CHAPTER 3
Lita, Serena and Amy were taking an evening stroll in the city park. Mr. Baxter gave them a cheery wave as they walked past him while he was watering the garden beds. "Why hello Amy. How are you and your friends tonight?"
Amy waved back and grinned. "Hello Mr. Baxter. We're all very well thank you."
Serena said, "It sure is a very pleasant evening Mr. Baxter."
Lita began to say, "A very good night to visit this,"
Suddenly she was cut off by a terrible scream in the distance. All of them including Mr. Baxter stared in the direction of the chilling scream with horror. The three girls could guess what may have been happening, but they had no opportunity to transform as a young teenage boy came running their way before they could even attempt to leave Mr. Baxter's presence. Lita recognized the boy. "Hey! That's Ken!" She ran up to him desperately asking him what the matter was.
Just as Ken cried, "Lita! Watch out!" a huge whitish-pink creature resembling a lion appeared with another one of those aliens running behind it.
Lita screamed. "Serena! Amy! Get Mr. Baxter to safety! I must try to help Ken!"
Serena and Amy obliged each grabbing one of Mr. Baxter's arms. "Come with us Mr. Baxter," said Amy and really he didn't need any coaxing as they dragged him away. He knew this was beyond his league. They ran as fast as they could out of the park and across the street. When they stopped to catch their breath Amy said to Serena, "You go and get some help while I stay with Mr. Baxter."
"Okay Amy." Serena ran off while Mr. Baxter thanked Amy for helping him. But the first chance Serena had she ducked into a shadowed alley and transformed into Sailor Moon. Doubling back she returned to the park to see if she could assist Lita and the boy she had identified as Ken.
Meanwhile back at the park Lita and Ken had been running as hard and as fast as they could. The alien and the lion pursued them relentlessly and the alien yelled out, "It's no use. Faraion our Lion Cardian will hunt you both down and get your energy."
Lita and Ken ran barely watching where they were going until Ken pulled Lita up to a stop. "Look out Lita!" As he urgently raised his voice Lita saw to her fright that she had been just about to run right into the railing of a balcony overlooking a cobblestone walkway below. She may have just fallen completely over the way she had been running so very fast. But they both turned in fear to behold the lion referred to as Faraion open his mouth and roar loudly. As he did so his breath blew over them and they both began to feel faint as their energy was sucked from their bodies. The breath was so strong it also blew them back against the railing and dizzy with the effect upon them they lost their balance and fell backwards. As she felt herself go head over heels Lita only just managed to successfully grab the railing and will herself to hold on. But Ken went falling all the way to the cobbled path below.
Just then Sailor Moon discovered her quarry and called out, "Stop! I'm Sailor Moon!" However the alien didn't want to take any chances with any of those female warriors tonight.
"Faraion! Return to base with me right now," he desperately shouted and the Cardian obediently dematerialized along with him. Just as Sailor Moon was running up and shouting, "Come back cowards," Lita desperately shouted to get her attention.
"Sailor Moon! Help! Help!"
Realizing Lita's plight Sailor Moon quickly grabbed her free hand and pulled her back up and over the rail. But they were both horrified as they looked down at Ken's prone body. "I can see a pool of blood forming." Lita was aghast. "We must get assistance for him."
Sailor Moon obliged by pulling out her communicator and contacted Mina telling her to send an ambulance to the scene pronto. Mina responded naturally and Sailor Moon turned back into Serena as soon as she hung up her special device. Then she and Lita ran as fast as they could down the access path to reach Ken and offer first aid to staunch the bleeding while they waited for the ambulance.
As soon as the ambulance arrived Ken was rushed straight to the hospital while Lita and Serena made their own way there as fast as possible. Amy rejoined them after hearing that the danger was past and she wished Mr. Baxter a fond goodbye. "Thank you once again Amy. I'll try to be wary and you watch your back too," he had said this to her clasping hands affectionately before they parted.
Amy felt tears pricking her eyes as she thought about the possibility of anything drastic happening to her dear friend. "I will dear Mr. Baxter. Do be careful indeed." With that she had left to meet the others at the hospital hoping desperately that Mr. Baxter would indeed be safe.
When the three girls arrived they asked urgently about Ken. The receptionist told them things were not good. "He lost a great deal of blood through that burst artery and we don't have enough reserves of type O in our supplies."
Lita didn't hesitate. "I have type O blood. Please use me to help him."
The receptionist quickly contacted the staff and made arrangements to hook Lita up to Ken for emergency blood donation. As soon as Lita and Ken were in two hospital beds side by side with the needles and tubes pumping Lita's blood into Ken's unconscious body Amy and Serena asked if she was feeling all right. Lita looked up at them and smiled. "I'll be fine. And so will Ken. You needn't worry about a thing."
"So what is the story between you and Ken?" asked Amy.
Lita smiled once more and answered. "He's my best friend."
"Your best friend?" Serena was astounded to hear that and Lita went on to elaborate.
"My very first, original and oldest best friend of all. Long before I ever met any of you since we were little children in kindergarten Ken has always been somebody I can rely upon whenever I need a friendly companion."
Serena and Amy were very impressed though silly Serena wanted to read something even more deeper into it. As Lita went on to say with her head turned looking at her friend, "It's always been like this as long as we've known each other. Even in what happened tonight. Ken was in just as much danger from the monster himself, but he was trying to watch out for me while we were fleeing together. He wanted to protect me as much as I was trying to protect him."
"Ah. So from the sounds of it he must feel the same way about you then Lita," said Serena with a huge grin.
"Serena please," admonished Amy but Lita either hadn't picked up on Serena's insinuation or simply chose to ignore it.
She simply turned back to face her friends, smiled and said, "I suppose so."
When Amy and Serena left Lita and Ken's bedsides and were preparing to go to their homes they had a surprise. In the corridors they found Jedite and Titus seated together by themselves. "Hey! What are you two doing here?" Serena gasped in astonishment and Amy addressed them by name but they quickly shushed them.
"Not so loud please. We don't want to attract undue attention," said Jedite quietly.
"And we prefer to be known as Jed and Tweetus now thank you," added Titus. Then they proceeded to explain their presence.
"Tweetus and I have decided to come and spend the rest of our lives together on earth," said Jed. "We're here at the hospital because we're waiting for a test to confirm whether we might be going to have a baby."
"Th-that's awesome! Good luck," said Serena.
"How will you handle the birth if you are pregnant Tweetus?" Amy asked.
Tweetus glanced around to make sure nobody was in hearing distance and whispered to the two girls, "We won't be able to risk coming here for the actual birth. We can't tell whether our baby will be 100% humanoid like my dear Jed, or whether it will display any of the various characteristics that most of us generally have. Therefore we will have a home birth. Our best friend the Dream Dolly, or as she calls herself now, Dorothy, is living with us and she will be midwife and nanny to the baby. We will have to keep it hidden away until we can teach it how to control its powers and human cover appearance but after about four months most new-born Youma learn very quickly."
"What happened to the rest of you? asked Serena.
Jed explained, "The rest of us returned to our own planet to settle down and start the Youma race all over again. Yasha will accomplish that very nicely between himself and his five partners. Between them all they will raise many sons and daughters."
Amy and Serena said goodbye to their old friends but warned them to be very careful about the new threat looming over the city. Nobody was safe. Even they could be potential victims. "Thanks for telling us about this," said Jed.
"We can defend ourselves with our own powers and we will keep a wary look-out," Tweetus assured them. "We wish you and the rest of the Sailor Scouts success in finding a way to destroy these dangerous invaders," she added.
And so Amy and Serena finally left and went to their respective homes and families.
The following day after Lita had finished giving Ken her blood donation and gone home to bed, Luna and Artemis called for an emergency meeting at Raye's Temple when school was over.
Serena was running late because she just had to get herself in trouble with Miss Haruna as usual. She couldn't leave the classroom until she finished writing on the blackboard thirty times, "I will not daydream when I'm supposed to be paying attention to Miss Haruna." Miss Haruna had caught her "daydreaming" when she had asked her if she could give the answer to a mathematical equation she was presenting to random students. In fact she had been thinking deeply about Darien, trying to think of some way to help restore his memories. As soon as Miss Haruna had asked her, "Serena. What do you suppose is the solution to this problem we have here?" Serena had jumped and began to speak without thinking.
"Oh well. Maybe if I draw some pictures of me as a princess and him in his tuxedo with roses in his hand,"
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Serena had jumped out of her skin when Miss Haruna had erupted like a sudden volcano and she had been speechless with a shocked look on her face and Miss Haruna roared at her to stay behind after school to do her lines.
In the meantime the cats were explaining things to the other four. "It's obvious there is some dangerous force out to steal life energy from people," said Luna.
Artemis added, "But Queen Beryl cannot possibly have anything to do with it. She's been completely neutralized and if she had regained her own memories and escaped back here Jed and Tweetus would have told Serena and Amy when they met them last night."
Luna agreed, "That's right Artemis. So there must be an entirely new threat come to earth."
Raye said, "And those weird aliens must be connected to it somehow."
Amy spoke up next, "Maybe their arrival is all tied in with that sudden explosion that resulted in the giant crater a few days ago."
Lita was very furious. "I'll give these creeps what for when I see them face to face." As she struck out at a post making it vibrate Raye said nervously, "Okay Lita. Just please don't demolish my home."
Artemis called for order. "Let's all go and see if Raye can get a reading from her Sacred Fire. We can't just wait around all day for Serena."
Everybody agreed to this and they all proceeded to the Shrine of the Sacred Flame.
Raye sat on her knees in prayer. "Oh Sacred Fire. Please show me where our enemy will next strike." She and her friends kneeling behind her stared with wide eyes as the flames leaped up with bright orange glow illuminating a scene of the park with who else, but Amy's dear friend Mr. Baxter being drained of his energy by the mysterious lion.
Amy almost screamed as she sprang up on her feet. "Mr. Baxter. No! No! No!"
Raye spoke grimly, "This has not happened yet Amy. It's a vision of what will soon take place. But we must make our move at once if we are to prevent it."
"Then let's go," said Mina rising quickly and Lita followed suit. She was thinking of her best friend Ken. She had to stop others from ending up like him or even worse and Amy would just die if anything happened to Mr. Baxter.
So just as Serena arrived at the steps to the temple having run all the way as soon as Miss Haruna had excused her, she was met by her friends fully transformed as they all rushed down and past her. Serena was puffing and panting and gasped out, "What's going on?"
Luna and Artemis were right behind and they told Serena to quickly transform.
"We're going to attack this latest monster Serena," said Luna.
"So there's no time to ask questions. It could mean life or death for people," said Artemis.
Serena obeyed. "MOON PRISM POWER!" She ran in pursuit of her friends calling out, "Wait for me!"
Artemis and Luna ran past all five of them even overtaking the lead from Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury. Sailor Venus was close behind them but Sailor Moon noticed Sailor Jupiter stumble and almost crash into a street pole. She caught up with her while she leaned against it and held her forehead.
"Sailor Jupiter! Are you all right?"
Jupiter raised her head and replied, "Yeah. I'm f-fine."
Sailor Moon grabbed her arm. "No you're not. Your body is still weak from giving all that blood from the hospital last night. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
Sailor Jupiter said, "Hmm?" and Sailor Moon implored some more.
"I know I'm a whiner, kind of clumsy and a wimp but I promise I'll fight extra hard today. Please don't fight Jupiter. I'm afraid you'll get really hurt."
Sailor Jupiter was very touched to hear this, however she said, "I understand and appreciate what you're saying Sailor Moon. But it's my absolute duty to do whatever I can to stop this monster before it attacks more innocent victims just like it attacked poor Ken."
When Sailor Moon saw the determined steely glint in Sailor Jupiter's eyes she realized that it was futile to argue any further. But daring to play her own trump card even in compromise she held her arm more tightly and said with determination of her own, "Then I won't try to stop you, providing that you give me your word of honour to be very careful at least."
Gazing into Sailor Moon's defiant eyes Jupiter momentarily looked annoyed, but then softened smiling. "Okay I give my solemn word to be careful indeed. Will you let me go now please?" She laughed as she said this and Sailor Moon released her arm.
"Let's go. Time's a-wasting!" Sailor Jupiter sped off in the direction everybody else had taken and Sailor Moon sighed before setting off after her.
"All this running in one afternoon," she groaned as she huffed and puffed.
Sailor Moon didn't catch up to her friends before they reached Mr. Baxter in the park just at the moment when he was cowering in terror before the lion. The alien who was leading the Cardian pointed to Mr. Baxter and cried, "Faraion! Drain this old geezer dry of energy!"
Before even Sailor Mercury could make a move, Sailor Jupiter ran ahead and issued a challenge. "Hey! Why don't you and your overgrown furball pick on somebody your own size?" The alien and the lion both turned to face her defiantly and at a gesture from its master, the lion let out an almighty roar that picked up Sailor Jupiter and sent her flying backwards where she just so happened to land on top of Artemis and Luna knocking the wind out of them.
As Sailor Moon came running up she was just in time to see Jupiter attempt to use her thunder as the lion's roar overtook her. While she lifted Jupiter's unconscious form off of the two cats, Sailor Mars attempted to use her charms, but they were deflected and broken to pieces before they could reach their target. Finally as Sailor Venus attempted to shoot her Crescent Beam the lion roared again. She along with Sailors Mercury and Mars were all overpowered and sent flying the way Sailor Jupiter had been. Sailor Moon became determined to triumph. "You will not bowl me over the way you did my friends. I'm the Sailor of the Moon and I swear to triumph over your evil and punish you."
The alien sneered, "Faraion will make you eat those words Sailor Moon. Get her!"
As the lion roared Sailor Moon desperately dodged its powerful breath. In the meantime Mr. Baxter had taken advantage of the Sailor Scouts' distraction. He knew he was powerless to help them fight, but he quickly sneaked quietly away intending to call the authorities. Hopefully the Scouts would win in the end. He had seen Jupiter go down but if anybody stood a slim chance it would be the police force with their guns. It was a slim hope indeed he knew but it was the only option he and the whole city had if the Sailor Scouts failed.
But getting back to Sailor Moon she ran to the side avoiding the lion's roar, but it gave a huge jump and landed a few feet in front of her licking its lips. Sailor Moon desperately tried her tiara. "MOON TIARA MAGIC!"
But with another roar the tiara was sent blowing backwards and Sailor Moon only just barely managed to duck aside to avoid the danger of even getting minimally grazed by her own weapon as it flew straight back at her. Albeit the tiara's spinning velocity had been greatly reduced by the force of the Cardian's strong breath and was only slightly spinning before falling to the ground. If it had hit Sailor Moon she probably would have survived, but she may well have been knocked unconscious and at the mercy of the lion the alien referred to as "Faraion." Not that her chances seemed that much better in the long run, save that she could still try to duck and weave until she was exhausted.
"Destroy her!" the alien commanded. "Kill!"
Sailor Moon screamed as the lion prepared to pounce licking its lips.
Suddenly something flew through the air and stuck into the ground right next to the lion's paw distracting it. All three, the lion, the alien and Sailor Moon beheld a rose. But it wasn't red like the ones normally used by Tuxedo Mask. It was bright white. They all raised their eyes upwards in wonderment to behold a figure standing on the branch of a tall tree. He was dressed like an Arabian Sheikh in clothing that was as white as the rose he had just thrown and his face was concealed behind a white sash. Only his eyes were visible in between it and the white headpiece he wore. He spoke with an alluring voice. "The moonlight is very beautiful tonight. Far too beautiful for such shady, ugly goings-on as are being currently perpetrated. Don't you agree with me?"
"Who are you?" cried Sailor Moon. The figure seemed to be approximately the correct height and build to conceivably be Darien in a new style of dress-up.
He answered her promptly. "I am known as the Moonlight Knight." Sailor Moon was intrigued. The voice didn't sound exactly like Darien's but it was rather similar. Could it truly be?
Whatever the identity of this Moonlight Knight person the alien appeared to know who he was. "It's you!" he shouted. "It's really you! Faraion take care of that traitor!" Sailor Moon gasped as the lion obediently lunged into the air to attack the Moonlight Knight.
"Watch out," she screamed but just before the lion could grab the Moonlight Knight with its claws, he leaped off the branch into the air. Drawing a sword from a belt around his waist he attacked the lion. But he didn't slash or stab at it. Instead he just said, "Forgive me old friend and comrade," and struck the lion on the head with the flat of his sword. Even though he didn't seem to actually hit all that hard in any case the lion crumpled to the ground and lay there as if knocked out.
The alien dematerialized shouting to the Moonlight Knight, "I'll tell the others I've seen you! We'll discover the only way you can be killed! You will pay for betraying us!"
Sailor Moon was getting confused. She wanted to believe this stranger was her Darien, but what did the alien mean by calling him a traitor and saying that he'd betrayed them? And why had he only gently dealt with the lion calling it friend and comrade? "Won't you explain to me who you are Moonlight Knight?"
He was standing in the tree again and said, "No I'm sorry. I must leave right now. But take care Sailor Moon and fight to the best of your ability."
With that he turned and disappeared into the night with an enormous single bound.
As Sailor Moon was pondering this mystery she failed to notice the lion begin to recover and stand on its feet. But Sailor Jupiter had also started to wake up along with Luna. The others were still out of it though.
As Sailor Jupiter and Luna realized the danger Sailor Moon was in they both shouted out warnings to her. But even as Sailor Moon turned at the sound of their voices the lion was pouncing upon her. It pinned her to the ground and Sailor Moon started to feel her energy being absorbed through its paws.
Luna was horrified and cried, "Sailor Jupiter! You must help her!"
As Sailor Jupiter beheld the plight of Sailor Moon she also remembered her best friend, Ken and she determined to use all her power to vanquish this beast. "Great Jupiter! Bring forth your most violent storm-clouds, thunder, lightning bolts, wind and devastation. JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!"
Just as Mr. Baxter arrived with a large number of police officers, they were all just in time to behold Sailor Jupiter's mighty power display as it struck the lion picking it up off Sailor Moon and throwing it aside. As it hung suspended in mid-air it gave the most enormous roar of all that made everybody cover their ears. The police all dropped their weapons and fell to their knees along with Mr. Baxter. But when things were quiet the lion Cardian was gone and in its place was a black card that lay forgotten among the grass.
Sailor Jupiter was a little bit exhausted after the concerted effort she'd put in particularly because of how Sailor Moon had noted she was already rather weak before. But she would recover and as the other Scouts were waking up Luna and Artemis kept quiet while the police got all the facts from the girls for their records. The officers said they were very glad that the Sailor Scouts had all returned. "These sort of evil forces are way beyond our level of expertise," one of them commented. They were all endeavouring to stay cool and calm outwardly, though inside they were somewhat scared and hoped the super-heroines would eradicate the threat lingering over the city as soon as possible.
But not even Luna or Artemis took the time to notice a spooky, green, disembodied hand appear to take hold of the defeated Cardian and disappear with it. Alan and Anne were determined not to lose any of their Cardians. They were too valuable to allow them to lie around wasted and misplaced.
Later Ken was feeling much better and was discharged from the hospital in the company of his family.
That night Serena was in her room wondering about the mystery of the Moonlight Knight when Luna tried to remind her of her need to study for the first of her school mid-term exams the following morning. "Aw Luna! I can't study now! I've got enough on my mind puzzling over Darien and the Moonlight Knight! I just can't do it! Impossible!"
Luna moaned and muttered, "This girl is going to make all my fur turn ashen-grey one day. I simply bet on it."