AN: I have no excuse, except that I lost all momentum and motivation for this story for no reason whatsoever. I'm like that, unfortunately, I go through phases of being into something and then I switch to something else. Last year it was knitting, scrapbooking and games. This year its crocheting, games and manga. I mean, come on, right?
So I apologise profusely for the wait. I also thank profusely those of you who have taken time to PM mere here, on Deviantart or at live journal. Thanks so much guys, you know who you are and its because of you I've started this again.
On that note this chapter is dedicated to RKF22 because you wouldn't leave me alone, and so I updated. Well done!
As always, I ADORE constructive criticism. I am not a critical person when it comes to my own work, so when someone points something out I get all happy because a) they've been paying attention ^_^ and b) I can get better at this stuff with your help. I want to publish something someday guys, so be picky please!
Mars glared across at Malady, fists clenched and jaw thrust forward in a manner that she knew made her look obstinate – Jadeite himself had told her so many times.
Malady smiled at her, "So I do get to fight a Sailor Scout? Excellent!"
"Not just a scout." Jadeite stepped up beside Mars, making her jump, "You'll be fighting a General as well."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Mars gaped at him, while Malady stared in surprise.
Jadeite gave her a look that told her she was being obtuse. It was a look she remembered from a thousand years ago - a look that made her blush.
Angry with him (and the red she could feel creeping up her cheeks), she snapped out, "I didn't ask for your help, thanks so much!"
Jadeite grinned his lovely, boyish grin, "So what?"
"So I don't need it! Go and guard Endymion or something. Wave your sword around at a bad guy. Whatever. Just don't do it here."
Jadeite looked insulted, "I can't leave a woman alone in this kind of situation, especially not you!"
"A woman?" Raye snarled, clenching her fists, unable to believe he could make a comment like that after meeting the Sailor Scouts – to a Sailor Scout, no less! ""You are so sexist! And why not me especially? You of all people know I can take care of myself!"
"Look, Raye, don't argue, please? I'm here you help you, please?"
"Why?" Mars hadn't missed his use of his name, but ignored it for a moment, suddenly intensely curious.
"Because I-" Jadeite broke off, going crimson, "Just 'cause. Ok?"
"No, not ok. Explain." Mars snapped and folded her arms.
Jadeite winced, and then sighed, "Look, Raye, I know how stubborn you are. But you know I am just as stubborn. So let's work together and defeat her, and then we can catch up to the others. I'll wave my sword around, you do whatever it is that you do... and you never have to speak to me again." He finished bitterly.
Mars opened her mouth to tell him that wasn't what she wanted at all, but found herself snapping out; "Fine!"
"Fine!" Jadeites eyes showed the hurt he felt at her curt agreement as well as anger, but he nodded and they both turned to the Doom and Gloom girl, who –
Was gone.
"Where the hell is she?" Jadeite and Mars demanded of each other in unison, and then glared at each other,
"How should I know?" again, they spoke in unison.
"Are you done yet?" came the laconic voice of Malady from above.
Their heads snapped up. Directly on top of them, floating on her wings with eerie grace was their foe. She smirked at them, unable to hide her sinister amusement.
"Don't let me stop you. Quite amusing, you are. I'd call you an old married couple if I didn't know any better." She commented snidely.
"WHAT!" shrieked from two voices simultaneously.
"How dare you-?" snarled Mars, clenching her fists and apparently unaware of the crackling fire engulfing them. Beside her, Jadeite looked down at the fire surrounding her hands and edged away a little. Raye had never been a pushover, but Mars when she was angry was murderous – and she had a tendency to singe whoever got too close when she lost control.
Mars flung up a hand, palm facing towards Malady, and a stream of fire swallowed Malady – or it would have had she not barrel-rolled mid-air to avoid it.
Unfortunately for Malady, she barrel-rolled straight into the jet of yellow fire that streamed from Jadeite's sword. She shrieked and batted the flames that sprung up in her hair, putting them out almost immediately.
There was a strange instant, as Malady tried to recover, when Mars and Jadeite looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, not quite cocky enough to turn from their foe, but grinning at each other nonetheless. It had been a long time since they worked together against an enemy.
And though neither would admit this out loud (ever), they acknowledged it deep inside themselves.
But they had missed this. Missed each other. This felt right.
The moment passed and they moved in tandem, Jadeite swooping to the left and Mars dashing to the right, both of them firing off short, hot bursts of flame towards Malady.
Malady managed to avoid both shots this time, but only by pulling some serious gymnastic moves mid air. Two enemies, acting from opposite directions, was not something she was equipped to handle.
They circled her, giving her no room to move with their little bursts of fire. The Scout was troublesome since she could create fire with no magical device help. The general, however, was relying on his magical sword. Malady made a snap decision and rolled away from one of Mars' bursts of fire before diving with blinding speed at the general. Jadeite threw up his sword to deflect what he thought would be a physical blow, only to have the sword ripped from his hand by the fairy-like creature and flung with one-handed super-strength away from the fight. He let out a gasp of surprise as she hurled a burst of crackling black power at his chest with the other hand.
Jadeite grunted, and Mars screamed wordlessly as he was flung backwards several metres to land on his back. For a beat he lay still and Mars felt her breath freeze in her chest, but then he groaned and rolled to his feet and she could breathe again.
She growled and flung a sustained burst of flame at Malady, following her with the jet as her enemy darted away.
Goddamn it. Mars thought angrily, she's too fast, and my fire's projectiles can't change direction once I've shot them. Once upon a time I would have been able to curl the fire around after her with a thought but I haven't got enough control anymore! What am I going to do?
Sailor Mercury plodded along next to Zoisite, keeping a careful eye on her mother and friends. And a wary eye on Serena. She felt guilty about the distrust she was displaying, but really, there was no way about it. She just wasn't sure what to make of this new, composed and self-assured and quiet (since when was Serena quiet?) Serena.
Mercury was a neat person. A concise, precise person. She neatly labelled people and things with categories in her mind. And most of the time the people stayed in the boxes she put them in. Sometimes she'd have to relabel someone, but that was easy.
This was hard. She frowned. Serena had previously belonged to the category of 'Good-friend-who-has-less-of-an-IQ-than-me-but-I-love-her-any-way' box. A mouthful, but it described Serena perfectly. And while Mercury was aware that there weren't many people who were as smart as her and that therefore the name 'less-IQ-than-me' wasn't really necessary, it was descriptive.
Serena had also belonged to the category 'doesn't-know-about-Negaverse- and-must-be-protected-from-evil-doers' box. The box that contained all Mercury's precious people in this life, her mother, friends and the rest of her family. But now...
Both boxes had been exploded. Not only did Serena know about the Negaverse, it seemed she was a bit of an expert. It also seemed that Serena was a lot smarter than she had been letting on. Mercury felt a stab of pain as she wondered whether or not Serena had actually needed her help with catching up with her school work or if she had been faking. Serena was smart enough to keep her true identity from everyone, including her parents, it seemed. Which, considering how Mercury had managed it, wasn't that hard, but Amy, Raye, Lita and Mina all had secret identities too. They would have seen any of the minute clues or traits that they themselves exhibited in someone else.
They hadn't seen anything in Serena. She had surprised them utterly.
Which, Mercury reasoned, was probably the point. Who would suspect an almost-dropout to be a super-hero? Now, a psychic, a combat prodigy, a genius and a wealthy media darling... they all had aspects that could be called 'special' and no one would be surprised if they turned out to be heroes in a movie. But a sixteen-year old whose only achievement was surviving a car crash? Nope.
Mercury resisted the temptation to stamp her foot, and instead chewed her lip worriedly. She hated not knowing things. Not suspecting things was even worse. Re-categorising people was even worse than that! And what must Serena think of her now? To see her friend the supposed genius floored by her revelation?
Beside her, Zoisite glanced at her and saw her pensive look, and grinned. He knew her well enough to guess at what she was worrying at.
He poked her in the side, making her squeak in surprise.
"Stop worrying about it." he told her, "Use your energy to worry about what happens next if you insist on worrying, but don't worry about her."
Mercury tried very, very hard to glare at him but failed completely. Every time she looked at him her heart filled with glee that she found hard to contain. He was back, with her, he was fine, and they were fine. Well, things were a little bit more complicated than that, but really, they didn't need to be.
But then there were the others. Raye, Lita and Mina were struggling with the return of their boys. She could see it clearly in the way Raye had looked at everyone except Jadeite. In the way Lita was more aggressive than normal. In the way Mina was quieter than she should have been as leader.
She sighed, making Zoisite glance at her worriedly.
It took Jadeite five long painful minutes to retrieve his sword. During that time, Mars took on Malady on her own with very little effect. By the time the blond general had returned to her side, she was tired, sore and majorly pissed off.
Mars flung another handful of fire at her enemy, glowering as Jadeite leapt forwards with his sword to clash twice with the Doom and Gloom girl in midair – an unbelievable display of his prowess that Mars wouldn't have believed if she hadn't known he was capable of it before-hand – and land easily on the uneven ground nearby.
"This isn't working." Jadeite muttered as he straightened from his landing crouch.
"I noticed." Mars bit out, and then bit her lip, thinking hard.
Jadeite rolled his eyes at her vitriol, "Our fire projectiles can't change direction once we've fired them, and if we power them up too much they tend to slow quickly. Its too easy for her to dodge." He went on as if she hadn't spoken.
Mars glared at the hovering Doom and Gloom Girl, who smirked back at her with a twisted lip. Oh, just you wait, Mars thought at the fairy-creature-slut, just you wait till I burn that smirk off your stupid, pretty face.
What really pissed Mars off was that while she was getting sweaty and mussing up her hair, Malady looked as fresh as if she had just started the day.
Damn it.
"There's gotta be something!" she burst out angrily.
Of course there is. She told herself sternly as she flung another inferno in the direction of her foe. You just have to find it. What can you use from the Millennium? What attack could you actually manage from those days as you are now?
Malady dodged her fire burst easily. Of course she did. She always does.
Mars sighed and flung her hand out, again calling her magic to form flame, and stopped as something clicked in her mind.
Oh... she thought numbly, staring at her hand, duh.
Jadeite saw his soul mate pause as he leapt into the battle again, and as he clashed – again successfully with the fairy-like-creature- her claws were as good defensive weapons as they were offensive- he did little damage and by the time he had landed Mars was grinning that feral, no-holds-barred grin that signalled a descent from mere 'Flamage' Mars to 'Inferno' Mars. He blinked at her and for a second he swore he could see her as she had been in the Silver Millennium. Powerful. Confident. Strong.
"My turn." She told him, and moved forwards with the confidence of that other Sailor Mars, the one from their past. Jadeite got out of the way, even bowed a little as he did it out of reflex.
Malady saw Mars coming and noticed the purposeful step of the crimson scout.
"Oh, a challenge at last, perhaps?" She cooed sweetly, fluttering her wings as if she were batting her eyelashes.
Mars snarled at her, "You bethca fat ass!" And leapt a super-powered leap straight into the air in front of Malady.
Malady snorted as the red scout flung several bursts of fire at her from midair, "My ass isn't a polite topic of conversation. And you've tried that before!" she told the scout, "It didn't work then-" she broke of as Mars herself came spinning in towards her – and tried to dodge to the left, only to find a barrage of fireballs in the way.
"Burn in hell you stupid cow!" Mars roared, and her entire body caught alight with her flame.
Jadeite watched, open-mouthed from the ground, as Mars wreathed herself in her own flame, becoming nothing more than a fiery shape in the dark sky as she closed in on her enemy.
Malady again tried to dodge, but Mars found it an easy thing to throw another handful of blistering fireballs in her way, forcing her to brake in midair.
The inferno that was Mars collided with Malady an instant later, her spinning kick slamming into the creatures' side and burning her deeply for an instant before flinging her to the ground with such terrific force that Jadeite staggered backwards as the shock wave rolled over him. A cloud of dust rose, and the ground cracked outwards in a spider web fashion from the point of impact.
He wasted no time dwelling on the awesomeness of his girl, however, and leapt straight into the air, jumping straight at Mars who was floating as if she had her own wings.
"My turn!" he called and was rewarded with a battle-powered, mega-watt smile that knocked the air out of him for an instant.
Mars caught him by the arm, used his own momentum to swing him up, then around, then down, letting go and sending him shooting with incredible speed straight down towards the downed Doom and Gloom girl.
He angled his sword for her heart, and his speed was such that when he struck the ground shook. Mars watched silently from the sky as the cloud of dust and debris spewed up from the ground, obscuring Jadeite from her view, followed quickly by a large yellow fireball. She wasn't worried, she told herself as she scanned the cloud, the idiot could take care of himself.
Jadeite reappeared after a moment, grinning wickedly, singed and covered with soot and dust, but his bright eyes glowed for the first time since she had seen him again. Mars let the super heated air under her cool and lowered herself to the ground. She had forgotten that particular move of hers even before the end of the Silver Millennium. It wasn't one she used much, wearing a skirt made flying awkward, to say the very least.
Jadeite came towards her, his eyes suddenly serious and intent on her own startled gaze. Mars found herself backing up suddenly, unaccountably frightened by that look, even as she was held transfixed by it. She didn't move fast enough; Jadeite's arms went around her, he twisted her off her feet and-
Serena watched her friends carefully as she led them over the now barren, dusty terrain. The fields of rocks had given way to dunes of soft, black gravel that shifted like sand underfoot, and it made the going difficult. It slipped underfoot and it was hard to keep your balance. Consequentially they had to stop and rest more often.
Endymion walked beside her, alert for any danger so she felt safe enough to drop back a little and talk to Mercury, who had been suspiciously quiet as of late.
"So, Amz, whats up? Besides the obvious, I mean. You've been pretty quiet."
Mercury threw her a strange look, but responded warmly enough, "I'm alright. Just tired, I guess. You don't get much sleep in a Nega-cell, believe me."
Serena winced at the reminder of what her friend had been through, "Yeah, about that, are you ok?" she asked quietly.
Mercury exchanged a glance with Zoi who was hovering protectively nearby, and her lip twitched a little as Serena watched, "We're fine." The blunette assured her friend.
Serena nodded and there was an awkward silence, punctuated only by the crunching of feet on gravel.
"Where you a Lunar Agent when we met?" Mercury asked at last.
Serena nodded, "Yes, but only just."
"And that car crash you were in, was that anything to do with the Negaverse?"
A tense silence fell over the group as Mercury asked this question and Serena became aware of her parents and Endymion listening closely for her answer.
"No," she responded, "No, that was just plain old human stupidity. My unnatural healing abilities may have started then, I'm not sure, but no, there was nothing supernatural about that crash. Mores the pity. It's easier to blame things like that on magic than human stupidity."
Mercury agreed, but declined to comment and again an awkward silence fell.
"So..." Serena said at last, "I'm sorry."
Mercury blinked at her, "What for?"
"For not telling you about who I am. I can see its thrown you a bit."
"More than you finding out about me being a Sailor Scout?"
"Well," Serena admitted, grinning a bit, "I'll concede I got a bit of a shock. Mild mannered Amy, a Sailor Scout? And not just a Sailor, but Sailor Mercury, the ice-cool super-genius Really?"
Mercury smiled a trifle coolly, "Those who underestimate me don't tend get a second chance."
"And you just happened to move to Tokyo with your mother and start school the day Sailor Moon first appeared." Serena added dryly, "Some coincidence that is."
Mercury frowned, "I had noticed that. Lita, Mina and I are all new to the area, whereas you and Raye had been around for a long time. Its too much of a coincidence for us to become scouts and friends, isn't it?"
Serena nodded, then shrugged, "Destiny, I guess."
"Or Sailor Moon pulling strings?"
Serena snorted, "I doubt it. She's not that manipulative. Or clever." Endymion shot her an amused look over his shoulder. Luna snorted something uncomplimentary under her breath.
"Maybe." Mercury didn't sound convinced, and silence fell yet again.
"It's alright." She said after a while, surprising Serena, who glanced up.
"I forgive you. After all, I didn't tell you who I was either."
Serena smiled, the warmth of the grin dazzling Mercury into stillness, just for a second, and for that instant, she wasn't talking to Serena, but someone else, someone she loved dearly, someone she desperately wanted to see again.
Serenity?
The moment passed and Mercury was left blinking, astounded at herself.
Zoisite must have noticed the change in her posture, because his hand was on her shoulder, "Mercury?" he asked anxiously.
Mercury shook him off, and stepped towards Serena, who had stopped when she had, taken aback by Mercury's sudden stillness.
Mercury clamped her hands on Serena's arms, just above the elbows. Serena blinked in shock.
"You-" Mercury started, only to find her throat closing up, "You!" she shook Serena weakly.
She couldn't form the words properly. She stared into those crystalline blue eyes, seeing the past and present melding into one and opening and shutting her mouth like a fish.
She twisted to face Zoisite without letting go of her princess, intending to fill him in on her revelation, only to find him hiding a smirk – oh! That rat fink! He already knew! She spun to Endymion then, to check that he knew too – and he was grinning at them. She turned to Luna, who had a slight smirk on her face. She knew too. Mercury stared around in shock for a second then realised that their families and friends were watching, flabbergasted – except for Grandpa Hino who seemed to be suppressing laughter. What, even the old pervert knows?
She turned back to Serena, realised that she was gripping her friend tightly, and let go.
"Am I the last to know?" she squeaked out, at last coherent enough to form words.
Serenity's eyes were filled with worry, relief and – was that fear?
"No, you're the first one to figure it out." The princess spoke hurriedly, clasping Mercury's gloved hands, "I'm so sorry Amy, I wanted to tell you so many times, but there were so many reasons to keep quiet and then-" she stopped herself, taking a deep breath, watching Mercury's face carefully, "Then I got more and more frightened of how you guys would react when I finally did tell you."
Mercury stared at her, so many things adding together, and making sense at last. The warm relationship between Serena and Darien, Sailor Moon's protectiveness, Serena's fear.
Fear. It was showing in Serenity's eyes now, Mercury felt a lump grow in her throat. Her princess was scared of how she was going to react to this.
"Tell them what?" Serena's mother asked curiously.
Mercury shook herself, "Nothing." She said quietly, "It's alright. I just remembered meeting Serena in the Millennium, that's all."
What was she going to do? Tell Serena's family that their daughter was a dead Lunar Princess? That was Serena's job, when they were safe and home.
"This presents a complication, though." She said, tugging Serena's arm until the Princess-dressed-as-an-Agent walked next to her as they all moved off. She was also, Serena noted worriedly, hiding a smug grin.
"What's that?" Serena asked warily.
Mercury shoty her a wrt look, "You promised Mars that next time you had a life-altering secret you'd tell her first. I don't want to be around when she finds out you didn't."
Beryl watched the end of the fight between sailor Mars and Malady from her throne in the centre of her court. Around her creatures of her court, both humanoid and monster were waiting restlessly for her orders. her lip curled in disgust as Malady met her end, causing many to shrink away from her. Really, these Nega-creatures were useless. Humans were much better tools – much hardier. Once upon a time, she had baulked at the use of humans, but those days were long gone. Once she had been a human, but those days were long gone too. For a second she longed for her days as a simple earthen woman, but only for a second. Power has a price, she reminded herself, and I paid it gladly.
She watched as Jadeite – her Jadeite! – tipped Sailor Mars off her feet and kissed her passionately.
"Disgusting." She growled, curling her hands into fists so tight that her nails bit deep into her skin. Dark blood welled up from between her pale, clenched fingers and dripped onto the arms of her black throne.
"Your Majesty?" asked the last Doom and Gloom Girl tentatively from where she stood in the shadows, ready to be dispatched. Beryl regarded her for a second. She was the last Doom and Gloom Girl Beryl had, and the strongest. But the Sailor Scout were proving to be much more of a match for her this time round than they had in the past. Damn those stupid, disloyal, human generals! They had been far too easy to brainwash, and now she was paying for her laxness where they were concerned. She had indulged their handsome faces a little too much, she felt now. She glared down at the Dark Crystal that showed the main group of escapees. They had made remarkable time, crossing the black snow plains and tundra of rocks. It would be less than an hour before they were practically on her doorstep.
She smiled, and those of her court still nearby shrunk from that smile, shaking with dread.
"Vicera. You are to kill Sailor Mercury. General Zoisite too, if you can manage it." Beryl told the creature, who started a little,
"Ma'am? General Zoi as well?"
"YES!" roared Beryl, "KILL THE TRAITOR!"
Vicera bowed, "Yes, your majesty!" and fled.
Beryl leant back in her throne, her mind filling once again with the memories of long ago, and she clenched her hands, staring balefully into the distance.
"Serenity," she promised yet again, "I will wipe you from existence for what you have done to me."
Mercury's computer beeped and she glanced down at it.
"Another one." she announced, and squared her shoulders, "My turn, I guess."
"And me." Zoisite interjected immediately, sending a questioning glance at Endymion who nodded reassuringly, not about to stop the General from accompanying his soul mate.
"No!" Mercury's mother cried, "This isn't- this can't be!"
"Mum," Mercury smiled gently, "Mum, this is something I have to do. Something I was born to do. Created to do. I'll be fine. Zoisite will be with me."
Her mother started to cry, "I hate this!" she sobbed, "I only just got you back! I can't be alone again!"
Mercury took a deep breath and grabbed her mum's shoulders, shaking her gently, "Mum, snap out of it, ok? You've got to be strong. I'm built for this – just like you're always saying the mind is made to be used, right? I'm made to fight evil. It's a much a part of me as breathing."
"Poetic." Commented Hayate from where he slouched his usual slouch, though the look in his eyes belied his calm manner. Amy was a sweet, quiet kid. Out of all the girls, she was the one he had the least amount of faith in. Mars' temper obviously made her a contender, and Serena and Jupiter's strength and speed lent them advantages in battle. Venus had a powerful look in her eyes, but Mercury... Mercury was a small, skinny, staid bookworm. Not a superhero. Even with the buff, geeky guy by her side, could she take on one of these nasties?
Serena rolled her eyes at him. Mercury ignored him and watched her mother.
Her mother took great gasping sobs to calm herself, seeing the calm resolve in her daughters eyes.
"But I'm frightened for you." She whispered to her little girl,
Mercury's eyes softened, and she smiled and Dr Mizuno was suddenly struck by how much her daughter had grown up lately, and then reminded herself this little girl was actually closer to thirty than fifteen.
"It'll be ok, I promise." Mercury said gently.
Her mother thought about it for a long second, and turned as the last Doom and Gloom girl appeared over a dune of black sand. For a second the doctor looked like she was going to start crying again. Then she sucked in e deep breath and turned back to her daughter.
"You kick her ass, sweetie." She told her daughter, and moved away with the others.
Serena paused long enough to squeeze Mercury's hand as she went passed, "Take care of each other." She told the pair, and then caught up with Darien and her family.
The creature stood waiting for them off to one side. Her pale orange skin and bright orange bikini standing out against the dark backdrop of the Negaverse around them. Her hair was long, and curly, and she wore a jewelled tiara like the other Doom and Gloom Girls. She didn't look cold, or uncomfortable in her outfit. She was smirking. She had scars on her right arm. Mercury processed all this, as well as the overly muscled legs, skinny arms by comparison and glowing jewels on her rings.
"So, I'm fighting you?" The creature asked in a strangely American drawl. "Alrighty then. I'm Vicera."
"Assessment?" Zoisite asked in an undertone from beside Mercury, "Jewels on her rings. Filled with dark energy, I'd say." He added quickly, as always.
Mercury nodded, he never let much slip by, "Muscled legs, skinny arms. Uses legs more as weapons, arms for magic." She told him her conclusions softly.
"Wings. Flight will make this difficult." He grumbled quietly, without taking his eyes of Vicera.
"Can't see a focus point for her spells though. You'd think she'd have one, most Nega-creeps do, right?"
He nodded, "They can't channel spiritual energy like we humans can, and they have to steal it from others. Should have a focus point for that somewhere. Usually they're small, like a jewel embedded into the skin or something to act as a conduit for their physical energy and mix it with the stolen energy – in this case, the stolen energy she's stockpiled in those rings." He sighed.
"Could one of her rings be a disguised focus point?" Mercury asked softly.
Zoisite was about to answer when Vicera, who had been tapping her foot impatiently, snapped out, "Oi! Ya pair o' pansies! Are we gonna do this or what?"
There was a beat of silence, as both Scout and General paused and looked askance at each other.
"Oh, she didn't..."
Mercury frowned, "Actually, she really did."
Zoisite unsheathed his sword, its icy blade sending puffs of cold steam into the air, "Pansy."
Mercury flicked her fingers and a shaft of ice appeared in her gloved hand, sparkling, "If there's a word we hate."
"Its 'pansy." Zoiiste finished, stalking forwards.
"If there's a thing we hate." Mercury continued, circling to the left.
"It's being underestimated because you think we're geeks!" Zoisite finished.
"Don't estimate us!" they finished together and charged the monster.
AN: Worth the wait I hope?
See you next time!