Dain's head felt like it was about to split open. Any movement of his eyes, no matter how slight, caused sharp pain to stab through to the back of his head. The one thing that kept him from screaming out, though, was the blessed silence that reigned in the room, and his ears no longer echoed the terrible scream. A soft shuffle and the whisper of clothing told him someone was near, but thankfully, they weren't saying anything. He didn't know if his ears or his head would be able to handle anything louder. A soft cool cloth was placed on his forehead, easing the fiery pain that ripped through every inch of his skull.
"Try to relax," the person whispered above him. "Sleep is the only thing that can help you now, so rest."
Curiosity picked at the back of Dain's mind, but the need to lie still and be quiet far outweighed any desire to open his eyes. The cloth on his forehead was cool, easing the pain set deep behind his eyes...
Saphrina stared coldly at the wet figure in front of her. Rax stood on the steps of her new hideout, wet as a rat from the pouring rain, his light green hair sending streams of water down his shoulders.
"So you've decided to come crawling back," she growled, eyeing him with disgust.
"I don't remember ever deserting you," Rax shot back.
"Well, you certainly didn't listen to me the first time, so why should I even consider a second chance?"
"Because you never gave me a chance to explain what happened before," Rax snorted.
"Excuses, no matter how valid, are not acceptable," Saphrina allowed herself a small grin as the rain began to pour harder. "You failed miserably during the first assignment. What could you possibly do that would make up for failing at such a simple task?"
Rax looked down at his feet, anger swelling inside him. It was obvious that Saphrina didn't want any of his assistance, and she didn't think she needed it either. He glared back up at her, determined to prove something.
"At least I'm here," he started. "Isn't it funny that the person you lobbied and rallied so hard for isn't anywhere to be seen, but I am?"
Saphrina stared down at him with contempt. "I lobbied and rallied for you, too. So much for wasted efforts."
Her comment stung Rax, but he pushed on. "Maybe so. But your star student is the one who has ultimately failed..." he paused, waiting for her to take the bait.
"And exactly how did he fail?" she asked.
"He's allied himself with the enemy by falling in love with one of the Starlight Senshi."
Saphrina found herself deeply startled by this news. It was everything she could do to keep her mouth from falling wide open, and her face stone. Dain, the man she'd secretly been fond of, had fallen for another woman? And the enemy at that! "Hmph," she rolled her eyes, feigning disgust. "It figures. Get in here before I change my mind." She stepped to the side, letting the sopping wet figure pass by. Deep inside, she resolved not to let Dain's betrayal slide, but she had more important things to consider right now - like, how to carry out her plan for attacking the harbor.
Karin was warm. Something about this warmth, though, was particularly peaceful. It was safe, it was calm, it was...
"Karin," a soft masculine voice whispered her name above her. That was when she realized she was being held in someone's arms. Someone that she loved very much. Instinctively, she wrapped her own arms around him, resting her head against his chest. Safe. Secure. Warm. It never occurred to her to look up at his face. She didn't need to. She knew who it was.
"Karin!" another voice called from behind her. This voice, though, was harsh, mocking... and all too familiar. Laughter rang out from the second voice, and she turned to see a figure dressed entirely in black walking toward her. Dain! She turned back to the man whose arms were holding her close, trying her hardest to hold on to him as tightly as she could. But it wasn't any use. The tighter she held, the faster he slipped away. NOOOOOOO! she cried out, desperately reaching for him. Don't leave me! He'll kill me!
Dain's laughter rang out again, this time directly behind her. She turned to face him, not knowing how she would ever defend herself. The twisted smirk on his face changed to one of intense desire, and he leaned forward, touching his lips to hers. She started to scream, but no sound came out. She was frozen...
Karin sat up in her bed, gasping for air. Her heart was racing, her pulse pounding, and she was drenched in sweat. She looked at the clock - 5:29 am. Her alarm would be going off in a minute anyway so that she could go running. Trembling, she swung her feet out of bed and stepped onto the rug beside her bed. The dream... that dream had been so vivid, so real... She made her way down the narrow hallway to the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a tangled damp mess, and her face was red from crying. Crying? Karin wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, drying the tears. She turned the water on and let it run for a minute, letting it get as cold as it could. Still trembling, she splashed her face with the icy water, gasping at the shock.
Much better, she thought to herself. I just need to get going. It was only a dream. It wasn't real. She splashed more cold water onto her face, grateful for the refreshment.
"Hey, Cynthia, can I ask you something?" Erika pulled at the comforter on her bed, straightening and smoothing it. The small cat sat in the corner near her small desk, watching her.
"Sure. What's on your mind?"
"Well, I've been thinking about everything that's happened in the last week. You and me meeting, finding Karin, going to the dance club, finding Trina, and everything else." Erika paused as she picked up her nightgown and grabbed a hangar. "And it seems to me that the only really major thing that's happened was at the dance club."
"Yes, so far," Cynthia agreed.
"So, since then, nothing really important has happened, and that dance club incident really didn't seem to be a big deal - everyone recovered from that fine. They were all just weak for a day or two."
Cynthia sensed something in Erika's voice as she spoke, and it didn't seem very positive. "What are you saying, Erika?" she asked.
"Well, I was wondering, is it possible that reviving the Starlight Senshi was a mistake?"
Cynthia sat on the floor, stunned. This was really the last thing she'd expected to hear from Erika this morning, and she had been thinking that things were going very well. The girls had all proven themselves in conflict so far, and they even seemed to be getting used to the idea that they were soldiers called to fight for love and justice against forces that would be unstoppable to ordinary people. What on earth would make Erika think that this was all a mistake?
"I... I..." Cynthia stumbled, trying to think of something to say. "Well, no, I don't," she finally managed. She shook her head vigorously. "Erika, why would you ask me something like that?"
"Well, because it just seems like Trina and I are background figures in this whole thing. I mean, everything that's happened so far has been centered mostly around Karin. I guess what I'm saying is, is it possible that Trina and I aren't needed?"
"No! You're both vital! What would make you think that Karin's the only one that's important?"
"Because she's the one everything's happened to so far," Erika sighed, trying to think of how else to say this so that Cynthia might understand. "Okay, look at the whole situation with Dain. The guy is following her everywhere. It's like he's in love with her or something, 'cause he just won't stop. He's saved her life twice - according to him, he sends her notes, he probably stands outside her window and watches her sleep! It's like Trina and I stumbled uninvited into Karin's little crisis." Erika sat down on her bed, sighing. "I don't know. It's hard to have my emotions toyed with like this. I mean, one day I'm important and have this wonderful royal heritage. The next day, I'm the second hand senshi standing in the corner..." she trailed off, looking at the floor.
Cynthia sat over in her corner, furious. So this was what it was going to be like. The leader of the Starlight Senshi was insecure because someone was getting a little more attention than she was. Her tail twitched back and forth wildly. But what could she say? Maybe she should just let Erika wallow in her pity party for a day or so. Let something happen, something important. But what would she do? Shrink back and act like she wasn't needed? This could not be allowed to continue. Not when the enemies were making themselves so apparent.
"Erika! Come eat your breakfast!" Erika's mother called from the kitchen.
Erika looked up at the cat, expecting her to say something. Cynthia's face didn't show any expression, though. Only her tail twitched back and forth. "Well, think about it," Erika said, as she grabbed her nightgown. "Some rearranging of the senshi leadership might be in order."
Cynthia watched her as she left the room, her temper flaring. "It's time to find out whether or not Central Command is still around," she seethed. "Self-pitying senshi and a bad attitude must be listed somewhere in their reference manuals," she bit, the sarcasm evident. "I will not put up with spoiled brats!"
Rax fingered the shirt he'd been wearing the night before - it was still damp from the soaking rain. In the next room, Saphrina was studying the harbor intently through one of the mirrors. The rain from the night before had left the harbor covered in a gauzy fog, so she was having a rather tough time finding anything. Rax grinned to himself. At least she couldn't blame him for that. Shrugging, he let go of the damp material. He had managed to dig up some dry pants from his belongings, but everything else had been soaked. But it didn't matter, the shirt could wait. It was time to straighten things out with his boss. Bare-chested, he strode out to the main room.
"So, do we start with you deserting us, or should we pick over the dance club incident again?" Rax sneered as he approached Saphrina.
Startled, the woman shot a deadly glance back at him. "And just what makes you think I owe you any kind of explanation?"
"Well, you did let me in last night," he replied.
"A moment of weakness that I don't intend to repeat," Saphrina snapped. "Now, are you going to waste my time with silly questions, or are you going to do the job you were chosen to do?"
Rax glared at Saphrina's back, hundreds of questions whirling through his mind about her "moment of weakness." But it was obvious that there was no way he would get her to talk now. Maybe another time. "That depends," he replied.
Saphrina turned from the mirror, this time noticing that Rax was without a shirt. Her gaze lingered a split-second longer than it should have, and she cursed herself silently as she fixed a look of distaste on her features. "Depends on what?"
"On whether or not you tell me what your plan is. I can't exactly do my job fully unless I know what's going on, can I?" Rax reveled in her hesitation. That was exactly the reaction he'd been hoping to get from her.
Saphrina sighed, exasperated already by Rax's attitude, and embarrassed that she'd been caught off guard. "Fine," she growled. "Sit down and shut up. I'm only going to explain this once..."
"Hi Erika!" Karin bounced up to her friend in an unusually cheerful mood. "How's it going?"
Erika regarded her fellow senshi warily, suspicious of her mood. "Um, fine, I guess. What's up with you?"
Karin beamed. "I just aced my literature essay exam! Finally! It's the first time I've actually gotten a solid 'A' on a test in that class. So, I'm in the mood to celebrate."
"Congratulations." Erika smiled weakly and sighed. She'd been thinking all day about what she'd said to Cynthia, and as the day went, she became more and more convinced that she was right.
Karin finally noticed Erika's mood. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, forgetting her exam for the moment.
Erika shrugged and shook her head. "Nothing, really. Just kinda depressed."
"Why?"
Erika tried her hardest to avoid looking directly at Karin. It wasn't that she didn't like her anymore, she just didn't know how she could explain how she was feeling without Karin getting mad. "Um, well, are you walking home?"
"Yeah," Karin nodded. "Do you need to talk?"
Erika swallowed hard. "Well, yeah, but I don't know if you'll understand."
"Why?"
"Because it's about you and the whole senshi thing."
Karin felt the elation from her test melt away into an uneasy anxiety, but more than anything, she was curious. "How about we walk slowly?" she said, giving Erika a half-smile.
"That'll work," Erika smiled back. "The thing is, I don't know where to start."
"Well, when did you start thinking about... whatever is bothering you?"
"Um, right after the dance club incident."
"Okay then, start there," Karin encouraged her friend.
Cynthia glared at the computer screen in the study. Her search on the internet had proven successful in locating the Sailor V video game, but downloading it onto the computer in front of her hadn't allowed her to contact Central Command. The only other alternative she could think of was to contact the guardian cat that Sailormercury knew... if she could remember the guardian's name...
Dain felt himself slowly come back to consciousness. Another cool cloth was placed on his head, but already he could tell that the pain had eased considerably. Maybe even enough to try and open his eyes.
"You're awake," a soft female voice half-whispered. "How are you feeling?"
For a split second, Dain wondered how she knew he was awake since he hadn't consciously done anything to indicate it. "Better," he managed to whisper, suddenly very aware that his throat was very dry and he was incredibly thirsty.
"Here," the voice whispered. He felt her hand reach under his shoulders and support him as he slowly sat up. The cool touch of water on his lips made him gulp the offered drink down quickly. But he still hadn't opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" he asked, once the cup had been removed.
"In a place of sanctuary," the voice replied.
"Can I open my eyes?" he asked, wondering if the room was brightly lit or dim.
"I don't see why not," the person laughed quietly. "It was your ears that I was worried about."
Dain felt a twinge of annoyance at her response, but quickly forgot it as he worked the muscles of his eyes. They felt slightly weak - like they hadn't been used for a few days. But the sight that greeted him as his eyelids slowly opened made him gasp. The room he was in was shaped in a half circle, and the circular wall was made entirely of glass. Outside, in what appeared to be a night sky, thousands of colors swirled in gigantic patterns. The room, however, was still dim enough that it was comfortable to look at after keeping his eyes closed for so long.
"Where am I?" he asked again, finally looking at the woman standing next to him.
She turned to look at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "You don't know?" she asked in return.
Dain slowly shook his head. "No. All you said was that this is a place of sanctuary."
The woman sighed gently and sat down next to him on the cot. "Tell me what the last thing you remember is."
Dain sat for a minute, puzzled by her request. "Well, I was attacked by a girl who thought I was going to hurt her." His head reeled momentarily as the painful memory of the ultrasonic scream came back to him all too clearly. He rested his head in his hands, struggling against the urge to lie back down. "I managed to gather enough strength to get myself out of there, but I honestly didn't know where I would end up. I thought I'd be back at my quarters."
The woman nodded thoughtfully at his meager explanation. "But instead you ended up here," she murmured quietly.
Dain looked back up at her, utterly confused. "Which brings me back to my original question. Where am I?"
The woman stood up again, and walked across the room slowly. "Does any of this look familiar to you?" she finally asked, turning around to face him.
"No... Should it?"
"Dain, how old are you?" she asked in return, dodging his questions once again.
"What?"
"How old are you?"
Dain shrugged, his patience beginning to wear thin with her unwillingness to answer any of his questions. "I have no idea. I stopped counting a long time ago. Why? What will that tell you? And how do you know my name?"
The woman smiled patiently. "Relax, Dain. I'm every bit as confused as you are, and I'm merely trying to figure out why you would re-... come to this place."
Dain shifted a little on the cot, and forced himself to restrain his temper - something he hadn't done in a long time.
"Now, what's the earliest memory you have?" she pressed.
Dain thought for a moment, wondering how he could possibly sift through thousands of years worth of memories to find the earliest one. "I have no idea," he finally admitted.
"It's been far too long since I cared to look back on my past."
"I see," she half-whispered, turning to look once again at the gigantic patterns of color swirling outside.
A few awkward moments of silence passed as the two were lost in their own thoughts. Dain was suddenly fascinated by her request of his earliest memory, and struggled to dig through the countless images that suddenly flooded his mind. Memories of plotting, struggling, fighting, scheming and finally coming into favor with some of the "leaders" of the Black Moon. But before that... it was like running into a black wall.
"Forgive my rudeness," the woman's voice interrupted his reverie. "You must be hungry. Do you feel like you can walk?"
Carefully, Dain stood up from the cot, testing his legs. They were slightly shaky, but not too bad. "I suppose, as long as we take it slowly," he admitted.
"Excellent. Follow me."
"So, that's what's bothering me," Erika finished. "I just feel like maybe Trina and I weren't supposed to be awakened yet since nothing's really affected us so far."
Karin nodded slowly as Erika wrapped up her story. She was suddenly feeling very awkward standing there, and felt like maybe she should leave Erika alone. But that wouldn't solve anything. Best to get this cleared up now.
"Erika," she started. "I'm not really sure what to say. I guess all I can say now is I'm sorry. I had no idea things were going to turn this direction..." she trailed off searching for something else to say. Something, hopefully, that would inspire Erika and make her feel involved. But nothing would come. The only thing she could manage was, "It's not my fault," and it felt like the lamest thing in the world to say.
Erika stood in the sun-warmed side street looking at her new friend silently. Karin's face and her whole body suddenly looked very tired, very young, and very vulnerable. This wasn't the same warrior that had faced down a sinister enemy only a few days before, and it wasn't the same girl that had aced her essay test earlier that same day. This was someone who felt every bit as deeply and sincerely about things as Erika did - and she'd cut Karin to the core with her little pity party.
"I don't even know what I'm fighting for," Karin finally admitted.
"What do you mean?" Erika gasped, stunned out of her thoughts.
"Well, you know all about astronomy, right?" Erika nodded. "Okay, so you tell me what a pulsar is."
"It's an extremely dense core of material from a star that spins incredibly fast and emits radio waves and pulses of light," Erika rattled off automatically. "I don't understand, Karin. What are you saying?"
"It's a core of material from a star... a dead star," Karin stated softly. "I'm a soldier for love and justice, and I defend..." she faltered for a minute, trying to regain her composure as tears welled in her eyes, "...dead stars."
Erika found herself staring agape at the taller girl before her, suddenly understanding perfectly what Karin was saying. She felt every bit of self pity melt away as she realized that Karin had been fighting along side her with this knowledge, even though she had most certainly wondered what the point was. And here she was feeling sorry for herself just because the attention hadn't been focused on her.
"Karin, I... I'm sorry. I hadn't even thought about that," Erika said, hoping to ease the tension a little bit. But the taller senshi had already given in to the tears that had been threatening to spill over.
"Erika, you have no idea, do you?" Karin started, accusingly. "There's nothing left. There was nothing left when I began this whole senshi thing back in the Silver Millenium. I didn't even have a legend to grasp to like you did. My whole world, my whole family, everything I knew is gone! But I'm still here! I'm still fighting along side you and Trina. Why? I haven't the slightest idea, except that it feels like the right thing to do! How was I supposed to know that Dain would suddenly decide to stalk me? Do you really think I want to have him - our sworn enemy - following me around like a drooling puppy? My God!"
Erika stood back against the side of the building she and Karin had come up against, confused, hurt and guilty all at once. And for once, she didn't have anything to say. She had lost her entire family too - everything she'd known, her friends, her home. But the center of the galaxy still blazed in memory of the magnificent kingdom that had died so many millions of years ago. Karin only had a tiny beacon to remind the universe of what had once existed of her home.
"Karin, I..." Erika started, but realized that there was nothing to say or do that would fix the mess she'd created. Even an apology really didn't seem like the right thing. She closed her mouth as she watched her friend's tear streaked face.
"Look, maybe we just need to be apart for a little while, okay?" Karin finally managed through her tears. "I think we've seen too much of each other during the last week and a half, and we barely know each other." She sniffed and took a deep breath. "You know how to contact me if something happens, but I'll try not to bother you with my own 'personal crisis,' okay?" her voice cracked on her last few words as a new flood of tears started to spill from her eyes. Hurriedly, she picked up her school bag and walked as fast as she could toward her home without breaking into a run.
Erika watched Karin leave, devastated and confused all at once. So much for feeling sorry for herself earlier. Now she had really screwed things up...
"Guten Tag. How may I help you today?" The young receptionist smiled up at the exotically beautiful woman standing in front of her desk.
"I'm here to speak with Herr Becker. I believe it was a 3:00 appointment," the woman gazed down at her with an air of detached boredom.
The receptionist glanced down at the neatly typed appointment list for the company president. "Frau Schattenstein?" The woman nodded. "Please follow me."
Rax walked along through the bustling business district of Hamburg, reaching out a hand to brush objects every so often. His presence was inconspicuous enough since he was dressed in a suit and looked like any one of the people that continually passed him. The only difference was that they were all in a hurry, and he wasn't. He smiled to himself, pleased that this particular task was so simple. He was planting sentinels...
"Feel better?"
The woman seated across from him smiled patiently as Dain finished the last of his meal. He'd had to take it rather slow since he hadn't eaten in a few days. A small pang of annoyance shot through him at her words. Everything here was so quiet, so... dull. Nothing was going on, and this woman seemed to be the only one here. Deep inside, a small thought had begun to nag at him while he had been eating - how was he going to get back to Saphrina? She'd no doubt be furious with him after he'd been missing for a few days, and who knew what had happened since he'd left.
"You look better," the woman answered herself. "The color's come back to your face a little."
Dain leaned back in his chair and studied the woman for a moment. She looked familiar - in a very faint sort of way. "May I ask you something?" he finally said. She nodded. "Who are you?"
The woman's facial expression didn't change, but her body language certainly did. Suddenly her shoulders were very tense, and she dropped her hands from the table top to her lap. Dain silently noted that the question seemed to disturb her quite a bit, even though she was good at not showing it.
"My name is Claire," she answered.
Dain watched her for another moment. That had been easy enough, so maybe it was time to ask a few more questions. "How long have I been here, Claire?"
"Three earth days," she answered easily.
"I see," Dain nodded. "Are you the only one here?" He gestured to indicate the entire structure, not just the room they were in.
"Sometimes," she replied. "There are others that come and go on occasion."
"Is this a hospital?"
Claire smiled. "In some ways yes, in others, no. It depends on your purpose. I prefer to call it a sanctuary."
Dain puzzled over her answer for a minute. It certainly was one of the more unusual answers he'd gotten. Suddenly, any and all bitterness or anger that had still been pent up inside him melted away, and an insatiable curiosity filled him. He leaned forward. "Claire, how did I get here?" he asked sincerely.
Surprise flickered across Claire's face at Dain's question. She tried to cover it, but obviously it had shocked her enough that she couldn't. "You came at your own free will," she answered. "That's the only way anyone can arrive here."
Dain felt his expression change to match her own. "Well, then, where am I?"
Claire shook her head slowly, not knowing what to make of the wild young-looking man across from her. "You're in the Orion Nebula."
"You did WHAT!" Cynthia cried, after listening to Erika's teary confession. She had managed to send off an e-mail request to Sailormercury about her own guardian cat, but she hadn't heard anything back yet. And now Erika had come to her with this.
"I'm sorry Cynthia!" Erika sobbed. "I thought I could fix things by telling her. I didn't know it was going to make her feel so bad."
"Erika, why couldn't you have just kept your mouth shut until you got home? Now we're in a terrible mess, and we have no idea what's going to happen next!"
Erika flopped herself down on the bed dramatically, and hugged a pillow as she turned to look at the furious cat. She sniffed.
"Does Trina know about any of this?" Cynthia demanded.
"No, I don't think so," Erika answered.
"Good. Don't tell her. The last thing I need is to have the three of you taking sides against each other." The small cat sat in a huff for a moment, her fur bristling as she mentally reviewed the confession Erika had just given her. "Did you apologize?"
"Well, I started to," Erika admitted. "But -"
"But what?" Cynthia glowered.
"She was too mad."
Cynthia exploded. "She was too mad? She was too mad? Trust me, Erika! You haven't seen 'mad' yet! But you've just about pushed me to that point!" Erika cowered as the feline leaped onto her bed, claws bared. "I've just about had enough of you and your whining today! I was absolutely shocked by what you said to me this morning, and then you decide to take matters into your own hands! I've worked too hard for too long to have a spoiled brat of a teenager try to fix things how she wants them - and look where it's gotten you! You've managed to alienate a member of the team, and you've managed to push me to the point where I just want to turn tail and run away from all of this!"
"Cynthia, I'm sorry!" Erika managed to squeeze in.
Cynthia stared at her, her eyes wide with indignation. "You're sorry? Well, thank you Erika, let's just slap an adhesive bandage over a stab wound and call it good!" She jumped up into the window box, and tore out a few of the flowers, shaking them wildly before tossing them to the ground. "I've got to get out of here before I do something drastic. And don't you dare try to contact me before I come back! Understand!"
Erika nodded, too stunned to say anything, and watched as the small cat jumped from the flower box to the street below. Shaking, she clutched her pillow to her chest and sobbed.
Saphrina strode purposefully out of the large office building, pleased with how well the meeting with Herr Becker had gone. He was definitely a shrewd businessman, but he was still open-minded enough to be taken for a fool. Maybe not by the people of his business, or even this world, but Saphrina was above all of this primitive wheeling and dealing - and quite frankly, it was a very simple game to play. This would go very smoothly indeed.
A Couple Notes
"Herr" is pronounced "hair" (well, pretty close) and means "Mr."
"Schattenstein" (the name Saphrina uses for her meeting) means "shadow stone."