Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim over the Spice Girls. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.
Sailor Moon:
Siblings of the Moon Saga
Part V
This story begins during the Doom Tree tales after the Sailor Scouts learned their new attacks and Sailor Moon received the Moon Scepter, but before the final battle against the Doom Tree.
As the raindrops fail to the earth, Erick solemnly stared out his window. His sister, Serena, and her friends stared at him through the slightly opened door. They all pulled their heads back into the hallway, and found that they each had very concerned expressions on their faces. It was so unlike Erick to be so down. Yet, like Serena, his powers were starting to fade.
Now, however, Serena's powers were stronger than ever, and so were the scouts. Thus far, all of them had learned new attacks, and trampled over the Cardian Monsters with ease. Still, each time they battled, it seemed like Erick's powers were getting weaker and weaker. None of them had a clue of how to help him.
"What are we going to do?" asked Mina. "He looks so sad. There has to be some way we can help him."
The five girls all became quiet and began to think. How had they gotten their powers? What did they do to become stronger? Artemis stepped forward and got the girls' attention.
"We have to help Erick look inside himself to find his power. All of you found your new powers inside yourself when your friends were threatened," explained Artemis. "So, if Erick searches deep enough inside himself, he'll find a way to stabilize his powers."
"But Artemis," started Lita, "you said we realized our powers when our friends were in danger. I don't think it's completely safe to put anyone in danger. What if the power still doesn't come?"
"Lita's right," Luna agreed. "There must be another way."
"I've got an idea," said Raye. "Maybe if Erick meditated, he could reach the same goal as we did, but without putting anyone at risk."
The girls nodded with approval. Raye smiled and turned to knock on the door. After a while she slid into the room and shut the door behind her. She approached Erick nervously. As she did so, only the other night entered her mind. The night they watched the stars together. Then, she noticed Erick smile once he had seen who had entered the room. She smiled in return.
"Hi Raye," he said. He glanced out the window briefly, then turned his attention back to her. "What's up?"
Raye sat down in the chair by his desk. "Well," she began, "the others and I are worried about you. We know that you powers have been on the flux lately and…." She noticed he was upset by what she had said. Erick had buried his head in his hand. He lifted it shortly and returned his attention to Raye. "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Maybe I should leave."
As Raye stood and walked toward the door, she felt Erick's hand grab her wrist. She turned to look at him. There was a different expression on his face. He seemed worried himself, and perhaps a little nervous. He took a few steps closer to Raye, still holding her wrist. He gently released it and looked into her eyes. "Raye, I understand that you all are concerned, and I'm glad to know that you care. Thanks."
Raye smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on," she said. Within seconds Raye burst out the door with Erick in her hand. The other four girls saw the couple rush out the front door, and decided to follow them.
Eventually, they arrived at the Cherry Hill Temple, and Raye wasted no time in helping Erick begin his meditation. They both sat in front the fire, where Raye explained what he should do. Throughout the entire explanation, Erick only smiled and stared in Raye's eyes. When she noticed that he was looking at her, she paused. For a long time, no words were said by the either of them. Then, Raye shook her head and redirected his attention to the flame. They both closed their eyes and began to meditate.
"I can't see!" complained Serena. "Why can't they have clear windows like everyone else? There's no telling what Raye's doing in there. I know, I'll just take a little peak." Serena started to pull the door open, when she felt Lita and Mina grab her from behind.
"No, Serena. You can't interrupt them," explained Mina. "You may ruin his concentration." Serena continued to pull forward, as the two girls pulled her back.
"Oh come on, just one little peak," whined Serena.
"NO!" scolded Lita and Mina, as they finally pulled Serena away from the door. The force of their momentum sent them all crashing to the floor. They looked up to find Amy and the two cats with their heads hung in shame.
Alan played his mysterious tune within the chamber of the Doom Tree. The beautiful music filled the hall. After he had finished the tune, Alan pulled the flute away from his lips and found Ann staring at some of the Doom Tree's leaves in her hand. He floated towards her, and noticed that the leaves were shriveled and turning brown.
"Oh no!" gasped Alan. "We must do something to help the Doom Tree before it's too late."
"I've got an idea, Alan," said Ann. "I've heard that humans spend a lot of energy praying to deities and meditating. Perhaps we can use that energy to make the Doom Tree stronger."
Alan nodded, and held out a spread of cards. "Pick a Cardian, Ann," he said.
Ann searched through the spread intensely. Finally she found the one she had been searching for. She extended her finger, and flicked it upwards. As she did so, the card she selected rose above the spread and remained suspended in mid-air. Alan brought the flute to his lips and began to play his tune. Suddenly, the card began to grow larger, and the picture on it began to come to life.
The new Cardian burst to life. It appeared to be a woman, with lavender skin. Her hair was dark blue, and it flowed gently down her back. Her skin seemed scaly. Her belly and chest were white, and the skin slowly faded into lavender as it got farther away from her belly. When she opened her eyes, they were completely black and glossy. She smiled and her tongue, which looked like a snake's, flickered from her mouth.
"Serpenta!" commanded Ann. "I want you to gather energy from anyone you find near a temple. Got it?" Serpenta nodded, then she faded away. "She better get the job done, Alan. Otherwise, the Doom Tree may not survive."
Ann and Alan stared at the Doom Tree with concern. It's pinkish hue had grown dimmer and the leaves continued to fall. Concern was on their faces. How much longer did they have before the Doom Tree died and them with it?
"Come on, girls. We better leave those two alone, so that we don't disturb them," said Luna.
"Aw, Luna!" complained Serena. "I'm really worried about Erick. I want to stay here in case he needs me."
"We can go out for ice cream," Luna tempted.
"Well, okay," said Serena. "I'm sure Erick can manage until we get back. I mean he is my brother after all." Serena began to walk past the rest of the girls continuing to shout out what she wanted. "Let's see, should I get a double scoop of vanilla. No. I got it! Chocolate and Strawberry. Well, I really want…"
"I should have known that I'd regret this," whispered Luna. Then, the cats and the other girls followed Serena towards the steps.
As the flames roared, Erick and Raye continued to meditate. Beads of sweat flowed down their brows. Eventually, the strain became to great and Erick broke his concentration. Raye came out of the trance about the same time. She was also very stressed. It had been one of the most intense meditations she had ever experienced. While trying to catch her breath, she focused her attention on Erick. His head was buried in his hands. She moved closer towards him placed her hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay," she said. "We can try again later."
Eric started to rise and pace the room. He was frustrated because the meditation hadn't worked. He could still fill the power leaving his body. Raye rose to her feet and walked towards Erick. She reached out, grabbed his hand and stared at it. Erick focused his attention on Raye. She eventually lifted her head and their eyes met once again.
"Please don't give up," said Raye. "I believe that you will find what you're looking for in time. Then, you'll be stronger than ever."
Erick continued to stare into Raye's eyes and a smile slowly began to form on his face. "Maybe I've already found what I'm looking for," he said.
Then, Erick lowered his head and closed his eyes. Raye closed her eyes as well and lifted her head. Both of them moved their heads together to kiss. However, with their lips less than an inch apart, a crash erupted from the door. They turned their attention to find a female monster that resembled a snake.
"I am Serpenta," hissed the Cardian monster, "and your energy is mine." Serpenta lashed out her tongue towards the couple. Erick and Raye leaped towards opposite sides of the room and gave each other a quick glance. Then, they proceeded to transform.
"Mars… Power!" shouted Raye.
"Moon… Medallion… Power!" Erick yelled, as the crescent medallion around his neck began to glow. Within seconds, Raye and Erick had transformed into Sailor Mars and Lunar Knight.
An evil smile began to develop on Serpenta's face. She continued her attack on both of the warriors. Her tongue lashes came close to hitting both of the warriors as they continued to avoid her attacks.
"Sailor Mars!" called Lunar Knight. "We have to take this battle outside. There's not enough room for us to maneuver inside."
"Right!" responded Sailor Mars. "Okay Nega-tramp, this is my kitchen. If you can't take the heat, then get out. Mars… Fire… Ignite!" A large fireball erupted from Sailor Mars' fingertips. The blast forced Serpenta outside of the temple. The two warriors pursued her.
Once they were outside, Serpenta lashed out her tongue. The tongue wrapped around Sailor Mars' throat. Sailor Mars immediately reached for her neck to pull the tongue off. Lunar Knight ran towards Serpenta and drew the Moon Sword. He leaped into the air and was prepared to bring the sword down on Serpenta. She released her grip on Sailor Mars and returned her attention to Lunar Knight. Sailor Mars fell to the ground, gasping for air.
Serpenta quickly dodged Lunar Knight's attack, and leaped backwards. Serpenta lashed her tongue out towards Lunar Knight, and he deflected it with the Moon Sword. This volley continued for a few seconds before something happened that neither expected to happen. When Serpenta's tongue collided with the Moon Sword, the blade shattered into pieces. Lunar Knight stared in awe at the blade as it fell to the ground.
Serpenta took advantage of the distraction to leap onto Lunar Knight. He fell backwards and crashed onto his back, with Serpenta's knees buried into his abdomen. "Ooh, you look sssssssso tassssssty," hissed Serpenta. "I think I'll jusssssst have a little bite." Serpenta then drove her fangs into the crescent moon on Lunar Knight's armor. Lunar Knight howled in pain. His armor began to fade, and he began to find himself in his civilian clothes. Serpenta's fangs were now tearing into his crescent medallion.
"NO!" shouted Sailor Mars as she started to stand on her feet.
Serpenta released stopped biting the medallion to look at Sailor Mars. The remains of the medallion fell from her mouth shattered into pieces. Erick looked at his clothes and saw the remains of the medallion. Serpenta leaped to her feet, and glared at Erick, now on his feet. "Don't move. I hate to leave my mealsss half finished," said Serpenta. Then, her eyes began to glow red as she stared into his eyes. Slowly, Erick's skin began to turn to stone. Within seconds, his complete body was nothing more than a lifeless statue.
"Hold it right there," came a voice from behind. "This temple is a place of worship. No demons allowed. I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice. On behalf of the Moon I will…. NO! Erick?!" Sailor Moon's eyes fell upon the statue that was her brother. "What have you done to him?"
Serpenta laughed. "I did thisssss," she hissed. Serpenta glared at all five of the Sailor Scouts and their legs began to turn to stone. They couldn't move. The stone continued to rise on their bodies, stopping once it reached their necks. Serpenta moved towards Sailor Jupiter, and wrapped her tongue around Jupiter's neck. The energy began to flow from her body. Sailor Jupiter screamed in pain, as her energy was drained from her. "Don't worry. You will each have a turn."
Erick awoke to find himself someplace he never thought he would see again. He was on the Moon. He looked at his clothes, and saw that he was wearing the white tuxedo with gold trimmings and a sliver cape. All of this seemed familiar to him. He looked around at the garden and the building, which he concluded, was the palace.
"Hello, Erick," said a soft voice. Erick turned to see who it was, and recognized the woman instantly.
"Mother," he whispered. She nodded. "I'm sorry mother, I failed you. I wasn't able to protect Serena as I should have."
Queen Serenity approached him and placed her hand underneath his chin. "You have protected your sister better than I could have hoped. Now, she needs you, you must go back."
"I can't," Erick protested. "My powers… I'm losing them. I won't be able to protect her."
"Your power is greater than you can ever imagine," explained Queen Serenity. "You have been looking for it too hard. It's been in the same place it's always been. Look into the fountain and tell me what you see."
Erick approached the fountain and began to gaze into it. "I see myself," he said.
"That's right," she replied. "The fountains shows a reflection of you. What do you see inside the fountain?"
Erick gazed into the fountain and saw something sparkling beneath the water. He reached into the water and grasped the object. As he pulled it out, he realized that it was a sword. He gazed upon the weapon in awe. "What is it?" he asked.
"It's the Lunar Saber," Queen Serenity answered. "It is apart of you. However, to use it, your faith in yourself must never waiver. Otherwise, it will be useless. Now, go. Your sister and your friends need you."
Erick looked upon the saber in his hand and then turned to look at his mother. He could see that her smile was filled with light. With his confidence renewed, Erick smiled at his mother and turned. As he began to walk away from her, a bright white light began to form. Eventually, the light swallowed Erick, as well as the image of the Moon Kingdom. It was time to return to the present.
The five Sailor Scouts, still bound in stone, were motionless with their heads hung low. Serpenta had nearly drained all of their energy. The only reason she hadn't finished them off was due to Luna and Artemis. The two cats continued to distract her by circling her legs and on occasion managed to scratch her. Serpenta had grown weary of this little game with the cats.
As Artemis leaped into the air to slash Serpenta's face with his claws, she smacked him with her hand. Artemis soared through the air and smashed into a tree. Luna, who had stopped to stare at her fallen friend, immediately felt Serpenta's tongue wrap around her fury body. Luna began to screech in pain as Serpenta began to suck the energy from her body. Once Serpenta was satisfied with the energy she had taken from the black cat, Luna's body fell limp to the ground.
"You foolish Scouts are no match for me," Serpenta declared. "Now, I will put you all out of your misery." A sinister smile began to form on Serpenta's face as she approached the Sailor Scouts.
Suddenly, a cracking sound broke the silence. Serpenta stopped in her tracks to search for the source of the disturbance. The cracking began to become more frequent. Serpenta's eyes fell upon the statue of Erick. It was actually cracking, and emerging from the cracks was a bright white light. Serpenta continued to watch as light continued to burst through the fractures in the statue. Then, without warning, the bright light exploded from the statue and the stone debris crumbled to the ground.
Once the light had diminished, Serpenta searched for the statue, but didn't find one. Instead she found Lunar Knight standing where the statue had been. Serpenta's glossy eyes were wide open with astonishment. She couldn't believe that he had escaped.
"Look!" shouted Sailor Moon. The other scouts managed to lift their heads to see Lunar Knight standing opposite Serpenta. Upon seeing him, their hopes of defeating this Cardian were renewed. The girls began to cheer Lunar Knight on.
"How issss thissss posssssible?" said Serpenta in disbelief. "No one can esssscape my stone trapssssss."
Serpenta lashed her tongue out towards Lunar Knight. He leaped into the air to dodge her attack. The moment she turned her eyes skyward to find her target, Lunar Knight's foot smashed into her jaw. Serpenta staggered back a few steps to regain her balance. Once she had done so, she looked up and scowled at Lunar Knight. She unleashed her tongue at him a second time, however this time he caught it with his hand. He tugged the tongue towards him and Serpenta followed. Once she was close enough, Lunar Knight swung his free hand, and smacked Serpenta with the backside of his fist.
Serpenta fell to the ground. She pushed herself back to her feet and turned to face Lunar Knight again. Green blood was trickling from her mouth. Fury began to fill her eyes. How was all of this possible? What was so different about him now?
"The game is over, Serpenta. Release my friends and their energy," said Lunar Knight.
"NO!" replied Serpenta. "I shall not know defeat! Not thissss day." Serpenta lashed her tongue out at Lunar Knight again. This time, he drew his sword. The Lunar Saber was different from his original Moon Sword. The saber's blade was slightly longer and the blade appeared to be slightly thinner. The hilt was now silver, and there was only a crescent where the blade and the hilt met. At the butt of the sword was a small, clear crystal. Lunar Knight deflected the tongue away with the Lunar Saber. Serpenta had run out of tricks. She had only one other option. She glared directly at Lunar Knight attempting to turn him back into stone.
Lunar Knight brought the blade up to his eyes. Instead of glaring at him, she glared only at her reflection. Then, Serpenta felt something she had never felt before. Stone was engulfing her from the ground up. Like so many of her victims, she was now becoming a statue. Within seconds, she had been completely engulfed.
"Now, it's time to finish this," said Lunar Knight. He waved the Lunar Saber around and then shouted, "Lunar… Saber… Execution!!" Three golden silver arcs flew from the blade. The crescent arcs soared through the air, and then sliced through the statue of Serpenta. The statue crumbled to the ground, and on top of the pile was a card with a blacked out space where the picture would have been.
The stone that was on the Sailor Scouts had disappeared. The scouts and the cats had gotten their energy back. They all ran over to Lunar Knight to congratulate him on his newfound powers.
"How did you manage to escape from the statue?" Sailor Mercury asked.
Lunar Knight smiled. "The reason I had been completely engulfed by the stone in the first place was because I didn't believe in myself. My confidence was what kept me prisoner. Once I got it back, it was easy to get out of the stone."
"Well done, Lunar Knight," Luna said. "I'm so glad that you finally found your new powers."
"Now that everyone has their powers, I say we celebrate," suggested Sailor Venus. The crowd all chuckled and agreed.
They all changed back into their civilian clothes and decided to go out for pizza. As they were approaching the steps, Erick paused and looked into the sky. The stars were bright and filled the sky. Erick dropped his gaze for a moment, and saw Raye staring into the sky as well. Her raven-colored hair fell past her shoulders, and the heavenly lights appeared to glare off the strands of hair.
Eventually, she turned her eyes towards him. She obviously seemed a little upset about something. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier today. I realize that I may have been a little out of line. I guess I got caught up…"
Erick had placed his finger on Raye's lips. "Raye," he began, "you weren't out of line today. As a matter of fact, you were exactly what I needed. Thanks." He noticed Raye start to smile. "What do you see in the sky tonight, Raye?"
Raye glanced upwards and looked down at the ground. "Do you remember the song I sang at the talent show? 'Starry Night'?" asked Raye. Erick nodded. "Well, I'm standing here now, living that moment. I know how I feel about him. I know I should tell him, but I can't. I don't know how. That's what I see tonight, and what I've always seen when I look at…."
Tears had begun to stream down Raye's face. Erick lifted her chin with his hands and glared into her eyes. He was smiling. "I feel the same way, Raye?" After saying those words, Erick and Raye leaned closer to each other. As their lips touched gently, they felt the warmth in their hearts grow more intense. Eventually, they pulled away and stared in each other's eyes. "Tonight I see happiness again, but this time I get to live it."
The two smiled at each other and grasped each others hand as if they would never let go. They heard Serena shouting for them to hurry in the distance. Erick chuckled, "So, should who's going to break the news to Serena? She may take this pretty hard."
"I think we should do it together," said Raye. As the couple descended down the stairs, hand-in-hand, shouts of disbelief, astonishment and then approval filled the air. Approval from everyone, except Serena, whom was still stuck on disbelief.