Mwahaha! I managed to dredge up enough time to put out another chapter. But this time I really will be taking a break for a little while. Not too long though. I should have the next chapter ready to go by New Year's. Happy Holidays to everyone!
(Again, many thanks to my reviewers. Keep them coming in, your feedback helps me with new ideas!)
Ria
As it turned out, her disguise was just fine for her to escape Zoicite's notice.
She shadowed the general all the way back to the center of the park. What is it with this place? She thought sourly. Why do they always have to mess with the nicest area in town? Not to mention my favorite. No, make that second. The mall is first.
Content that Zoicite wasn't going anywhere for now, Usagi ducked away to transform. All she found were bushes. Ah well, she thought grimly, settling down in a crouch and grasping her brooch, at least they aren't the prickly ones. That's all I'd need right now.
After all the, at least to her, needless lightshow and fanfare of transforming died down, she made her careful way back to where she had last hidden. Zoicite hadn't moved. He seemed to be looking out at the waters of the lake, the surface glowing a silver in the moon's light.
Minutes later, the general turned towards her general direction and let out a low chuckle. "You can come out now Sailor Moon. I know you are there. Power calls to power." He gave her a slight nod as she came out from behind a tree to his right. "Your power sings to me, child. It begs to be tested against a slightly tougher mettle than that of a youma."
Sailor Moon frowned at him. "I don't think you can claim the right to calling me child, Zoicite. You were reborn, same as I, and our years do not differ so greatly this time around."
Zoicite's face fell into confusion. He reached up to wrap a piece of his strawberry blonde hair around his finger, something she remembered he was prone to do when trying to piece together a puzzle. At least that was what Endymion had told Serenity. Maybe Beryl's hold on the general's is not so great. There might be a chance that I can bring him back to our side. Or at least Mamoru's.
"I knew you'd seek me out," he said a moment later, shaking his head as if to dispel his previous thoughts. "Were you worried I was sniffing around too close to your secrets?"
The Senshi snorted. "As if. More like I was tired of your pathetic attempts to flirt with girls. You should really get some help with that if you ever want a date."
He scowled. "I'll have you know those girls were charmed with me. Especially one who had her boyfriend right there beside her!"
Internally, Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief. "There's a difference between someone being charmed, and someone just trying to be nice to get you to go away." She didn't really want to get the man angry, at least not until she knew she had her backup in place.
"So what's the real deal going on here Zoicite?" she continued hastily, seeing her companion's visage darken in rage. "Are you guys all out of other options, so you pretend to be normal to flush us out?" She waved her hand in the air. "Do you really think we tell our secrets to the populace? Our own families have no idea who we really are."
Zoicite gave her a cold smile. "My Queen may want the information, but I really wanted to seek you out. I want to know firsthand if the youma are just pitiful, or you are more powerful than you want anyone to think." The chill seeped into his eyes, turning them glassy. "I really hope it's the latter. I haven't been challenged in a long time."
The Moon Senshi lowered herself into a defensive stance. It seemed there was no more delaying the inevitable. "Then you just might be a little rusty won't you?"
The general's arm snaked out, small crystals forming at the tips of his fingers. "I said I haven't been challenged, not that I haven't been keeping up with my skills." With a flick of his wrist, each shard came flying at her, but she easily dodged them.
"Going easy on me?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.
Zoicite gave a chuckle. "Never that. Just wanted to see how good your reflexes were."
Sailor Moon gave a laugh of her own, but there was no humor in it. "Just ask your youma's how good they were. Oh wait, you can't! They're all dead!" Narrowing her eyes, she tipped her head a little. "Are we going to get on with this, or are you going to glare at me till I give up from boredom?"
With a snarl, Zoicite launched himself at her, hands extended like claws. Moon darted away, but missed escaping the dagger like crystals that came in his wake. They grazed her trailing arm, drawing a trickle of blood.
With a glance to the wound, the general snickered at her. The Senshi grimaced at the slight pain, and bared her teeth at him. "You think this will make me quit? This fight is going to be one-sided."
"You're right," he agreed, "it will be. But it'll be my side!"
-------
Not too far in the distance, five figures watched the drama unfolding before them. Two with annoyance, one with calculation, and two others with pride.
"Tell me again why we aren't down there?" Mars asked heatedly. Jupiter nodded beside her, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.
Venus shook her head in irritation. "Does it look like Sailor Moon needs help right now? We stay out of it until we know she needs assistance."
Mars glared at her. "What is the klutz trying to do? Show off? We all know that soon we're going to have to save her backside. Why not get a head start?"
The Senshi of Love was ready to snap back at her, but Tuxedo Kamen's hand arm her arm forestalled her.
Jupiter saw the exchange and frowned. "Why did he call us?" she asked Venus, while glaring at Kamen. "He's not part of our team, he has no right to be here."
Venus shook off Tuxedo Kamen's arm and took a step forward, so that she was face to face with her Jovian counterpart. "This is no team," she spat, the venom in her voice and heat in her eyes making it like she was looking down at Jupiter instead of up at her. "A team works together, and carries each other…"
"We do all the carrying," Mars muttered.
Venus turned her glare onto her. "Without complaint!" She longed to form her whip in her hand. She remembered that cracking it garnered clear and undivided attention. She didn't need to look at Mercury to know that the blue haired Senshi would stay silent on the matter. She always did. Her former self longed for the old days.
Neither Mars nor Jupiter seemed convinced on the matter, but they stayed quiet. Venus went back to Tuxedo Kamen's side. "How is she doing?"
The man smiled, something she rarely saw on either of his personalities. "She is doing well." He answered, gesturing towards the scene. "They are well matched. But I can't tell if Sailor Moon is holding back or not."
She studied her princess for a minute, a smile of her own forming to match his. "Oh she is, do not doubt. I trained the Princess secretly back in the Silver Millenium. Far as I can tell, she hasn't used anything in her arsenal." She looked to each of her fellow soldiers. "We spread out around them in a circle. Watch out for stray attacks, and keep yourselves hidden."
The other's nodded, but Mars whispered to Jupiter, "Who does she think she is? Leader?"
----
In the middle of the unknown, but slowly closing sphere of protection, the two enemies circled each other warily. Tuxedo Kamen had been correct, the two had traded blow for blow equally, neither one being either on offence or defense solely.
Zoicite straightened suddenly, giving the girl across from him a feral grin, which tugged at his broken lip. "Is this really all you have, Sailor Moon?" He taunted, placing on hand on his hip cockily. "I must say, this has been fun, but I'm growing tired of this."
"Or just tired?" Sailor Moon asked, rapidly tugging off her tiara and throwing it at him.
Completely unfazed, Zoicite ducked, the discus sailing harmlessly over his head. "Oh that was truly pathetic, my dear. You must be at the end of your strength." He gave a laugh that was more like a cackle. "Shall I end this now?"
Moon smiled at him, the fingers of one hand at her side moving slightly. Zoicite caught the movement, but too late realized what it meant. The returning tiara collided with the back of his head, sending him sprawling face first onto the ground.
Sailor Moon caught the circlet midair and replaced it on her forehead. She knew that this wasn't enough to put the general down for good. In fact, she wasn't trying to. She was trying to stun him sufficiently so she could get close enough to him without fear of retaliation. I only hope what I have planned works. Because if not, I'll be in a world of hurt.
A blur of motion of to her side caught her attention. Ah, seems like the girls have set up a perimeter. At least I know they are there now. She glanced back down at Zoicite, who was struggling back to his feet, blood streaming from his nose, and matting the hair on his head. Surprisingly, he was also grinning. Uh oh, she thought, resisting the sudden urge to rub her arms, I don't think smiling is a good thing.
The general rubbed under his nose with his sleeve, and frowned at what he saw. "My face!" he screeched, taking a threatening step towards her. "You little bitch! How dare you!"
Sailor Moon shook her head at him, making a little tsk tsk sound. "Now now, Zoicite, please stop with the foul language. I am just a young girl after all." When she saw that the man wasn't going to stop to throw back another insult, she steeled herself, sent a quick feeling of shut your eyes! Tuxedo Kamen's way, placed her hands by her temples and yelled out, "Moon Twilight Flash!"
The whole night lit up like the sun had come barreling from the sky down upon them. There were shrieks from all around her and she heard Zoicite collapse to his knees in agony.
When the light faded, she found that her hearing was right. Endymion's former shintennou was whimpering from the pain, scrubbing at his eyes, trying vainly to dispel the light.
Sailor Moon sighed. She hated to have to put anyone through this sort of pain, but it was necessary. She went over to the general and knelt beside him. He had stopped rubbing at his eyes, and was trying to see through them, although they were barely open. "Zoicite," she said softly, and he cringed when she placed her hand on his chest. She raised his chin so he could look at her in the eyes. "Your prince needs you." Let's hope this works. I only have this one chance.
Through her physical link with him, she sent him memories from his past, fed from what Endymion had told Serenity about him. What his life was like before Beryl tainted his soul. He gasped, his almost sightless eyes going wide.
Zoicite blinked at her, his eyes unfocused and far away. "Sailor Moon? What is going on?"
She removed her hand from his chest. "Your time is drawing near. The time is coming to remove the stain of Beryl from this world. I am going to need your help. I know Kunzite is with you, and I need you to get him to remember without giving yourself away. Beryl can't know that she has no hold on you anymore. Do you understand?"
His gaze finally focused on her. "You're Serenity, aren't you?" He sounded both certain and uncertain at the same time.
She gave him a small smile. "Go." she said, neither accepting nor denying his statement. "And be careful. I didn't bring you back just for you to go and get yourself killed again."
Zoicite nodded, and glanced around him. The other Senshi were closing in on them. When he saw Mercury, the smallest of smiles graced his lips, and then he disappeared.
Sailor Moon stood up and brushed herself off. She hurt everywhere. Good luck me getting up for school tomorrow. She turned to the others, who had grouped behind her. Venus was beaming, the smile on her face threatening to be brighter than her Flash move. Kamen looked relieved. The other's, not so much, except for Mercury, who was looking at her in confusion.
Mars walked right up into her face, her eyes red. "How dare you not warn us before you do something like that! We were blinded!"
Sailor Moon backed up a step. She raised a hand to stop Venus, who suddenly had her whip in her hands, and murder on her face. She was too tired for this. "Sorry Mars," she said wearily, "next time I'll let Zoicite impale me or kill me. Would that suit you?"
Her response may have been quiet, but it carried all the venom she felt towards the girl. She didn't hate Mars; she was reasonably sure she wasn't capable of the feeling the emotion. But she was about as close as she was going to get.
Mars said nothing, but Jupiter took her place. "What were you thinking? Taking Zoicite on all by yourself! You really could have gotten killed!"
Moon rubbed her eyes. She felt like crying. Will nothing get through to them? I'm not a bloody child! "Fine!" she snapped back. "Next time, I'm doing nothing. You all seem to think I cannot do anything on my own, let's see how you can handle taking care of a youma! And don't ask me to dust them. I'm through." She smiled at them, but it was more like baring her teeth. "I'm done trying to prove to you all what I can do." She looked at Venus. "You are the new leader." The girl nodded. "And I am giving you leave to do what you want, within certain limits." Venus nodded again, although she seemed disappointed.
She noted absently that Tuxedo Kamen had left sometime during the tirade, probably waiting for her back in his civilian clothes so as not to raise questions. As she turned to leave, Mars grabbed her arm.
"What do you think you're doing? You can't just walk away from your responsibilities! Luna named you leader!"
Sailor Moon let go of her transformation. "I'm not walking away from anything but you Mars. And I have Luna's blessing with this." She shook off the other girls arm and leaned in, so that her and Mars were nearly nose to nose. "You can't seem to get it through that thick skull of yours that there is something bigger than you going on here. The world does not revolve around you and what you think should be done. Now leave me alone."
As she walked away, she faintly heard the crack of Venus' whip.