A/N: Well hope I haven't overwhelmed anyone yet. Our stage is finally set. We still have Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto missing for the time being but no worries they'll get here soon enough. I know it's been a slow set up but we're finally going to start speeding up a little. So hold on because things are about to get interesting. What am I saying? All lies it will probably still stay the same speed it's always been. The story is like a good BBQ low and slow.
Ninja Edit: 09/16/2014
Chapter 8: Knight of Phaeton
Dark Kingdom – Throne Room
"The demon blade Dreadnought…" Beryl whispered in an almost reverent tone as she stroked the edge of the pristine white blade lovingly. Her attention finally returned to the two Shitennou that stood before the throne that she sat upon.
"This blade will bring Jadeite back to our side. It is infused with my aura. The moment that Jadeite takes hold of it, he will find his purifying flames suppressed. He will become my loyal servant once more." Beryl smiled at the mere thought. Nephrite's betrayal had hurt them. Put them in a weakened position. If she didn't bring her numbers back up soon, Lord Death may make a move.
"And just how do you propose to get Jadeite to just pick up your magic demon blade?" Zoisite sneered in utter contempt. The bitch was completely delusional if she thought the self-important prick would just pick up a blade lying around.
"Well it occurs to me that it is your problem, Zoisite. I'm putting this operation in your charge. You'll have to figure out a way to make him take the blade." Beryl responded with a slight smirk. With a final look at the blade in her hand she sheathed the katana again before tossing the sword to Zoisite.
Despite his surprise, Zoisite managed to have the mind to grab the blade by the sheath. Curiosity got the best of the ice Shitennou and the man twisted the blade this way and that. Perfect balance from what he could feel. The only problem of course was the evil aura pulsating from the blade. He warily strapped the blade to his waist beside his own rapier.
"Your directions are impeccable as always." Zoisite muttered sarcastically.
"Oh I apologize, Zoisite, I didn't realize that it was my job to do your job for you." Beryl drawled sarcastically. An ugly sneer overtook her face as she contemplated the insubordinate man before her. Perhaps it was time to have Kunzite create a replacement. One that would listen to the orders she gave rather than talk back at every turn.
Zoisite shot the she-bitch a glare. His grip tightened on the sheath of the demon blade as he clenched his teeth to keep from retorting. Damn she-bitch would love to be given a reason to punish him. A quick glance at Kunzite confirmed the cold bastard was still standing there. Not a concern on his face. He couldn't trust either of them. If what Conquest had said about Kunzite, then he was just as bad as Beryl, possibly worse.
"I'll be going then." He muttered mainly to himself before phasing out to figure out a way to get Jadeite to take up the demon blade that Beryl had enchanted.
Beryl waited a moment to make sure that Zoisite had truly disappeared before turning her attention to Kunzite. The less Zoisite knew the better as far as she was concerned. The idiot did have a rather large mouth and if they got him talking. Well the entire plan that Kunzite was working on would fall apart.
"How comes project regicide?" Beryl queried with some amount of curiosity entering her normally bored tone.
"The first test has been completed without any complication. The Black Silver Crystal has given off the same power signature as the real Silver Crystal. From her report the traitors and the Princess's Guardian really think she is the Princess. " Kunzite responded with a bored expression on his face.
"Excellent. We'll have Mamoru and his Horsemen chasing shadows. She will worm her way into the confidence of Jadeite and his whores." Beryl chuckled to herself. It was all too delicious.
"And you're sure that the Dark Silver Crystal will resonate with the Silver Crystal when it is close?" Beryl asked after the thought popped into her head. The entire point of the clone of Princess Serenity was to find the actual Princess and kill her. The fact that it would have Mamoru and his little whores going after a fake was simply a bonus.
"Everything appears to be resonating like expected. The Black Silver Crystal showed signs of life during the last encounter. The real Moon Princess is close. She'll be found soon and my clone is under the impression that she is the real Moon Princess." Kunzite responded.
"And she won't hesitate to murder the real Princess?" Beryl questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course not, while her personality is based off of the original Princess, I altered her brain while she was growing. She will believe anyone holding the Silver Imperium Crystal is an imposter and a threat to her rule." Kunzite finished. It had been a delicate balance and he had two backups of the Princess just in case the original clone decided to rebel against her programming.
"Excellent. Remember while I want her to gain their trust she must not interfere with my plan to bring Jadeite back into the fold. She must be kept on a tight leash or she could single handedly end us." Beryl cautioned.
"I know this well my Queen. I have been closely monitoring all of the battles. I will continue to only allow her short access to meeting them when they are too weak to follow her. The appropriate excuses will be made as to why she can't return to them permanently." Kunzite responded.
Kunzite to be honest already found himself becoming annoyed with the clone. The girl prattled on and on about returning to Earth and properly leading her Senshi into battle. It was rather annoying. For the time being she was at least buying the excuse that there was an imposter afoot. If she were to leave the safety of her chamber for good she'd be assassinated by said imposter.
"Do not fail me Kunzite. If this plan falls through or Mamoru discovers our hand in this, it will not just be the end of your projects, it will be the end of all of us." Beryl didn't bother hiding the concern in her tone. The resources devoted to this project were astounding. If it fell through they would be removed from duty. By removed of course it would mean that they'd be converted to energy.
Kunzite nodded once before he passed out of the throne room without another word.
Beryl was left to think about her next move alone. It was a long game that she played but if she could keep up the bluff then Mamoru would realize what was happening too late to counter her. If he found out though…then it would all fall to pieces.
It had almost all slipped out of her fingers once before. Thoughts absently drifted back to her awakening. Prior to this life she had been a Princess on Earth. While she did not have the standing that some of the other Kingdom's Princesses had, she was a well-read woman. It had been her hope that her ability to read and write would bring her favor with the King and through the king, the prince. Through studying forbidden scripture she had figured out that a forbidden power had been locked away on Earth.
She had been so excited with what she found. The moment she had figured out the location she took her information to the King of Earth. If she was honest, it was her wish to be chosen as Endymion's bride.
It was not to be…no in fact she was informed to return to her Kingdom. Beryl was ordered to never return to the capital city or speak of such information ever again. Perhaps it wouldn't have turned out the way it had if she had just listened.
Upon returning to her Kingdom she had rallied her people around the idea that she had found a power, a power that would finally make them equal to those that sat atop their thrones on the planets that circled the sky above them. If the people above would not share their power, then she would have the people of Earth take it. Through her power the Silver Alliance would be shattered and she would reign supreme.
Perhaps it was that the King of Earth did not want to see Earth turn into another Phaeton, or perhaps he wanted to silence a trouble maker. It didn't matter because he unfairly stripped her of her station. Banished to the salt mines and abandoned by her family. She worked alongside other political prisoners doing back breaking labor that she never thought she herself would ever have to do.
It had taken a full year before she realized that no one was coming to save her. It was then that she escaped the mines and found the source of the power that the scriptures talked of.
It was then she began her assault. She had killed the King of Earth with her first act. Endymion took the reins of the throne shortly thereafter. The man she once fantasized about taking as a husband, started to fight back. Where she once over ran the Earthlings with ease, forces under his direction broke her ranks and sent her forces scattering back to the far corners of his kingdom.
Eventually she was backed into a corner. Even assaulting the other planets had done little once the thrice damned Queen Serenity had cajoled the Earth into assisting her.
In a last desperate gamble she had managed to infect the Earthen Shitennou and they in turn managed to infect Endymion along with their armies. The battle for the Moon had been a glorious plan and while she gambled everything, it wasn't enough.
Queen Serenity had sent her daughter and her guardians to the future. Luck must have been on Beryl's side. The Queen didn't have enough power to eradicate her completely and only managed to lock her and the Shitennou away in their Soul Crystals. The rest of the Moon suffered a much similar fate.
Some lucky few were sent into the future to be reborn while others were stuck in stasis. The Youma were similarly eradicated but strangely she could feel the pulsating souls that belonged to her Seven Great Youma the holders of the Rainbow Crystals.
Still she had to wonder what the Wiseman's true plans were.
With a gasp, Beryl became aware of her surroundings. One minute the sounds of battle raged all around her. Now there was nothing but silence. As her eyes readjusted to the light as she slowly took everything in. The entire palace was in ruins. A thick layer of dust covered everything in the throne room there were pieces of glass everywhere and nothing was left intact. A small smirk crossed her lips. At least the Moon Kingdom had fallen in their attack.
"Beryl…I see you're awake." A raspy voice called out from the throne. A figure in a tattered cloak sat upon the broken throne. In the figure's lap laid a staff.
"And you are?" Beryl responded in a snide tone. She eyed the figure warily as she slowly got to her feet. While the figure hadn't made any moves towards her, she didn't trust strange figures sitting on the throne.
"An interested party." The figure responded with a dry chuckle.
"An interested party in what?" Beryl queried with a small quirk of her eyebrow. On second glance the palace was even worse off than she originally thought it was. While there were no bodies left in the palace of the Moon Kingdom, there were clear signs of destruction. Most of the windows were blasted open and allowed the Lunar winds to enter the palace.
The pure white marble of the floor, walls, and ceilings marred and pitted by blast marks. Here and there she could even spot discarded weapons and broken pieces of furniture. If the Moon Kingdom had survived then someone would have rebuilt their palace.
"The Princess of the Moon was sent into the future. If you do nothing, the Moon Kingdom shall be revived on Earth." The figure interrupted Beryl's train of thought.
"What?" Beryl responded with a hint of anger. The Moon Kingdom was still alive? And they would dare to take over the Earth and use if to restore their own despicable kingdom? A growl started to resonate in her throat.
"I have seen the future. If the Moon Princess is allowed to reunite with her true love than the Moon Kingdom shall rise again." The figure stated in a raspy voice.
"But be ware…for her true love is not the obvious choice. You must activate your Shitennou to stop this from passing. One shall betray you from the start…if you are unable to return him to your allegiance…all is lost. The Princess will be reunited with her true love and you shall perish." The figure continued once Beryl's attention was captured.
"Your Shitennou, Beryl…heed my warning." The figure reminded her once more. After a moment of rummaging throughout the clock the person wore, four soul crystals were produced. All of them were clear except a small dark spot in the middle. The dark spot expanded and contracted like a beating heart. Each of the Shitennou was locked away but they much like her were still alive.
"And if I don't activate them?" Beryl questioned with a raised eyebrow. If it was this much trouble, then perhaps it was best to just leave them in their state of suspended animation. It wasn't exactly like she needed them. She could just call up Youma herself and remove the Princess herself.
"Then you will be cut down by the members of Queen Metalia's second group." The figure responded calmly before tossing the four Soul Crystals to Beryl.
With a growl of annoyance, Beryl lunged forward and managed to catch the crystals that contained her Shitennou.
"Second group?" Beryl whispered almost to herself.
"But she said I was her only servant!"
"Things have changed. While you've slumbered, Metalia has been gaining more and more power. Did you really believe yourself irreplaceable?" The figure responded in a bemused tone.
"Then you're one of her servants as well?" Beryl responded in a bitter tone. It wasn't fair. She had been the one that had found Metalia in the first place. She had been the one that had awakened the demon from her slumber.
"I'm just here to give you a second chance. What Metalia wants bears no weight on my mission. I suggest you find the Princess quickly, that is if you want to be the victor." The figure responded in a bored tone. Without waiting for Beryl to respond, the figure disappeared in a blink of light.
Beryl stared at the broken throne that the figure had sat in a moment ago. She'd have to prove to Metalia that she could finish what she had started. For now though she'd have to retreat and find a safe place to restore the Shitennou in her care. First she would need power. Then she would find a way to close the loop hole that the figure in black had informed her of. She would never let one of her Shitennou betray her.
And yet here she sat trying to regain the control of Jadeite. She should've known it'd be him. When she was brainwashing the quartet, Jadeite was the one that put up the largest fight. She assumed at the time when she originally ambushed the quartet that he was not as worn out from the battle as the other three.
Instead it turned out the man had a power that purified evil and that coupled with his psychic powers managed to eat away at her controls. It wasn't long after she had revived her Shitennou that Jadeite had disappeared on a mission and never returned. The next time he appeared he was fighting against Nephrite. Of course that other Sailor twit had appeared and started helping him.
Beryl supposed it didn't really matter now. Once Jadeite was under the influence of the demonic aura of Dreadnought it wouldn't really matter if she lost Zoisite or Kunzite. Jadeite's power would double if not triple once he held the blade.
Still if Zoisite failed…she would have to insure her own survival. With a flick of her wrist she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
Dark Kingdom – Horsemen's chambers
Luna sat atop her special chair in the Horsemen's ready room. Mamoru and the others were to meet shortly to discuss what to do with the appearance of the Moon Princess. It had been a lucky stroke of events that Ami happened to be monitoring the map when the Princess appeared.
With a sigh Luna glanced at the clock. Once more she was the first one here. She still found herself concerned over Ami's sudden fascination with their awakening. Was the girl really having second thoughts about the memories that Luna had gifted to Ami.
It left Luna to wonder about the past. Things would have been different if the Wiseman hadn't awakened her. She almost scoffed at the mere idea of following the Moon Kingdom like Artemis and Minako seemed perfectly happy to do. If she were to admit it, it did hurt her that her companion had left with Minako. The two never seemed comfortable from the start.
It had felt like she had just gone to sleep. The last thing she remembered was the sudden pain of an arrow piercing her lungs. The sudden explosion of force had sent her body skittering across the floor. Blood was thick in her mouth as she felt it dribble out the side of her cheeks and started to coat her fur. She heard a scream come from nearby.
Not that she had the energy to open her eyes. In her heart she knew it must have been Artemis. The two had been trying to make their way to the Queen when she was cut down by an invading Youma or possibly by one of the Earthling's soldiers. It didn't matter now. She was too tired. The voice of Artemis started to sound further and further away. Everything was hazy and seemed to disappear.
The next moment though she felt awake...awake but something was wrong. Her memories were jumbled up. Things didn't make sense. Nothing felt right. She peeked open an eye to find herself right where she had died. In that same exact corridor. The only difference was that before the hallway had been pristine and clean.
Now the walls were partially caved in and the roof was wide open, exposing the hallway to the lunar winds. Dust and debris had collected in the hall. It had aged the palace, stripped it of its once venerable beauty. Now it looked like a building that had been neglected for years and had fallen into disrepair.
It was then that she noticed the figure that knelt over her. Purple toned lines of energy slowly pulsed out of the hooded figure that knelt over her. Arthritic hands held a staff between them where the energy seemed to originate from. Luna attempted to push herself up but she found herself too weak to move.
"Shh…lay still my friend." The figure whispered in a voice that almost cracked with disuse. The words came out almost broken.
"What are you doing to me?" Luna responded in a suspicious tone. She didn't know who this person was. What she could tell was that whatever this figure was doing seemed to be unlocking memories. Memories that felt wrong in some way. They were of a time when the Queen suddenly made a power grab and worked to solidify her rule. Those that were once allies were subjected to near slavery under the rule of Queen Serenity. Her forces gathered to take the other planets one by one.
"Unlocking your memories, they will feel unnatural at first. Queen Serenity placed powerful blocks on your real memories." The figure explained in a creaky voice. The purple energy around Luna started to pulsate faster.
Luna cried out in pain as the memories that had been locked away by the Queen exploded into her mind. It was all becoming clear now. The Queen hadn't been the victim like she had somehow believed in her heart when she first awoke. The Earthlings had suddenly appeared on the Galaxy stage. Their magic rivaled the Senshi.
The Queen quickly grew jealous of the Golden Crystal's power and the sway they started to gain over the other kingdoms. Her plan had been simple. Subjugate the other Kingdoms and then with the Silver Alliance once again united as one, invade Earth with their combined forces. Then she would combine the powers of both Crystals to rule the entire galaxy with an iron fist. The woman was mad with power.
It had been fortunate she reflected that the Earthen people with the people of the other kingdoms, discovered the Queen's plan and worked together to invade the Lunar Kingdom and put an end to her reign of terror. Luna's eyes widened as the memories started to stream across her consciousness faster and faster. The Queen rallied her troops and unwilling subjects in defense of the Moon Kingdom.
The Earthen people desperate for help to defeat Queen Serenity enlisted the help of a once enemy now Ally. Beryl and her Youma army clove through the civilians like a hot knife through butter. She witnessed the Moon Kingdom's royal guards fighting back against Earthen soldier and Youma alike. The Lunar army was slowly torn to shreds by their combined might. The Sailor Senshi of the other Kingdom's created large swathes of destruction that left none standing in their wake.
In the end it was not enough to stop Queen Serenity. The battle came to a standstill. The great warriors of Earth and the Prince himself could not activate the Golden Crystal. Even Beryl attempted to harness the power only to find herself defeated in front of the great terror that was Queen Serenity. All hope appeared to be lost but then she saw it. Endymion the Prince of Earth managed to spear the Princess of the Moon through the heart. The Queen lost all will to fight. The battle was over. The allied forces of Earth and the Youma had won. The Lunar forces left broken with a leader weeping over the body of her daughter.
Then it happened. The Queen in one last fit of rage unleashed the Moon Kingdom's most powerful attack. Lunar Judgment. The massive wave of energy obliterated all that the Queen saw as her enemy. It didn't matter though. All those fighting for both sides were taken by the wave of energy. Their bodies disappeared in some cases and in others only a crystal shard was left over. Their soul crystal. The expanding cloud of energy continued to expand until it covered the entire Kingdom.
"You were lucky that I found you before you awoke on your own." The figure interrupted Luna's thoughts with a wheezing chuckle.
"I felt your crystal awakening. The Queen must have wanted you wake up first to find the remaining Senshi and return their memories to them. If you had been allowed to do as she planned, they would find themselves working for the person that had caused their demise to begin with." The figure rasped out with a harsh rattling breath. It appeared that awakening Luna had taken a lot of out her savior. The energy flow had stopped and the figure had dropped the staff to rest on the ground.
"How did you know that the Queen had implanted false memories in my mind?" Luna responded suspiciously. The memories in her head made sense now that they were complete but the original memories they overlapped still caused some mental dissonance. She felt like an important mission was imparted to her by the Queen. It was to find the Moon Princess and restore something to her.
"Your soul crystal had been altered. Your crystal looked much like this one." For reference the figure quickly produced a crystal from one of the tattered sleeves of the robe the figure wore. It looked much like a standard soul crystal but in the middle of the crystal was a black spot.
"Altered memories cause the soul crystal to darken. An outside influence of unnatural intent. The Queen died but after killing everyone she wanted to send her daughter's soul forward to live and reestablish the Moon Kingdom. She had not the concentration to send a single soul forward. To do it she'd have to send the whole lot of you forward." The figure rasped out.
"Then why would she alter our memories and if the Princess is still here why not just kill her when she awakens if I awoke back in the Moon Kingdom?" Luna queried.
"What better way to protect your child from her killers than to get her killers to protect her?" The voice chuckled in a raspy amusement.
"She wanted the Princess safe so she wiped everyone's memories away as best she could. She did have the presence of mind to program you and one other to believe in her lies. You would activate the others and start the process of feeding them memories of the past as yours slowly became restored. Of course they were all false so it would turn her enemies into allies. You would die or the Princess and to the Queen it wouldn't matter as you are all just disposable pawns meant to protect her Princess." The figure sighed a little before raising an arthritic and trembling hand off the ground and pointed towards Earth.
"I cannot tell you why you awoke here and the others awoke on Earth but I will use the remaining amount of my energy to send you there. You must find the remaining Senshi and activate them along with the Lord of Death. Then you will have to find the Moon Princess and destroy her." The figure counseled the black little cat with the odd golden crescent moon shaped insignia still stamped on her forehead.
The longer her real memories took hold, the more it made sense. The less the memories the Queen implanted about an invasion from Beryl upon the Galaxy made sense. With a nod to the figure, Luna stood unsteadily onto her feet.
"I will activate the others. I will make sure that the Moon Kingdom never rises again."
"Take this." The figure said after a moment of thought. From inside the figure's robes a small garnet shard of stone on a chain just big enough to fit over Luna's head was tossed to the cat.
"What's this?" Luna asked with some trepidation as she experimentally lifted the stone and silver chain necklace up.
"It will activate the true memories for each of the Senshi. Upon activating them you must channel your powers into the stone and funnel it into them. It will break the false memories. Then you must provide them each with a soul gem. It will insure the Senshi gain back their true powers and cleanse them." The figure elaborated before producing a small bag of purple gems. The power seemed to swirl as the gems seemed to turn from a light purple to almost black.
Luna snatched the small bag up and put it away into her subspace pocket. "Where do I start?"
"Tokyo…that is where I feel the most power resonating from." The figure responded back without a moment of hesitation.
"Just one more question." Luna queried. At the nod from the figure in the tattered black cloak she continued. "Why are you doing this?"
"I was a survivor of that terrible night. I lost everyone...everyone I cared about was wiped away in a single instance. I wanted to get the Queen back for her arrogance. Her disregard for the destruction she caused through her actions and inactions. I've had a long time to think on this." The figure chuckled darkly.
"Then when I felt your Soul Crystal begin to awaken I realized how I could make her pay."
Luna nodded once. She could respect the feelings this figure had towards the Queen of the Moon. The woman acted for only her own personal gain.
"What should I call you?"
The figure seemed to go silent for a moment before an idea seemed to pop into the figure's head. It apparently amused the person because a raspy laughter followed.
"Call me Wiseman. Now go…activate the remaining Senshi before it is too late. Find the Prince of Earth. Remember some may fight back against the memories you give them. You must eliminate them." Wiseman instructed before the figure snapped its arthritic fingers. A moment later a portal opened up to Tokyo.
Luna glanced back one last time before jumping through. The figure sat there on the floor of the destroyed palace with the staff still clutched in one trembling liver spotted hand. A moment later she found herself in Tokyo. She had no time to waste. It would be up to her to activate the Senshi and find the Prince.
"Luna!" A voice called out finally called out with enough force to bring Luna out of her memories.
The black coated cat seemed to shake herself awake. She turned her head towards the voice.
A bemused Makoto sat in her seat. Feet up on the table and her arms crossed across her chest in. The girl was clearly amused that she had caught the cat unaware.
Luna glanced about the room as her ears folded onto her head slightly in annoyance. The entire group was at their seats. Ami was hiding a smile behind her computer, Lord Death looked similarly amused, and Rei of course appeared annoyed over the entire situation.
"Welcome back, Luna." Lord Death chuckled in amusement.
"We were just talking about what to do now that the Princess has made her appearance." Ami absentmindedly chimed in as she continued working on her minicomputer.
"I say we take over right now! Beryl isn't equipped to handle this any longer. She's already lost two of her team members. Send me down, I'll find the Princess and put her into the ground!" Makoto declared across the table with a confident grin.
"No need to rush in. Let Beryl expend all of her resources and wear them down." Rei waved off Makoto's notion with her one hand.
"You'd have us sit around up here twiddling our thumbs for eternity waiting for the right moment." Makoto groused in annoyance.
"And you'd rather put us all in danger just for a little excitement." Rei grumbled with a roll of her eyes.
"Luna? Ami? Any thoughts?" Lord Death asked as he sent a bemused glance at his lover. The girl had the brilliant mind of a tactician and sometimes rivaled Ami. Makoto of course just wanted to go in with both fists swinging, so he wasn't surprised that she wanted to take the fight to the Moon Princess.
"We need more data. Although her power signature matches, I need to see her in person. If I can analyze her powers, my computer may be able to find a weakness." Ami chimed in.
"Weakness…pssh. We just keep hittin her till she falls." Makoto grumbled in annoyance.
"I can consult the fires to see if I can find discern any further hints of the future or where she may appear." Rei volunteered.
"Fine…but we need people on the ground to study our opponents. While we've got enough information on Jadeite and Minako, we still don't know much about the Princess's Guardian. Ami and Makoto, I need you both to go down and start gathering data."
"Finally some action!" Makoto crowed in excitement as she dropped her feet off the table with a thud.
"Remember this is observation only." Lord Death stressed with a put upon sigh.
"Yeah, Yeah." Makoto muttered petulantly as she waved Lord Death's orders off.
"I'll keep an eye on her." Ami assured Lord Death.
"Thank you Ami. At least I can count on one of you to be responsible." Lord Death muttered as he watched Makoto causally flip him off at his comment. Sometimes he wondered if he should just kill Beryl and take some of the Shitennou. Kunzite at least seemed to listen to orders. Although Makoto had informed him that he was staging a coup. So perhaps he should just be thankful for what he had. At least the girls despite their differences were happy to work together with each other.
"So you want us to take Luna with us so you and Rei can have some uninterrupted time together." Makoto suggested with a waggle of her eyebrows.
"You're so crass!" Rei interjected. A dark blush appeared on Rei's cheeks at Makoto's insinuation about Lord Death's true plan for sending Makoto and Ami down to Earth.
"Doesn't make it less true." Makoto let out a deep belly laugh as she pulled herself up from the table while pulling Ami up with her by the arm.
"Come on Ami, better leave the love birds alone."
Ami shot the two an apologetic smile as she was pulled out of the chambers by Makoto.
"She'll never change will she?" Lord Death mused.
"Unfortunately not." Luna responded with a put upon sigh.
"I'm going to go consult the great fire, love, don't stay up too late." Rei said as she briefly cupped his chin before getting up and walking towards the door. She made sure to sashay her hips as she walked through the door.
"She's going to be the death of me." Lord Death said with a sigh before he pushed himself up from the table and headed after the raven haired goddess.
Luna shook her head. A bemused expression came across her face at how the entire situation played out. Looking out or the Horsemen certainly never ceased to keep her on her toes. She took in the empty chambers and just hoped that they'd all return safely to the chambers.
It was Makoto that worried her the most. While Ami would be down on Earth, she was less likely to rush into a situation without studying it first. The loss of Minako and Artemis had already proven that they were all susceptible to the Queen's lies. Beryl's loss of a second Shitennou was another reminder of how vulnerable they all were.
It was with the fear of losing another to the Moon's forces that Luna decided to contact the Wiseman. If there was a way to eliminate the Moon Princess, Wiseman would know. If she could find a way to bring Minako and Artemis back, well she wouldn't be above selling her soul to the devil himself.
With a final look at the chambers, Luna padded her way out.
Earth:
Usagi lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. It had been three long boring weeks. Three long boring weeks grounded. Her mom hadn't taken kindly to her running off and pulling a disappearing act during the attack at the track by Zoisite's ice golems. The fact that she didn't really have a good excuse…at least none that her mother would believe left her out of luck.
Not that she would have had anything to do anyway. Jadeite had stopped talking to her after what she did to Nephrite. Like it was even her fault that her powers had somehow turned Nephrite crazy. If anything he was to blame. Tousle headed idiot thought she should just somehow magically know how to use her powers.
Really, he knew that she had no clue what she was doing. To make it worse Minako wasn't able to make it over due to the amount of attacks Zoisite had been launching. The only information she got was from Artemis and as much as she loved the cat…he got annoying fast.
All it ever was with Artemis was doom and gloom. Half the time he seemed to be convinced that this was it and Minako wouldn't return. If she was a psychologist she may look into prescribing some Prozac to the cat. He really seemed despondent lately. Then again she would too if all she had for company was Jadeite.
A knock at her door a moment later roused her from her thoughts. She lazily turned her head towards the door in time to watch her mom come in.
"Really Usagi…you could at least be doing something productive like studying. I know you've been doing better in school finally but you've been doing nothing but staring at the ceiling or talking to that silly white cat that seems to come to your window every night." Ikuko said with a sigh as she surveyed her daughter's room. It was even more of a wreck than it normally was. She was really becoming worried that the girl was legitimately depressed.
"Hm…" Usagi muttered in a noncommittal tone.
"You know Naru called and asked to see if you could come out for a lunch date with her. Seems she got a new boyfriend while you were grounded and she wants you to meet him." Ikuko said in a sing song tone in an attempt to get a response out of her daughter.
"Well not like I can since I'm grounded." Usagi groused from her bed. With an exaggerated sigh she flipped onto her back again and continued to stare at the ceiling.
"So I take it you don't want me to release you from your prison sentence then?" Ikuko responded with a small smirk across her face. She watched in amusement as Usagi suddenly sat straight up. Perhaps she should have toyed with her a little longer and really drawn out the reveal. Luckily with her daughter she wouldn't have to wait too long before the girl got herself in trouble again. Although to be honest it was becoming a rarer occurrence after Jadeite had come into her life.
"You really mean it?" Usagi practically yelled as she flounced off of the bed with a newfound energy in her step and took her mother into a hug that bordered on strangulation. She kind of forgot that even without her transformation in effect she was still stronger than the average human.
"Can't breathe!" Ikuko managed to gasp out as her daughter squeezed her around her diaphragm. When did Usagi get this strong? She wondered momentarily before she started to pay Usagi on the shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.
You really mean it though?" Usagi asked with a suspicious glance. There were few times her mom didn't do something without a reason.
"Well, I guess, I just miss seeing Jadeite when he comes over. So maybe if you go out and meet Naru you may run into him and invite him over." Ikuko responded with a smile that caused Usagi to drop her head in defeat. The navy haired woman smirked in amusement at her daughter's response. She wondered when the poor girl would admit that she had a thing for her tutor.
It wasn't like she missed the furtive looks that Jadeite sent her daughter. When he didn't think anyone was looking, the young man would look at Usagi and that small amused smile would cross his lips. The two of them thought they were so coy. For Ikuko though, the two may as well have been waving giant banners declaring their interest for each other.
"Glad to see that Jadeite is the favorite of this family." Usagi declared with a dramatic fake swoon back onto her bed the moment she released her mother from the bear hug she had held her in.
"Oh Usa, don't be so dramatic. It's not like that at all." Ikuko responded with a roll of her eyes at her daughter's antics.
"Certainly sounds like it." Usagi muttered petulantly from the bed.
"He's just my favorite almost son-in-law!" Ikuko declared with a victorious smirk. Usagi practically wailed in embarrassment at her mother's declaration.
"No troublemaker is going to marry my daughter, I don't care what kind of genius he is!" Usagi's father declared from the bottom of the stairs. The man obviously had heard Ikuko's last declaration.
"My daughter can marry who ever she wants! And a certain husband of mine better not chase my future son in law away if he doesn't want to be permanently relocated to the sofa!" Ikuko leaned out of Usagi's door and yelled down the hall in an overly sweet voice. It was her warning tone and one step away from certain doom for anyone that dared tread further on the topic.
"Any man that wants my daughter's hand in marriage will have to defeat me in hand to hand combat first!" Kenji boldly declared from the bottom of the stairs. Clearly he was used to provoking his beautiful wife. It was why they were married for so long. They kept the spark going with making up after these types of frivolous fights.
"You will not be participating in any fights with men thirty years your junior!" Ikuko called back in a huff down the stairs.
"I'll fight whoever I want! They didn't call me the Tsukino Terror for nothing!" Kenji declared loudly.
"They called you that because you used to crash into everything with your car, there's a reason I drive the new car dear!" Ikuko sighed in exasperation with a roll of her eyes.
"Mom, please promise me that Dad won't try to fight any of my friends." Usagi was still laying on her bed only now her hands were covering her face in embarrassment. It was amazing how the two of them managed to keep picking on each other and still be together. It was also even worse when the two were in public. It was as if they had complete disregard for their surroundings when they started going at it.
"You know your father. Sometimes I don't think he'll rest until he drives me to a mental break down." Ikuko sighed as she rubbed her temple with her left hand. The man really had it coming tonight.
"Why do you two fight so much anyway? Most normal people would get a divorce by now…" Usagi ventured carefully. She had always wondered how the two were still together and this most recent argument was tame compared to some of the fights they had, had in the past.
Ikuko chuckled a little. She wondered how much Usagi would blush at her answer. "You call it fighting. Your father and I call it foreplay." A wicked smirk crossed her face at her daughter's large doe eyes going wide.
"Just so you know, Sammy is over at a friend's house. So I suggest you vamoose if you don't want to hear things your sensitive little ears can't handle."
"MOTHER!" Usagi wailed as her face turned bright red.
Ikuko laughed at the look on her daughter's face. It was most amusing to wind her daughter up.
"I knew there was a reason you wanted to release me." Usagi glared at her mother as she started to throw her shoes on. A renewed sense of purpose entering her step now that she knew what was going to happen the moment she stepped out the door.
"Well not everything revolves around only your needs and wants." Ikuko smiled as she stepped out the door. Right before she left though she ducked her head back in and gave Usagi a pointed look.
"Make sure you're out for the next few hours! Your father has a lot of making up to do and I don't expect to be quick!" Ikuko laughed as Usagi once more managed to choke out a strangled sounding "Mother!" as the young girl was jumping around trying to get her shoes on and purse in order.
It was minutes later that a red faced Usagi was closing the front door of her house. The sounds of her mother's laughter drove Usagi down the street to go meet Naru. She didn't even know where she was meeting Naru now that she thought about it. With a flip of her phone, she was calling Naru hoping to escape the nightmare she had just left behind.
Shinjuku Gyoen Park – Earth
"Are you sure that stupid cat was right? I don't see any signs of Zoisite around here." Jadeite groused to Minako as he surveyed the area. Stupid cat probably misread the data and sent them on a wild goose chase. Why'd he even respond when Minako had called? As usual it ended up being a pain in the neck for him. This is why he hated that cat.
"Hey don't blame me! You're the one that wanted to go running after him the moment you heard he was out here!" Minako responded crossly.
"No…I said that we should probably check into it. For all we know the icy prick was just surveying the area. In no way did I say I wanted to go out to play hide and go seek with Zoisite." Jadeite responded with a sigh. Why did Minako always twist his words…or not listen to him at all.
"When are you going to stop being such a stick in the water?" Minako asked while putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the stubborn jackass.
"Ever since your fight with Usagi you've been such a jerk. Why don't you just admit you were a jerk and overreacted. It isn't like it was her fault or anything. She doesn't even know half of her powers and yet you rag on her for every single mistake she makes. Cut her some slack why dontcha?"
"Well I didn't see her turn one of your Senshi into a hulking psychopath that somehow believes the Moon Kingdom is against him. So once she screws up with one of your girls, you let me know how forgiving you're feeling." Jadeite snidely responded.
"Well maybe if you actually helped train her instead of ignoring her and just telling her to figure it out, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with." Minako bit back with a huff.
"Oh my my my…you two certainly fight like an old married couple. Mind if I settle the argument for you…how about…who ever I dispose of first loses the argument!" Zoisite suggested with a smirk as he jumped down from a tree he had been observing the two in. It was almost pitiful that he managed to avoid detection for so long. In fact if he hadn't made his presence known, he'd dare say he could have gotten the jump on them.
Of course the problem was that he needed the two separated if his plan was to work. Speaking of which, he raised both of his hands up and let energy build up in both of his hands. Miniature ice replicas of himself slowly started to build up in his palms. Corresponding life size figures started to appear at either side of him.
A moment later four more Zoisite's stood there by the original. All wore the same snide looks across their face.
"Oh good now I can mess up your face five different ways…of course what does one do when your face is already such a wreck. Ah the artist's dilemma." Jadeite faux mused as he slowly drew his black katana out of the flames between his hands.
"Just shut up and help me get rid of those stupid ice clones of his." Minako yelled as she withdrew her golden chain from around her waist.
"Yeah yeah…don't forget they have the tendency to explode." Jadeite reminded Minako before the two broke in opposite directions to keep the clones from encircling them.
Two of the clones immediately leapt away after Minako. Their mission was to slowly move the girl far enough away that she'd be unable to assist Jadeite.
Jadeite rushed in with a large sweeping swing of his blade in an attempt to end the fight before it even began. The flaming sword was inches from Zoisite's throat when an icy rapier met his blade and parried it off to the side. A second rapier knocked the blade out of Jadeite's hand.
"Flame Wave!" Jadeite cried out as he swept his arm out towards one of the clone. A moment later a large billowing wave of fire roared out from the small flame that had appeared on his arm. The fire hungrily ate the oxygen as it sped towards one of the icy clones. The clone had to put up an ice shield to keep from melting from the intense heat.
"Dammit!" Jadeite yelled when he suddenly was bear hugged from behind by the other clone that he had missed with his last attack. He felt a wave of heat built up before the clone self-destructed. With a scream Jadeite was launched forward by the close proximity explosion. The power of the blast caused him to almost lose consciousness.
A moment later he landed several yards away. His body felt limp from the concussive blast and just trying to push himself up was taking every ounce of his energy. The blast had completely shredded his back and uniform. The blood was running freely from the fresh wounds causing him to lose even more strength.
Jadeite felt his vision start to lose focus. Through complete will power alone he reached around for his sword, completely forgetting that it had been knocked out of his hands earlier. Finally he felt his hand grip something. It wasn't his sword but it'd have to do.
The moment his hand fully locked around the white blade he felt a surge of power. A smirk came to his lips. It was like tapping into a live wire. The wounds on his back slowly started to seal as his white uniform started to knit itself back together. The pain of the blast slowly started to fade away as his power was restored.
He glanced down at the blade in his hand. It wasn't his normal black katana. In fact it was white in nature. A silver sheen coming off the edge of the blade but other than that is was completely white. This was certainly new…where the hell did this blade come from?
It was a moment later that Jadeite felt a sudden pulse from the sword. He fell back to the ground in pain. A dark aura was coming from the sword. It slowly started to spread up his arm. When he attempted to drop the blade he found his fingers refused to respond.
"What the hell is happening?" Jadeite yelled as he once again tried to get his fingers to respond. Instead he felt a black slimy power starting to crawl up his arm. As it went he found that he couldn't feel the flow of his fire. With a push of his flames he attempted to stop the black sticky feeling from crawling up his arm to no avail.
"Why Jadeite…are you feeling weak? Feeling like you just can't let go?" Zoisite chuckled in amusement.
Jadeite glanced up to see Zoisite standing before him. With a scream he attempted to swing the blade at Zoisite. While he couldn't feel his hand or most of his forearm he could still move his shoulder and elbow.
"Oh so close!" Zoisite mocked as he leaned back enough to avoid the clumsy attack.
"Well Jadeite, color me impressed, you're putting up quite the fight. Beryl assumed that you'd have given in within the first minute of touching the blade but here you are fighting the good fight!"
"I'll never work for that bitch!" Jadeite screamed in denial as he felt the black power slowly making progress up his arm and towards his heart. Every flame he sent towards the black sludge only ended up sputtering out against the blade's power.
"You think you have a choice? Beryl cooked this sword up for you special." Zoisite chuckled in amusement.
"Just give in…stop fighting it. It'll only cause you more pain."
"Fucking prick!" Jadeite growled as he lunged once more at Zoisite. The power had made it up to his shoulder. He was waving the sword aimlessly but he was intent on ending the icy bastard.
"Oh dear…such a temper." Zoisite chuckled mirthlessly. Honestly he wasn't exactly onboard with bringing Jadeite back to their side but it was the she-bitches wishes.
Clover Café – Earth
Usagi blinked in confusion. She must have been struck dumb, deaf, and blind. She was fairly certain that Naru had just introduced Nephrite as her boyfriend…but that couldn't be right. The borderline sociopath seemed to read her thoughts because the giant of a man shot her a smirk. One of her eyebrows started to twitch.
"Usagi, such a pleasure to meet you again." Nephrite responded with a short bow that had Naru gushing all over him and his gentlemanly manners. The fact that it seemed to be having the opposite effect on Usagi was just perfect. The little blonde terror was quietly shredding the napkin in her hand into tiny pieces.
"Oh! I didn't realize you two already knew each other." Naru continued with a smile as she sat down in the seat that Nephrite had pulled out for her.
"You could say that." Usagi mumbled as she continued to glare at the man that took the liberty of sitting next to her best friend. What in the world was this creep doing anyway? Dating her best friend and moonlighting as a homicidal killer.
"Actually we share some of the same friends. Her friend Jadeite in particular." Nephrite responded with a small smirk directed right back at Usagi.
"Oh wow!" Naru gushed with a mega-watt smile coming over her face. "We should go on a double date sometime. Usagi and Jadeite are dating. It'd be so much fun!"
"Oh really?" Nephrite quirked an eyebrow.
"We're not dating, I don't have any feelings for that flame brained idiot." Usagi cut in quickly but not before a slight blush rose to her cheeks. There most certainly was nothing going on in fact. Why did people keep insinuating that they had something going on with each other?
"She's just in denial." Naru waved off Usagi's outburst with a casual shrug of her shoulders. "In fact they've had a thing since they first met."
"Really…you two come from such opposite worlds, I'm surprised something like that could work out." Nephrite made sure to empathize 'worlds' as he spoke. A knowing smile plastered across his face. Who'd have thought that Jadeite would even look twice at a Moon slag like the girl in front of him. It was almost sickening.
"Nothing is going on." Usagi responded with a huff before crossing her arms. She glared at Nephrite one final time before taking a more active interest in Naru.
"So how did you two meet?"
"It was the craziest thing." Naru took over, the girl continued on ignoring the mounting tension she could feel between her date and her best friend.
"Just last week I was running out to get some dinner for my mom. Suddenly this giant ice creature came out of nowhere and almost took my head off. Then Neph came out of nowhere and saved me! He was so dashing in that black uniform. It must have been scared of him because it disappeared right after he saved me. Then he walked me home and everything." Naru finished with a shy smile directed at her savior.
"How convenient." Usagi responded dryly before she let out a muffled shriek from a kick in the shin. She glared at Naru as she reached down to rub the affected area.
"My foot must have slipped." Naru grinned before she leaned over to Nephrite and planted a kiss on the giant of a man's cheek. He had obliged the slip of a girl and had leaned down so she could actually do so in the first place.
"So Nephrite…what do you do? In High School? College? Working?" Usagi invasively probed, completely unconcerned with what Nephrite or Naru thought of her. He was up to something and she didn't like it. It wasn't like she could transform right here in front of Naru. Not to mention the hulking lug had yet to make a move. She had to admit, begrudgingly, that he was being fairly cordial considering last time he had almost killed her.
"I actually am working right now for a flower shop, you may know it, Fiona's Garden. I feel a connection to the Earth, I suppose you could say I just resonate with the planet." Nephrite responded without missing a beat.
"He's so wonderful, he makes the most beautiful arrangements." Naru chimed in.
"Yep, he's just perfect." Usagi responded in a droll tone. She could only imagine the arrangement this jerk would make. It'd be like putting Jadeite in charge of a suicide prevention hotline.
"You know, maybe you wouldn't be so jealous if you'd just admit you like Jadeite." Naru responded with a smirk. When all else failed, cause Usagi to back down by harassing her about Jadeite.
A large explosion outside cut off whatever Usagi's response would be. A moment later the front windows of the café burst inwards as Sailor Venus came flying through the window surrounded in a ball of fire. The blast sent molten pieces of glass flying through the store. The customers and staff inside screamed as they ducked to avoid being peppered by the glass or the flying girl for that matter.
A few unfortunate people weren't fast enough and soon after the initial blast there were moans of pain from all across the café. A moment later the fire alarms went off from the smoke rising up and the sprinklers went off.
Usagi gasped as she recognized Minako or at this point Sailor Venus laying in the rubble and pieces of molten glass. What the hell happened? She glanced over to see Nephrite shielding Naru. At least the giant lug was keeping her safe. He may not be someone she'd ever trust but Naru seemed to be in good hands for now.
In an attempt to get to Sailor Venus, Usagi found herself scrambling over the rubble. Usagi came to a skittering stop by Minako and placed her hand on the girls shoulder and started to shake her friend. The blast must have hit her point blank. Every part of her uniform was covered in black and brown burns. Just like last time at the track, even Minako's hair was burned in places.
"Sailor Venus, what happened?"
"Un…Jadeite…" Minako mumbled as she slowly came to. Her vision came back into focus as she took in the scene before her. The water from the sprinklers caused her to blink rapidly which helped remove the white dots floating through her vision. It took her a moment but she realized it was Usagi that was shaking her.
"Venus, Venus, I need you to tell me what happened?" Usagi attempted to get the girl to concentrate enough to tell her what was going on. Behind her she could hear the screams of the other people still in the café as they attempted to get themselves out of harm's way.
"Jadeite…he's not right. Zoisite…he tricked him." Minako moaned as she attempted to pull herself up. It only ended up with the girl falling back to the ground in a limp pile.
"Venus…come on out Princess, I just want to put you out of your misery." Jadeite chuckled as he climbed into the café through one of the blown out full length windows that Minako had gone through. Jadeite held a white katana in his right hand. The black katana he normally wielded was conspicuously absent.
"What the hell Jadeite?" Usagi yelled out in confusion. She glanced down at poor Minako but there wasn't anything she could do for her at the moment. To make it even worse she was stuck here in this café full of people. There would be no way to transform. Not unless she wanted everyone knowing who that she was the Lunar Ronin…well to be honest it wasn't exactly like she was a household name.
"Oh Usa…you're here…well this'll make everything so much easier won't it? Kill two birds with one stone." Jadeite chuckled mirthlessly as he leveled his blade at the two.
"What are you talking about? We're on the same side!" Usagi screamed at him in an attempt to get it through his head that the two of them weren't enemies. It didn't seem to work, Jadeite was quickly advancing on the two of them.
"You think I care about any of you? I'll destroy you all and murder the Moon Princess!" Jadeite yelled as he lunged forward. In another moment he would run Minako and Usagi through in one fatal blow. The white sword started to glow as it pulsed with power. It hungered for their blood and life. He could just tell. Some dark sick and twisted part of him desired for his blade to lash out and taste their blood, to split them down the middle and pierce their throats.
Usagi closed her eyes as she felt the blade coming down on the two of them. It was the unexpected sound of metal on metal that caused Usagi to open her eyes. Standing in-between Jadeite and the two girls was a tall lean man. At least that was the best description she could get of him. In fact he almost resembled Zoisite. They had the same golden red hair tied back in a ponytail. Of course he was taller than the short Shitennou. In fact he was almost as tall as that hulking lug Nephrite.
He stood in some kind of Ren faire knight get up. As if she had room to talk. The full suit of armor covered his entire body from head to toe. The armor was a jade green hue. A banner was proudly displayed on his chest in a silver hue, in the form of a three pointed star. Every joint ended in a sharp spike with a silver gleam at the edge. To complete the outfit he wore a knee length cape, which started from behind his right shoulder and wrapped around his back, to stop in front of his left shoulder. While the outside of the cape matched most of his get up, a jade green color, the underside matched the three pointed star, a silver color.
Usagi stared in disbelief, the only thing missing was a helmet. Not that it really mattered since he wore a visor over his eyes. The visor appeared to be a shade of dark green since she couldn't really determine any eye color.
The grinding sound of metal on metal finally tore her attention away from the tall man to see that he had blocked Jadeite's blade with a jade green blade of his own.
With a burst of power Jordan managed to break the stalemate he had with Jadeite and push the Eastern Shitennou back, breaking his guard. He took a moment to look back and take in Usagi's dumb struck expression.
"Well don't stand there gapping at me like a fish. Hurry up and transform." Jordan growled in annoyance. Seriously was she waiting for an invitation to defend herself from a threat?
"Um…how did you know?" Usagi started.
"I can get a vague read on the future you stupid twit, I know enough to know exactly who you are, now hurry up and transform so I can stop worrying about protecting your useless ass." He responded with a roll of his eyes.
"Hey! We already have one asshole in the group, spot's taken!" Usagi declared hotly as she grabbed her small sword pendent. She stopped as she realized that people were still watching. It was as if he could read her thoughts.
"Your powers cause people to blank out as to who you were when you transform. Do you think we're some kind of sad Superman that needs to run into a phone booth every time we need to transform? Well news flash, phone booths are obsolete. So unless you make a habit of carrying one around with you at all times…hurry up and transform. Geezus you are freaking useless." Jordan grumbled in annoyance as he blocked another one of Jadeite's attacks.
This was becoming such a pain in the ass. All he wanted to do was find the Moon Princess, get the Silver Crystal and heal his sister. Was it too much to ask that the Senshi could take care of themselves for a little while or did he have to solve every single problem known to man.
"I'm not useless and who the hell are you anyway!" Usagi screamed in annoyance she once more grabbed her pendent.
"The Phaeton Knight...Blinky" The tall man groused as he swung the jade crystal blade around in a wide arc to drive Jadeite back.
"Did you just call me Blinky!?" Usagi half accused half asked as she called out her transformation phrase.
A/N: And this is where we end. Thanks again to Ginsan for loaning Jordan out! I've got a poll up for what you guys are interesting in hearing about. I hope I answered some questions for everyone regarding the past. I know I didn't cover Jadeite and Minako rebelling but I hope it was a little more helpful.
Thanks again for reading and if you have any questions please let me know. I'll do my best to answer them or look into writing them into the story when I'm able to. If you see any grammatical errors let me know. I'm running solo so my grammar isn't exactly a thing of beauty.
Once again I appreciate every review I get. So thank you again Lucyole, Petites Sorcieres, Ashes, Vchanny, Ginsan, Whiteinfinity21, catspirit, and Loveinthebattlefield. The reviews inspired me to get this chapter out faster than normal.
