My Shitennou, an AU First Season Fic

Chapter 21

Search and Rescue

Author's Notes: I am going to say right now, you guys really need to thank my beta-reader and co-conspirator, Somariel. She's really is the reason I ended up deciding not to leave this off on a really fun little cliff-hanger. (I even had a good idea just where to put that cliff…) That said, be expecting some fun surprises by the end of this chapter. I, myself, was rather surprised by how it turned out, since the personalities of the characters ended up taking over and writing their own story to a degree. All I can say is, this is going to get ugly… Hope you enjoy! Reviews are love.

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Tokyo, Japan

Friday, April 30, 1993

The sun was set and the time for small children to be safe asleep in their beds had long-passed by the time Endymion showed up at the Hikawa Shrine with Jadeite at his side. Each of the men had a sleeping child curled up in his arms, although Jadeite appeared significantly less comfortable with this arrangement than Endymion did. He kept glancing down at the blonde child in his arms, half-expecting him to wake and… cry… or otherwise do something he didn't know how to handle.

The poor man looked awkward enough that when Hino Rei made her way out onto the porch to see who it was that had entered her temple this late at night, she probably would have outright laughed at him if only she'd been only just a bit more comfortable with him. She had just come out of the Sacred Fire Room and had both Akiyama and Kanechi – the latter still being translucent – following at her heels. "Is there a problem?" she wondered, unable to keep herself from smirking at Jadeite's discomfort. "Somehow, I have trouble picturing you as a father. If I hadn't met the evidence, I'd never believe it." She commented, one hand coming down to rest upon Aki's back as she said so. Tilting his head, Aki looked up at her and grinned while his future father blushed.

Unable to come up with a decent comeback for that, Jadeite simply had to settle for glaring at the woman. "Yeah, yeah. Take this, would you? We have an emergency to take care of, and apparently leaving four-year-olds to fend for themselves is a big no-no." Rei raised a brow, turning a questioning gaze to the prince as she accepted young Kaishou into her arms. She may not have had much more experience than Jadeite did on dealing with small children, but at least she wasn't going to act as awkward and nervous about it as Jadeite was… and even less so with him right in front of her. It was just a child. Honestly. Men…

"I was limited on options; it's only for tonight." Endymion explained. "Jadeite and I are going to the Dark Kingdom to get Nephrite, and that is no place for small children."

"… and we have to guard Mamo-kun while you are off in battle!" Kanechi butted in, holding his arms out with the intention of taking the smaller child from Endymion's arm. He was lucky enough to miss the brief look of uncertainty Endymion had at the thought of handing his future son over to someone who looked like he might not be there the next moment. Nevertheless, being tall for his age and relatively strong, Kanechi was easily able to take and hold the smaller child against him, though it required both hands to make it work. He got quiet after that, starring down at his young prince and debating whether to ask what he really want to.

Finally, it was Akiyama that voiced the question for him. The eight-year-old's arms snaked around Jadeite's waist as he looked up at him pleadingly. "You won't let anything happen to him… right? I don't want my best friend to not exist anymore! You'll save him, right? You have to!"

"That's the plan." Endymion assured the child, while Jadeite had to swallow a lump in his throat before he could form coherent words again.

"That's why he looks like that?" Jadeite, who had been resisting the urge to comment while the translucent young man in question was still standing directly in front of him, turned to stare openly at him.

"Kanechi can't exist if his father dies before he is born." Rei pointed out, although it may be noted her tone was significantly more subdued than it had been previously. She frowned as she watched Jadeite swallow again and nod mutely. His worry for his brother had just gotten worse than it already was, and it showed on his face. It made her wonder briefly how she'd react if it had been one of her fellow Senshi that had been taken in by the enemy. "Are you two planning on going there alone?" Was that really wise? Especially given Jadeite's history with them?

Jadeite pressed his lips together. The absolute last place he intended to lead Mars, or any of the Senshi for that matter, was into the Dark Kingdom. He wasn't incredibly thrilled about leading his prince there, but he honestly wasn't arrogant enough to think he could do this all alone. Unless his stealth, never mind his luck, was better than it had ever been, he was going to end up needing Endymion's help to get safely back out once he had Nephrite safely in hand. That went doubly if they ran into Kunzite somewhere along the way. "Yes. The fewer people that go in, the less likely we are to get caught…"

The two men left soon after that and Hino Rei then helped the two older boys get settled into bed alongside their younger companions. Kanechi pulled the little prince into the bed with him, and Kaishou got placed into the bed with Akiyama. Making sure the four were settled, she headed back to the Sacred Fire to do another reading, without the distraction of the boys' worrying. "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Almost immediately, a new image came up.

Rental Shop Dark.

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Sitting cross-legged atop her bed, Mizuno Ami had pushed her homework to the side and was typing rapidly into her Mercury Computer. The desk, where she typically sat to complete such things, was being occupied by Akemi and his latest surgery patient. The poor child was just in no shape to get a proper amount of sleep tonight. He'd woken twice with nightmares before she gave up and let him play quietly in her room until she was ready to lay down herself.

To begin with, she had set the computer to try and pick up information that could potentially lead them to a location for Nephrite. Although neither Endymion nor Jadeite had said it, there were enough clues available to assume that he too had been victim of the Dark Kingdom's attack. Among these was the fact that Akiyama had returned to normal by the time Rei got back from their last battle, but Kanechi was still translucent… indicating that his father was still in danger. Of course, it was also possible that it was his mother who was in danger, but given the present circumstances, Nephrite seemed the most likely candidate.

It was during the course of this scan her computer came up with something that drew her immediate attention. Her interest was drawn to some kind of darkness, similar in nature to that which she had recorded as belonging to the Dark Kingdom. At first, she had hoped it might have been a clue to her original search. Now, she was worried it was something bigger than that. Various locations all over the city were beginning to show signs of this 'dark energy,' those with the biggest pool of energy being… "Where?" Ami murmured, waiting for her computer to hone in on one of the locations and give her more specific information. Finally, the computer revealed…

Rental Shop Dark.

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Across town, Tsukino Usagi was just slipping down the stairs to grab a late-night snack when she heard the vague sound of a movie playing in the living room… at least, Usagi assumed it was a movie. 'What in the world is Shingo watching…?' Usagi took a detour away from the kitchen and entered the living room to see what was causing those strange noises. "Find… the Ginzuishou?" Usagi murmured a moment later, her eyes beginning to glass over.

"Usagi-chan!" Nearly three and half minutes later, Luna jumped up onto Usagi's shoulder and gave the side of her face a good scratch.

"Ow! Luna, what did you do that for?!" Usagi protested, coming out of the stupor she'd been in for the past few minutes. The pig-tailed blonde blinked as she looked around, "Hey, where'd Shingo go? He was just here… watching the movie…."

"That's not a movie, Usagi-chan." With her paw, Luna pointed her charge's attention to the video player, which had an eerie glow coming out of it. Jumping down from Usagi's shoulder, she rushed over and pressed the "eject" button, catching the still faintly glowing tape in her mouth and bringing it back to Usagi. She let her charge take it into her hands before letting her know, "We need to take the tape down to the Command Center and check it out. Right away!"

"The what…?" Usagi wondered what the "Commander Center" was, since Luna had never mentioned it before; just that very moment, however, her communicator began to go off. "It's Venus… and Mercury… and Mars…."

"Hurry and transform, Usagi-chan! Tell the others to meet us outside the Crown Game Center."

Her finger hovering over the answer button, Usagi frowned down at her feline companion questioningly. "What about Haruka? She doesn't have a communicator yet…"

"We can call her on the phone before we head out… answer your communicator, Usagi!"

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"Akiyama." Sitting up, Kanechi looked over to the opposite bed, where his best friend lay next to a sleeping Kaishou. That child was supposed to be their leader one day, but – for the moment at least – it was a rather difficult thing for him to imagine. Kaishou was…Kaishou. He was the baby of the group. Even though they were the same age most of the year, even Mamo had been born a few months before Kaishou was. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." Akiyama shifted in the bed, turning over on his side so he could look at Kanechi. How could he sleep knowing he might lose his best friend at any minute?

"Your mama just transformed. I think she is about to go and join the other Senshi." Kanechi couldn't sleep either. He was too worked up. Anyway, if things went wrong, he didn't want to spend the last moments of his existence sleeping the time away. He'd sooner go down fighting! Like his Mum and Dad! They wouldn't just sit here and wait to disappear.

"You think she's going to help your dad?" Akiyama sat up in the bed, his violet gaze turning upon his leader and best friend intently. The dark-haired youth didn't hardly give Kanechi a chance to process his first question, much less answer it, before he added hopefully. "Are we going to go and help them? You know, transform and go fight?"

Kanechi bit his lip uncertainly for a moment. He wanted to. He really, really wanted to. The teenage Senshi and Shitennou had been preventing them from going anywhere near the battles, not seeming to care if the children were capable of transforming or not. They were treating them like helpless kids! And they weren't… helpless that is. They were the children of the Senshi and the Shitennou. "Yes." Anyway, what if they needed Mamo-kun to use his Daddy's crystal again? Kanechi threw his legs over the side of the bed, the sudden lack of his presence causing Mamo-kun to stir lightly. "Help me wake up Mamo-kun and Kaishou, and then we'll contact Akemi. We aren't getting left behind this time."

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Akemi sniffled. He had been shooed from Ami's room suddenly as she had had to go and help the other Sailor Senshi deal with a new rising threat in Tokyo. A bunch of 'dark energy' marks had showed up on her computer and Rei had seen something bad in the fire. The rest of the Senshi started to notice funny things with their brothers and their parents, and they had all decided to go out together and take care of it. Akemi had been left behind in the care of Mizuno Saeko, who had been downstairs when Ami slipped out the window and left to meet the others.

The moment he knew Ami had left the house, Akemi had rushed downstairs and thrown himself into the arms of his 'mother' and started to sniffle. His friend was in danger. His 'big sister' didn't know how to help him, and now the bad guys were getting even stronger and attacking all over town! He'd told Saeko that he was scared of the bad guys and let her assume he'd had a nightmare. He knew her words weren't true, that 'It was just a dream' and 'He was safe now.' It wasn't just a dream and he and his friends weren't safe yet, but he found the sound of her voice comforting anyway. More so than that, she genuinely believed that everything was safe and the feel of her calmness and certainty was something his empathic sense could cling onto.

Unfortunately, he'd only been there just long enough to calm down when his pseudo-mother's emotions suddenly went sporadic. Fear. Uncertainty. Confusion. What happened? "Mama?" Saeko's eyes went wide and she held the child out at arm's length and starred at him, all the while beginning to seep out emotions like confusion, uncertainty, and fear. Without any kind of warning, Akemi had sudden begun to go translucent. His body got hazy like that of a ghost, and it seemed as though he might just fade out of existence at any moment. Akemi scrambled off of Saeko's lap to escape the sudden onslaught of negative emotions.

It was at that moment he received the mental call from his brothers. "Mama, I… I have to go." He turned, intending to leave Saeko's presence before teleporting to where his four brothers were. "Let go! I have to go!" Akemi could tell by the emotions seeping through from the spot where she had grabbed hold of his arm that she had no intention of letting him go anywhere and he was starting to get desperate. Akemi tried a different approach, perhaps one which he should have thought through a bit better. In his defense, however, he was only six and in the middle of a very stressful situation. "Mama, please, I have to go help Onee-sama and my brothers! I have to go."

Still attempting to get her own emotions back under control, Saeko reasoned with the child. "Ami is still up in her room, Akemi. She isn't in any danger. She's fine."

"NO! She isn't! She's gone to the battle. I got to go! I got to go help!" Shocked, Saeko loosened her grip on the child, not much, but just enough for him to twist his arm out of her grasp and step back. "I'm sorry, Mama." Akemi told her… before teleporting out.

Saeko, even more shocked than she had been before, headed upstairs to Ami's room and threw open the door… only to find Ami missing and her window wide-open, curtains moving gently in the evening breeze… this had to be some kind of nightmare.

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Elsewhere, Zoisite was moving across the rooftops of Tokyo. He was on his way to check on his latest project for Queen Beryl. It was his preference to go and check on the Rental Shop Dark locations in person and make sure everything was running right. Nephrite had once told him that. 'You have to check in on your different branches here and again, or else they start doing their own thing and things can get out of hand real quick.' It was something Katashi had once told him that he had passed on to Zoisite when the situation had warranted it.

Suddenly, however, Zoisite found himself brought up short. The young man stopped there on the rooftop, starring down into the quiet streets of Tokyo and trying to figure out what it was that had stopped him in the first place. It was… a faint sensation, like being drawn to something… something that was not exactly in the direction of the next Rental Shop Dark. After a brief moment of hesitancy, Zoisite found himself following his gut… following that drawing sensation all the way to a dimly lit alleyway, all the way to… Endymion?

Zoisite blinked in surprise. Endymion and Jadeite. He hadn't expected to see those two out and about. He most certainly hadn't expected to find himself being drawn towards their location. He'd never have located them otherwise. Quietly as he could, with the same stealth he'd used while trying to safely get to Nephrite, Zoisite moved in closer, trying to hear what was being said between them. In the back of his mind, he could still hear Nephrite, begging him to leave, telling him to 'go to Endymion.' Finally, he was close enough to hear what was being said below. Nephrite. They were going to try and save Nephrite, but Jadeite couldn't teleport them there. Beryl had set up a shield to prevent unwanted people from teleporting in and out of the Dark Kingdom… right after the battle that supposedly killed Jadeite. It was a protective measure.

Queen Beryl would never risk her own person to try and save one of her subordinates. In all likelihood, she wouldn't have risked one of her other subordinates to save even one of them, one of her Shitennou. But, Endymion seemed to have the intention of going with Jadeite on this little escapade. He was going to try and help him save his brother, save Nephrite. Letting out a long, slow, steadying breath and with the image of his brother, still chained up in the dungeons, running through his mind, Zoisite came down and stepped out into view.

To say he startled the pair would have been an understatement. Jadeite was immediately on the defense, moving up a couple steps in front of Endymion, and watching his younger brother intently. There really wasn't a question as to where his loyalties now lie; he was standing with Endymion now. Although, he looked more stunned than prepared to attack his brother unprovoked.

"Are you really going to try and save Nephrite from the Dark Kingdom?" Zoisite asked of his brother, the faintest hint of desperation echoing through his tone, causing Jadeite to come up short. He couldn't stand seeing the man down there like that, knowing there wasn't a thing he could do to help him. Even if he'd been capable of getting him unchained and teleporting him out, Beryl would be easily capable of tracking him and sending someone out to his location. Jadeite and Endymion were both under her radar.

"That's the plan." Jadeite answered, while Endymion watched him silently, a hopeful look in his eye. Why did he look at him like that? Like he wasn't starring at him enemy, but a wayward friend?

Zoisite made a decision in that moment. "I can get you in."

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And that's just what he did. Zoisite teleported Endymion and Jadeite deep into the recesses of the Dark Kingdom's royal palace, down a hallway he knew to be abandoned more than 90% of the time. "Dungeon is down there, to the left, down the stairs." He had given them instructions even though Jadeite probably could have figured it out himself. He had lived here for quite a while, up until just recently, after all. Zoisite thought it would save time, however, if Jadeite didn't have to try and figure out just where in the palace Zoisite had left them. "I have to go now, or I'll be missed. I'll uh… try to get back in time to help you get out again… if I'm not held up. Good luck."

With that, he had left, fearing above all that this would somehow go awry and he would come back to find all three of them were gone and it was his fault for leaving at least two of them in there. Re-appearing back above the rooftops of Tokyo, Zoisite let out a breath and continued on his way to the next Rental Shop Dark location. Hopefully, this visit and the next would go quickly. He'd have fulfilled his duty and could return and try to help Endymion and Jadeite with Nephrite. He knew as he approached the next Rental Shop Dark location, however, that something had gone wrong. Battle sounds could be heard even from a distance. Zoisite cursed inwardly. Damned Sailor Senshi! They always ruined everything. He had been hoping to get away quickly.

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"Moon Healing Escalation!" Holding up her new Crescent Moon Wand, Sailor Moon created a circle of white light around her body. Her energy gathered, she pointed the wand out in front of her, sending the build-up of gentle, healing energy off towards the mass amount of possessed people gathered there. In moments, Sailor Moon had managed to spread the healing energy so that it enveloped the entire crowd, removing all traces of the dark energy that had once consumed them. People began to murmur and exclaim in surprise as they awoke.

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Off to the side, Prince Mamoru Endymion and his five Chibi-Shitennou hid out of sight… watching attentively as the whole spectacle unfolded before them. By the time Sailor Moon used her Crescent Moon Wand to heal the people, however, Kaishou and the little prince had fallen back from the group. The two boys were staring at each other in awe, as either of their bodies had suddenly become translucent. "Whoa, Mamo-kun, you look funny." Kaishou remarked reaching out to touch his friend's arm, wondering if he'd feel any different now that he looked that way.

This was enough to garner the attention of Akemi. The blue-haired child was in the same state he had been when he had left the Mizuno household, hovering somewhere between existence and non-existence, the same as his two little friends. The six-year-old's eyes went wide at the sight. Oh, no! Now, they were doing it to! "Akiyama! Kanechi!" He called out desperately, causing his two friends to look up in surprise at the unexpected cry from their friend and brother.

"Yaaa!" Akiyama exclaimed, noticing only now that his own hands were see-through once more. The danger Jadeite had put himself in re-entering the Dark Kingdom was beginning to affect his future son, whose existence was once more in danger.

"Not again!" Kanechi, who had been this way ever sense Nephrite had been captured, groaned. Every time he thought the boy was finally out of danger, he went and did this again. Didn't their parents understand it was their kids very existence they were playing with?

"Guys!" Akemi repeated, trying once again to gather the attention of his two elder friends before they could melt down into panic. "Kaishou and Mamo-kun are disappearing too!" Four sets of wide eyes turned upon the little boy they had sworn to serve and protect. All five boys were now translucent, all at the same time… and none of the boys' fathers seemed to be anywhere around.

Kaishou was just beginning to pick up on the fear his friends had for his present condition, but based on the expression on the little prince's face, it was unclear as to whether he truly understood what was going on or not. Mamo-kun looked down at his see-through hands momentarily before finally lifting his gaze to meet the frightened looks of his four friends. If there was one thing the child had picked up from his mother, it was her positivity. "Don't worry! The crystal will fix it!" he told them confidently. His daddy had given it to him to protect him and his friends.

"Boys!" Suddenly, a new voice interrupted the proceedings.

A look of relief crossed the four Chibi-Shitennou's faces, while Mamoru rushed over to meet his older friend. "Takeshi! What do I do? How do I fix it?!"

"Come here." Takeshi instructed the five boys. "Come close. I am going to take you up to the Gates of Time. You will be safe there until I can fix… Akemi, what?!"

"No! Wait! That's my Daddy!"

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While the boys were distracted by the current state of their existence, Zoisite had appeared on the scene. Hovering there, looking down upon the despised, fuku-wearing Senshi that were constantly messing up the Shitennou's carefully laid-out plans, Zoisite scowled hatefully. His care for his brothers and his prince may be winning him over, but – at least for the moment – those newfound feelings had no effect whatsoever on his hatred for the Senshi. Beryl had drilled that into his head well. "Sailor Moon! You have interfered for the last time!"

"How dare you take advantage of people who are simply trying to take some time to themselves to unwind a bit?! In the name of the moon, Sailor Moon will punish you!" Sailor Moon called up to the slenderly-built Shitennou. The trick was figuring out how to do that without actually killing him. Reaching up, she used her thumb and pointer fingers to grasp the stone on the front of her tiara. "Moon Twilight Flash!"

"He disappeared!" The exclamation came from Jupiter, as Zoisite teleported himself out of harm's way just before Sailor Moon's attack could reach his position.

Reappearing directly behind the offending Senshi, Zoisite reached out, wrapped both of his arms around the pig-tailed blonde's neck, and started to squeeze. "Now!" Within him, Zoisite could feel the dark energy taking over, clearing his mind of unnecessary thoughts of brotherhood, princes, and men named Endymion. "Tell me! Where is the Ginzuishou!"

"I-I don't know!"

The Sailor Senshi had to do something. They couldn't allow the Shitennou, future father or not, to kill one of their teammates and that was exactly what he was attempting to do. Of course, the fact it was Sailor Moon that he threatened may have also called to something within them… something deep within that demanded they protect her first and foremost.

"Evil Spirits, Disperse!" Sailor Mars sent off her attack in Zoisite's direction.

"I'll help too, Mars!" Sailor Jupiter powered up, lightning crackling from the antenna coming out of the center of her tiara. "Supreme Thunder!"

"Ha!" In a flash, an icy aura came up to surround both Zoisite and his captive. Zoisite sent more power out into his shield, smirking as he caused the two attacks to rebound back upon their makers. "Hmph. Annoying pests!" Zoisite called out as Jupiter and Mars were thrown back by the force of their own attacks.

"I can't take anymore…" Sailor Moon groaned, fear filling her as she struggled to breathe.

Forming a large ice-crystal in his hand, Zoisite held it up high. "DIE!"

Sailor Moon screamed, and Sailor Uranus powered-up. "WORLD…!"

"No! Wait! That's my Daddy!" Akemi's voice echoed out onto the battle field. The armor-clad youth made a rush for his father before anyone could stop him. As to how he managed to slip past Zoisite's shield without so much as a flinch… perhaps sharing so much of his father's power is what allowed it? Whatever the reason, that is just what he did… slipped directly through the shield and wrapped his arms and legs around his father's leg in a death grip.

"Uranus, wait!" Venus called out to her companion urgently. "There's a child in the way!"

Uranus held back her attack, reluctantly, a rendition of the planet of Uranus still hovering over her head, just above her fingertips, just waiting to be released. Her heart said protect Sailor Moon, but her head was wise enough to remember she didn't want to harm a child in the process.

Tightly latched upon his father's legs, Akemi quickly began to pick up the emotions his father was giving off. Hate. Anger. Frustration. Confusion. Hate; a deep darkness that hovered atop it all. Akemi didn't like the feel of it… didn't like it at all… especially the darkness and the hate. He shut his eyes tight, tears beginning to leak down the sides of his face. He wouldn't let go. He wouldn't let them hurt his father, but he couldn't stand the emotions the man was giving off.

Desperately, he began trying to push the emotions away… push them out. It was harder, much harder, when he was making physical contact with the man. His adrenaline pumping, he tried focusing further out, out towards the rest of the people around him. That was a mistake. That only made it worse. He was picking up even more emotions now… more than he could handle… more than he knew how to deal with. Unexpectedly, Akemi managed to discover an ability he didn't even know he was capable of. His small body glowed briefly before he finally managed to push all those emotions away… away from himself… right at the person he was currently attached to.

Zoisite cried out at first in surprise, and then in pain. He released Sailor Moon and dropped his shield as the emotions of everyone around him began to be pushed into him. Such a thing was difficult enough for Akemi, who was a born empath. It was a power he was intended to have. It was not a power Zoisite was intended to have. "YAAA!" Thus, it crippled him momentarily, causing him to bring his hands up to press on either side of his head. Honestly, the migraine from this was probably going to last for a while….

In shock over what he had just accomplished, Akemi finally released the older man and backed up to stand in front of him.

Watching from the sidelines, Takeshi saw an open opportunity. He had originally planned on just jumping in, grabbing the boys, and leaving. Now, however, the opportunity to get Zoisite back to their side was just too great. Hopefully, Endymion and Jadeite and Nephrite would be alright in the interim. "Now, little prince." The older man encouraged the child, who had turned an expectant eye on him, his little hand already resting over top the crystal hidden beneath his shirt. "Go. Go help Zoisite, while he's still crippled by… by…." Honestly, he had never seen Akemi do anything like that before. "…whatever the heck your brother there just did…."

Nodding, the little prince gave his friends a confident smile before hurrying out onto the battlefield, the other three boys coming up directly behind him. There was no way they were going to let the child go out there alone. Kaishou scurried up into his usual 'guarding position' just to the right and a step behind his prince; it was the same place Kunzite would have stood had it been him standing next to Endymion. Kanechi was in the same position to the child's left and Akiyama was following behind, protecting the young man from the back.

"Zoisite-sama." Mamo looked up at his father's brother wearing an expression of calm control, while Akemi went back to join Akiyama in standing behind his prince. Having grown quiet, the Sailor Senshi were carefully watching the children that had just interrupted the battle. For the girls, it was their first time actually seeing the children transformed into their uniforms. Akiyama, for his part, stole a glance back at Sailor Mars, as if to say, "I told you I could help…"

Still in a bit of a haze from his future son's unintended attack, Zoisite blinked down at the child in surprise. That uniform. That expression. That was… "Endymion…?" That's right! He had left Endymion and Jadeite back in the Dark Kingdom. Once they had Nephrite in hand, they were going to need his help getting back out! "Endymion… I'm supposed to be helping him…."

"Daddy says I can get rid of the bad energy with his crystal. Then, you can be his brother again!"

Zoisite paused at this, his brain mulling over the child's explanation, attempting to dissect it like something sitting upon a lab table. "His crystal, the Kinzuishou, the one he used to heal Jadeite and Nephrite. Queen Beryl can't locate them anymore…" he murmured, replaying the story Nephrite had told him through his mind, even as he watched the child pull a small golden stone out from under his shirt, holding it out between his two hands.

Zoisite knelt down, so he was eye-level with the child. Was this really Endymion's kid? He sure looked like him, watching him with those large, expectant eyes… holding the stone out like an offering… an offering of freedom. Nephrite had told him to get out, to go to Endymion. Was this what he meant? And what about Kunzite? Well, surely, they would try to get him out too. Anyway, anything that caused him to entirely forget the danger his brothers were in couldn't possibly be a good thing. "I want… to serve Endymion." Zoisite decided, right hand reaching out tentatively to rest over top of the glowing golden stone. The man closed his eyes as the bright golden light encircled him... moments later, he was gone.

Little Mamo looked over his shoulder just in time to see Akemi blink out of existence for the span of a second before coming back solid again. His little face lit up excitedly. One of his brothers was back to normal. Looking around at the other three, however, he frowned once more. "Don't worry," he told them with a confident smile. Closing his eyes, Mamo turned his attention back to the tiny stone in his hands. "Kinzuishou, please, protect my daddy and his brothers." A second time, the Kinzuishou lit up, its power causing a faint golden aura to surround the child briefly before the energy seemed to sink down… directly in to the Earth beneath his feet…

Takeshi's brows furrowed. Truth be told, he was uncertain as to what exactly the child had accomplished, although it was clear he had accomplished something. What he was certain of, however, was that he was needed elsewhere… IMMEDIATELY. With four of the boys, including Mamo himself, still on the verge of fading away, he needed to get them out of here before he could get where he needed to be. Entering the battlefield, Takeshi called to the boys. "Boys. Come on. We need to go. Now!"

He could feel the eyes of every last one of the Senshi starring at him… particularly those which had actually seen him in person before… those being Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Mars. However, there just wasn't time for long explanations – or even short ones for that matter – at that very moment in time. Thus, he simply gathered the boys, swung his staff once, and disappeared with the boys in toe… leaving a very confused set of Sailor Senshi behind.

"… who in the world was that?" It was, of course, Uranus who had spoken. Uranus was, of course, unfamiliar with both Takeshi as well as the boys. Actually, come to think of it, she had seen two of them while visiting at Santorin Katashi's house… however, what she was familiar with was that staff. As to how she was familiar with it, even she herself was unclear. She knew that she had seen before though. She didn't know where, but she knew for certain she had seen it…

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Across town, a young man in Tokyo General Hospital groaned quietly. Unlike Kanedai Ryuu and Santorin Masato before him, he didn't wake up with a fear response. He hadn't come straight from a near-death experience, as had Ryuu, nor had he gone into it unexpectedly, as had Masato. Thus, he awoke quietly and without immediately alerting the nurses with a dramatic increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Fukami Yasou woke up quietly, pausing for a moment to gain his bearing before opening his eyes. A hospital. Of course. That was exactly what Jadeite and Nephrite had woken up to. He was okay… it was okay. Now, he just needed to get to his brothers…

The nurses in the station nearby were alerted suddenly, as Fukami Yasou's heart monitor flat-lined. Not having expected one of the young men to up and die on them unexpectedly, the nurses were caught off guard. A trauma team was called and a flurry of activity rushed into the room… only to find Yasou's bed empty, the tubes and such things that had been attached to him hanging limply over the bed. "What…?!" A young nurse wondered in confusion.

A more experienced nurse, however, went immediately to the nearest phone to call out a Code Grey for a runaway, potentially-combative patient. The hospital floors were put on lock down and the nurses and doctors went off in search of their runaway patient…

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Dark Kingdom

Friday, April 30, 1993

In the meantime, and at the same time the Senshi were battling against Zoisite, Endymion and Jadeite began making their way silently through the darkened hallways of Queen Beryl's palace. For once, Jadeite was actually glad for the eerie and oppressive darkness. It was a good cloak, most especially for Endymion, whose uniform was primarily black. It was no wonder he was so good at blending in with the shadows, although he suspected part of that might be remnants of training he had received from Nephrite back in his first lifetime.

Jadeite, knowing the terrain better than his companion, had taken the lead. As quietly as possible, the pair found their way to the end of the hallway Zoisite had left them in. They had to stop here, as heavy footsteps could be heard echoing down the opposite hallway. Jadeite pressed himself up against the wall, holding his breath. He knew those footsteps. Kunzite. He had never been able to get past Kunzite undetected. Not once, and believe you me, he had tried.

Prince Endymion stepped back into a shadow and watched as the man approached, coming out from the direction of the dungeon. The man was in a fine state. His multiple-lifetime's worth of training ran so deep; he was usually of the sort that walked in perfect silence even when he was not thinking about it. For his steps to echo through the halls that way, he had to be angry enough that he wanted to be heard. The echo of the steps let everyone in the nearby vicinity know to steer clear or risk being faced with his wrath.

One stray youma, unfortunately, didn't get the message. He came out of a neighboring hallway, and damn near crashed right into the man. Kunzite didn't even look up. His hand rose up, pointed towards the creature's chest… and moments later, it was no more. While he stood there, he gave a sideways glance in the direction of the hall where Jadeite and Endymion were hidden. He looked, narrowed his eyes like he knew something was up… and then kept walking, his steps more muffled than they had been only moments before, but still not perfectly silent.

"Wow. I wonder what's got him in such a good mood?" Jadeite peaked around the corner, watching with baited breath until Kunzite disappeared. Letting out a breath of relief, he motioned for Endymion to follow. Quickly but quietly, they made their way up to the open dungeon door, peaked in to make sure no one was on their way up, and began making the decent into the dungeons. The place was quiet… eerily quiet… deathly quiet. It was strange. It was unnerving, and it had the blonde-haired Shitennou sweating at the neck. "Jadeite?"

Jadeite jumped, then looked up as he heard Endymion's voice speak into his mind. He'd been so distracted; he'd damn near forgotten they could do this now. "Eh…sorry. Bad memories." The man gave his prince a wane smile, attempting to reassure him that he was, in fact, alright. Not thrilled, but alright. "Let's find Nephrite and get out of here."

Nodding, Endymion passed the man by, taking the lead as he glanced through the various cells in search of the man. When he got deep enough, however, he heard a faint groan and went that direction. Sure enough, it turned out to be Masato, chained up in a cell that looked as though it had seen better days. Masato's condition aside, I truly do mean, the cell had seen better days. Three creatures, two male and one female, lay collapsed upon the floor, presumably dead. The walls themselves had taken a few hits… and a set of keys lay forgotten in the middle of the floor.

The groan had, of course, come from Masato. The man certainly looked as though he had gone through an ordeal. His body was worn out from what he had been through in the hours since being brought here. He was tired and thirsty. One wrist was chained to the wall. The other wore a shackle with a chain attached, but the part of the chain that was supposed to attach to the wall had been blasted so that it ended up giving the man a minuscule amount of freedom. Masato had been trying to use his newfound 'freedom' to get at least one limb far enough out to get hold of the keys left behind on the floor.

Bending down, Endymion picked them up. Still bent down, he raised his head to meet Masato's gaze. Still stretched out, straining to reach the place where the key had once been, the brunette starred at Endymion in shock, as though he was sure he must be looking at a mirage. Masato followed his prince's every moment with his eyes, as he stood up and as he stepped closer, as though looking away might cause the man to disappear completely. He didn't say anything at first, just hung there catching his breath until… he heard Endymion's voice break through into his mind.

"Nephrite? Nephrite, are you all right?" Masato's brows knitted together uncertainly. The man seemed to be in shock or something of the like. So finally, Endymion decided to try speaking to him verbally. Handing the keys off to Jadeite, he motioned for the man to get Masato free while he focused on the man himself. "Nephrite." Endymion put an arm around him to make sure he wasn't going to fall down once he was released. "We are here, Nephrite."

The sound of the man's voice combined with the touch of his hand upon his back must have convinced Masato that Endymion and Jadeite were, in fact, real and not just figments of his imagination. "Endymion-sama." He acknowledged, a look of relief making its way across his face, before it quickly gave way to concern. "You… you shouldn't be here!" He hissed out in a whisper. What the hell was Jadeite doing, bringing their prince into this place?! With the hand Jadeite had just freed, Masato tried to reach up and whack the young man in the back of the head.

For once, Jadeite managed to anticipate him and duck out of the way before his brother could complete the scolding. "Don't worry. We aren't staying." Going around the other side, Jadeite went ahead and detached that shackle as well, even though it was no longer attached to anything. Switching to his mental voice, he questioned. "What the ever-living hell happened in here?"

"Kunzite." Masato answered, causing both Jadeite and Endymion both to stare around the cell once more in shock. The man shook his head. "I don't know. One minute I'm in pain. The next… I open my eyes and Kunzite's blasting the lot of them. One more good shot and he'd have blasted me free of those damned chains. I swear… I thought he was going to kill me next, but… I guess he came to his senses. He left out in a hurry, dropped the keys on the floor on his way out…"

"That doesn't sound like Kunzite… losing control like that." Jadeite observed, as he made his way back to Masato's side, so he could help Endymion with supporting him. It did somewhat explain the sour mood Kunzite had been in when they saw him in the hallway, however.

"Let's discuss it later. Right now, we need to find a way out." Endymion told them, gaining an agreeing nod from the pair. Together, they made their way out of the cell and back in the direction of the stairs. "Do either of you know the way out of this place… seeing as how teleporting is not viable option and Zoisite is not here to help us out?"

Biting his lower lip, Jadeite nodded. "I remember, but getting out undetected won't be easy."

Once they got safely up to the top of the stairs and into a semi-secluded hallway, Masato decided he felt stable enough to try and stand on his own. They let the man lean up against the wall to catch his breath before getting started again. Once he had collected himself, he made a suggestion. "We can't… teleport out of the Dark Kingdom, but we ought to be able to at least teleport directly to the door. Then, we just escape out into the arctic and teleport home."

"Nephrite, you are brilliant." Endymion praised the man gratefully. That plan sounded a lot easier than trying to sneak through the palace and get there the long way.

"Assuming no one is going in or out of the door at the time we appear..." Jadeite pointed out.

"No one goes out that door. The Arctic Circle isn't exactly a great place for sightseeing, dumb ass." Masato returned rudely, unhappy that Ryuu had managed to find a small flaw in his plan and in too much pain to even consider reaching for the self-control required not to be snappish right then.

Nevertheless, in the end, the men decided to take the risk and teleport directly to the door. At least, if they did run into someone, they would be that much closer to the exit. Gathering together, the men pooled their energy and teleported… directly in front of the door to the exit… where they found none other than Kunzite standing there waiting for them.

As to why he was standing there, Kunzite himself was not entirely certain of the answer. He had noticed the pair in the hall and wagered that they would most likely end up coming this way, but was he there to help them or to stop them? Part of him said one; part of him said the other, and the two sides warred with each other. His heart was still Endymion's but his mind was all Beryl's. He couldn't harm his prince, but couldn't let his queen's prisoners escape. He began to power up.

Masato's heart began to race. Every time Kunzite had entered the dungeons, something bad had happened. First, Kunzite would enter. Then, he would disappear into the shadows. Then, the pain would start. Masato felt his mouth go dry as a sense of fear took over. Something inside him sparked. His prince was here. He was in danger. He had to protect him… from the pain that Kunzite – at least at the moment – seemed to represent.

That spark inside of him grew, grew until it became a force that escaped his body. A small, green rectangular ring appeared, forming itself upon the man's right hand. The energy continued to grow, encircling itself around him, transforming him back to his old armor, that which he had worn in the time of the Silver Millennium, the time of his service to Prince Endymion. Without so much as a hesitation, Nephrite drew on the adrenaline pumping through his body, combined it with energy he forced up from within, and sent the attack careening at his old commander.

Kunzite's eyes darkened. This was his enemy, his queen's enemy. He sent his energy into his shield, powered it up and sent Nephrite's attack back at him, adding to it some power of his own. Eyes wide, Jadeite pushed Nephrite out of the way, taking the attack and being thrown backwards by the force of it. Nephrite's gaze filled with fear once more. "Jadeite!" An old memory flashed through his mind with a vengeance. "Jadeite! Zoisite!"

"Zoisite isn't here, Nephrite!" Jadeite yelled at him, wondering to himself why the hell he had called out Zoisite's name in the first place but having little time to figure it out. "And…" Damn, that hurt. "I'll survive." Kunzite sure packed a punch, especially when he added his own power to the energies his shield had absorbed. Zoisite could only reflect attacks right as they came at him. His shield didn't absorb attacks. Depending on how long people were willing to keep attacking Kunzite's shield, he could really create some massive attacks with that thing. Grimacing, Jadeite forced himself back up onto his feet. Man, that was going to leave a mark.

Teeth grinding together, Nephrite began to look for more energy… more energy with which to send Kunzite's direction... enough to get through that damned shield.

"Nephrite, stop…!" Jadeite called out to him. "You aren't strong enough to get through that shield, especially not right now. You're only going to make it worse!" Across from him, Kunzite reinforced his shield with more of his own energy, his grey eyes watching Nephrite intently for the moment he decided to send off another attack.

"Nephrite! Kunzite! That's ENOUGH!" As though having been taken over by his past-self, Prince Endymion gave out an order loud enough and firm enough to have made his past-father (and Kunzite's past-father for that matter) proud. It was enough, shockingly, to bring both men up short. Nephrite powered-down first. After an inner battle, his eyes locked firmed upon Endymion's, Kunzite did the same… his shield coming down and his feet planting back upon the floor.

Nephrite, however, wasn't ready to leave it alone… not completely. And, truth be told, he didn't need physical attacks to hit his brother where it hurt… little though he might realize it in a moment of surging anger and passion. "How could you?! Don't think I don't know you were there! Kunzite, how could you just STAND THERE and watch while they did what they did?! Are you even IN THERE?! My BROTHER would NEVER do that to me." Nephrite told the man, acidly, the implications behind his words biting down harder and reaching deeper than any of his attacks could possibly have ever done.

Kunzite closed his eyes…

"Answer me, damn you!" When Kunzite opened his eyes again, Masato was… shocked into silence. Was that… moisture he saw in the man's eyes? "Kunzite…?"

While watching the scene between the two brother's unfold, Prince Endymion felt a strange new sensation touch him. As though it had seeped right up through the ground, a familiar energy touched him. More specifically, it touched something deep inside of him, something which at lain dormant at least his entire life. Like a flame set off by a spark, the energy grew and Endymion's subconscious latched onto by instinct… like muscle-memory. "Kunzite."

Kunzite's attention went to his prince, standing there with one hand outstretched, beaconing. And then, it happened, the thing Beryl had feared might happen should Kunzite and Endymion get too close. Stepping up closer, Nephrite tensing as he did so, Kunzite knelt before his prince, one hand resting over his heart. Endymion's hand came down to rest upon his shoulder. Largely unfamiliar with the power of the Kinzuishou – the present-day Kinzuishou – resting within him and yet having a much greater control of it than his four-year-old future son, Endymion may have overdone it a bit when he let the dam release.

The power from the crystal inside him released, washing over Kunzite and flooding the hall in which the four of them presently stood. The energy seeped down into the floor, into the ceiling and the walls… all of them capable of absorbing energy for the one to whom the palace truly belonged, Metallia. The unseen force drank up the warm, beautiful energy while Endymion remained unawares, his eyes locked upon Kunzite until the moment when he no longer felt the weight of the man's shoulder beneath his hand… when he disappeared from view.

"Uh… Endymion?" Jadeite tried, once Kunzite was out of view. "Highness?"

Endymion looked back.

"The door is locked…"

The sensation of dark energy around them was just starting to build and the three men were just starting to be concerned, when a new presence entered the area. Meioh Takeshi, entering time at exactly the moment he thought was best to prevent catastrophic consequences. "Who in the….?!" Jadeite started before Endymion cut him off.

"You again…?" Although just as confused as Jadeite, Endymion did – at the very least – recognize the man's face.

"Eh… yeah. Long story. Promise I will tell you more about it… later. But right now, we really need to get you three out of here." With a wave of his staff, Takeshi created a portal leading from where they were now back into Mamoru's apartment. The three starred at him uncertainly at first. "Go! Please…" Finally, they listened… moving quickly through the portal and onto the other side. The portal closed behind them, taking the Dark Kingdom and the strange young man with it.

Almost instantly after that, Nephrite collapsed upon the couch, his transformation leaving him. The poor man passed out before his head ever hit the couch cushion…