreasonable.
* * *
In another part of That Power, Sailor Pluto looks up from her stylized Time Door, a smile touching her face. "Yuki..."
"Setsuna," a voice echoes from behind her.
Time's guardian turns to see Eternity's guardian standing there. It had been disorientating to stare at this exact replica of herself at first, even for one who knew what would soon happen to both her beloved friends and Yuki's new family. But Yuki had been born with the power to touch, to manipulate, the *te'a* to her own will. People born with this power came only once in a nearly infinite cases spanning thousand of years. The last one Setsuna knew of was named Serenity.
"Almost time," Pluto smiles.
"Hai," Hades nods. "Almost time."
Soon the ten would become twenty.
Then watch what would happen!
* * *
"Sailor Twins"
a tale of the Sailor Senshi
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
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Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
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Based on "Sailor Moon," created by Naoko Takeuchi
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WRITER'S NOTES
1) This story takes place some months after the conclusion of my SM/UY-TSY crossover fic "Lonely They Who Guard..." Usagi and the Inner Senshi are preparing to enter university. Naru's powers as Sailor Terra remain the same. This story is also inspired by the fanfic "Senshi Kurai," but only the Greek names of the second set of Senshi (save for Sailor Moon's counterpart; see below) will be used.
2) Instead of using Hecate for Sailor Moon's double, I selected Diana (the name of the Roman goddess of the moon). Luna's and Artemis' child has returned to the future by this time. Further, "Diana" would be better known to most Japanese girls than "Hecate" (who is more associated with magic and witches).
3) The story of the *te'a* and Sagussa is described in detail in many of my UY-TSY stories. My recommendation is to read the series from the beginning to get a better feel of the concept of the *te'a* and what It does to others. The best stories to look at for just a quick reference is "A Hectic Vacation" (story #34) and "Dakejinzou's Story" (story #36). The Shoozooki appear in my UY lemon fic "The Galatea Syndrome."
4) Nokoko, the Nendo-kata, Nicole and Mujanba are characters from UY-TSY. They first appeared in "Together the Outland" (story #11).
5) Everyone's symbols:
Sailor Diana...The moon with a bow and arrow over it.
Sailor Sunaru...A hurricane symbol over crossed arrows.
Sailor Zeus...A heart over arrows and a lightning bolt.
Sailor Hermes...A caduceus with a heart fixed at its apex.
Sailor Aphrodite...A heart with an arrow piercing it.
Sailor Chronos...A "C" with an hourglass suspended between the opening, an arrow piercing it.
Sailor Gaia...Earth's symbol over a caduceus.
Sailor Ares...A heart over a bow and arrow.
Sailor Poseidon...A snowflake over a heart.
Sailor Hades...The infinity symbol pierced by an arrow.
**** **** ****
And with that...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!
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PART ONE - SECRET HANDS
"This isn't my day!" Sailor Moon groans.
The pretty warrior was, as usual, making an understatement.
Dangling precariously off a projecting I-beam several hundred feet off Juuban's streets, with a daemon ready to mash her fingers and send her plunging to a certain fate, it could be said to be a typical day for the Senshi's leader. Looking around, Moon can't see her friends. Gritting her teeth, she glances up. The daemon, a griffon-like creature with a hydra's forest of heads snapping greedily at her, had terrorized the district's Ginza before Usagi had stumbled onto it. Not waiting for the others to show up, she transformed and leapt into the fray. "Not really smart, Usagi-chan," she grits her teeth.
The creature above her bellows its challenge, then recoils as something smacks into the I-beam! Moon's eyes lighten up, hopeful that it was one of Tuxedo Kamen's roses. Looking at it, however, elicits confusion; it's a very sharp energy dagger.
"Hold it, sleeze ball!!!" a VERY familiar voice barks.
The daemon grunts as Moon peers over her shoulder...to see HERSELF standing on the roof of the building across the street! However, this Sailor Moon has red hair, the bangs tied in a tight French braid down the centre of her back. Further, several more energy darts and a javelin-like weapon are in her hands. "You're not going to make Sailor Moon street pizza today, ugly...not as long as Sailor Diana, Huntress of the Moon, is around!!" the newcomer challenges.
"Sailor...Diana...?" Moon blinks, immediately wondering if this woman had come from the future like Chibi-usa and Luna's daughter.
Snarling, the daemon bellows a challenge. Crouching, Diana leaps into the air, the darts in her hand glowing star-white. "***ENERGY MOON DARTS!!!!***" she barks, sending a storm of the lethal projectiles at the creature before her.
A pained shriek explodes from the daemon's multiple mouths as it staggers, greenish ichor exploding from dozens of wounds as the energy darts make their mark. Diana lands with unnerving grace on the I-beam, inserting herself between Moon and her attacker. "Let's see you try to knock me off, bud!!" she assumes a fighting stance with her javelin.
Howling mad with pain, the daemon lunges. Diana twirls the javelin, sweeping the creature off its feet with one pass. The daemon drunkenly flips over, its hind claws barely seizing the I-beam before it plunged atally to the unyielding concrete below. Seeing it is too busy to interfere, Diana kneels, hand out to Moon. "Grab on!!"
"Thanks!" Moon extends her hand, then is effortlessly hoisted up. Drawing the Silver Crystal, she glares at the creature. "Let's see you run now, sleezoid!!" before summoning a banishing wave of energy to send the daemon back to the dark place it arose.
As the dying creature's helpless bellows echo through the air, Diana guides Moon back onto better footing. "Who are you?!" the latter seizes the former's arm. "Where did you come from? I don't remember someone like you from the Moon Kingdom..."
"I'm not from that place or time, sister," Diana warmly smiles, eliciting an embarrassed blush from Moon. "I was created a year ago as part of a private project to produce a replacement team of Senshi should you and your friends perish in battle. This is my first time in actual combat."
Moon mentally staggers, trying to quickly absorb the full meat of Diana's words. "Created?! By whom?! What are you?!"
Diana smiles. "I cannot say any more for now, sister. My powers, unlike yours, are quite taxing on my body's energy reserves. Right now, I have to go. We'll meet again!"
With that, the other Senshi sprints away. "Wait!!" Moon runs after her. "At least tell me your name!"
Diana pauses at the edge of the uncompleted floor, staring at her blonde look-alike. "Nona," she calls out, then leaps into the darkening abyss below.
Moon reaches the edge, then looks down. "Gone!"
The rustle of a cape diverts her attention behind her. "Are you alright, Usako?" a concerned voice inquires.
Automatically, Moon sinks into Tuxedo Kamen's comforting embrace. "I don't know, Mamo-chan..."
* * *
Across town, Makoto and Minako pick their way through the Ginza, chattering excitedly about the vast selection of clothes and other items up for sale. "Hope our wallets appreciate this when it's all over," the former picks her way through a rack of blouses.
"Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it!" the latter drapes a cardigan sweater over her. "How's this look, Mako-chan?!"
"It's looks nice," Makoto's voice echoes from behind her.
Minako blinks surprisedly, then spins around to see *Makoto* gazing appraisingly at her. The only difference between the two is the pleated long-sleeve shirt and designer slacks the newcomer wears in lieu of a soft gold sweater and skirt. "No way!!" Minako exclaims.
"I'm sorry!" the newcomer blushes. "Besides, your friend's busy gazing at Katsura there," she points.
Minako turns back to see Makoto drooling unashamedly at a raven-haired version of Haruka now picking her way through a rack of blue jeans. *Haruka, too?! Whoa...Twilight Zone time!!* she mentally exclaims, then returns her attention to Makoto's double. "W-well, you sure this looks nice?"
"It really matches your hair and eyes," the taller woman smiles. "Wearing that would make you fade into the fog. Really romantic notion if you ask me!"
Minako giggles, eliciting a deep laugh from her appraiser. "I'm Minako Aino," she holds out her hand.
"Junko Satoda," Makoto's double beams.
Minako blinks surprisedly at the very firm grip, then slings the sweater over her arm. "Well, what else do you think I should get, Junko-chan?" she glances around.
"Me!" Junko points to herself. "I'm available, free!"
Minako gags at the awful joke, then pitches over in a spasm of giggles. Junko notions her to the make-up counter. Meanwhile, Makoto has not once taken her eyes off the alluring Katsura. *Oh, man, who is that?!* the tallest of the Senshi breathes in, her teeth nibbling her finger. *Boy?! Girl?! Whoever it is, except for the hair, that could be Haruka! Gods, what do I do...?!*
"You know, you're going to do your hand a serious injury if you keep nibbling at it," the stranger then speaks.
Makoto turns stark-white as Katsura turns to face her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!!" she rambles a mile a minute, waving her hands frantically.
Katsura blinks. "My! You look so much like my friend Junko!" She then notices the woman in question guiding Minako into trying out some lipstick. "Seems your friend's already made her acquaintance!"
"No way!!" Makoto parrots Minako's expression on seeing Junko. *That's me!! But...how?!*
"Let's just hope she's not your doppelganger," Katsura pulls out some pants, draping them over herself. "What do you think?"
Makoto looks back, now realizing Katsura was a she. "Nice!" she nods, then smiles. "By the way, I'm Makoto Kino."
"Katsura Utai," the raven-haired woman offers her hand, giving Makoto's a firm grip. "Pleased to meet you, Makoto-san. Care to stay with me? Seems your friend's kind of busy right now."
"Um...y-yeah, s-sure!" Makoto shrugs...
...then everyone jolts as a powerful shock rocks the Ginza! Eyes spin outside as a vent of lava explodes through the concrete, followed by a luminescent column. Despite its stark beauty, the multi-limbed creature at the column's end hints at something more dangerous. "A monster!!!" someone screams.
"Oh, hell!!" Makoto grunts, then blushes apologetically at Katsura. "S-sorry, Katsura-san! We better run!!"
"G-good idea," Katsura readily nods.
The two sprint out of the shop, Minako and Junko in their wake. The two Senshi dodge into one alley while their new friends duck into another. "Can we do this?!" Junko wonders.
"We have no choice!" Katsura concentrates, then calls out, "SUNARU HEAVENLY ECLIPSE POWER, MAKE UP!!!!"
"ZEUS LIGHTNING ECLIPSE POWER, MAKE UP!!!!" Junko echoes.
Energy warps their civilian clothes into Senshi fuku, the same colours as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Uranus. "Let's go!!" Sunaru nods.
"Right! Hey, who was that girl with you?!" Zeus wonders.
"We'll figure it out later! Monster-bashing first!"
"Hai!!"
* * *
"***LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!!!!***" Sailor Venus blows a kiss.
The bolt of energy, combined with Sailor Jupiter's Supreme Thunder Dragon, sends the daemon sprawling! However, its mass remains locked in the hole in the middle of the Ginza. "Wish Mercury was here!" Jupiter grunts. "She could scan that thing and probe for a weakness!!"
"Let's hope the others get here soon!" Venus grits her teeth. "Okay, ugly, let's dance!!"
Bellowing, the creature lashes out with an energy bolt. "Oh, shit!!!" Venus moves to dodge.
Jupiter blinks surprisedly as *she* leaps protectively in front of Venus, hands out. "***AEGIS PROTECTION!!!!!!***"
The bolt slams into an unyielding energy field around Sailor Zeus! Sunaru then appears beside Jupiter. "Seems your powers come from the earth!" the raven-haired Senshi smiles. "Time for you to leave home and embrace the heavens! ***WINDSTORM PASSION!!!!!!***"
A tornado leaps down, seizing the daemon and dragging it out of its hole! Howling, the creature struggles to withdraw to the safety of the soil, but Sunaru's winds are too strong. "Drag her out of there, Sunaru!!" Zeus smiles. "We'll wean it from its mama!!"
Finally, the creature, well over a hundred metres in length, is yanked free! Howling with pain, it struggles to slither down the funnel, its luminescence fading. "Take it down, Zeus!" Sunaru warns.
"No problem!" Zeus winds up. "***AEGIS ENTRAPMENT!!!!!!***"
The energy field which had prevented Zeus and Venus from being charcoal-broiled lashes out, sealing the daemon from ever reaching earth again. Zeus shudders as the creature's still-formidable power struggles against her forcefield. "Can't...keep this up...much...!"
"Don't have to!!" Venus bolts to her feet. "Drop the shield!"
Zeus grunts, the shield fading, the daemon free to plunge back to earth. "***LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!!!!***" Venus fires.
"***SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!!!!!!***" Jupiter barks.
The twin bolts of energy slam into the daemon, pulping it long before it could re-energize!! "Dusted!" Jupiter laughs.
"Nice one!!" Venus beams, high-fiving her friend.
"Hey, we had help this time!!" Jupiter turns to thank Zeus and Sunaru...then blinks on finding no one. "Where'd they go?!"
Venus looks around, then crosses her arms. "Don't worry, Jupiter. I've a funny hunch who those two were!"
"If they were, where'd they come from and how'd they become Sailor Senshi?!" Jupiter gazes at her friend.
"Good question," Venus muses...
* * *
Ami browses through her biology text as she wanders between the shelves of the local library. In spite of passing her college examinations with flying colours, the studious Senshi didn't believe in letting up on her studies. The library is quiet today; few others are in attendance. "I need more information," she muses to herself, then remembering where some detailed texts were located, turns a corner...and collides into someone!
"I'm sorry!" a voice indistinguishable from hers utters as Ami falls flat on her backside.
Ami looks up...to see a blonde, bespectacled version of herself staring at her. "Y-y-you're...!" Ami stammers, pointing at the woman.
"No, I don't believe I'm you," the woman twirls her blonde locks, then offers her hand. "I'm Tsuyako Yuuri. I didn't expect many people to be here today."
"Ami Mizuno," Ami introduces herself, allowing Tsuyako to boost her to her feet. "I came here to study. Always good to get a head start on university."
"Really?!" Tsuyako blinks, her eyes reflecting a thirst for knowledge which matches Ami's. "Me, too...even thought I suspect I might not be going to university. What are you studying?"
"Biology...I intend to be a doctor," Ami smiles as the two proceed down a row of books. "Didn't you do your entrance exams?"
"I did...then I got very sick," Tsuyako haltingly replies, clearly hesitant on revealing the whole story. "Look, why don't I help you study? I've really got nothing to do."
"Would you? I don't want to deprive you..."
"I don't mind," Tsuyako smiles. "Please?"
Ami blinks. The things Tsuyako said...and DID NOT say...would fill enough material in a dozen school quizzes. "Sure," she nods, then pulls out a sheet. "I need these books..."
In a minute, the two are at a table, a stack of library books between them. To Ami's surprise, a rapport forms between herself and Tsuyako. Given the latter's stylish jeans and button shirt, she seemed well off. With her raw intelligence, it struck Ami as tragic that Tsuyako was unable to attend college. Curiosity rears its ugly head. Ami barely fights it down; if Tsuyako wanted to reveal more, she would have to make that decision.
Time passes. After scouring through several chapters, Ami uses Tsuyako as a quizmaster, drilling her on various topics which would be covered in the first year biology course. Much to the former's delight, the latter doesn't stint on questions, picking a balanced mix between common topics and obscure points which could be a surprise question in a quiz. Then, Ami becomes the quizmaster, drilling Tsuyako in chemistry, the subject the latter would have taken were she to attend college.
As the sun begins its descent behind the Kantou-sanchi, Ami and Tsuyako stretch themselves. By that time, the former's curiosity in unbearable. "Tsuyako, can I ask you something?"
"What, Ami?"
"Why is it you can't attend college?" Ami muses. "You have such raw intelligence, you could almost be considered a child prodigy..."
"You don't understand," pained regret crosses Tsuyako's face. "Ami-chan, I like you very much. But...even if I could bring myself to trust you enough to reveal my secret, you'd think me either insane or a liar."
Ami mentally kicks herself; whatever was tearing at Tsuyako hurt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't've asked. But...I've come to like you very much. In fact, I'd consider us twin sisters were it not for the...hair," she points to her own raven locks.
Tsuyako gazes intently at her. Since meeting Ami, her mind has been ruthlessly performing a comparison between her and the woman Tsuyako was literally reborn to replace should the unimaginable happen. Should she? "Alright," she sighs. "But, before I begin, could I ask you something?"
"Sure," Ami nods.
Tsuyako looks around. No one within hearing range. "Can you speak German?" she inquires, altering languages.
"I'm proficient," Ami automatically switches.
Tsuyako nods. "Ami...are you Sailor Mercury?"
Ami jolts as her mind interprets those words. Tsuyako winces, sensing the shock overwhelming her new friend. "I assume that's a 'yes,'" she sighs, then reverts to Japanese. "Gomen nasai. I didn't mean to come at you like that."
"How did you guess?" Ami hoarsely wonders.
"Well, your...other uniform doesn't break up your facial features enough," Tsuyako smiles, then switches back to German. "Besides...I was constructed in your image."
Ami blinks, stunned shock freezing her in place as her mind rehashes Tsuyako's words. "You're...what are you?"
Tsuyako sighs. "It's hard to explain," she switches back to Japanese. "If you go to the birth records office in Okinawa, you'd find my birth certificate. But I assure you that I never looked anything like this growing up," she points to her face.
Ami stares at the blonde. "Cosmetic surgery?"
"Oh, this goes a lot deeper," Tsuyako chuckles. "You can call me a cyborg. Almost all this body before you is mechanical. My brain and the direct support mechanisms to keep it alive are all that remain of my old body. Here," she rolls back her sleeve.
Even though Tsuyako's words gave Ami ample warning, the shock on seeing complex cybernetics under a circuit hatch in the lower arm jolts her. "Gods..." she gapes, then looks around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Drawing her computer, she does a cursory scan. "This is unbelievable," she gapes at the readings. "Your cybernetics are light-years more advanced than anything I've encountered to date."
Tsuyako closes up her arm as Ami slips the computer away. "Thanks," she smiles. "I'm grateful that we've met. Ever since our...conversion, all of us have wondered what we were going to do with ourselves."
"I can understand that...and thank you for being so honest with me..." Ami smiles, then blinks. "Wait! You said 'others.'"
"Yes," Tsuyako nods, does a glance around the room, then lowers her voice. "There are now doubles of all the Senshi, including Sailor Terra. As a matter of fact..."
Before she could complete her statement, an explosion rocks the street outside the library. Both leap to their feet as they see a particularly foul daemon emerge from the sewers. "This'll have to wait!" Ami grits her teeth. "I've work to do."
"I can help," Tsuyako smiles. "C'mon!!"
Ami is dragged out of the library by the blonde. In a moment, both are in a secluded alley. Ami already has her henshin stick in hand. "This is good enough," Tsuyako looks around, then calls out, "HERMES HERALD ECLIPSE POWER, MAKE UP!!!!"
Ami gapes as Tsuyako's clothes melt away, reforming into an electric-blue sailor fuku with winged form-fitting boots, a visor now fixed before her eyes. Her symbol adorns the button over her tie. In her hand is a caduceus the length of her arm. "There!!"
"Y-y-you're...!!" Ami stammers, the information onslaught almost ready to overwhelm even her.
"Transform!!" Sailor Hermes snaps. "I'll explain later! That daemon's not going to wait!"
Shaken out of her stupor, Ami points her henshin stick to the heavens. "MERCURY COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!!!!"
In a second, Sailor Mercury joins her altered twin in charging out of the alley. "Hold it, creature!!" she barks. "How dare you interrupt this day of study?! In the name of Mercury, I will not permit this to continue!"
The daemon hisses, its glowing eyes fixed on the blue-sheathed Senshi. "*MER-...CU-...RY...!*" it snarls.
"It appears our opponent is not much of a conversationalist, sister," Hermes muses.
Roaring, the creature lunges. Before Mercury could dodge, she finds herself fifty feet away! "What on Earth...?!" she exclaims, staring at Hermes, who seems not winded for running so fast.
"You should know your mythology by now, sister!" Hermes winks.
Mercury watches as the Senshi herald becomes a white-and-blue blur, appearing before the daemon. "Would you care to do that again?!" Hermes taunts.
Bellowing, the creature snatches a car. Mercury gasps as it winds up, flinging it at Hermes. Instead of dodging, the Senshi herald draws her caduceus. "***STRIKE OF A THOUSAND KNIVES!!!!!!***" she bellows as her weapon becomes a fast blur.
The car is sliced to ribbons before it could cause her harm. However, the friction ignites the gas tank! Seeing the burst of energy, Mercury calls out, "***AQUA ILLUSION!!!!!!***"
A storm of water slams into the inferno, dousing the gasoline. Hermes, fortunately, ran clear. "Up here!!!" she taunts.
The daemon spins around to see the Senshi herald now standing on a light pole. "Continued resistance is futile," Hermes crosses her arms. "You cannot outrun the Herald of Justice, Sailor Hermes. Surrender and your fate will be merciful!"
Roaring, the creature lunges at Hermes. She cocks her fist back, then punches, the fist vibrating until it is encompassed in energy. "***HYPERSPEED ACCELERATION!!!!!!***"
Mercury watches as the daemon is slammed by the energy blow. Drawing her visor, she watches as the creature's molecules are accelerated past solid state to liquid to gas in the blink of an eye. Its internal organs fatally compromised, the daemon disintegrates as the energy fades around Hermes, allowing the blonde Senshi to drop back to earth. "I believe that creature will not bother us anymore," she walks up.
"Nicely done," Mercury whistles. "But...how did this happen?"
Before she could answer, Hermes jolts, her body sagging. "An explanation later...if I may, sister," she grits her teeth. "My power systems...have finite levels. Right now, I...need a very good recharge. Let's return to normal, then...could I trouble you to help me home?"
"Sure," Mercury nods as she slips herself under Hermes' shoulder, helping the Senshi herald off the street...
* * *
"Did you save her?" Katsura wonders.
"You bet!" Nona smiles as she stares at the tricorder in her hand, one lead connected to the servicing unit each of the Twins needed to stay alive and healthy, the other to her systems analysis terminal located in her breastbone above her cleavage. After a good hour laying nude on the roof of their private apartment outside Tokyo, the solar collectors built into her skin soaking up the Sun's limitless energy, Nona had recovered from her brief fight with the daemon who had tried to kill Sailor Moon. "That sucker didn't know what hit it!! How about you two? No problems with the one you fought?!"
"Piece of cake," Katsura snorts, shutting off the blender and pouring her special fruit shake into glasses for everyone else to have. Solar energy was good to restore their internal batteries so they could continue to fight alongside the Senshi, but their organic parts still needed nutrients to remain healthy.
The Twins understood the advantages and liabilities their new bodies possessed. Each woman living here was in truth a technological marvel the likes of which Earth had never seen, their cybernetic systems derived from advanced androids used by a patriarchal race known as the Shoozooki, amoral beings who traded their knowledge to everyone who wanted it without care for the social and cultural damage it unleashed.
But androids had a inherent limitation: their computer brains were limited in their ability to think on their own. Daisuke Tsuruga had got past that by using organic brains extracted from the dying shells of Nona and nine other women he had found at his patron's instigation to create a strike team meant to destroy the Sailor Senshi.
Unfortunately for the creature Nona's father worked for, its desire to make the Twins kill the Senshi were dead aborning. With organic minds came a subconscious, the ability to dream, reach out beyond the realm of the physical and a will that no controlling program could suppress no matter how complex. Nona, horrified that her father would want her to kill a group of women she admired greatly, helped the others free themselves, then fled the professor's lab in Nara for this private home Nona's late mother had set aside for her just before she was killed.
Nona had a lot to be angry at. Her father for using her and the others in this way, allowing her mother to die, turning her into this mechanical monstrosity to help some extra-terrestrial would-be dictator conquer her people. The nameless thing that had instigated this in the first place, wherever it may be. But she would NEVER hate her "sister," Sailor Moon. Why was it monsters who picked fights with the Senshi, used innocents to prove how macho they were?! Cowards! Fighting bullies and cowards; that's all this was. Someone couldn't stand the fact that others didn't bow to them, pay them respect, so they came out, disrupted everyone's lives, probably killed people, then caused a mess when people like the Senshi rose to stop them.
Not while Nona Tsuruga and her friends drew breath. Somehow, some way, they were going to have new organic bodies so they could use their special powers effectively, then they were going hunting. Nona would first kill her father, then the creature who instigated this. After all, she was Sailor Diana. Diana was the goddess of the moon, a master hunter, in Roman myth. The beings Nona were after were animals...and she was in the mood for a hunt.
Blinking, she smiles on seeing that her diagnostic had shown no errors, then she disconnects herself, sealing her body up for another week. Straightening her jogging pants and T-shirt, she walks into the common room, accepting the offered shake from Katsura. Chooko was still shopping with Nareta in Hachiouji. Tsuyako hadn't come back from the Juuban library. Yuki was heaven knew where; with Sailor Hades, one could never tell. Junko was preparing dinner. Sakebu had her nose buried in a magazine. And her hearing could detect Ayako's and Matsuri's passionate lovemaking from their bedroom.
Walking over to the television, Nona flips it on NHK, sitting down to watch the news. A reporter was now on the street near the Juuban library, speaking to several surprised students. "...it was wild!!" a boy with round-frame glasses gasps. "I mean, there was Sailor Mercury fighting this thing right over here," he gestures wildly, "...and with her was someone I'd swear was her own twin sister!!"
"Looks like Tsuyako-chan was busy, too," Katsura parks herself beside Nona, sipping her shake.
"Did you hear the name of the other Senshi?" the reporter asks.
"Yeah, it sounded like Sailor Hermes," the boy responds, then hums. "That would make sense; in Greek mythology, Hermes was the herald of the gods, the equivalent of Mercury in Roman myth! Sailor Hermes called herself the Herald of Justice...!!"
The image changes to a generic broadcaster. "And so ended the third strange incident this day concerning Juuban's legendary Sailor Senshi and their mysterious twins," she gazes at her notes. "So far, no one has been able to ask any of the Senshi about this phenomena. Do all ten of the Senshi have twins who are named after the Greek versions of their names? Only time will tell..."
"With this sort of publicity, we'll be able to flush out Dad and his friends," Nona scowls, a dangerous glitter in her eyes. "Once we do that, then there'll be a reckoning!"
"We still don't know how powerful they are, Nona-chan," Katsura warns. "Can we actually defeat them?"
"With the Senshi's help?" Nona smiles. "Count on it!"
There is a shuffling at the front door, followed by the doorbell. "I'll get it!" Junko calls out as she runs into the main hall, opening the door. "Yes, can I...Tsuyako-chan, are you alright?!"
Tsuyako now leans on Ami's shoulder, the two having spent the last hour getting out here from the nearest subway station without the police or anyone else wondering why the former wasn't in a hospital. "She's very low on primary charge," the latter reports, her eyes widening on seeing this double of Makoto staring at her. "Could you help me? Carrying her wasn't too much of a problem, but she is quite heavy..."
Junko nods, grabbing Tsuyako and boosting her into the living room. The other Twins help the Senshi herald into her bedroom. With quick speed, Katsura unbuttons Tsuyako's shirt, then reaches for a very heavy power cable fixed to one wall. "Open up," she orders.
Tsuyako nods, a hatch opening under her breasts to reveal a power jack. Katsura plugs her friend in, then stares at Ami, her eyes widening in recognition. "Sailor Mercury...?"
"I'm Ami," Ami states, then gazes at everyone else. An exact double of Makoto, a black-haired Haruka, a Naru with her hair in a bun and an Usagi with her red hair done in a long pig-tail? She then turns to see a crimson-haired Rei and a black-haired Minako emerge from one bedroom, very short housecoats barely covering their bodies. "Oh, gods, I thought Tsuyako-chan was joking...!!"
"We're no joke," Junko winks. "Hey, look, Tsuyako-chan's gonna be a bit. Want something to eat? You had a pretty busy day too."
"I wouldn't mind," Ami nods...
* * *
"Man, that's cool!!" Shingo whistles as he stares at the television in the Tsukino living room. "Doubles of all the Senshi! Wouldn't it be neat if you got the chance to meet them, Dad?!"
"Well, it was strange enough when Sailor Terra appeared some months back," Usagi's father muses. The family and Mamoru were relaxing after a pleasant supper, though Usagi wasn't in the mood for conversation. "I wonder how many more Senshi'll come out?" he then chuckles. "Perhaps Senshi for all the moons in our solar system?!"
"Sailor Phobos, Sailor Deimos, Sailor Io, Sailor Europa..." Shingo rambles off, then yelps as Usagi swats him with a pillow! "Hey, what was that for, sis?!!"
"That's not the least bit funny, idiot!!" Usagi bolts to her feet. "Could you imagine what these girls are going through?! Having their whole lives disrupted because of monsters and aliens and who knows what else?! Believe me, being a Sailor Senshi isn't fun, you know!"
"How would YOU know?!" Shingo demands.
Usagi jerks. Oh, boy, she put her foot into it THIS time! "Shingo, Usagi has a point," their mother cuts in. "The Senshi aren't always active; they must have private lives of their own. They're probably normal girls like Usagi and everyone else. I don't think they like it one bit being forced to fight monsters and all that."
"Yeah, but it's cool with the way they finally got rid of the Dark Kingdom some months back when Sailor Terra showed up," Shingo shrugs.
*And nearly committed genocide,* Usagi mentally adds, then stands. "I'm going upstairs," she stretches herself. "Mamo-chan?"
"Hai," Mamoru nods as he follows Usagi to her room.
Shingo shrugs. Their parents head into the kitchen, where their mother finally allows tears to flow. "Relax, honey," Usagi's father sighs. "You know she was born to do this. We have to accept it."
"Accept what?" her mother wonders, keeping her voice down to ensure Shingo didn't hear. "Accept the fact that my daughter puts her life on the line every day fighting those things?! Accept that my daughter supposedly lived a thousand years ago on a kingdom on the Moon?! That is OUR child who's Sailor Moon! Why doesn't she tell us the truth...?"
He embraces her. "Maybe Usagi-chan's trying to protect us."
"She doesn't have to," she sobs...
* * *
"Usako?"
"I'm alright," Usagi sighs, staring at the pale globe hovering nearly a half million kilometres away high in the night sky. Hers ...no, her former self's...old home, now just a lifeless husk.
Mamoru nods, gently embracing her from behind. Even now it was so hard. She wasn't Princess Serenity anymore. She was Usagi Tsukino, who also happened to be Sailor Moon. The final battle with the Dark Kingdom should've settled everything, especially since Naru, someone who wasn't resurrected from the Silver Millennium, had become Sailor Terra. But still, the fragmented memories of her first life haunted her.
Why? Why couldn't Serenity rest in peace, leave Usagi alone and let her live her life as best as she could, not following some plan conceived a thousand years ago on the Moon? No matter how hard Naru reminded her that she had to get her mind on the here-and-now, her first life was flowing back to her like a relentless tide. Usagi knew it would lead to some crisis sooner or later. One part of her rebelled now at the idea of Sailor Terra even though it had been Naru's wish to become a Senshi. If Usagi said anything wrong in front of her best friend, it would really hurt Naru's feelings. Naru wanted to stand by her friend. Couldn't the part of Usagi that once was Serenity accept that and let it be?
And now MORE Senshi, possibly doubles of everyone? Usagi shakes her head. Part of her welcomed the newcomers, especially since Nona had given her real name without hesitation. They seemed friendly enough, determined to fight by their doubles' side. But that hidden voice told her this wasn't the way this was supposed to be. There were supposed to be NINE Sailor Senshi, not TWENTY, especially since eleven of them didn't depend on the Imperium Silver Crystal for their powers.
Usagi blinks as Luna appears in the window, then steps inside, leaping onto the bed. "Usagi, we must investigate this," the cat climbs onto her lap. "Whoever these..."
"SHUT UP, LUNA!!!!" Usagi snaps.
Luna and Mamoru jolt as Usagi bolts to her feet, glaring at the raven-haired cat. "Why is it whenever something that doesn't fit with the plan Queen Serenity made when the Silver Millennium was destroyed is automatically looked on with distrust?!" she demands, shaking furiously. "You hated it when Naru-chan became Sailor Terra and now you want to hold Nona-chan and all the others at bay?!"
"Usagi, think!!" Luna hisses, trying her best to keep some sense of calm to this discussion. "These women possess powers that should come only from the Imperium Silver Crystal! How is it they were able to fight alongside you, Minako, Makoto and Ami like that?! Where did they get their powers from?! Who gave it to them?! We have to know, Usagi!"
"Why?!" Usagi demands. "If Nona-chan really wanted to kill me, she could've let the daemon knock me off that beam or stabbed me with that javelin of hers! She didn't; she saved my life! That makes her good in my books!! Sailor Sunaru and Sailor Zeus saved Minako-chan and Mako-chan from that other one...and Ami-chan would've had loads of trouble with the daemon she fought if Sailor Hermes didn't help out! Look, they obviously want to work with us. Why can't you accept that?!"
Luna shakes her head. After Usagi had come home, she and the cat had a heated discussion over who Nona was and how she got her powers. Usagi was all for welcoming Nona and the others into the team while Luna had more than understandable reservations. They knew NOTHING about these Sailor Senshi Twins, as the media now called them. Discussing it with Artemis didn't produce any solutions either. "I cannot!" she sighs. "Usagi, you are far too trusting! And what was wrong with what your mother conceived?! It's worked so far!"
"Barely!" Usagi sighs, then glares at her. "And my mother isn't Queen Serenity, Luna! She's downstairs in the kitchen right now! I thought we settled this debate back before Naru-chan joined us!!"
"Not in my eyes," Luna snaps. "Usagi, you, Mamoru and the others are all that's left of the Silver Millennium! You are all that's left of everything I knew and cared for back then!!"
"Everything you knew is dust, Luna!" Usagi glares at her, crossing her arms. This had been coming for some time now. "Because you demanded we willingly do to the Dark Kingdom what they did to the Silver Millennium, we almost committed genocide!! I will NEVER allow that to happen again, Luna! We're gonna do things a little differently around here from now on and if you can't accept that, tough!!"
Luna jolts. Usagi's grief, rage and anger at herself for nearly slaughtering thousands of defenceless Dark Kingdom denizens had been building over the last few months. She did her duty as Sailor Moon even now, did it with zeal...but the fatigue of four years of constant battle was wearing her down. Privately, Luna welcomed Sailor Terra and would gladly welcome the Senshi Twins once she could trust they wouldn't turn on the Senshi like Hotaru nearly did once.
This young woman before her was as much Luna's daughter as she was Queen Serenity's; Luna would ALWAYS look on Usagi as the Princess of the Silver Millennium no matter how Usagi looked on herself. Very soon, she would have to prepare to become Neo-Queen Serenity if Chibi-usa's future was to be reality. Already, she was showing the necessary maturity to be Crystal Tokyo's future queen...but she needed the chance to relax and contemplate before taking those final steps. And Luna would give her that chance as long as she could ensure Usagi's future safety.
Suddenly, all three tense as they feel a fourth presence. "It is always the way of Entropy to hold back, to look always to the past," a familiar voice warns. "But if you are truly to be Creation's warriors, you must look to the future."
They spin around to see a figure standing in the near-darkness of the corner, a figure dressed in a familiar black-and-white sailor fuku. "Setsuna...?" Usagi blinks, then her eyes widen on seeing the newcomer's staff. "Wait, you're not...!"
"Sailor Hades, I presume," Mamoru hums.
"Correct, Tuxedo Kamen," Hades emerges from shadow. nodding pleasantly at them. "I apologize for coming in unannounced, but you're obviously curious about myself, Sailor Diana and the other Twins. If you want, we could meet at Hikawa Jinja tomorrow after lunch so we can get to know each other more."
"You know about Hikawa Jinja?" Usagi blinks.
"But of course," Hades smiles, raising the Styx Staff as she moves to depart. "When one guards the very power of Eternity, learning things like Sailor Mars' real name is very elementary. Until tomorrow."
She vanishes. "Wow!!" Usagi whistles.
"I'm glad they're on our side," Mamoru hums.
"Can you be sure?" Luna stares at him...
* * *
To be continued...