Pluto watched in horror as the creature turned from Saturn's bloodied body. As the creature took a step towards the rest of the senshi, her eyes remained locked on Saturn's still form. From this distance she couldn't even tell if the younger woman was alive.
"Jupiter," Pluto said quietly. "I need a distraction."
The mahogany-haired senshi nodded. "Just say the word."
"We need to kill that damn thing." Uranus's voice was tight with anger and she moved to stand beside Jupiter. "If it's a distraction you want, Pluto, it's a distraction you'll get."
"Good." This was better. They could use anger. Anger compelled action. Quickly, she ran a practiced eye over the scene, trying to ignore the slowly spreading pool of blood around Saturn as she formulated a plan of action. "Jupiter, Uranus, I need you to draw the creature's attention. Lure it away from Saturn if you can. Venus, Mercury," she fixed the two senshi with a hard stare. "Get Saturn then get out of here. She needs medical attention and she needs it now."
"And what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Blood trickled from the wounds on Mars's back, but the dark-haired woman's refused to lean on anyone else for support.
"Keep yourselves out of harm's way and blast it with whatever you can when the opportunity presents itself."
"Sounds like a plan." A jaunty grin flickered across Venus's face. "Shall we?"
At Pluto's signal, the senshi swung into action. Bolts of lightning arced towards the creature from Jupiter's fingertips. They struck with a dull boom that shook the park as Uranus let loose a blast of wind, aimed not at the creature's chest or head, but at its feet. A thick plume of dust shot up and the creature dropped to its knees as silver ichor poured from its wounded feet.
"Venus, Mercury, now!" Pluto shouted.
Venus and Mercury broke into a ragged run towards Saturn, barely able to see through the cloud of dust. Unable to see more than a few feet ahead, it took them a moment to realise that something was wrong. The pool of blood was there, all right, but Saturn wasn't. Saturn was gone.
"Pluto!" Venus shouted. "She's not here!"
"What?" Pluto retreated as the creature scrambled towards her and the other senshi. Already its wounds were healing, the flood of ichor slowing to a trickle. "She has to be there."
"I'm telling you," Venus shouted, "She's not here."
That didn't make any sense, Pluto thought. Saturn had been down. From the look of her injuries there was no way she could have escaped on her own. Unless… a thought occurred to her that sent a shiver down her spine. There was one thing that might explain what had happened to Saturn. And then as if to confirm her worst fears, she saw Saturn.
The other senshi stood on the ruins of one of the shattered walls. In her hands the Silence Glaive glittered with malevolent intent. Then, before Pluto's stunned gaze, the metal began to darken. First the shaft of the weapon turned black before the gleaming silver blade followed suit.
"Run…" Pluto whispered, then more loudly, "Everyone, run!"
Still darker the glaive grew, till Saturn held not an object made of metal, but something else entirely. It was something torn from the furthest reaches of the night, six-feet of impossibly dark lethality. At last she raised her eyes. Twin pools of violet ice narrowed ominously. And then she vanished.
"Pluto, what do you mean run?" Uranus dodged backwards as the creature lashed out at her with one claw. "We still haven't found Saturn yet!"
"Just trust me," Pluto replied. "Do as I – "
Whatever else Pluto might have said was drowned out by the crunch the creature made as it toppled to the ground. For a moment no one was sure what had happened and then they saw. The creature's legs were gone, cut off at the knees. It rolled onto its back and roared a challenge at its new adversary.
Saturn stepped forward, silver ichor splattered all over the night-black edge of the Silence Glaive. One of the creature's clawed arms shot towards her. Without breaking her stride, she brought the glaive up and cut smoothly through the offending limb. Ichor poured from the wound and as the creature struggled to stand she struck twice more in quick succession. Just like that, she rendered the creature limbless.
Pluto felt her heart hammering in her chest as she watched the carnage unfold. Beside her, Moon dropped to her knees and was violently sick. She could hardly blame her. In front of them, Saturn stepped calmly on to the creature's chest and lowered the Silence Glaive till the tip was just close enough to draw blood. The creature went completely still.
With an expression utterly devoid of emotion, Saturn plunged the tip of the Silence Glaive into the creature's chest. Tendrils of violet light gathered around the dark shaft of the glaive and a low hum filled the air. A moment later there was a flash of light and silence, total and absolute, filled the park.
When the light faded the creature was gone. In fact, everything within thirty feet of Saturn was simply gone. There were no scorch marks or gouges in the ground. Everything was just gone. Gone as if it had never been. Saturn stood in the middle of it all, the only thing untouched in a thirty feet wide circle of absolute nothingness.
"Saturn," Pluto called out. "Saturn."
If the other senshi heard Pluto's call, she gave no sign of it. Instead she sank slowly to her knees. Darkness bled off the Silence Glaive as the weapon faded back from the unnatural black to its regular appearance. Abruptly, the weapon vanished and Saturn slumped onto the ground.
Not quite sure what to make of things, Pluto could only stop and stare. Then she gathered her wits and shouted for the others to help. "Get her," she said, pointing at Saturn. "We're getting out of here. Now."
XXX
"So, are you going to tell me what the hell that was back there?" Haruka paced like a caged tiger around the living room. "Because I don't know about you, but that… that… person out there today wasn't Hotaru." Her face was flushed with fury and she rounded on Setsuna with a growl. "Damn it, you know something, so spit it out!"
"I would," Setsuna said dryly. "If you'd calm down long enough to let me speak." Softening her tone, she added, "Please, just sit down."
"Fine," Haruka ground out. "But this better be good."
As she waited for Haruka to settle, Setsuna took a quick look around the room. The senshi had packed into the living room and their expressions were a study in contrasts. Some of them were worried. Usagi, in fact, seemed on the verge of tears. Ami, on the other hand, was easily the calmest of the group. Her hands were folded in her lap and she had her laptop beside her. Ready to take notes, probably. Although outwardly calm, Makoto was tense. No doubt she was ready to move into action if Haruka took another swing at Setsuna.
"Well?" Haruka demanded testily. "Are you going to start or do I have to beat it out of you?"
"Haruka," Michiru whispered, her voice tight with concern. "Stop. You're not helping."
Setsuna shot the other woman a grateful look. Hopefully now they could make a start to it. There was a lot to tell, and if her suspicions were correct, not a whole lot of time to tell it in.
"I suppose," Setsuna began. "That I should start at the beginning…"
Only one of the senshi wasn't downstairs with the others. Hotaru lay on her bed upstairs, her back bandaged, her injuries mostly healed. Beneath her closed eyelids, her eyes moved rapidly from side to side. She dreamed.
XXX
Smoke. Why could she smell smoke? Mama never burned the cooking…
It was hot, too hot.
She opened her eyes. Fire danced at the corners of her vision, spindly flames that crept along the mantelpiece and onto the windowsills. The house was on fire, she realised. What was it that papa always said to do if there was a fire? That's right, she needed to get out first, then look for help. Papa would be so proud of her for doing just like he asked.
Night had fallen and it was dark outside, but she didn't have any trouble seeing. All of the houses were on fire. Flames leapt from roof to roof and the scent of burnt wood carried on the air.
Where was everyone?
Slowly she remembered. Mama and papa had gone to the store to buy some milk. They'd taken Telyn with them. She was supposed to stay home and watch the house. After all she'd turned seven almost three months ago. She was a big girl. But a big girl wouldn't want to cry right now, a big girl would know what to do, a big girl…
A low growl rolled down the street and she froze. What was that? Something padded down the street towards her, something long and sleek and deadly. It was like a big cat, but no cat ever had eyes like this, pools of deep crimson. Blood dripped from its long fangs and in the twinkling firelight she saw the shimmer of scales, not fur.
Monster.
Fear seized her and she looked about frantically for a place to hide. If it saw her she was dead. She knew that she'd never, ever be able to out run it and those teeth and those claws…
Move, she thought desperately, but she couldn't seem to pull her eyes from the monster's sleek black form. Only when it's head swung towards her did she find the strength to move. She inched back towards the wall that lined the street and crept back towards her burning house. Hidden in the shadows of the torn up garden, she watched the monster pass by. Even after it had gone, she stayed there too terrified to move in case it came back.
At last she stood and carefully peered out onto the street. The monster was gone. What she needed to do now was find her family. The store wasn't far, just a few minutes down the road. Surely they'd be there. Surely this was all just some crazy misunderstanding, surely…
But it wasn't all right. The store was on fire, just like all the other buildings. There were bodies all around it, mangled, ripped up, dead. Some of them were people she knew. Verod, who lived down the street, lay propped up against one wall, his stomach torn open. Old Kurin, the fisherman, was slumped over one of the broken chairs. And over by the fountain were bits and pieces of her neighbour.
Unable to grasp the full horror of the situation she stumbled about till she tripped over something. An arm, she realised, she'd tripped over an arm. But what caught her eye was the ring on the arm's hand. It was her mother's ring. No, she thought with wild and desperate terror, no, no, no.
"Mama…" she whispered. "You've got to be okay, you and papa and… and Telyn…" She trailed off as her eyes picked out the shapes that lay in the street not far off. There was Telyn, his purple hair matted to his forehead, his eyes cold and lifeless. Papa was beside him and mama too. There were claw marks all over them and bite marks too. A pool of blood marred the pavement. Tattered bits of their clothing were scattered about like some bizarre picnic blanket.
What had happened? Who had done all of this? She dropped to her knees and sobbed. Her stomach convulsed and she vomited. Gagging, she stumbled towards the fountain and vomited again. In the bitter light of the burning buildings, she saw the dark tinge to the water. Blood. And vomited again.
Stars danced in front of her eyes as she continued to dry heave in front of the fountain. Finally it stopped and she sank to the ground with a hoarse sob. Everyone was dead. She knew that now. Monsters were on the streets and it was only a matter of time before they got her to, only a matter of time before they got her and killed her just like everyone else. Maybe she should just give up, just walk out there and let them end it. What good would living be anyway, when everyone else was dead?
From the corner of her eye she saw a monstrous shape peel itself from the shadows and she stumbled to her feet. She could either stay here and die or hide and live. As her eyes swept over the ruined town and over the still bodies of her family she felt her fear give way. In its place came a wave of raw hate so intense it took her breath away. Her ears rang and her head felt hollow. The blood in her veins turned to cold-fire as visceral hatred surged through her.
Someone had done this. Someone had let these things loose so that they could kill everybody. They needed to be stopped. They needed to be punished. With fresh resolve, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and spat the vomit from the mouth. She would hide and she would live. Then one day she would find the person responsible and make them pay.
XXX
Author's Notes and Disclaimer
Once again, I do not own Sailor Moon, nor am I making one red cent off this.
So, what did you think? It's a little bleaker than usual, certainly, but well there is a point to all of it. At least I hope there is. For everyone following the story, I'm sorry for the delay. I've had a host of things to do and I just haven't had the time to really put pen to paper (or should I say finger to key?). With holidays coming up, I hope to update more frequently.
As always, tell me what you think. I'm always interested in what you've got to say.