Authors Note: I wrote this and had the old version posted here, but as I reread what I had written I realized that it was a confusing mess. So here is the revised version. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, just the story.
Prologue
Jake sat at his desk in the palace library quietly studying the transcripts of ancient Earth histories. He had been in the same spot for hours now, alone with only the books and manuscripts to keep him company. He was one of a few people who were even allowed into the palace, as he just happened to be the heir to the throne of Palendora and his father was the king and current ruler of the city. 'Each Sailor Scout has a unique power…' he read from one of the ancient manuscripts sitting in front of him.
This particular manuscript contained the details of the days when the Sailor Scouts battled the Negaverse after Beryl, ruler of the Negaverse, had destroyed the Moon Kingdom and Silver Alliance. The one event that intrigued him the most was a battle in which the first known Sailor Scouts fought Beryl only to die. All except Sailor Moon who then destroyed Beryl and restored peace to the world as well as restoring the Sailor Scouts to their glory.
Jake continued to read over the details not noticing his father had walked into the room. Turais, king and protector of Palendora, smiled at the sight of his only child showing the determination that would one day make him a great leader.
"What are you reading there, Jake?" Turais asked his son.
Jake sat up in surprise. "You startled me." He looked up at his father smiling as he pointed at the current manuscript he had been focused on. "I've been reading up on Sailor Moon's first battle."
"Indeed that was a great battle, even if it as a woman who won it." Turais agreed as he sat down in a large armchair across from his son. "What is your assessment of what made that battle so great?"
"She alone faced Beryl and won. She was able to also make everything right again on Earth." Jake recited the knowledge he had of the event.
"Jake, she wasn't alone in her final moments." Turais brushed a hand through his graying brown, military style hair.
Jake looked at his father, surprise mirrored in his brown eyes. "What are you talking about?" He picked up a book lying on his desk. "This book, a written history of that battle, clearly states that Sailor Moon defeated Beryl on her own, no one was…"
"That's what the historians want you to think." Turais took the book from his son and dropped it in the wastebasket. "Her friends were there, they had to be." He looked up at the ceiling, smiling. "Not even Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom could defeat Beryl on her own. No, her friends were with her."
Jake looked at his father suspiciously. "How would you know something like that?"
"Just trust me on this, Jake. I just know." He sat up and looked at his son, his cobalt eyes showing how serious the issue at had was. "Jake, I need you to go to Earth on a rather secretive assignment."
Jake stood up in surprise. "You want me to go to Earth? What is this assignment exactly?"
"I need you to deliver the Ultimate Cestar Scepter to Sailor Moon so that she may in turn give it to Princess Serena, if she is still alive. Princess Serena is the only one alive that can wield that scepter and I have a strong feeling that in the coming days she may need it." Turais looked out the window in deep thought.
"What is going on, dad? What aren't you telling me?"
"Jake, there are some things that I just can't tell you at this time. This just happens to be one of those things. Your uncle says that it looks like some ancient prophecy's may be coming to light and so before that happens we must get into Sailor Moon's hands the scepter. You are Shinken, a soldier of Palendora; you are equal in power to the Sailor Scouts. Now is the time for our Shinken to make ourselves known."
Jake knew his father was right, it was his duty as Shinken and heir to the throne to make this particular journey to Earth. "When do I leave?"
Jake walked in silence on the secret highways towards Earth in deep thought. He hated leaving his beautiful wife, Lenora, behind. Especially since she started her medical training with his uncle, Talitha. Women were not allowed to join the Shinken or fight, but they could assist with the medical teams. Women were never place in positions of authority or power in Palendora and now here he was heading to Earth, the very planet where women were the ones with power and authority as the Sailor Scouts.
As a teen Jake was trained by his father and Talitha in sword fighting and leadership which placed him in the position of leading the Shinken as an adult. Now, Talitha was training Lenora how to use the hollow to heal his comrades who were wounded in battle. Jake was hopping her training would go well while he was away, especially since she just received word that she would never have children.
"Well, well, well. Look who's far away from daddy and Palendora." A man sneered as he stepped onto the highway.
Jake stopped and quickly pulled out his sword from the sheath at his waste and pointed it at the man. "You! How dare you show your face around me, you traitor! Leave the highways this instant!"
"Why should I? I am Shinken too. I am the only one who you lost a sword match to, Prince." The man smiled evilly at him.
"You lost the right to be called Shinken when you betrayed Palendora and all Shinken by joining Beryl's side." Jake sneered in response.
The former Shinken's face reddened in anger. "I guess we'll just have to see who the stronger man is now. But not today, you see I need something from you that Beryl wants. My queen wants that scepter you currently have in your possession and she wont take no for an answer." With that he raised his own black sword blade in the air as a small army of about twenty men rushed towards Jake.
Before Jake could counteract anything that the army threw his way he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head. He staggered forward as another soldier grabbed for the bag containing the scepter from his other hand. As he tried to stop the soldier from taking the back he felt a second blow to his head rendering him unconscious.
To Beryl, Turais was her worst enemy. Only he knew of her deepest secrets. To see the unconscious form of his only child at the foot of her throne brought a glimmer of happiness. Her truest joy would only come after she destroyed Sailor Moon and Turais. Then she would have the very thing she had been denied all these years, power. The very power to control and rule the universe.
"Do you have it?" Beryl asked the Shinken standing in front of her in suspicion. She just didn't trust this man.
"Of course I do, Beryl. I made sure it was placed in my hands directly after that little army took it from him." The former Shinken responded as he smiled at the queen. "Our plan is finally starting to be put into motion. I made sure Jake was beaten to the point you see him before you now. And soon we will make Sailor Moon pay for what she did to you."
"Give it to me now, Shinken!" Beryl demanded, her patience with the man growing more and more thing.
"Not so fast, Beryl. Remember I restored you to your former glory. You belong to me now. I will give you the scepter when the time is right and not a moment sooner. Now, if you will excuse me I need to finish getting things ready to deliver our prisoner to those Sailor Brats." Shinken turned to walk out of the room only pausing briefly. "Oh, and to show them that you have returned one of your minions will be dropping our little package off."
Power. That was all that Serena had known since she was a teenager. Power killed her mother, Queen Serenity, and her once glorious kingdom. For the longest time no one even knew that she was Sailor Moon and fought against that very power to protect the Earth. Now as the ruler of Crystal Tokyo she had finally achieved some semblance of peace. There were still days where she wished she could leave her responsibilities behind and live a normal life. But that was just simply not something she could do to her husband, daughter and friends. She couldn't leave them to face that power alone.
Even in this time of peace she and her friends still trained on a daily basis. They wouldn't allow this time of peace to make them weak and vulnerable. Serena sat down at the vanity in her room and pulled out an old letter that she had received on her wedding day, from its hiding place. She had read it many times over the years and almost daily in recent weeks as she noticed changes in the air that were never good.
Even still, she couldn't get over what the letter contained. 'Beware of the Shinken with cold green eyes. He will not be a friend, or a person you can trust. With him will come heartache and betrayal. Don't allow him into your trusted circle of friends. He will lead you to destruction.' Even as she read the letter again she couldn't get over the strange words of the mysterious letter and how they still made no sense to her. But of course nothing was normal in her life.
Here she was in her late twenties, a Queen, mother, wife, and soldier. Many of the citizens of Crystal Tokyo wondered why she was crazy enough to continue being a Senshi after taking the throne, but to Serena and her friends it wasn't that she was crazy. She was fulfilling her role as leader of the Senshi. Some called it fate, she called it destiny. The power she fought against was known simply as the Negaverse.