"I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was." -William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-6)
"Mou, this is becoming too easy." The light blue and light green clad woman said as she curled against her partner's side. "Where are the people that defeated Shafan, Moana?"
The other woman clad in darker hues of the first as she then leans over and kisses her forehead, "I don't know, Esen."
The first woman that had spoken up sighs softly, "I think she was faking now. This is really too easy."
Just as she said that a fiery arrow and energy beam came in their direction. Moana, who had seen it first, pulled Esen behind her summoning up a wall of water to take the shock for them. Steam rose up from the collision of the attacks.
"Well, it doesn't seem that easy now, Esen." Moana told her smiling a little as they were just in time to hear the senshi announce themselves.
"Stop this senseless violence!" The one with odd wings called. "How dare you disrupt this concert!"
"We'll stop you right here!" the red fuku one said before summoning up another attack, "Mars Burning Mandela!"
Moana's dark blue brow rose as she lifted her hand and water sprouted from it at full force heading towards the red fuku girl overpowering the flames with ease and then engulfing her in the cold liquid. "Hear that, Esen? They think they will stop us."
A soft tinkling of laughter came from the woman who seemed a tad younger in appearance. Her pale white hair was unbound flowing freely passed her shoulders as equally pale gray eyes lit with amusement. "I heard, Moana…silly girls."
Without another word the two held their hands out summoning both water and air into a twister sending it towards the sailor suited soldiers. "Stop that, silly girls." Moana laughed with amusement, as the girls seemed to jump out of their way.
"Star.." Fighter held her weapon up, "Serious Laser!"
The beam of light surged up against the currents of water and air to attack them. However the duo merely disappeared within a cyclone of air and only reappeared in another spot. "Tsk tsk, invader, did you really think that we would allow vermin like you defeat us on our own lands?" Esen giggled raising her hand, as air began to swirl up into a tight ball, "Say bye."
The pale woman sent the ball soaring at them at an amazing speed knocking StarFighter back into the bandstand before it dispersed again.
"Fighter!" Moon cried and then glared up at them, "Silver Moon, Hon-"
Water flew into her direction and Eternal Sailor Moon only moved to protect Fighter from it.
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
Nothing but steam ever hit the blonde senshi, who was now safe from the attack. "Thanks Mars."
Mars only smiles but glances up, "It's not over yet."
"Royal Flush!" This was from Sailor Kakyuu sending her attack towards them, piercing the water and air shield striking Moana in the arm, which only served to make the other woman even angrier.
"Kakyuu-hime!" Healer looked towards her worriedly, "You shouldn't be out here. It's too dangerous!"
"I'm a soldier too, Healer." Kakyuu said with her head held high as she looked up at their enemy. " I will fight with the others."
"But…" Maker stopped and shook her head before looking up, "She's right."
Maker than held her weapon up as well, "We're all soldiers."
"And we must fight together." Venus added as she and the others assembled, "One group attack! Everyone put all that you have in it!"
They all nodded before looking up at their enemies who floated above them laughing at their attempts.
"Do they really think they can win?" Esen asked healing her partner's wound with ease.
Moana looked irritated with the small wound. How dare that red haired woman do such a thing!
"I don't know, but they'll suffer so sweetly when we defeat them." She licked her lips in satisfaction, "And that will be even sweeter."
They summoned their powers, the energy that was coming together even amazed them, but they didn't let their minds wonder as they only concentrated on defeating them.
"Sailor Attack!" They all said as the energy ball soared towards Esen and Moana at an alarming rate that even made those to give pause to its strength.
Esen clasps Moana's hand as the two fired their elements- water and air- at the attack but it seemed to have no effect. Moana's expression hardens even more now as she watched the energy swirl before her. Up to this point they had been playing with kid gloves with these invaders. So now, she thought as she and Esen began to disappear back to their home base, we can no longer play like children.
"It's over…" Moon mutters feeling exhausted and breathes softly before turning to Star Fighter, "Are you alright?"
Deep blue eyes seemed to smile at her as Star fighter nodded, "I'll be alright."
She nodded before another thought came to her and made her turn to go back to the Green room.
"Usagi?" Venus called out to her as the other followed letting go of their transformations as they went.
Usagi, having transformed back into her normal self, moved over next to Mindy who was still trying to help Mamoru.
Mamoru was still on the floor almost in a fetal position with the pain slowly receding from his body. He didn't know where it had come from. The pounding in his head the churching inside his stomach and the aches that penetrated every bone and muscle in his body. He wondered just how he managed to live through it. Dimly he could feel the presence of the others, yet his mind was being pulled else where. Something else was calling him. Something familiar yet not.
At first he turned his mind from the voices of the others that were calling his name. He was vaguely aware that someone had yelled to call the ambulance. He couldn't let this mystery sit there within him.
'Who's there..?' He called out mentally hoping that it was Helios. If it was the priest he could relax. If not…
He heard nothing for a moment or saw anything within the darkness of his vision. However something began to shift within the darkness. Threatening, angry, and …curious? It was a strange feeling he felt coming from it.
A pair of brightly tri-colored eyes appeared within his mind's eye. They seemed to laugh at his attempts to wake himself. They wanted to draw him closer within their depths. To make him theirs once more.
Once more…?
'Endymion…' the grave voice rang through his mind, 'Endymion…prince of Earth…I'm disappointed in you princeling.'
'Who are you?' he demanded, 'What do you want? How do you know that name?'
His questions were met by silence before there was a strange sound of laughter. The laughter that was mocking him and his questions as if they were too mundane to answer; at least that was what the he felt from it.
'Little princeling, you know the answers to all that. Until you do, Endymion, we'll kill off the invaders one by one til they're all gone.' It sounded like a purr.
He jerked, in his mind the image of himself jerked, away from the hand that brushed against his hand and cheek. Why could he feel that? Wasn't this just his mind?
'Sweet dreams princeling, tell the priest hello as well, child of earth.'
--
Usagi glances worriedly at Mamoru in the hospital bed. She knew he wouldn't like waking up there but ever since he had passed out yesterday, they felt they had no choice but to send him here. His boss even took time out to send flowers- purple roses- that were still there on the bedside amidst the other little gifts they had left to cheer the stark white room up.
"Usagi…"
The blonde teen turns towards the sound of her name to the black haired teen that was leaning against the doorframe. "It's almost time. Visiting hours will be over soon, we'll come back tomorrow if you'd like." Seiya understood. He really did. The thing that made him so attracted to Usagi was the simple fact that she was so caring to everyone. Even an ex-fiancé- that was currently in a coma of sorts. He frowns a little at that thought watching them. Lately he had begun questioning a few things but his mind kept moving away from it each and every time he brought it up. He didn't want to even consider it right now.
"Alright...just a few more minutes." Usagi's azure eyes turn back towards the strangely peaceful face of Mamoru. "I just…I want to be here when he wakes up you know?"
The quiet beep of the monitor seemed to be very loud in the small room as the silence descended between them. She, Usagi, leans over and places a hand on his forehead brushing the bangs away. "Some times I feel guilty about all this." She began and Seiya sensed there was something important in this that he stepped in and closed the door leaning against it for the time being.
"What do you mean?" He asks his eyes straying from her to the prone figure on the bed. "Do you regret being with me, Odango?"
Usagi's hand fell away from Mamoru's forehead and she rests it again in her lap not looking at him, "Let's not do this here, please."
"Usagi…"
She shook her head before turning to look at him, "Unlike you and me, Mamo-chan has always been alone. Just like the girls, he had no one to turn to. Like Makoto-chan, he lost his parents in a tragedy accident, only he doesn't remember them." She sighs softly, "And then we…we became his family. We gave him someplace to belong and then I just…just…" warm tears seeped out of her closed eyes, "I just want him to know that he still has family too. Is that so wrong of me, Seiya?"
For a moment again, silence reigned between the two with the steady beep of the machine filling in the void once more. Seiya admitted to himself, if to no other, that he was becoming jealous. It was strange, but there none the less-yet it was not as strong as when he remembered seeing Kakyuu's flushed face looking towards the Earth prince. That confused something in him. Usagi was the one he loved and he was with her. Kakyuu was his princess and he loved her too but it was different…wasn't it?
"No, Odango." Seiya's head was bowed slightly so she wouldn't see the confusion that was within him. "It's not wrong at all."
---
"Bring him here." The command was spoken softly, yet the cavernous space made it sound much louder than it really was. "We must remind the child of earth of his place in this world for he has forgotten it."
Shafan nods slowly before glancing over at her comrades, "He has been blinded by the invaders. We must make him see reason, once more."
Esen sighs softly still with her arms wrapped around Moana's waist, "Our little princeling seems to forgotten us and the old ways." She closes her eyes and leans against her partner, "It saddens me so…"
"Then let us be off to fetch our wayward child." Moana agreed and the three of them vanished.
Closing those tricolored eyes, a menacing smile blossoms across the face, yet there was a sense of peacefulness there. Soon, the child of earth will understand.
---