Heart of Darkness
Episode One- A Cold Winter Night
It was cold in Tokyo. Falling from the heavens high above, the snowflakes gently danced down to the earth below. Soft and cold, the snowflakes littered the ground, covering everything in a thick white blanket. The trees, covered in a thin layer of ice, were bare but majestic with thousands of tiny icicles clinging to their branches.
A single snowflake landed within a warm palm as it reached for the heavens. Pulling her hand down, the young woman examined her cold redden hand as the snowflake melted. After it was gone, she put her hand down, wiping it against her bright red pants, and she looked out into the white courtyard. The shrine grounds were truly serene in this moment. Nothing but the steadiness of her breath disturbed the silence of that cold afternoon.
The skies were grey and overcast. The air was harsh and cold. Despite the conditions, the young woman continued to practice. Through the snow, her feet moved back and forth into stances and positions. Likewise, her arms and hands followed suit. Her leg came up for a kick then her right and left arm jabbed into the empty space before her. Quickly, she spun around and threw another kick except this time slipping on the snow; she fell straight to the ground.
It was a hard fall. She laid there in the cold snow for a few moments. Looking up to the grey skies, she sighed as the snowflakes falling down tickled her sweaty face. She raised her right arm. It was wrapped in white bandages. After a deep breath, she forced herself to sit up, feeling pain surge through her entire body, but she continued to sit up, gritting her teeth along the way. After sitting upright for a few moments, she decided to get up and head back inside. She stepped onto the wooden deck of the shrine and followed it around the building towards the house. She slid open the door and stepped in. While walking through the quiet dark house, she dug into her shirt. Pulling out a cold metal object, she looked down at it intently. It was her Sailor Pen. This was the object that would transform her into Sailor Mars, but that had been so long ago. She walked into the meditation room inside the house. Above the fireplace rested a small wooden box. She pulled it down and opened it. Inside the box rested four other objects of the same type—the other Sailor Pens.
Along time ago, after their duty was finished, Hino Raye was entrusted with the keeping of these sacred objects. For seven years, she did her duty faithfully, but in those seven years, there was never a challenge to that duty. Inside the box, there were five places for the five pens. She sighed for a moment, thinking. The other Sailors hadn't touched, nor probably even thought about, their pens in seven years, but everyday Raye would take the sacred object out of the box and at least look at it. When the last battle was won those many years ago, Raye tried to do as the others did. For awhile, almost year, she refused to even open the box and look at her pen, but as time went on, something inside of her ached deeply. Ever since then, she refused to ignore the ache and indulge in the silent whispers of the past. For the past six years, she continued to train as a warrior, but for what purpose she did not know.
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The bus was slow moving because of the weather, but she had all the time in the world. Raye looked up from her magazine for moment. Most of the people on the bus were tired, and some of them were even half asleep. A couple of teenagers in the back were talking softly while a mother sang gently to her sleeping daughter. Raye smiled for a moment at the precious sleeping child, but looked up for a moment as something caught her eye. The man diagonal from her flashed a smile accompanied with a wink. Disgusted, Raye turned her head and looked towards the back of the bus. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the man was continuing to stare at her. The man had long greasy black hair that fell out of a dirty baseball cap, and the tight shirt over his large belly was covered in mustard stains. She pretended not to notice as he kept smiling at her.
Finally, the bus reached the Hikawa Shrine. She sighed in relief and grabbed her grocery bags. She hurriedly got off the bus, pretending not to hear the perverted man asking her for her number. Quickly she stepped off the bust and headed for the long stairway up to the temple mount. As she ascended the long stairway, she noticed something peculiar. There were footprints in the snow. The shrine was closed for the day; she made sure the sign was out front that morning. Cautiously, she continued up the stairs, following the footprints. They were heading into the house. She set the grocery bags down on the porch and carefully opened the door. She quietly stepped inside and listened for a few moments. There were noises coming from the kitchen. Slowly, she approached the kitchen in stealth and peered around the corner.
Sitting at the table, a long blonde haired woman with two flowing ponytails happily scooped out a helping of peanut butter and smeared onto a piece of bread. Releasing a sigh, Raye stepped into the kitchen. "Serena, what are you doing in here?" She asked, exasperated.
The blonde turned around, licking the knife of peanut butter. "Where's all the food, Raye? All I could find was this peanut butter."
"I just went shopping," Raye said. "Hold on," She walked out of the room to retrieve the groceries and came back a few moments later. Immediately, Serena staring digging through the bags as Raye laid them down on the counter. Satisfied, Serena took out a box of cookies and tore into them. While Serena was captivated with the food, Raye walked over to the other side of the table. On the floor, resting in a basket, a tiny girl slept peacefully.
"She's getting bigger." Raye said.
"Yeah, I know." Serena sighed between mouthfuls.
"What has it been? Three months since I've seen her."
"About that, I would say," Serena said. "My Rini's growing up. She's five months now."
Raye nodded. "Good."
"I hope you don't mind, but I turned the warm air on. It was freezing in here! And I turned on some of the lights. I couldn't see a thing in the dark! How do you live like that?" Serena took a bite of her sandwich.
Raye shrugged. "It saves on the electricity and heating bills…"
"You're not hurting for money, are you?" Serena interrupted.
Raye shook her head. "No, I'm fine. The shrine has been doing well enough. I'm still training Yuka as my miko."
"Yuka, she's a nice girl," Serena said.
"Yes, she is."
Serena motioned to the chair next to her. "Well, sit down! Tell me everything that's been happening. What's been going on with you?"
Raye slowly took a seat. Once she did, she shrugged her shoulders in response. "Nothing really exciting has been happening around here. Sorry."
"Nothing!" Serena exclaimed. "What do you mean nothing?"
"I told you. Nothing is going on."
Serena sighed, exasperated. "Raye, this isn't good for you. You just sit around this shrine all day, all by yourself…"
"I work hard! You have no idea what it takes to keep this place running for all the guests we have here!"
"That's not what I'm talking about! I know you work—that's all you ever do! You never go out and see anyone. You never spend time with people your own age, and you never go out on any dates!"
"I go out on dates!" Raye retorted.
"Since when? Five years ago?"
"Two!" Raye snapped.
"That's pathetic! You're telling me that you've not been on a date in two whole years?"
"What of it?" Raye crossed her arms.
"That's exactly what I mean, Raye," Serena urged. "How do you ever expect to ever get married when you're sitting up here in this shrine all by yourself?"
"I'm not all by myself. Yuka is here after school three days a week…"
"She doesn't count!" Serena interrupted. "You need a man!"
Raye rolled her eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't need a man to manage my life. My life is plenty busy and complicated as it is. Besides, it's none of your business anyway…"
"Raye, can I ask you something?" Serena shifted her tone.
"What?" Raye asked, exasperated.
"Do you like women instead…"
"No!" Raye exclaimed. "Serena, can you just get off my case already?"
"Well, excuse me for trying to be a good friend…"
"You're not being a good friend! You're being nosy…"
The two friends started yelling and screaming back and forth. Their voices escalated, filling the entire house with their argument. Finally, Serena yelled, "I'm worried about you!" Suddenly, Raye stopped. The two women stared each other down, but the baby started to cry, breaking the tension. Serena immediately rushed over to her daughter and picked her up, cuddling the girl in her arms. As Serena comforted the child, Raye looked on, feeling completely ashamed of her behavior. She watched as her friend held the child in her arms and how sweet and tender it looked. Something on the inside began to ache within her.
"Hey, Raye, look, I'm sorry." Serena looked over at her friend.
Raye nodded, unable to bring herself to look up at Serena.
Serena glanced at her watch. "Well, it's late, and I better get Rini home. Darien's expecting me to be home when he gets there."
Raye nodded as she watched her friend pack up and quickly, Raye was left alone in the silence again. Quietly, she began to put away the groceries and continue on with her night. After some light cleaning, she began to prepare her dinner—some rice would be fine for tonight. When her rice was finished, she quietly headed through the dark house and came into the living room. She curled up in a warm chair wearing a sweatshirt and pajama pants and turned on the evening news. Despite the fact that she was gone, Serena's words still echoed through Raye's mind. Annoyed, she grabbed the remote and shut the television off. Amongst the candlelight, she sat quietly, scooping the hot rice into her mouth. As thoughts swirled within her mind, her eyebrows began to hunch over her light violet eyes.
Serena didn't understand. Life was never easy for Raye Hino—it never had been and it never will be. What came so easily, and perhaps undeservedly , for some came with great hardship and much difficulty for Raye. It was a fact Raye had accepted long ago. Hot tears began to roll down her face. It was a fact that she had accepted, but a fact she hated and despised with everything in her. She could never have the life that Serena had—even if she wanted it. She shook her head, trying to hold back the tears. Sometimes it was difficult to not feel jealousy or bitterness when looking at those around her. She quickly dried up her tears on her sleeve then reached for the remote control to turn on the television.
She spent all night watching television—something she rarely did. Finally, about ten at night, she decided to go to bed. Tired, she maneuvered through the dark house and headed to her bedroom. Too tired to even get ready for bed, she immediately flopped down on the bed and covered herself up with the comforter. She fell asleep right away, but after an hour passed, she stirred back awake. She tossed and turned, shoving her head into her pillow, but something felt wrong. Lying on her back and staring at the ceiling, she told herself that it was just the comments that Serena made earlier, but deep down inside, she knew better. Something felt wrong. She searched her feelings for a few moments in the stillness of the night, but she couldn't discern what it was. Ignoring it, she turned over and went back to sleep.
She uneasily rested for another hour, but as the clock struck midnight on that cold December night, she awoke, gasping. She sat up, looking towards the window. The gentle snow was still floating down from the heavens. Her heart pounded within her chest. Something was out there. She threw back the covers and crawled out of bed.
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During the late of the night, four others were awaked from deep slumber. Lying next to her husband, Serena Chiba violently leapt out of bed with a scream. The studious Ami Mizuno awoke from her study session at her desk in her bedroom while Lita Kino stirred from her sleep in her own room. Mina Aino, who just crawled into bed fifteen minutes ago, crawled right back out and headed back out into the cold night.
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Raye stepped out of the house into the cold night air. She looked around the dark courtyard. It was peaceful and eerily serene. She scanned the area, looking for any sign of life. There was nothing. She walked up and down the deck for a few minutes, but still disturbed, she stepped down onto the ground and walked through the snow. She listened, only hearing the crunching of her footsteps in the snow. She stopped and listened.
"Hello!"
Raye quickly spun around, gasping. Behind her was a child—perhaps around the age of seven or eight. Her dark ebony hair was long and her eyes were just as dark. Raye stared into the girl's eyes—they were dark and cruel. "Who are you?" Raye uttered, frightened.
"Do you want to play with me?"
Raye shook her head. "No, I don't. Who are you? How did you get here?" Raye took a step back, moving into a defensive stance.
"You don't want to play?" The girl asked, her eyes beginning to glow a bright red.
"Who are you?" Raye hollered.
The girl began to back away, but as she did, a sinister laugh emerged from her lips. At first, it was the laugh of a child, but as she backed away, the laugh grew deeper and more adult-like. When the girl had backed almost into the trees, she began to transform. Before Raye's eyes, the young child grew into a full adult.
"What are you?" Raye asked. "What do you want from me?"
The woman shook her head. "I'm surprised one such as you would be asking such questions, Sailor Mars."
"You know who I am?"
The woman smirked. "For many years I waited to gain the strength needed to obtain what I want, and now that I am so close…I can hardly wait for it."
"And what is it that you want?"
"What else?" The woman smirked. "To conquer this pitiful world. That is all you need to know."
"You very well know then that I am a soldier of love and justice! I will never let you destroy this planet or the people on it! I am Sailor Mars!" Raye dug into her shirt and grabbed the Sailor pen.
"You will stand alone against me?" The woman laughed.
"If I must!"
"No, she has us!" Running up from behind, the four former Sailor scouts came up ready for battle. Older and more mature looking, the four women came up behind Raye and stood boldly with her.
Raye glanced behind her, feeling the support of her friends. "How did you know?"
"Nothing can break our bond of sisterhood, Raye. Nothing." Lita put her hand on Raye's shoulder.
"That's right! The Sailor Scouts are here!" Mina stepped forward, crunching the snow.
"Who are you?" Serena stepped forward, glaring towards the mysterious woman.
"My name is not important to you right now, but soon, very soon, it will be. When my time comes, darkness will reign over this land, and the world will be mine." She smiled.
"This world will never be yours! I don't care who you are or where you come from, we will fight to protect our home and the people who live here!" Serena said.
"Then prepare for battle!" The woman said. She snapped her fingers.
Appearing out of the darkness, three figures stood before the woman. The first was a muscular man who was bald, and his body was covered in many tattoos. He only wore a pair of black pants and black sandals tied with red string. Next to him was a young woman with long fiery red hair and deep green eyes. She had blades attached to her hands. Those two stood in front of the mysterious woman, but at her side, stood the most peculiar figure of them all. It was a young man. His short hair was dark and his wild bangs were kept back with a white bandana. He was dressed in black clothing, looking like a samurai. His hand rested gently upon the handle of the katana in his belt. Interestingly, there were two katanas on his belt.
"The Sailor pens are in the meditation room!" Raye whispered to her friends.
"Right," Ami nodded. "I'll make a run for it!"
The young woman stretched out her beautiful, delicate hand. "Attack!"
The two warriors in front of the woman charged forward, but the one next to her stayed behind. Immediately, Raye held her Sailor pen in the air and called out, "MARS STAR POWER…MAKE UP!" Before their eyes, Raye Hino became Sailor Mars once again.
"You had yours on you?" Lita asked.
"Yes, I've not forgot my training!" Sailor Mars stood before the enemy. The two warriors charged, the man heading for Sailor Mars while the girl headed for the others. While Ami took off into the house, the other Sailors prepared for the attack. Sailor Mars blocked the advancing attack from the bald warrior, but Mina, Serena, and Lita were hit by the woman and knocked to the side. It had been so long that she had been it battle and had a real opponent to fight, but after the years of diligent training and practice, she fared well against the man. He leapt back for a moment then threw his hand forward, shooting a ring of fire towards Sailor Mars. Confidently, she leapt forward, passing through the flames and threw a kick at the man. He was hit in the chest, and he flew back towards the feet of his master. Meanwhile, the woman grabbed a hold of Serena by the collar of her shirt. Quickly, Sailor Mars ran forward and charged into the red-haired woman. After a few exchanges of punches, Sailor Mars grabbed a hold of the woman's clothes and threw her back over to the mysterious woman. Triumphant, Sailor Mars stood in front of her friends and stared the mysterious woman down.
"Are you alright?" Sailor Mars asked to her friends.
Lita wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, we're alright."
Mina stood up, having trouble with her ankle. "They're stronger than we are."
"Maybe we're not strong, but Raye is." Serena said, with a faint chuckle.
Soon after, Ami ran back out into the courtyard holding the wooden box. She quickly passed out the four other Sailor pens, and soon the five Sailors stood together once again before their new enemy. The mysterious woman looked unimpressed. The two defeated warriors at her feet started to moan and crawl towards her. She, however, ignored their pleas, and not even bothering to look at them, she extended her hands down. Energy shot out from her hands, destroying the two warriors at her feet. "Pathetic," was all she said afterward.
Sailor Moon's jaw dropped. "How could you do such a thing?"
The mysterious woman smiled. "They were no longer needed."
While everyone kept their gaze upon the mysterious woman, Sailor Mars had her attention somewhere else. Stoically, the young man stood at the mysterious woman's side, casually watching the scene of battle unfold. The mysterious woman turned her head towards the young man and spoke something gently to him. Slowly, he stepped forward, his feet crunching in the thick snow. He stopped halfway between the Sailors and his master and drew one of his katana. He stood with his sword at guard position for a few moments, letting the snow float between them. Suddenly, he charged forward and leapt into the air. Quickly, Raye pulled out her bow and shot an arrow into the air. He disappeared! The arrow passed through the empty space that the man once occupied. At first there was nothing but empty space filled with swirling snow, but quickly, he reappeared and slashed down at Sailor Mars. Reacting, she held up her bow and blocked the attack. He disappeared once again, but this time he reappeared in front of the other Sailors. He took a slash at Sailor Jupiter and then Sailor Mercury. Both of them fell over in pain before they could react. He turned quickly, dodging Sailor Moon's kick, then threw his own kick at her. Sailor Venus came up with an attack, but it failed miserably against his skill. With a quick punch to the stomach, Sailor Venus was taken out quickly. Three golden arrows came flying at him, but they were blocked with his sword. Sailor Mars charged towards the man with an attack, but he blocked quickly. The two of them danced through the yard fighting through the snow.
Even though she had been practicing over the past few years, she did not have the skill or ability to compete with this man. He was faster, stronger, and more powerful than she could ever hope to be. She was trying her best, but it appeared as if he was merely playing around. Whenever she thought she had a good attack on him, he would just disappear and reappear to attack her.
Meanwhile, Sailor Moon managed to pull herself up off the ground. "We have to help Raye!" The others crawled up and lined up behind their leader. They watched for a moment as the man and Sailor Mars fought, but soon, Sailor Mars was struck across the face and knocked to the ground. They charged after the man and began to fight him with all the strength, but all their strength was not enough against this adversary. Sailor Mars picked herself up from the ground. She looked for a moment, seeing her friends losing against the young man. She quickly grabbed her bow and arrow and stood up. "MARS FLAME SHOOTER!"
The arrow swiftly shot off towards the mysterious woman. The powerful blast of the fiery arrow headed straight towards her chest. It was coming so fast that she could not move out of its way. She gasped. The young man disappeared and reappeared before the mysterious woman. "My Lady!" He yelled, just before being struck in the shoulder with the arrow. He fell to the ground at the mysterious woman's feet. Sailor Mars held her bow up, ready to fire again. "Don't move!"
The mysterious woman smiled. "Did you think it would be that easy?" She began to back away.
The young man reached out, struggling. "My Lady! Help me!"
The woman looked down at the man while continuing to back away. "You can expect me again when the time is fulfilled." She disappeared within the night, but lying on the ground, the young man struggled, reaching out where his master disappeared. "My lady," He called before fainting.
The Sailors ran up to him, looking down at the wounded warrior below them.
"He's unconscious," Sailor Mercury breathed.
"We should dispose of him," Sailor Jupiter said.
"No!" Sailor Mars gasped. "He's wounded!"
"He's the enemy!" Sailor Venus said. "He's tried to kill us!"
Sailor Mars stood in front of the man. "He's unarmed and wounded. It would be against my honor as a Sailor Scout to do such a thing."
"What are we going to do with them?" Sailor Moon asked.
"We're going to take care of him," Sailor Mars said.
"You mean you're going to take care of him!" Sailor Jupiter said.
Sailor Mercury looked up. "He's badly wounded. I don't think he'll survive the night."
Sailor Mars looked down at the man. "Let's get him inside."