Chapter One: The Mysterious Presence
It began with a strange feeling — intuition — the body's unique way of alerting its owner that something may not be quite right. For the three members of the recently formed Sailor Soldiers team, these strange feelings were quickly becoming more frequent occurrences.
The first time Usagi Tsukino, Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno became aware of this gut feeling was when they were walking back home one spring night after spending the day at the Dreamland amusement park. For most people, especially a group of fourteen-year-old girls, this would normally sound like a great way to have fun on a Saturday. However, on this particular Saturday, their time at Dreamland was anything but fun. The three of them had gone to Dreamland to investigate the mysterious disappearances of almost fifty people, who had been last seen on the park's grounds. As the girls explored the park's various attractions and looked for any suspicious activity, they were drawn towards the large Candy House Castle in the centre of the amusement park. Ami began to enter the Castle first, as Rei and Usagi were once again delayed by Usagi's constant goofing. When Rei arrived and sensed an evil aura from within, the girls transformed and burst their way inside, only to discover that Jadeite, their enemy, had set up his latest energy draining operation inside the Candy House Castle.
Since their awakening as Sailor Soldiers, Usagi and the others had encountered Jadeite several times. Sometimes it was by accident and other times they found him while looking into the several strange occurrences that were regularly being reported in the media and by people they knew. His past plans always seemed to have the same main objective: to steal human life energy for some still yet unknown purpose. So far, they had managed to stop each plot.
After a particularly tough battle inside the Candy House's main hall, Sailors Moon and Mars were finally able to destroy Jadeite's monster, the Dream Princess, and rescue Ami and the people who were lying unconscious on the floor after having their life energy drained. While Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars had gone to search other areas of the park, Ami had investigated the Candy House and got caught in the Dream Princess' ambush.
The girls made sure that the captured people were given the proper medical attention by the park's emergency services officials. As usual, the people they rescued retained no memory of being captured or seeing the monster that had kidnapped them. Ami theorized that this was due to a mystical energy that each monster emitted which clouded a normal person's mental capacity. Once the monster had been destroyed, the mystical energy disappeared, but left gaps in the human's memory, similar to the after-effects of a seizure or blackout. Since there was no reason to stay and question the rescued, Usagi and her friends chose instead to spend the reminder of the day enjoying the park's many rides and attractions as a sort of post-battle celebration. When dusk finally settled in, and the park closed for the night, they left Dreamland and headed home to enjoy some much deserved rest or, in Ami's case, study.
As they walked along the quiet and dimly lit streets of the Minato Ward located in eastern part of Tokyo, Ami began having an eerie feeling that someone was watching or following them. She felt her skin crawl and the hair on her arms stood on end. The sensitive changes to her body made her worry that one of Jadeite's monsters may be following them.
She occasionally looked around her as they walked in the hopes of getting a glimpse of their unseen companion. Without making it apparent she scanned the surrounding area, looking for any signs of movement, or any other indication that something was indeed following them. After several minutes and numerous glances around her, with no such evidence presenting itself, she slowly began to relax and calm herself into believing that it was probably nothing more than leftover anxiety from almost being killed by the Dream Princess a few hours earlier.
Unbeknownst to Ami, Rei was having similar feelings of uneasiness. She was a Shinto temple maiden at the local Hikawa Shrine in the Roppongi distinct of the Minato Ward. She also was an above average psychic with talents in fire reading, and premonitions, and even possessed some offensive magical abilities. Through the many years of intense training from her grandfather, who also was the Shrine owner and head priest, she had managed to develop her personal attributes to where she could immediately sense spiritual auras and pinpoint or track the movements of specific ones from even a few miles away.
Just like Ami, shortly after they had left the amusement park, Rei had begun to sense a strange presence in their vicinity. The manifestation's energy did not immediately strike her as evil or even a minor threat so she had not seen a reason to alert Usagi and Ami about it. After they had been walking for a while and the presence had stayed with them she began to feel concerned. It had not faded nor gotten any stronger. She interpreted this to mean that whatever it was following them was keeping pace and staying a certain distance away from them so it could not be physically seen. It was more than a little unsettling to her that she couldn't tell where exactly the strange energy was currently located. She was usually accurate in that regard.
Usagi was completely unaware of the feelings of uneasiness being experienced by her friends. She was too busy boasting about their victory and how they could now defeat any enemy that was put in front of them. "We so totally rocked, you guys! Luna, did you see how Rei and I combined our attacks together and created that flaming disc?"
Her guardian cat, Luna was walking alongside her. Luna had human intelligence and the ability to speak. However, she chose to remain silent as they continued onward. There was no question that she was proud of her charges and their newly discovered realization that teamwork is always the best strategy, especially when fighting for life and death. However, she knew, with some minor annoyance, that sooner or later, especially in the case of Usagi, that important concept would be quickly forgotten and have to be re-taught all over again. Both Usagi and Rei tended to be brash and rush in to things, while Ami was more content to stay in the background. They would somehow have to learn to work together until it was like second nature.
With nothing solid to work with, both Rei and Ami each decided it was best to remain quiet about their strange feelings as there was little they could do. It was getting late and they had to get back to their respective homes before their parents began to worry. Added to that was the reality that it was fast approaching the city-wide curfew for people their age. It would do them no good to be caught outside by a passing police officer and have their parents notified. When the group reached the intersection that marked the entrance to the Azabu-Juban district of the Minato Ward, they split up and headed in different directions. Rei headed towards the Shrine while Ami, Luna, and Usagi continued on into Azabu-Juban.
As Rei walked away from her friends the unseen presence stayed with her. Just like before, it did not diminish or get stronger. She looked all around hoping to get a glimpse of whatever was following her. Whatever it is, it is moving with the grace of a skilled ninja. Her quiet whisper only seemed to increase the troublesome feelings inside her. She went on full alert as she continued to walk so she could react at a moment's notice if whatever was following her suddenly made itself known. She glanced down at her watch and quietly cursed. It was getting really late and she had to get back to the temple or else her grandfather would start to get worried and angry. Approximately twenty minutes later she reached the Shrine. She quietly walked around to the far side of the structure to where her bedroom was located. As she slid the outside door closed behind her she immediately felt the presence disappear. This intensified the concern inside her because it meant that whatever had been following her now knew where she lived.
When she was safely inside her bedroom, she took a deep breath to try and relax some of the tension she was feeling. She glanced down at her shirt and pursed her lips. During their post-battle celebration, the girls got ice cream cones and true to form, Usagi had stumbled and spilled it across the front of Rei's shirt. She sighed out load as she decided to change her clothes as she did not want to sleep in a sticky shirt. After she changed into her pyjamas she kept herself on full mental alert in case of an attack from the mystery stalker that had been following her and her friends. Eventually, her fatigue and physical exhaustion overtook her and she fell into a deep sleep.
She awoke to bright sunshine the next morning with a start. Intense panic surged through her body as she quickly scanned her room to look for any signs that something sinister had occurred while she had slept. After a visual sweep satisfied her that nothing looked out of place, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She rested her head in her hands as her arms sat on top of her legs. Silently, she asked herself if her psychic abilities had become over sensitive to her surroundings and that she was simply sensing things that were not there. Perhaps she was suffering from residual effects of the illusion cast on her and Usagi by the Dream Princess at the amusement park. She sighed as she remembered believing that Tuxedo Mask had appeared and wanted to frolic with them on the amusement park rides. When the real Tuxedo Mask arrived, and broke the monster's spell, the feeling of embarrassment she had felt was overwhelming. Unlike the care-free personality of Usagi, she had been raised in a strict lifestyle of responsibility and maturity. She prided herself on not being as gullible as her friend and but there was something about that dashing formal-suited hero that made her usual demeanour go completely sideways. She sighed again as she thought about how she needed to get past that humiliation and refocus on preparing for Jadeite's next operation.
About a week later, the Sailors experienced again that same unsettling feeling of uneasiness. The girls had inadvertently stumbled upon another plan by Jadeite to steal the life energy of humans. This time he was using an old rusted ocean liner with a glamour spell cast upon it so that it appeared to be a beautiful luxury boat. The purpose of the deception was to lure unsuspecting couples aboard for a romantic cruise through Tokyo Bay, while instead Jadeite and his monster, Tetis, could drain their life energy.
Rei had won two tickets to the cruise from a local business earlier that day and had convinced Ami to go with her, much to the disappointment of Usagi. Not one to be discouraged, the feisty blonde became determined to attend the romantic cruise promised in the advertisement by any means necessary. As she watched the people board the ship, Usagi remained in the shadows and used the Lunar Pen to disguise herself as a photographer in order to gain access.
Over the course of the evening, Usagi as photographer, and Rei and Ami never ran into each other until Jadeite revealed himself to all the passengers onboard. When that happened, Usagi transformed into Sailor Moon and engaged Jadeite and Tetis while Ami and Rei watched on.
Tetis launched herself forward and drove both Sailor Moon and herself through a glass window where they landed on the open deck of the ship. Tetis gracefully propelled herself forward onto the railing of the ship and raised both of her arms. A second later, twin towers of ocean water spiraled up, violently churning the sea underneath them.
Sailor Moon stared in amazement and shock at the incredible display of magical power. Tetis thrust her arm forward and the water tower over her right shoulder shot down directly at Sailor Moon. The young blonde warrior jumped out of the way at the last second. The powerful water jet struck the metal of the deck and made a massive dent in it.
It was at that point that Sailor Mars and Mercury entered the fight. Sailor Mercury unleashed her 'Shabon Spray' to cover the area in a thick mist. Sailor Mars quickly followed it with her 'Fire Soul' fireball attack to weaken Tetis.
"Now Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury called out to her friend.
"Oh yea…" Sailor Moon replied with a nod of her head. She had been temporarily distracted by the arrival of her teammates. Sailor Mercury's call to her snapped back to reality.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon called out as she took the tiara from her forehead and magically willed it into an energy discus. She threw it forward where it struck and vapourized Tetis in a puddle of water.
With the defeat of Tetis, the twin sprouts of water disappeared and the ocean returned to its original calmness. The Sailor Soldiers each breathed a sigh of relief as they were once again victorious and delivered another serious blow to the arrogant Jadeite.
The glamour illusion cast upon the ship immediately lifted with Tetis' defeat and Jadeite's departure, to reveal the reality of the ocean liner to the passengers. The ship was almost completely covered in rust from stern to bow; the roof of the ship's reception hall had collapsed and was letting in the cold night air. There were large gaping holes in the ship's hull that were uncomfortably close to the ocean's surface.
The Tokyo police and Coast Guard came in short order to rescue the passengers once alerted to the situation. The Sailors transformed back into their civilian identities and watched the organized evacuation from an upper deck of the ship and waited for their turn to disembark. Ami was passing the time by reading a textbook that she had brought along in her purse while Rei and Usagi were bickering as usual.
"Well… so much for that romantic dream cruise for two." Usagi sighed as she lowered her head down to the guard rail.
"Next time I win any cruise tickets, I'm going to track down Tuxedo Mask and invite him to come along with me." Rei said with conviction, ignoring her friend's melancholy mood.
"You can't invite Tuxedo Mask!" Usagi exclaimed as Rei's statement immediately sunk in.
"Give me one good reason why not?" The raven-haired teenager countered as she turned her body to face Usagi.
"Because … because …" Usagi fumbled.
"Not again. Will they ever stop fighting?" Luna quietly said from her spot beside Ami.
"Not in our lifetime, Luna." Ami firmly stated as she continued to look out at the water.
The back and forth between the two continued for several minutes until they both stopped to catch their breath. It was at that moment that a wave of psychic energy washed over Rei. She immediately recognized the energy as belonging to the presence she had sensed a week prior after the Dreamland battle. Her eyes widened and she turned her head to follow the flow of invisible energy in an attempt to pinpoint its exact source.
Ami noticed the sudden movement and glanced at Rei. Her sapphire blue eyes narrowed as she silently watched her. Ami could tell by her friend's rigid body language that something was deeply troubling her. Usagi meanwhile, was under the assumption that Rei was ignoring her. She worked herself up into a frenzy and began ranting about how Rei was being mean to her again, still oblivious to the tension around her.
By now the raven-haired temple maiden was indeed ignoring Usagi and continued to focus her full attention on the large crowd of people below them that was being lowered into the waiting rescue boats in small groups. Ami scanned the mass of people as well for any suspicious looking characters or movements that could be the reason for Rei's sudden behavioural change. She couldn't be sure but something inside her was telling her that Rei was sensing the same thing she was.
They continued to scan the crowd until it was their turn to leave. The unknown presence remained with them the entire journey back to shore but quickly disappeared when the group of passengers broke up upon reaching the mainland. Rei gritted her teeth as she felt the aura fade away into the night with the disbanding crowd until it was completely gone. She looked over at Ami, who returned her gaze. The look in Ami's eyes told Rei that Ami too had felt the presence in her own way. Without drawing too much attention, Rei quietly moved towards her.
"We need to talk about this. Come to the shrine tomorrow evening." She whispered to her friend.
Ami slowly nodded before the police officers made their way over to continue clearing the area and forcing people to go home. The authorities would be out in force now and it was an uncommon sight for three young women to be outside their homes so late at night. To avoid raising any unnecessary suspicion from both the police and their parents, they would have to wait until tomorrow to meet and hope that nothing happened before then. Just like they had done a week before, the three of them walked together, except this time they walked in complete silence as Rei and Ami thought about the mystery presence and Usagi dreamed of the dashing hero, Tuxedo Mask.
The following evening, Ami arrived at the Hikawa Shrine where Rei welcomed her at the front gate with the usual pleasantries. Only after the sliding door of Rei's bedroom was firmly closed and they were safely alone did Rei's facial expression change to a serious one.
"You have felt it too, haven't you?"
Ami silently confirmed that she indeed had. Rei remained silent as she allowed her friend to collect her thoughts.
"I thought it was just my nervousness after the Dreamland battle. I assumed it was just my body still reacting to being caught and left completely defenseless at the mercy of that monster."
Rei nodded in agreement. She still had not fully forgiven herself for falling for the Dream Princess' illusion. She couldn't get passed the fact that she should have immediately seen through it and hated that she had put herself in such a dangerous position. It would be mistakes like that which could end up getting her or one of her friends killed.
"I felt it follow me all the way back to the shrine after we split up. I was sure that something was going to happen."
Ami looked over at Rei with both shock and concern. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be home and not feel completely safe because some unknown force was lurking just outside. Rei noticed her friend's reaction and it touched her deeply that she was showing such concern for her safety.
"When nothing happened, I thought the same as you — that it was just a left over feeling from our recent battles with Jadeite. I didn't tell you or Usagi because I didn't think there was anything to worry about. However, last night…"
Rei paused as she remembered how she had felt when she was suddenly jolted by the return of the mystery presence that she had dismissed before. Ami remained seated as she watched her friend, the concern on her face spreading. After a few tense seconds of silence, Ami saw her friend blink as her mind became refocused on what was going on.
"Something is following us and we need to be on alert." Rei said with concern in her voice.
Ami nodded in agreement. A few more seconds of silence passed between them as both of thought about whom or what could be stalking them. A barrage of different monsters or other suspects paraded through their brains as well a variety of reasons why it was happening. Ami's eyes gazed down to look at her hands on her lap.
"Should we tell Usagi about our suspicions?" Ami quietly asked.
Rei was silent as she thought about it. Usagi by nature was not the type of person to be cautious or give this information the serious attitude that Ami and Rei felt it deserved. However, she was still their friend and that left them really with only one course of action.
"We have to. If it really is an enemy, we can't leave her in the dark! We will tell her tomo—"
A sudden clash of what sounded like thunder cut through Rei's sentence. She spun her body around and ran to the sliding door of her room which was located off of an outdoor courtyard. The courtyard had no ceiling or skylight which made it completely open to the elements. She ran outside, with Ami following close behind, and gasped at what they saw in the clear starry night sky.
A huge semi-transparent image of Jadeite's head and torso appeared. As Ami and Rei's minds raced at what the holographic image could mean and how they should react, Jadeite began to laugh manically. His deep rolling laughter boomed across the windless night that blanketed the city and echoed off the buildings.
"I have come to challenge you to a duel Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars! Meet me on Runway F at Haneda airport. One o'clock tomorrow night!"
Rei and Ami exchanged looks filled with trepidation and concern. It was clear from the volume of Jadeite's voice and the size of his image in the night sky that he was addressing the entire city at once and not them specifically. It was a small relief that Jadeite still hadn't learned their secret identities but they both had known that, sooner or later, something like this was going to occur. Their frequent victories over Jadeite would finally cause him to target them directly in an attempt to remove their constant interfering with his schemes. As that terrifying realization settled inside their young minds, what happened next shook them to the very depths of their souls.
"Otherwise …"
Jadeite leaned down towards the city and blew a fireball from his mouth. In a flash of blinding white light the cityscape became engulfed in terrifying flames. When the ball of fire spewed from his mouth Ami and Rei bolted towards the front of the shrine to meet whatever attack Jadeite had just launched. The horrible sight that awaited them when they arrived at the top of the staircase just outside the front gate was something that neither of them could have ever imagined. Huge blazing infernos could be seen spilling out of windows in buildings all around them and orange-red towers of fire and smoke rose high into the night sky.
It was a truly dreadful sight to behold. Rei and Ami were terrified beyond measure as they looked out at their city from their position at the shrine's gates. They could do nothing but stand and watch as their city burned, their bodies were frozen in place. Across town, Usagi and Luna were witnessing the same horrific spectacle which had interrupted Usagi's star gazing from her bedroom window.
High above them, the image of Jadeite stood up straight and, with an arrogant smirk, snapped his white gloved fingers. A second later, the city was back to normal with no traces of any of the flames or fires.
"Ha! That's only an illusion but if you don't show up, I'll burn this city to ashes."
Jadeite's image vanished and left only the black starry night above the city once again. The gravity of his announcement and the image of the city engulfed in flames remained firmly ingrained in Ami and Rei's minds. The gauntlet had been thrown by their enemy and they both knew that all three of them had to respond to it. They knew that Jadeite would not hesitate to unleash complete destruction upon the city which would result in immeasurable deaths and untold suffering.
The following night at the airport turned out to be an evening of close calls and extreme danger. After being delivered to the airport by an empty monorail sent by Jadeite, Rei, Ami and Usagi had been forced to fight their way through the terminals that were filled with clay monsters disguised as police officers. The tide of the battle and swarms of fiends forced the girls out onto the tarmac. Once the police officers' true natures were revealed by Ami's supercomputer, the girls transformed into their Sailor uniforms. As a result, they revealed their civilian identities to Jadeite, who was watching from the shadows above them.
Once the last of the clay monsters had been destroyed, they had to keep from being flattened by two jumbo jets that were being magically controlled by Jadeite. It was only through the timely intervention of the super hero Tuxedo Mask that the Sailor Soldiers were saved from certain death. This gave them a chance to regroup and form an offensive strategy.
Tuxedo Mask confronted Jadeite as the Sailors gathered together. They watched with great concern as the two males engaged in a midair power struggle that carried them both out over the open ocean water next to the airport runways. The close-quarters combat caused both of them to fall beneath the rolling sea waves and out of sight.
The Sailors watched the water's edge with nervous anticipation, looking for any sign of what was happening underneath the unsettlingly calm ocean surface. After what seemed like hours a single red rose, which was Tuxedo Mask's signature weapon, bobbed up to the surface. It floated on the surface for a few seconds before the flower began to fall apart and scatter out in all directions from the movement of the rippling water. That single visual and the possible meanings behind it began to fill each of the Sailors with feelings of dread and fear as to the fate of their masked ally. However, they did not have any time to let those feelings fully sink in as Jadeite suddenly erupted from the water. The quiet night air around them became filled with the sounds of his insane laughter.
"Tuxedo Mask,-Is he...?" Sailor Mars whispered out loud.
"Jadeite, what have you done to him?" Sailor Moon cried out with worry.
"That's all that's left of him, that stupid rose! Tuxedo Mask didn't have a chance against me! And now, it's your turn. Do you really think you can defeat me?" Jadeite smugly remarked.
"We can defeat you Jadeite and every monster you send against us!" Sailor Mars confidently replied back.
"That's right! We fight for love and justice and together, we will triumph!" Sailor Mercury added with a look of fierce determination.
"United we're invincible!" Sailor Moon added.
They were filled with a greater sense of determination and resolve to punish Jadeite for what he had done to Tuxedo Mask; as a result, the tide of the battle quickly began to shift in the Sailors' favour. Through the use of teamwork and playing to their individual strengths, the Sailors were able to first distract and then trick Jadeite, causing him to lose his mental concentration on the planes he was controlling. He ended up caught in the path between the two airplanes. The plane behind him struck him head-on and sent him crashing to the ground before being run over by the multi-ton vehicle. His enhanced strength and inhuman nature allowed him to survive the brutal assault, but suffer severe injuries. He issued one final threat to them as he faded away into the quiet night air:
"Next time Sailors, I will kill you! I now know who you are." Jadeite struggled to say in between fits of violent coughing. He placed his hand on the front of his shoulder as he visibly fought to stay standing.
The Sailors did not fully hear his threat or notice his departure as they were already heading back to the spot where Tuxedo Mask had disappeared into the water. They called out to him and scanned the water's surface for any signs of movement or indication as to what had happened to him. As the seconds ticked by and no evidence of his existence other than the few petals that were still visible from the red rose, the trio of young female heroes reluctantly accepted that Jadeite had indeed succeeded in killing him. Tears of sadness streamed down their faces as they felt the cold sense of grief of losing someone that they deeply cared about rapidly fill them up. He had come to their rescue in almost every battle and now he was dead for trying to save them yet again.
"Tuxedo Mask… I can't believe he's gone." Usagi quietly said.
"But he is I'm afraid. You must all learn to fight without him," Luna replied, her tone trying to sound as sympathic as possible.
"Never… Never…!" Usagi wailed.
As the harsh reality continued to sink in with them, a familiar voice behind them startled them from their sorrow.
"I'm glad you were all worried about me."
The Sailors quickly spun around to look at where the voice had come from. Their eyes were wide with the hope that he was alive and ok. Sure enough, Tuxedo Mask was alive. He was standing on top of one of the planes that Jadeite had been controlling.
"Tuxedo Mask! Jadeite said he'd destroyed you!" Sailor Moon exclaimed with happiness.
"I'm not so easy to get rid of." He replied with a charming smirk.
"Tell me, Tuxedo Mask, why do you always show up just at the right time to save us?" Sailor Mercury inquired, taking a step forward.
"For now, I am afraid, that must remain a secret. Sailor Moon! Sailor Mars! Sailor Mercury! Be loyal and true friends to each other. Farewell!" Then he turned and leapt away with a flap of his black cape and quickly disappeared into the night, leaving the Sailors to enjoy their victory amongst themselves. The three young women continued to watch him until he was out of sight. Sailor Moon sighed affectionately as she stared at his quickly fading image. After he had vanished, Sailor Mercury reached out and took Sailor Moon's arm to break her lovesick trance.
"We need to get moving. The real police will be here soon", said Sailor Mercury.
"Ami is right. We don't want to get caught here, or worse, our parents if they discover that we aren't home" said Sailor Mars
Sailor Moon turned her head to look first at Sailor Mars and then to Sailor Mercury. The thought of her mother's angry face if she happened to look in her room and not find her in bed sent a chill up her spine. "You're right. Let's get going."
The girls quickly hurried to the dark shadows and made their way to the perimeter of the airport to start the journey back to their individual homes. A short distance away Tuxedo Mask continued to race along the rooftops as he headed to his apartment. A frenzy of thoughts paraded through his mind as he leapt from building to building. He mentally replayed the last minutes of the battle over and over as he tried to make sense of what had happened. When he and Jadeite had fallen beneath the ocean waves and continue their struggle, the sinister fiend had managed to land a physical blow that had temporarily rendered him unconscious. Jadeite had then quickly followed that up with a paralyzing energy blast that was meant to keep Tuxedo Mask from recovering and thus cause him to drown in the dark ocean water.
What was continuing to trouble him, besides the fact that he had almost just been killed, was the fact that he didn't know why he hadn't been. He clearly remembered regaining consciousness as he continued to sink deeper into the ocean but quickly realized his body was still paralyzed as a result of the energy blast. He knew it was an energy blast because he had seen a bright flash of light just before his eyesight went dark. A shiver ran up his spine as he recalled the feeling of panic that had enveloped him as he tried desperately to get his limbs to move.
Just when it had seemed that his time had run out, he had felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around him and begin to lift him towards the ocean's surface. He still could not move his neck or head so he could only use his peripheral vision to try and see his rescuer. He saw glimmers of red in the dimness of the water and the limited view that his eyes provided him. He saw the quick shades of crimson as they encircled his body and believed them to be some sort of textured gloves that were around his chest as they headed up towards the surface. He, at the time, believed it had been either Sailor Moon or Sailor Mars since they were the only Sailors with red in their costumes.
Once they reached the surface, his mysterious rescuer had carried and placed him on the shore. The unseen saviour positioned him on his side so that he could spit up any water that had gotten into his lungs. The rescuer had remained behind him the whole time and had disappeared by the time his body had regained the ability to move.
When Jadeite was defeated shortly after, Tuxedo Mask positioned himself in a location so that he could make a quick exit should he need too. As he watched the Sailors look for him in the water, he noticed something that unsettled him. Neither Sailor Moon, nor any of the other Sailors were dripping wet. It was at that moment that he realized that it could not have been any of them that had rescued him. So, the question that haunted him was: Who exactly was the mysterious rescuer with the red gloves?
It was a question that would not get immediately answered. When Jadeite had returned to his base, his mistress Queen Beryl was infuriated with his latest failure. Before he had a chance to tell her the civilian identities of the Sailors, she encased him in a crystal cocoon and banished him to the darkest reaches of oblivion forever.
Back in the city, each of the trio of warriors returned to their respective homes. As they each prepared for a night of well-deserved sleep, they were filled with the mixed feelings of confidence at defeating Jadeite again and the nervousness of what the future would now hold for them. Sailor Mercury was especially nervous as she had been standing closest to Jadeite before he had disappeared at the airport. The look in his eyes as threatened them convinced her that the war between them and the Dark Kingdom was only going to get worse.
Sailor Mercury's assumption had proven correct and the months following the Sailors' last battle with Jadeite had proven to be some of the toughest yet. During this time, the Silver Imperium Crystal was located, and the seven Rainbow Crystals were brought together following an intense three-way battle between the Sailors, Tuxedo Mask, and Zoisite. The seven small stones, when combined together, form this larger silver crystal that was immediately drawn to Sailor Moon. With it in their possession, the Sailor Soldiers gained a powerful new weapon to use against the Dark Kingdom. The crystal's unexpected emergence also revealed that the long lost princess of the Moon Kingdom, Princess Serenity, was none other than Usagi. Almost as shocking was the revelation that Mamoru was actually the masked ally of the Sailors, Tuxedo Mask. In the aftermath of the battle that revealed both the Imperium Silver Crystal and Usagi's identity as Princess Serenity, Mamoru was captured and brainwashed into becoming a servant of the Dark Kingdom.
While all of these events were unfolding, the mysterious presence continued to follow the Sailors. In almost every battle, Rei had sensed it lurking somewhere nearby. Sometimes the evil energy being released by the monster they were fighting would mask or dull the energy signature of their unseen watcher; but it was still undeniably there. The rest of the Sailors were aware of this reoccurring phenomenon and were each trying in their own way to deduce who or what it could be.
Rei was fairly sure that, whatever it was, it wasn't an agent of the Dark Kingdom. She explained to the rest of the team that every monster that they had faced had a similar energy pattern. This specific structure differed slightly to show the uniqueness of each monster, much like how DNA separates humans from each other but still keeps them in the same biological classification.
Even more unsettling to the Sailors, besides the notion that they still did not know the slightest thing about this unseen individual was the reality that it had been progressively getting closer to them with each encounter.
Recently, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus had even managed to catch brief glimpses of a shadowy figure watching them during battle. The sailor of flame, Sailor Mars was certain that the shadowy figure was their mysterious stalker. Its slow progress at getting closer to them did not immediately mean that this mysterious figure posed any threat, but that still did not mean that it was not going to become one in the future. They had to remain on alert just in case.
The day of reckoning finally occurred shortly after the Sailors returned from their vacation to a posh ski resort. Usagi, and the two newest Sailors, Makoto and Minako were spending the early afternoon window shopping in the shopping district of the Azabu-Juban district of Tokyo. The two girls were doing their best to distract Usagi from her crippling feelings of desperation and sadness over the loss of Mamoru, who was still a brainwashed servant of the Dark Kingdom. He had made three appearances since his capture; and each time his actions only led to confusing Usagi about whether he was evil or not.
Makoto Kino was a tall, brunette with long wavy hair that she often wore in a ponytail. Her height and above-average strength for a girl of her age had made her a social outcast in the culture of Japanese society that promotes homogeneity. She had a reputation for fighting and having a fierce temper which only further made people fear and ostracize her. She had long ago resigned herself to a life of solitude until she met Usagi and learned of her own destiny as the sailor of thunder, Sailor Jupiter.
Minako Aino was the latest person to join both Usagi's inner circle of friends and the Sailor team respectfully. True to her character and flair for the dramatic, she had made her presence known by first saving Tuxedo Mask from the Dark Kingdom general, Zoisite and then rescuing the rest of the sailors from certain death at the hands of the other general and Zoisite's lover, Kunzite.
In a hidden location, Kunzite, the last of the Dark Kingdom's generals, watched the three girls through a magical screen. He decided that this was a perfect opportunity to launch an attack to draw out the Sailors and keep them occupied while Mamoru, in his guise as Prince Endymion, was on another mission for Queen Beryl. Using the recent intelligence he received from one of his spies, he selected a monster from own his personal army that he felt would be enough to finally eliminate the threat the Sailors posed to the Dark Kingdom. He picked this particular monster because it could counter and adapt to the Sailors' attacks and thus leave Sailor Moon vulnerable to either being killed or captured. "You, Adaptor, go and kill the Princess and her guardians. Bring back the Silver Crystal and do not fail me!"
Usagi and the others were leaving a perfume boutique when the monster suddenly appeared in front of them. The huge hulking fiend stood about 6'4" with a humanoid stature. It had sharp spikes running along the outside of its forearms and legs. Its skin colour was that of metallic silver and it glistened in the early afternoon sunlight. It immediately fixed its black coal-coloured eyes on the three girls in front of it before lowering itself into an attack position. Its knees were bent and its arms rose up in front of it. It was clear that it was getting ready to spring forward at them in a full frontal assault.
At the monster's abrupt arrival, the girls quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction. By running away and acting frightened, it gave them the chance to duck into a nearby alley where they could transform into their Sailor personas without revealing their secret identities.
"Jupiter Power Make-Up"
"Venus Power Make-Up"
"Moon Prism Power Make-Up"
Moments later they jumped up to the rooftop of one of the buildings around the alley and headed back towards where they last saw the monster. When they found it they tensed up as they observed it about to tear into a group of people that it had cornered against the side of a building.
"Hold it right there. People have the right to shop in peace without the fear of being terrorized by abominations like you. In the name of the Moon I will punish you." Sailor Moon yelled down at the monster.
They jumped down from the rooftop that they had positioned themselves on and quickly formed a triangle around the monster. Upon closer inspection of their opponent they could see that there was something strange about its skin. From a distance, what had first appeared to be metallic and solid like a rock or an elephant's hide was actually spongy and rubberlike.
The monster immediately went into an attack barrage by thrusting its arms out with the intent to use its forearm spikes to either slice or impale the Sailors. Sailor Venus easily dodged the swipes that were meant for her and raised her hand to signal that she was going to use her Crescent Beam attack. She placed her right index finger on her tiara as she collected the necessary energy from her surrounding environment. When she felt she had gathered enough power she fired the beam when the monster became engaged by Sailor Jupiter.
"Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus shouted.
The monster sensed the incoming attack and tensed its muscles. These series of actions caused the large muscle groups to contract and turn the shiny properties of its skin into a makeshift mirror. The yellow beam hit the reflective surface and bounced back at Sailor Venus. Using her enhanced agility, she was able to twist her body enough that she narrowly avoided a direct hit. The beam still managed to graze her which disrupted her body's alignment and altered her overall path through the air. She landed against a steel security door of a closed store. She hit the unforgiving metal and slumped down as the wind was temporarily taken out of her and her vision became fuzzy.
"Sailor Venus!" Sailor Jupiter screamed from her position a few feet away.
The sight of her friend lying against the door infuriated the physically strong Sailor. She immediately launched into a frenzy of kung fu punches and kicks that called upon her many years of martial arts training. The monster reacted by blocking and avoiding many of these blows before hitting her with an open-fisted punch to the abdomen. Sailor Jupiter stumbled backwards in response and put some distance between her and the monster. The intense anger inside her surged through her veins and masked the lingering pain she was still feeling from the monster's punch. She lifted her head and crossed her arms.
"My guardian Jupiter, brew a storm, call the clouds, bring down the lightning, Supreme Thunder." Sailor Jupiter said as she closed her eyes in concentration.
A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and hit the small antennae in the middle of her tiara. She threw her crossed arms outwards and directed the collected electrical energy at her adversary. Her blast hit the monster but it quickly became clear that it had no visible effect. There were no guttural screams of pain, no explosion of released energy, nothing. The electrical blast seemed to disappear without a trace of contact with the monster.
Sailor Jupiter stared at the monster with a dumbfounded look. Sailor Moon screamed out in fear as she put her hands up to her face and visibly trembled where she stood. The monster's only response was a bout of hysterical laughter.
"My skin is made of a substance similar to what you humans call rubber. Your pathetic electricity will not work on me," the monster confidently snarled.
"Oh my God! None of our attacks are working! What are we going to do?" Sailor Moon screamed.
Before Sailor Jupiter could respond to her friend's terrified question, the monster slammed both of its fists into the ground which sent a spreading fissure through the concrete in two directions. Each one headed for one of the still standing Sailors. The cracks moved through the sidewalk at incredible speed and knocked both of the Sailors off their feet as a result. Sailor Moon fell back onto her butt while Sailor Jupiter fell against a utility pole. She hit her head against the concrete base of the pole, temporarily disorienting her. The monster, satisfied that the last threat had been thoroughly dealt with, turned its attention to Sailor Moon.
"Time to die, Moon Princess."
A figure suddenly dropped from the rooftop above and landed in the open space between the monster and Sailor Moon. The newest entry to the battle had its back to her, so she couldn't see its face but what she did see was enough to question her sanity. The thing standing between her and the Dark Kingdom's assassin appeared to be approximately 6'0" and humanoid shaped. Its entire body was mostly blood red with patches of black scattered along its surface. Its skin seemed to look like melted wax and was in a state of constant motion as if thousands of insects were moving underneath it. The newest creature had no hair and appeared to be very muscular underneath its red skin. A deep and raspy sounding voice sprang from its mouth.
"Stay away from her!"
The monster sprung forward with its arms across its chest with the intention to run its forearm spikes through the obstacle standing between it and its target. In a flurry of movement, tendrils of red material sprang out from the red being's body. At the same time, its right arm transformed into a wide surface shield. The organic safeguard blocked the spikes and allowed the tendrils to tightly encircle it and restrict any further movements. The red being's left hand then morphed into a double bladed axe.
The monster continued to struggle in vain against the tendrils as it tried to get some form of leverage to break free. As quickly as the red monster's first movements were, the next two seemed to happen at light speed.
The metallic monster suddenly slumped forward and its arms and legs went limp. The red being stepped to the side which showed Sailor Moon what had just happened. A spike or lance from the red being's chest had impaled the monster through its upper torso and erupted out its back. When the lance was retracted back into the red being's body the silver monster dropped to its knees. In one quick motion, the red figure raised its axe shaped limb above its head and proceeded to cut the monster's head off. The severed head hit the pavement of the sidewalk and bounced once with a sickening thud before crumbling to dust along with the rest of its body.
The red figure's limbs quickly reverted back to the humanlike hands they had originally been. It then turned to look directly at Sailor Moon. She gasped as she fully took in what she was seeing. She slowly stood up and was vaguely aware that Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus were standing beside her after recovering and had also bared witness to the final moments of the battle.
The red being was humanoid, having two arms that ended in five fingers with a sharp black claw on each and two solid looking legs. Its skin continued to flow like a fluid and was constantly in motion along the length of its limbs and torso. The most striking feature about their mysterious saviour was its face. It had no visible nose, ears, or lips, and was completely bald. Its mouth, which easily made up half of its face, was filled with dozens of sharp needle like black teeth. Its eyes were teardrop shaped and solid white with no pupils. The size of each eye was huge and covered almost the entire remaining part of the face that wasn't already occupied by the mouth.
"You are the one that has been following us all these months, aren't you?" Sailor Moon nervously asked.
"Yes."
"Who are you?" Sailor Venus asked with a stern tone in her voice.
"I am Carnage."
The Sailor Soldiers risked a brief look at each other. They were unsure of what to make of their rescuer, now known as Carnage. As if sensing their internal confusion, he spoke again.
"It is time that I tell you everything. Gather your teammates and I will meet you at the Hikawa Shrine later this evening."
Then, with a leap, he jumped up to the nearest roof top and was gone in an instant. The Sailors stared at where he had disappeared for several minutes as they tried to comprehend what had just occurred. They all knew that they had to inform Ami and the others about what had happened and to make preparations for that night.
Without wasting any more time, they quickly ducked back into the nearest alley where they transformed back into their civilian identities before racing off to find their friends.
End of chapter one…
