Obsession
Amber Penglass
Chapter 4
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"Very good, Plethora." Beryl granted one of her toothy smiles, one she thought was benevolent and becoming, but instead only served to add to her resemblance to one of those nightmare-inspired deep-sea creatures. With her pale, translucent skin that always seemed moist, and overly large eyes, it wasn't much of a stretch to begin with.
The demonic woman kneeling before her Queen stood, releasing the sizable ball of energy she'd been holding up as offering. Beryl held out a beckoning hand, and the green swirl gathered around her palm before she transferred it to the multi-colored sphere atop her staff
Plethora was not one of the Queens treasured few, the ones with just enough power to cross the barrier that kept them sealed away and bring back energy- the energy they needed to shatter the barrier once and for all. Slow as the Generals' progress had been, they were very close. Partially because of the Queen's impatient- without the reserves growing fat off of human lifeforce, she'd turned on her own people. Plethora was in charge of draining to death any minion, punishment for the slightest infraction. Or none at all, if Plethora simply hadn't met her quota for the day.
Endymion wondered if his liege had thought of the fact that if they at last emerged into the world with their numbers quartered, it might all be for nothing? She had peered into the world, yes, but she'd hardly glanced at what the modern would could throw at them, supernatural or not. Afterall, the world powers had decimated Japan once, why wouldn't they do it again if they perceived a very real, even worse threat? He'd brought up such a thought that very morning, with her nibbling on his ear til it bled, and had only received a vicious bite for his trouble.
Not that he particularly minded the pain- more, he minded that her foolishness didn't affect him. He should be frustrated, should want to help her and make her see that he had her triumph at heart. But he simply didn't care. Truth was, he'd had his own plans dominating his thoughts since he'd been unable to sleep late the night before. With Beryl whispering fervent plans and goals in his ear, he knew it wouldn't be long before they were ready to push their way back to Earth. Then, if Sailor Moon wasn't already dead, she'd surely die in the onslaught. Even if they ended up failing, it would be well after a long and bloody battle, after Earth was educated as to its true past. The chances of Sailor Moon and her Senshi living past the first few battles, seeing as they'd likely be alone, trying to protect the innocence of the world, were slim.
And he still did not have his memories.
"The day of our return is soon!" Beryl crowed into the shadowy crowd, cheers meeting her declaration. Her sharp smile widened. "This very night, our forces will gather the last of the energy needed to feed our Great Leader! Metallia, who will free us! More cheers, the sound comprised of hisses, growls, and roars. It had been a long time since a true human had inhabited the Dark Kingdom. Even those that were once human were now mere shadows of their former selves, twisted by the dark energies that permeated their world.
Endymion rolled the name around on his tongue- Metallia. He had never heard it before, he was sure. Why did it sound familiar? And why had he not known of this Leader? The thought that there was someone above Beryl was startling- he didn't peg her as the type to willingly bow to anyone. Then again, it likely wasn't entirely willing- if there was a being powerful and dark enough for Beryl to bow to, it was guaranteed to be a entity of sizable power.
Beryl had dismissed the massive gathering. Some slunk into shadows, some vanished, some sank away into the ground, while others simply walked out until the massive chamber was empty. Then, and only then, did he approach, emerging from the dark recesses behind her throne with a silence that was odd given the amount of armor he wore.
"Who is Metallia?" He asked, coming up behind her as she relaxed out of her straight-back pose, lounging on her hard stone throne as if it were furs that conformed to her. Indeed, it seemed as if the stone cradled her anyway- even the hard material didn't dare be uncooperative.
"I want you to lead tonight's energy gathering," she said, ignoring his question.
"Of course," he responded, without thinking. He frowned. Being occupied would complicate his plans. Again, he would have to alter them last minute. Annoyed, he asked again, "Who is Metallia?"
Beryl shifted, opened her mouth, a dismissive look on her face-
~Bring him.~
The voice wasn't quite a voice. It was an unmistakable command, one that had Beryl stiff and alert as he'd never seen him before. To him, the instrution left a tingle down his spine that wasn't entirely unpleasant, but certainly as dark and vile as anything he'd ever felt before. And again...it was familiar, just as the name had been.
"Metallia," he said, answering his own question. Beryl looked at him with fury in her gaze, clearly about to deny it. "I doubt," he said slowly. "Our 'Great Leader' will want to be kept waiting." Looking like a girl thwarted out of a good secret, she stood with a dangerous grace, turned, and held out her staff to the smooth stone wall behind her throne. The orb of decaying colors swirled, intensified, and a portion of the wall...melted.
Without a word, he followed her into the darkness, trusting his other senses as he stepped down a pair of steps. His sight returned just as the stairwell began to curve down and around, and he realized that the steps hung suspended in nothingness. Below, he spied a great stone platform and a door that soared almost high enough to have its top level with where they'd first stepped onto the stairs. Somehow, the door seemed more symbolic, than an actual door.
Stepping onto a platform, he felt ghostly fingers pull at his cloak, the clasps of his armor, his hair, his mind, fingers that left trails of heat, like burning rivers of bilge.
"Greatest Metallia," Beryl murmured, moving before the door and falling to one knee, head bowed. "I have brought more of what you ask, and I give it willingly." The staff, held in one hand, began to glow, and a tendril of darkness seeped out from beneath the door, rising to form a shapeless cloud of blackness, with a pair of slitted ruby lines that were suspiciously akin to eyes. A finger of the inky darkness reached out, touching the green glow around the orb on the staff, and began to drink in the stolen power. The dark cloud swelled and roiled with new life, and Endymion watched with fascination.
When the energy was gone, the entity did not retract its claw, but rather reached past Beryl to loop around Endymion. Without instructing them to, his legs began to move forward. The closer he went, the stronger the sensation of invisible fingers in his mind became. He fought down his automatic urge to fight- this being would crush him if he resisted.
~Wise,~ came the voice again, the voice that wasn't truly a voice. More...an impression, a concept. He was brought right to the edge of the cloud that rolled and seethed around itself, like a barely restrained storm. Then, in a more intimate part of his mind, ~You will bring her to me, human prince.~ Instinctively he realized, these words were for him, and him alone. Beryl could not hear. An image was pressed into his mind, an image of a woman, suspiciously alike to Sailor Moon. The main difference, he noted, was that the woman in his mind was blatantly inhuman. Her youth and beauty was otherworldly, her limbs too long and graceful to have been developed in a terran environment. Her hair, too, was impossibly long, longer than she was tall, and it floated around her like a silver mist, anchored to her body by two twin spheres of hair pinned atop her head. She stood at a balcony, her back to him. She was peering over her shoulder, her face forlorn as fire licked the horizon behind her.
On her forehead, a golden crescent moon glittered in the firelight.
If he hadn't been so focused on the dark claws set into his mind, he might have gasped aloud. As it was, he felt Metallia...laugh. Not a sound, but the sensation of black amusement.
~Interesting, what nothing can make you humans truly forget...~ The image changed, and the woman was no longer a graceful, saddened vision. The only thing that remained the same was the long, flowing silver hair. But the pale blue eyes had turned dark, the crescent disappeared, her loose, ethereal gown replaced with a bodice of tight black leather. She sat on a stone throne, perfectly cylindrical pillars flanking her as she sat, elbow resting on her throne's arm, chin in her hand and a lazy, malicious grin set on a pair of ruby lips. Her other hand was held, palm up, at eye level, cradling something that floated a mere inch or two above her gently curved palm, fingers curled almost like talons up and around it- the Silver Imperium Crystal. She held it casually, like a cheap glass of wine, and instantly he knew that the Crystal was Metallia's focus, far more than any girl, human or not.
~You will bring her to me.~
Endymion let a slow, heady grin spread his lips wide. He'd been worried, at first, that this Metallia might interfere with his intentions- instead, it seemed the entity shared them.
"As you will, my Liege."
Endymion pretended not to notice the tight jaw, dark eyes and waves of fury emanating from Beryl- even though she hadn't heard Metallia's instructions, she didn't like being left out. It was something she was supposed to get used to.
______________________
After hours of Ami's scans turned up nothing but the faintest remnant traces of dark energy in Usagi's system, the girls were still not satisfied.
"It doesn't make sense," Rei said firmly, a hand on her arm, as if afraid Usagi would bolt. It was likely, the blonde admitted to herself with a sulking pout.
"Ami checked me out, I'm fine, he didn't do anything but bruise me a bit," Usagi whined.
"And then healed the bruises? That's not a normal Dark Kingdom move," Minako pointed out.
"Well Mamoru's not a normal Dark Kingdom general!" Usagi snapped. "He was brainwashed- maybe some of the real him got through!"
"It is possible," Makoto supported- despite that she had a firm arm around Usagi's waist, guiding her down the street. With Rei on her left, Makoto on her right, Minako in front, and Ami trailing behind with her nose in a book on supernatural cleansing, she'd never felt more like her friends were...well, an honor guard, rather than friends. Rethinking how she really didn't have a choice but to go along, she rethought the 'honor' part.
"It'll be quick, Usagi," Ami soothed. "We just want to make sure you're really ok. We can't afford to loose you- and we would rather keep you around for other reasons, too." The blue-haired mouse of a girl had a lilt of teasing to her voice, and it surprised Usagi enough that, for a short distance, she stopped dragging her feet. In that short distance, they'd arrived at their destination.
Crown Arcade's silent neon sign was dim, the lights inside off save for a few faint fluorescent bulbs, more for the purpose of making any would-be burglars uneasy at the thought of being seen than anything else. The games were turned off, the counters gleaming slightly in the mild lighting. The doors were locked, the automatic gears and sensors turned off.
And yet, when they approached...the doors slid open, silently, at Minako's raised hand. Usagi glimpsed her transformation wand hidden in her sleeve. Huh. Would her brooch do that, too? She would have to ask. She thought Luna was the only one who could get into Central Control. Speaking of which...
"Where's Luna?" Usagi asked as they entered, whispering. The cat had left partway through the meeting at Makoto's, saying she'd meet them here later that evening.
"There are no audio sensors, Usa," Rei sighed, rolling her eyes and pulling her along. "She's probably already inside."
Minako went to the Sailor V game, and flicked the power switch at its back. With a whirl of colors and soft, cheerful beeps, the game console came to life. Minako navigated the controls to what Usagi assumed was a hidden menu... Afterall, she'd memorized this game, and had never seen the option 'Verify Persona.'
"Aino Minako," the other blonde said. There was another series of beeps, and the message, 'Persona verified' flashed red and yellow.
Then, slowly, and with the faint sound of old gears, the game slid aside, a panel beneath it also sliding away to reveal a narrow passage, a flight of narrow, steep stairs going down into a dim, sterile room.
"Down we go." Minako pranced down first, and the girls followed. Once all were down, Minako flipped a switch at the wall, and the game console above was heard sliding back into place.
"Good, you're here," Luna's muffled voice was heard from somewhere to the back of the room, but Usagi was too busy gaping. She'd never been here before...
The floor was comprised of large, plain white tiles, the walls also white, layered in stiff sound-absorbing foam pads, the sort found in professional sound studios, the ceiling lined with more of the stuff. To the left, an expanse of high, white lab tables were anchored to the wall, the shelves filled with things she was sure her Chemistry teacher would sell his kidney to get in his classrooms.
To the right, there was an expansive bay of computers she was sure she'd never seen in any electronics store, not even close. Digital readouts were projected onto glass panels hung suspended from the ceiling by something akin to fishing string. Instead of normal keyboards, there were long control panels of flat buttons and sleek nobs, all faintly illuminated from beneath. To the back, in a small bay of its own, was what was obviously a medical facility of some kind. Only designed for one patient at a time, it had a single bed, and it was surrounded by more machines she was certain no modern engineer would make heads or tails of. She wondered if even Luna knew how it all worked... Or what they'd do if something broke.
"Most of it was hidden underground on Earth eons ago, preserved in vacuumed chambers." Minako came up beside her, smiling a bit at her amusement. "There's another station like this in England, though not as expansive."
"This is Silver Millennium technology," Usagi said, understanding. A faint memory...a feeling of magic and machine, technology and legend working together in an odd yet smooth harmony. So strange...
Minako was nodding. "We've forgotten how a lot of it works... But the important stuff was easy enough to figure out. This is how Luna and I kept in contact, before I came over from Europe, and how Luna tracked you down. It's the 'oomph' behind Ami's data computer, too- all the actual computing is done here, and the results sent to her portable one. Same with our communication devices- the signals are routed through here, to keep us off the public airwaves."
"Wow," Usagi breathed. She'd never really thought about the technology behind their trinkets and gadgets. She supposed she'd just assumed it was all pure magic... But this explained where Luna disappeared to all the time. Then, the most obvious question of all made her frown. "How did this all end up underneath an arcade?"
"The chamber was here long before the arcade was," Luna answered with a sniff. "When this street was first being developed, I managed to land myself in the lead contractor's house. He kept all his paperwork at home. It was a simple matter of making sure they didn't dig too deep...and making some blueprint modifications when he wasn't looking, to accommodate the entrance beneath the games."
The thought of a cat with a sketcher's pencil above layers and layers of gridlined onionskin paper was too much for even Usagi's imagination. But she'd seen Luna do odder things, she supposed.
"Come on, Usa, stop stalling," Rei snipped. Usagi scowled and walked over to where she and Ami were by the medical bed. She hoped on, reclining with crossed arms and a pout while the others went to gather around Luna, talking about some sort of readout or data stream or something.
Ami seemed to know what some of the equipment was. Usagi just sat in sulky silence as her friend waved beeping wands over her, attached tiny silver nodes that blinked red and green on her temples, over her heart, another on her side, one at the base of her neck, another at the base of her spine. She was cool and unrevealing the whole time- a true future doctor, Usagi thought with a scowl.
"Oh stop pouting," Rei rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."
"You guys worry too much," Usagi muttered. "I could be home, asleep..." And God was she tired. She hadn't slept since...since crying herself to sleep after he'd left, the night before. Luna had woken her around nine am, and she'd spent the rest of the day at Makoto's, explaining what had happened, trying to keep them from suspecting she didn't feel as violated or terrorized as she should. And now they were here. And she was exhausted, and cranky, and she wanted nothing more than to see him again and demand explanations... She sniffed.
"You all right, Usagi?" Ami asked gently. Rei had gone over to the others at one of the consoles, the glass screen hung before them all illuminated with what looked like a layout of the city.
"I'm fine," Usagi grumbled, blinking away the tears that threatened to well up. "It's just cold in here."
Ami patted her shoulder.
Abruptly, the quietness of the room and the soft discussion of the girls and Luna was slashed to shreds by the sudden explosion of klaxons ringing out in the room. In reality, the alarm wasn't all that loud- but when compared to the uneasy silence it had pierced, it was deafening. Usagi shrieked and half fell off the bed, Ami jumped and dropped the electronic pad she'd been scribbling on with a metal stylus. The Senshi all jumped, too- Luna was fit to be a Halloween decoration, back arched, eyes wide, teeth bared and tail impersonating an inflated pipe cleaner.
"Spirits, does that happen when we're not here?" Rei demanded, fist clenched at her side to keep it from rising back up to where it had been clutching her heart.
"No," Luna said, fighting to smooth her tail with one fore-paw while poking at various controls with her other.
"What is it?" Makoto peered at the screen- the least technologically savvy of the girls, even she didn't like what she thought she saw- coalesced around a point in the northeastern corner of the city, red dots were gathering rapidly. "I hope that's not what I think it is."
"It's exactly what it looks like," Minako said tersely.
"It's faint..." Luna pawed at some knobs. "But definitely there. If we hadn't been at Central Control, we might not have picked it up."
"No time to look a gift horse in the mouth," Usagi said firmly. "Senshi, henshin!"
As if they'd been working togethr for years, they raised their hands high, calling their own wands to grasp amid swirls of their respective colors and elements. When lights and flames, snow, petals, ribbons faded, the five human girls had been replaced with five feminine forms that while remained humanoid in appearance, couldn't be mistaken for truly human by anyone but a blind man.
"Let's go," Sailor Moon said, all too happy to get out of more tests. If Ami hadn't found anything, she wasn't going to- and she couldn't help the little thrill at what that meant.
Endymion really had healed her- nothing more, nothing less. Sure, he wanted her alive for further questioning. But it didn't make sense for him to pass up the opportunity to do more... And yet he did.
She put thoughts of her estranged almost-boyfriend aside when they reached the area that had been indicated on the map, a small abandoned warehouse that ws currently full to bursting people of all ages and walks of life, all of them clothed in shades of black, red, white, neon greens and pinks. Smoke of various sources poured out from the shattered windows and buckled metal doors. The closer they got, the louder the deep, heart-thrumming bass got and the- it was a rave.
Crouched on the rooftop of a nearby industrial building, they watched people come and go- and they weren't screaming. At least, not in terror.
"Have any of you ever been to a rave?" Venus asked, dead serious. Mutely, the other four shook their heads. The blonde cringed.
"Why isn't anyone running?" Mars frustration was visible as she glowered at the strings of scantily clad women and overly dressed men below as they trickled to and from the discreet entrances.
"No attacks," Mercury said, sounding puzzled. "The dark signature is still in there, but...it's steady. No surges; no attacks. The ravers don't know what's among them."
"The freak probably blends right in." Jupiter sniffed uncharacteristically- it wasn't like her to look down on a stereotype, but the look she was giving those below as they passed was decidedly condescending.
"Sailor Moon, do you have your Luna Pen?" Venus asked suddenly. Moon blinked at her.
"Of course," she said. Truth be told, she normally didn't...
"Will it work on multiple targets? We need to get down there, find the youma, lure it out without alerting it. If a battle breaks out inside, a lot of people are going to get hurt."
Honestly, she had no idea if it would work- she'd never thought about it. She frowned. But...
"I'll make it work," she said with conviction. What use was this infinite power within her, if she couldn't make a stupid pen disguise more than one person? From a pocket somewhere on her person, she produced the pen, raising it high. As loud as she dared she commanded, "Luna Pen! Make us look like bitchin' ravers!"
She felt the power of the pen lurch as it had begun to ready to obey, then stall as it seemed to register the plural. Like a cheap economy car struggling to go up a hill too steep, she felt the magic of the pen strain, and begin to crack.
Then she touched it with a thread of power from the Crystal.
White light flared around all five figures. By the time the crowds below glanced up, startled by the sudden light, five young women in shades of black and neon stood. The flash was dismissed as a freak lightning bolt on a warm, balmy night. Sailor Moon glanced at herself, then at her friends- their garb was still faintly reminiscent of their Senshi fuku, with short skirts, knee high boots, snug bodices and sheer gloves of fishnet or lace. Their faces were still faintly obscured by the magic of their now invisible tiaras. For once, such an oddity would likely not be noticed, not if the amount of fog pouring out of the doors was any indication.
"Allright," Venus said. "Since I'm the only one that's been to a rave," she ignored the questioning glances. "Here's what you do- don't make eye contact, always look like you're a little out of it, keep moving, and if someone tries to come on to you, look like you're about to puke all over them." She paused. "Don't assume it'll always be a guy, either."
Mars snickered.
"Lets go," Sailor Moon glanced down, waited until no one was looking, and leaped down to the ground, four other streaks following her down. When they'd landed, she murmured so just they could hear, "Mars, take the east part of the building- Jupiter, west. Venus you take south, and I'll get North, the back of the building. Mercury, lounge outside, monitor the energy signal and contact us if you detect anything."
With only nods as acknowledgement, the girls dispersed, heading for different entrances.
_____________________
Endymion was furious.
The youma he'd selected had failed him before she'd even begun- she'd assured him she was the mistress of hiding energy signals, that she'd be long gone and done with her work before the Senshi ever detected her. He had believed in her supposed skill- it had taken Metallia's insistence to make Beryl let him have her.
Yet somehow, there they were. He watched as the five of them, in disguises that were pathetic to anyone who'd seen them as often and as close up as he had, leaped down and casually dispersed, obviously to try and pinpoint the curiously inactive youma.
Endymion was getting supremely tired of having to change his plans.
"Zenza, come to me."
The faintest ripple of putrid air behind him. "Yes, my lord?"
"You failed already."
Palpable hostility- an offended huff. "My lo-"
"The Senshi are here."
Stunned silence. "But, that's imposs-"
"You doubt my eyesight?"
"Never, Lord!"
"I will distract them. Under no circumstances are you to leave until the final energy needed is gathered, do you understand? I guarantee, any death they grant you will be a mercy compared to what pain I will extract from your flesh should you abandon your mission."
"I understand." The determination, underlined with fear, in her voice earned her a brisk nod. By the time she vanished, his armor and cloak had melted away into a simple ensemble of black pants and tunic with long, loose sleeves bound at the wrists. Loose sleeves were quite condusive to hiding several daggers strapped to one's forearms.
With a ripple of blue-black energy, he vanished from the rooftop, and in a mirror swirl of power he melted into existence in a deep shadow overlooking the catwalks and tiers that in turn looked down on the make-shift dance floor below, and the hurriedly constructed stage of plywood and scaffolding.
A normal human would never had been able to spot her in the seething, undulating mass of human bodies. The throbbing, pulsing lights of brightly contrasting colors made the task a challenge even for him. The music made it impossible to pick out her voice, should she speak, even for him.
But he could feel her.
He closed his eyes, breathing in deep the smell of sweat, liqueur, smoke, and sex.
And the faintest, oh so briefest trace of her. It was not so much a scent, at least not the kind a nose could detect, but as it was sense. An aroma for his mind, so alien in its purity, so fascinating for its strength, something not often found in conjunction with such innocence.
And then, there she was. In a brief flash of yellow light from the strobes duct-taped in place above, her face was turned up to him, not looking at him, but blue eyes -turned green from the yellow light- searching the shadows. Searching for her enemy, searching for a fight. That suited him- he was itching for a fight, as well. Just, a different type.
Prowling forward out of the shadows, he descended a set of rickety, rusting steps down into the crowd. Now that he'd found her, it was easy to follow her even without having her in his sight. He wondered how humans, deaf as they were to the deeper hum of power in the world, could manage to be blind to her. She glowed, to his minds eye, a brilliant star against the blackness of the room. So utterly interesting. Would that light dim, in his world? Or would it persevere? Would it retain its strength, but change to his own darkness? Would it adapt? Would she adapt?
He suddenly found himself infinitely impatient to find out.
Then he reached her, and his mind was occupied with things more of the present than the future.
____________________
He was here.
Heart racing, she forced herself to admit it. Soon after she'd entered, she'd felt it, to the tips of her boots.
Endymion was nearby.
She shoved aside a myriad of conflicting emotions- excitement, fear. Wanting, resistance. Nausea, lust... She buried it all, best as she could, fully aware she was not the kind of person who was skilled at controlling their emotions. But she tried her best, continuing to scan the crowd looking for someone not human, stretching her senses as far as she could. She could feel the pinpricks of light in the back of her mind, her Senshi, scattered around where she'd instructed.
She ignored the caressing sensation at the back of her neck that was the fifth person on her mental radar.
Venus had been right to wince at the realization that none of them had experience with raves or clubs- Sailor Moon was having a hard time not being swallowed whole by the mindless mass. The music, despite not being to her taste, somehow pulled at her, demanding and coaxing. More than once she found herself swaying as she walked. She had no exposure to drugs, previously- the past five minutes had more than made up for the rest of her sheltered high school career. Pupils of varying sizes stared at her unnervingly as she shoved her way through the crowd. Hands touched her places that, if she could find the owner, would have warranted a good Senshi kick on the spot. The unnerving thing was, she couldn't be certain how many of those caresses were intentional or a simple byproduct of cramming so many people in one area.
And the smells! Everyone was coated in sweat. Most were smoking or had recently smoked various things- most of them not sold on corner stores. Little bottles of pills were being passed around, several of them making their way into Sailor Moon's hands before she shoved them onto someone else, wiping her hands on her short, pleated black skirt as if the motion absolved her of the guilt of passing them on. There was another smell she couldn't quite place, and it was nearly as strong as the smoke and sweat. It wasn't until she passed a tiny girl, legs wrapped around the hips of a man far too old for her, both of them grunting and moaning as he bounced her up and down against his pelvis, that she realized what that smell was. Passing them, a wave of the scent hit her stronger than before, and it was obvious it came from them- the cloying, heady aroma of sex.
Blushing furiously, desperately trying to keep her mind on the mission and not let it implode from utter, crushing embarrassment, Sailor Moon moved on.
Perhaps, if she hadn't been distracted by the sudden shock of seeing public sex for the first time, she would have sensed him coming closer. As it was, she didn't- and it wasn't until he had a knife pressed to her spine that she came back to her senses with a jolt.
Breath, warm and moist on the side of her face- his voice, whispering. "Come with me."
Hand with the knife at her back, his other hand in her hair, teasing a damp strand loose. She knew what they looked like, with him touching her so, and her quick breath, intense expression. Now that she knew how immodest people were at these things, she had no trouble imagining the goals of other couple's she'd seen moving quickly through the crowd to secluded corners. Some, she thought remembering the bouncing couple, didn't even bother with the secluded part.
Somehow, he found a hidden place. Behind the stage -which she was certain would collapse to splinters any moment- beneath a low, rickety platform that was part of a set of steps going up- a section of the stairs was completely missing, a tangled and rusted pile of metal to the side telling her where it had gone, and explaining why it wasn't being used. Above them, the walkways and narrow platforms were crowded with more throngs of people. It was nearly pitch black.
He pushed her towards the wall, and she fought to keep from tripping, turning to face him as she planted a hand on the wall to keep herself upright. He stood, glinting knife in hand, illuminated by the brief flashes of the strobe lights, what little reached past the stage's backdrop. In those brief flashes, she saw that his eyes were still black, his face still pale and more gaunt than she remembered.
"Mamoru..." How he heard her, she wasn't sure. It was so loud, and she'd barely breathed the name. But his shift in expression made it obvious he had. But she was puzzled- he didn't move to grip her harshly, didn't raise the knife, didn't glare at her.
He smiled.
"So persistent," he said, and somehow she could hear him. Senshi hearing? She'd never tested it in this sort of environment. How useful, a remote part of her mind thought briefly.
He moved towards her, and she pressed herself back against the wall. Why didn't she run? Fight? She could. She should.
She didn't.
He planted his hands on the wall, on either side of her shoulders. The knife was gone, and he was still grinning, head tilted, examining her.
"You're not afraid this time."
Oh contraire, she thought. She was petrified- that was part of the problem.
But not of him.
She was absolutely terrified of the curl of warmth unfurling in her lower belly, of the way her heart beat decidedly not the same as it did when engrossed in a fight for her life.
"You won't hurt me." What else could she say? She couldn't admit she was truly afraid- he knew she wasn't afraid of him. It wouldn't make sense for her to claim a fear she didn't have.
He tilted his head, eyes searching hers. "But I already did." He lowered one hand, stepping closer, and gripped her hip- the one that had been so harshly bruised. "Did you forget already?"
"Bruises." She lifted her chin, as much to keep looking at him as to express defiance. "Those don't count."
"There was more than bruises." His other hand went to her shoulder, pushing aside the thin triple strap of her bodice, tracing light fingers against her skin- where the gash from the shattered glass had been.
He leaned down, and pressed his lips to her shoulder. Lips slightly parted, his tongue darted out to taste the flesh there- salty, smooth, goosebumped despite the moist heat that permeated the building.
She'd let her head fall back against the brick wall. Oh, sweet spirits... What was wrong with her?
She planted her hands on his chest, and shoved. He moved, but not because of her push. He raised his head, looking down at her with keen amusement.
"You fight me."
"No duh!" She hissed.
"But I thought I was this 'Mamoru,' this friend who tormented you, yet you seem to care for..." His hand moved from her shoulder, to trace the shape of the shadows the floating stairs to their left was casting on her face. She shied away from his touch, though he felt her subtle shiver.
"And I thought you kept arguing that you weren't Mamoru!" She snipped back, fighting back tears. So, he'd traded the game of pain and fear for this? Her heart hurt bad enough to overcome the deep-seated longing that had begun to grow in her belly- almost.
"Perhaps I am," he said, and his grin was wicked. Oh yes, he was playing with her. She balled her fists, swallowed harshly, staring at him with unblinking eyes.
"Either kill me, fight me, or go away." Through grit teeth, the words sounded more like the petulant demands of a child than the chilly ultimatum she'd intended.
"I think not," he responded simply, the hand on her hip roaming down, and behind. With a gasp she slammed her buttocks back against the wall, blocking his hand. She glowered, ice in her gaze. He laughed, and abruptly dipped his head down again. She froze, but he didn't touch her- he trailed his nose precariously close to her skin, up her neck, around her ear, stopping beside her temple as he breathed in, deeply, slowly. "I have something else in mind," he whispered.
Against the backdrop of darkness around them, it barely showed- she was only able to see it because he was so close. He began to eminate that dark blue-black power, the same she faintly remembered being used when he'd attacked her in her room.
The Senshi! Mercury was sure to pick up on the signal...
A sharp stab of fear nailed her in the belly, piercing that knot of desire that had been slowly tightening. Did he mean to lure them all to one spot? Was there some trap here, under these stairs, he'd yet to spring?
She was distracted, she told herself later- it was the only excuse she could cling to, the only explanation. And she needed an explanation, because otherwise that meant that when he abruptly gripped her head by her hair, pulling it back to expose her face fully to his, she'd wanted the harsh kiss that had descended. Wanted the way his mouth demanded entrance, and the way she'd given it readily, the way she'd fought back not with fists or kicks or Senshi powers, but with her own mouth, pushing back as hard as he was pushing against her.
She was inexperienced.
She learned fast.
Hands found their way up into his hair, knotting her slender fingers in the dark curls, yanking his head to the side with enough force that would have potentially scalped a normal person. He only laughed, pushing her harder against the wall, crushing her with both his body and his mouth. His other hand roamed- if his lips hadn't been so mind-occupying, she might have balked at how his fingers flitted beneath the hem of her skirt, palm splaying against her hip and fingers wrapping around to dig sharply into the soft flesh of her rounded rear.
Yes...she'd been distracted...the only explanation...
She lost herself in him, knowing she would hate herself later.
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"Venus! Mars, Jupiter!"
"What is it, Mercury?" Mars' voice came back over the communications link, glowering at a couple that drunkenly stumbled into her path, eyeing her up and down and making gestures of invitation.
"There's a spike! In Sailor Moon's area, up by the stage, but she's not responding!"
"Damn. On our way. You'd better get in here, Mercury." Jupiter's voice was terse.
Venus ignored the sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach- why did she have this foreboding feeling? Last time she'd had it, Endymion had been revealed and murdered- or kidnapped, as the case had turned out.
She got to the stage the same time the others did. She could barely see them between the closely crammed bodies that thrashed and flailed in rough sincronization with the wordless screaming blaring from the speakers. With barely discerned signals, they began moving around to the back, where they too could now sense a dark presence.
Venus rounded the thing first- behind the stage was suspiciously void of throbbing bodies, save for two pairs of legs sticking out from beneath the stage, unmoving- a red thong was hooked around one ankle. She barely noticed- something else had her attention.
"Get away from her!" Her lasso was in hand, the golden glow illuminating the tall, broad figure of Endymion- it had to be him. That sensation, that silhouette- it had to be him.
And it was. He turned- with his hair in disarray, pupils barely as big as pinpricks, a frenzied glaze over his black gaze and a slow, utterly amused smile on those darkened lips, he looked more like a minion of the Dark Kingdom than she'd ever thought to imagine. Her blood turned to ice in her veins.
"I think I'd rather not." He turned back to Sailor Moon, slumped against the wall, looking dazed and confused. With one smooth movement, he swept the princess up into his arms, still grinning with a slightly insane twitch to his lips.
"You put her down, dark scum!" Mars emerged, gasping, panting, looking more enraged than Venus ever remembered seeing her. For a moment, she was more afraid of what Mars might do if they failed to rescue Sailor Moon than what would happen to their fight against the Dark Kingdom.
Endymion threw his head back, and roared with laughter. He looked like a man who'd been delivered everything he wanted. Nervously, Venus wondered if he had.
Mercury, Jupiter on her heels, came running around the corner, skirt fluttering up as she moved.
"Hey!" Jupiter balled her fists, clenched tight enough that the white knuckles were visible even through the sheer fishnet of her gloves. Before she could echo Mars' demand, Endymion turned to where a swirl of blue-blackness had begun to form at chest level.
"Stop him! It's a portal!" Mercury gasped, visor on her face obscuring her eyes with rapid lines of data.
Jupiter charged, but Endymion -laughing- only stepped to the side, and disappeared through the portal, taking a half-conscious Sailor Moon with him. Without hesitation, Jupiter changed direction, barreling straight for the portal. Mars was almost immediately behind her.
"No, stop! The portal, it shift-" Mercury and Venus both raced forward to stop them, but it was too late. The portal flashed red a split moment before Jupiter and Mars leaped through, then vanished with an audible snap.
Frozen where they had come up short, the remaining two Senshi stared at where their friends had vanished.
Blinking numbly, Venus asked, "Where did they go?"
Mercury swallowed. "He took her to the Dark Kingdom- I'm sure of it. The readings I got through that portal..."
A heavy pause. Screaming had begun, behind them, on the other side of stage. Cackling laughter rose above it all.
"Mars? Jupiter?"
Voice deadened, Mercury replied, "I don't know."
The screaming got louder.
To be continued.
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Officially the longest chapter so far. :-) Hope you enjoyed. I think this is my personal favorite out of what I have planned. Review, please! I usually don't ask, but I've had a bad week and they always make me feel better. :-P
-Amber
