Celestial Warrior Moon:
Disclaimer:I do not own any Sailor Moon related properties. Sailor Moon is the property of Toei Animation and Naoko Takeuchi. This is a fan work created to celebrate the opus. It is not intended to infringe on any copyrights.
Drew L.: You can tell? ;) Yeah, this is the longest action-based set of chapters I've done so far.
LoveInTheBattleField: Always!
Ash Devil Sadist: As always, thank you for posting well thought out reviews. They really help me a lot. You've made me think to cover certain things I'd have otherwise not even thought to consider at all.
Chapter 24
Darkening Skies
"Seriously?" Takeshi grumbled at the men in black.
He turned to the old man who had arrived leading them.
"Don't you dare tell me that you've stopped my press conference in the middle just to warn me of some mumbo-jumbo threat!" Takeshi Hino snarled.
"It's no mumbo-jumbo, I can assure you," Myddin replied. "You have been taken back behind the safety of these doors for good reason. The person who began to the park and zoo animals' rampage was very clear that he was coming here. The Japanese government is very like his target. The other councilors have been told to go home and some have already started. I would recommend you do the same."
"All the more reason I should be out there finishing my speech!" Takeshi argued. "I'm not going to cower in the corner when threatened! I will not just scurry off into some corner. That's weakness, and I'm a politician. I can't afford to display such a quality! I have just as many enemies who'll kill me by taking support away from my campaigns if they think I'll back down as I have ones who want to take my life."
"Then don't, but you also have the safety of your voters to think about," Myddin countered, hoping that'd get through.
Takeshi blustered for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.
"Alright, I will formally address the issue. Now I'm going to go back out there and put my face back in the TV now, even if it is just to give a public evac order!"
"If you insist…" Myddin answered with mock frustration.
No one tried to stop him as Takeshi turned and pushed the double doors of the government building open and stomped back to the podium. Myddin watched as the obstinate man took a risk to handle the situation the way he wanted by stepping right out into the open making a target out of himself. Myddin pressed the earpiece hidden within his ear.
"Councilor Hino is going to order the evacuation, himself, before allowing himself to be taken away to safety. You'll just have to do the best you can when you arrive," he whispered.
"Sheesh. Alright, we're on it. Wren, out."
Hino straightened his suit and cleared his throat. The onlookers from the crowd stared up at him with a mix of impatient and confusion over the interruption.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you will have to forgive me for the sudden interruption, but it seems that a threat has been made against the parliament," he announced.
The audience gasped and began murmuring amongst themselves.
"What kind of threat?" a reporter asked, holding up his microphone.
"We don't know yet, but it has been confirmed that the individuals responsible are also behind the stampeding animals that has been set loose in our fair city," Takeshi answered. "The police are taking every precaution that they can, but the fact is these people having that they're coming here to the government building. We don't know what they want, but it has to be with less than honorable intentions. It's likely the parties involved could be anything from the monsters plaguing our nights to a common group of arsonists. As such, I am going to have to ask everyone to evacuate the area the immediately."
Suddenly, the wind picked up. Hats were blown off heads and women struggled to keep their skirts from flapping up in the breeze.
"Heh heh heh. Too late for that, Councilor Hino," came a voice that seemed to have no point of origin.
The crowd either jumped from being startled or looked around for the source of the voice.
"Wha-?" Takeshi started to ask, but Myddin ran up behind him and dragged him to the ground.
"Get down!" Myddin ordered everything.
"What?" Takeshi yelped, but the reason why made itself clear within seconds.
Just beyond their line sight somewhere in the city, a sound exploded through the air. It was almost identical to that of an oncoming train. People screaming and objects being thrown around could also be heard from that direction.
"Oh, shit, I'm getting' out of here!" somebody shouted.
The gathering exploded into a mad panic and began running in all directions, going so far as climb over cars or run themselves over to get away. The source of their fright then came into view. A small twister about a story tall came thundering around the corner of a building towards them. It had already sucked up several pieces of debris came, but wasn't throwing any of it out. The objects it bore were being kept with conscious purpose.
"Oh, Kami…" Takeshi muttered.
Myddin, in response to the new threat, raised his hand, holding up his middle and index fingers. He began chanting a spell. His fingers began to glow with power. Debris flew at the crowd, expelling from the swirling winds with conscious effort. But instead of flattening the panicking mob, the objects collided with an invisible force. They bounced off it and landed beyond the main crowd causing a lot less damage. Takeshi looked up at this strange old frail-looking man with amazement.
"What are you?" he asked.
"The only person standing between you and death. Now, go, Hino. I will handle this until help arrives," Myddin replied.
Myddin released Takeshi and gripped his out-stretched arm's wrist with his other hand. The light pouring forth from his fingers increased now that Myddin wasn't multitasking. The twister surged forward ramming into Myddin's force field with all its might. The previously invisible field shimmered and seemingly began buckling under the might of its blow. Sweat began pouring down Myddin's brow and he fell onto his knees as his strength failed him. The twister backed and then rammed it again!
This time, it broke through and was on the verge of closing in to suck up any pedestrians too close to it. The light at Myddin's fingers was roused and he slumped down onto his hands as well. In his old age, he was no match for a satyr's magic. Now, he could look on at the coming wall of wind as it closed in to kill him and all these innocents. He closed his eyes in silent resignation of his fate.
Then from behind little funnel of dirt and air formed something else. Just ever so slightly, Myddin heard the faint sound of a harp playing a sweet melody. The sound of water splashing erupted. Myddin opened his eyes and saw what could only be described as a waterspout roaring up behind the first twister. The two collided and the opposite forces of the waterspout cancelled out the first cyclone. Water was thrown all around like rain as the two funnels collapsed.
Myddin shielded his face with his hands as the cold water sprayed him. The cries of surprise and fright broke out from the crowd as they became drenched. The satyr growled at the interruption. His physical form came into view, floating overhead of the fleeing citizens. He was facing away from the government building, staring down the street at four approaching.
Mercury's shoulders sagged and she sighed as they pressed on. Jupiter put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You okay?" Jupiter asked.
"Yeah, it's just…" Mercury paused to take a deep breath. "That took a lot out of me."
"Alright, then, you recover," Wren whispered. "Mask, Jupiter, we're covering her. Let's go."
The redhead ran ahead, leading the charge at the hovering goat man. By now, the streets had largely cleared out of people altogether. The police had taken all of the officials either far away or they were holed up in the basement of the building, and the civilians' were shrinking forms in the distance by now with the exception of a few stragglers. The street was a wide open arena for the two sides right now, and they intended to make full use of it. The satyr grinned at the three incoming assailants.
"You can't be serious," he said.
"Guess again, ugly!" Mask shouted and cut at the air.
A single arched shaped energy blast shot out from his sword. Wren concentrated on casting his own spell while Jupiter had both hands drawn back in fists that were working up static. The satyr instinctively tried to break his body apart, but then found his magicks disrupted. He gasped in shock, but recovered just in time to fly back out of the way of Mask's energy wave.
Mercury started played her harp again. She started playing a slow, solemn tune in preparation of her next attack and gradually sped up. Above, the satyr started playing his pipe again, but Jupiter was quick to intervene.
"I don't think so!" she shouted, leaping up towards him.
She began spinning as she flew up towards her enemy. Mask was quick to dash underneath her the instant she launched herself upwards. First she punched out electrical power before spinning around and unleashing a wave of raw energy. The satyr swooped down below both bursts of energy towards the ground. Mask slid to a stop just under the goat man. With a grunt, he forced his aura outwards and upwards. A copy of himself flew out from within him and at their enemy. The satyr dodged to the side to avoid getting cut by the copy's sword, but Mask was persistent. He closed his eyes to concentrate. His copy turned into a ball of glowing energy and charged its course to chase after the satyr.
Jupiter landed on the ground next to Mask and watched what he did next before acting. When the copy was close enough to the satyr again, it reformed into the shape of its progenitor and sliced from above at it again. The satyr backed up towards the nearest tree. Jupiter smirked, knowing what to do next. Sweat began to form into little droplets that rolled down Wren's face. He continued to repeat the Interference spell under his breath, but his reserves were beginning to become used up. Before too much longer, he'd have to release the wind satyr from his grip and it'd be free to turn into air and force them into a one-sided fight. The team was going to have to end this soon, and above all else, keep that creature from casting anymore powerful attacks.
Jupiter reached out and directed an open palm towards the tree the satyr had floated within branch's reach of. Mask's copy dissipated and the little cryptid smirked. He reached for his flute again, but before he could get a single note out, he heard the sound of the branches moving behind him. He tried to fly forwards, but the tree's long finger-like branches had him. He protected, squirming and kicking, trying to break free from their grip, but it was no good.
"AH! No, blast it! Let me go!" the satyr demanded.
Jupiter looked over to Mercury.
"Alright, hit him with everything that you've got!" she shouted.
Mercury faced forward with a determined glint. She pricked the chords clean across. Water gathered in a circle directly below the struggling satyr. The satyr's eyes wildly looked around for a way out, but he saw none. Then he put the flute to his lips once more and in a last ditch effort to save his skin, he blow tonelessly into it. A wall of air blasted the entire area. Everyone was blown off their feet and rolled over the ground. Any cars or other vehicles unlucky enough to be angled wrong were turned over onto their sides or roofs. The water Mercury had prepared harmlessly ran out over the street and into the drains.
"Ow! Damn it, you rotten little goat! That hurt!" Jupiter bellowed at him.
She glared up at the satyr, who smiled back before turning to leaves again, and freed himself from the tree's branches.
"Wren?" Mask said, getting up.
He turned to the red-headed Keeper in question, who was lying on his back, drenched in sweat. His concentration had been broken and he no longer muttered the chant to keep the going.
"Is he alright?" Jupiter called.
Mercury crawled over to him to get a closer look. His breathing was in sharp, shallow cycles and he was exhausted from holding back that much power, but otherwise he was alright.
"He's okay, but we won't be in a few minutes," Mercury said, pointing at the satyr.
With grim realization, Mask, Jupiter, and Mercury turned to look up at the satyr again. He hovered in the air above them with a triumphant smile. The three of them got up and took their position. Mask and Jupiter were side-by-side in front of Mercury. They had to end this here and now.
Myddin watched them from where he crouched by the steps of the building. He had been saving up his energy to cast again. Right now, he was working up the strength to try his hand at the Interference spell Wren had been casting before. He just needed to wait a bit and let them wear the wind satyr down a bit. If they could do that, he'd be more vulnerable than before when Wren tried it. Patience and timing were key now. He lowered himself down more, staying out of the sight and letting the stone railing hide him.
The satyr broke apart again and sailed upwards on the wind. The music from his flute began playing as wind was worked through it. Jupiter did her best to try to aim some kind of blow up upwards, but there was only air and sound.
"Tch!" she scowled.
Jupiter turned to Mercury, who was busy frantically typing away on her laptop.
"Any ideas? I can't hit what's not there," Jupiter said.
"I'm working on it!' Mercury replied.
Mercury had just sat on her knees with her computer in her lap.
"Well, you better hurry, because I can see a storm brewing," Wren piped in, sitting up.
Just overhead of the government building and the other skyscrapers, the clouds were already beginning to churn in a funnel.
"Mercury…" Jupiter said, nervously.
Mercury looked up at the forming tornado. She turned back to her laptop.
"Come on, come on, come on, there's got to something we can do about this, but what? What you can about something that's essential air?! It's one of the most powerful and devastating elements on Earth! And where is he?!" her mind reeled.
A visual of the forming tornado appeared on her monitor. Little red dots flashed, indicating that the satyr was spread all through the storm, directly controlling it. Mercury then pulled up a program where she'd been compiling everything she'd learned about the satyr by scanning it. The wind was already beginning to pick up. Mercury squeaked in surprise as Jupiter pulled her up to her feet.
"No time! We have to get out here!" Jupiter said firmly.
"No! Wait! I've got it! The leaves he turns into are moist! He needs them to be moist. It's how he's able to maintain his intangible form. If they dried out, he'd be forced to return to his true shape. So the wetter, the better," Mercury shouted.
"So dry out the clouds from that storm!" Mask spoke anxiously.
"No! Wetter's better for us, too, right now!" Mercury replied, smiling.
Everyone looked at her strangely.
"How can that possibly be good for us?!" Wren shouted in a confused voice.
"Because water's conductive," Mercury stated matter-of-factly.
She looked at Jupiter.
"When he strikes, hit that cloud with everything you've got, but it was be a strong, static charge, not just straightforward lightning. The shock will hurt him and break his concentration. Then I'll suck all the moister out once you've shocked him," Mercury said.
"Gotcha! Lock and load!" Jupiter said, slamming her sparking knuckles together.
Everyone turned to the funnel cloud. It was about to strike.
"We're going to need protection," Mercury said.
"Allow me, Milady," Wren said confidently.
The ripples of a magical protective became visible.
"It lets things out, not in," Wren stated.
Mask held out his sword flat and ran one hand over the flat of the blade starting at the base going all the way to the tip. As he did, its glow became like a beacon. If Jupiter and Mercury were working on weakening that little goat, someone had to get a killing shot prepared. Nearby, Myddin understood the gist of their strategy though had not been within earshot to hear it.
"I will have to act quickly if I am to help," he thought, and closed his eyes.
He began channeling some magic he'd worked back up.
"I get the feeling we have one shot here," Mask said to the others. "We better make this count, because I doubt we'll survive a second blow (and maybe not even the first), let alone even have enough strength left to resist it."
A fleeting lull passed between the two sides. The eye of the storm, you could call it. The wind blew all around the four persons standing in the middle of the street. Their battle plan was prepared, and so was their enemy's. Then, like a whip had been cracked, the bottom end of the small tornado exploded down, aimed right at them. All the way, it collected glass, metal, plants, and others bits and pieces to hit them with. Wren's face twisted as he redoubled his efforts to protect them, and he let out a low, guttural sound as he strained. The barrier thickened in preparation to the strike.
Jupiter stood as tall as she could, building up a static charge between her gauntlets and greaves. Mercury played a slow tune, syncing herself with the waters swirling within the satyr's construction of nature. Time seemed to slow down as the wall of air and solid mass bore down on the magical barrier. The barrier shimmered and rippled under the strain, and nearly gave out.
Jupiter focused on the twister, knowing they had a matter of mere seconds before it struck and obliterated the barrier. She channeled a powerful shock into it. Because this was static electricity, there was no usual bolt of ball of lightning. The funnel simply lit up with sparks. It jerked and sailed off course away from them. From within, they could hear the cry of the satyr. Then Mercury strummed all the cords clear across several times! The moister was ejected out of the top of the twister and was sent back up into the sky. As the satyr screamed again, the twister suddenly shrunk and then exploded. A wall of air and debris burst out in all directions. Everyone shielded themselves as objects sailed them. A chunk of building slammed right into Wren's shield. Though they were protected from the first collision, Wren's magic gave out from the strain. They all watched in terror as the transparent protection faded out and they were exposed to all the rest of the falling objects.
"Oh, shit!" Jupiter shouted.
She punched straight upwards, shooting off lightning in all directions. The force of her element blasted everything all around them, and either shattered them into harmless little pieces or knocked them off course. Pieces of building, glass, and everything else imaginable slammed into the pavement all around them. Jupiter's attack relented, and she fell facedown out of exhaustion. She weakly looked up at Mask.
"Finish this," she said.
The satyr hovered in the air limply, gasping for breath and clutching his chest as if it pained him. His flight was shaky. He cried out as his power nearly gave out and he fell a short distance before he caught himself. He heard rushing footsteps pounding the street towards him from below. He looked down and saw Mask rushing him. He'd already launched his sword through the air at him. The satyr's eyes widened as the sword flew with purpose, honed in on him. He blew into his flute to use what little energy he had left to break apart again, but then found he couldn't. Something else was stopping, and by now, it was too late to take care of the obstruction. All he could do now was watch the sword come for him with deadly intent.
"NNNNN~" the satyr cried out as it skewered him.
The energy from the sword burst out upon impact and exploded. There was a flash of blindingly bright light and then it faded out. The sword, sans satyr, was briefly suspended in the air before it dropped back down to the concrete below.
"Hey, what happened to the…?" Wren started to ask.
Then something landed on his shoulder with a 'splat'. He looked over and saw something red and fleshy resting on his shoulder. He let out a shriek and batted it off him. Everyone's head whipped around and they watched him beat the chunk of flesh off his person fiercely.
"Wow. That has got to be the girliest scream I have ever heard," Jupiter laughed.
"Oh, ick! You exploded him!" Wren whined.
Myddin stood up on what remained of the stone steps of the government building, overlooking the scene. He was both impressed and surprised. The light at his fingertips faded. His small part in this battle was done. He looked over at the four celebrating warriors and smiled.
"Good work, everyone," he said softly.
Jupiter turned to the others.
"I hate to do this to you guys, but I have someone I need to check on," she explained. "I parted ways with him back at the park, and I have no idea where he is right now."
"Understood. I hope you find him," Mask answered.
"Dismissed, but come by HQ tomorrow to give your report of this incident," Wren said.
"Okay! Buh-bye now!" Jupiter said, waving to everyone and running.
"What about me?" Mercury asked.
"Well, we're going to meet back up with Rusila and Kratos and see how they're doing with clean-up," Wren answered.
"And you…" he said, turning to Mask, but the person in question disappeared.
"Huh. I guess he'll do whatever he wants," Wren shrugged.
"Mm? Mm. Uh-huh. Yeah, understood. Okay, thanks," Luna spoke to the other person on the line before hanging up.
She turned Moon, Mars, and Artemis.
"Well, all the various situations happening around Tokyo have finally been taken care of. Jupiter, Mercury, Mask, and Wren defeated the wind satyr, so the animals have mostly stopped rampaging out of induced fury. Now they're just rampaging out of terror. As we speak, there are still accidents and attacks happening around town, but much less frequently. In any case, they said they'd keep me posted if anymore monsters show up."
"Good, because I'm exhausted," Mars said laboriously.
She leaned forward on her bow for support. Next to her, Moon did the same, only leaning on the hilt of her sword with one of the blade stuck into the ground. Artemis tried to lie down comfortably, but was unsuccessful. After all, they were all seated on a huge tile of the remains of the wood trolls. Left to right, it was Moon, Mars, Luna, and Artemis. Underneath, uneven chunks of wood and dirt were haphazardly laid to rest. Moon's eyes wandered around their location. The little park was thoroughly demolished. The playground equipment was smashed or at least broken and there was a huge hole in the middle of it, which had thankfully been quartered off with police tape by now. To say nothing of the trees that'd become the wood trolls, which laid in pieces everywhere.
At the moment, the four of them were the only people actually still in the park. The police had blocked off the little square of green all around with tape and their vehicles. People gathered all around, trying to a get glimpse of the aftermath, and of their mysterious saviors. Not far off, news vans had already long arrived just in time to record the fall of the last of the wood trolls and were trying to get past the police to get in to interview the Warriors. Moon stared into a camera as it stared right back.
"Looks like I'm on Candid Camera," she thought.
Some of the officers present looked on the four curiously, themselves, but did not approach at the moment, as they had a job to do. Moon recognized some of the faces in the crowd as the people they'd saved. Some shouted their thanks to them while others just nodded to them.
Moon swallowed her saliva hard. She slowly turned to glance at Luna who was palming her face.
"Luna?" she said with an uncertain voice.
"Yeah?" Luna replied, taking her hands from her face.
"Just…how bad did I mess up?"
"Very," Luna sighed. "We can talk about this later."
"But, what happens now that Entomon is free again?" Moon asked with a quiet, scared voice.
Luna looked at her. Looking into Moon's eyes, she knew the girl needed an answer. Luna sighed, deciding to give it to her. She began speaking with the reluctant tone of one remembering a dark, horrible time, and being forced to remember it.
"He'll do as the Children of the Entity have always done. He and all his brethren are the most evil and corrupt beings ever born on Earth. Their crimes are without number, their wickedness without limit. Their names were abominated in every corner of the Earth. They set themselves up as gods to be worshipped by people too weak to stop them, and they made them pay hefty tributes. All still free peoples hoped, prayed, that they weren't next."
"Why did the Seven Great Youma do that for?" Moon asked.
"What for? In all honestly, they never needed them to wait on them, hand and foot, no… They just enjoyed the power, and they did it laughing all the way. I guess you could call them some of the oldest bullies in history," Luna answered
"You were there?" Moon asked.
"Eh?" Mars and Luna looked at her because of the bizarre question. Artemis glanced over at her, only managing a raised brow.
"You speak like you were there…" Moon exclaimed uncomfortably.
Artemis resettled.
"Kid's more perceptive than we gave her credit for," he thought.
Luna shrugged. No sense in putting it off anymore now.
"I was. I'm one thousand and twelve years old," Luna replied, sighing. "I was just a child when the Silver Millennium ended."
Mars's jaw dropped.
"I…wha…?" was all the raven could stammer.
"I knew it!" Moon cried, punching the air.
Mars looked at her, perplexed.
"You knew. How could you, or anyone, know?!" Mars demanded.
Her mind was spinning for answers.
"It was just the way they worded it. All that 'The Founding Members', and being careful not to name names. And this isn't the first time you guys have talked just like you were actually there to see things from a long time ago happen," Moon answered softly. "I wasn't sure, though."
"Well, now that the cats are out of the bag, literally," Artemis said, sitting up. "We, the High Keepers, and Orion were all there to see the end of the Moon Kingdom."
"But how is that possible, and why did you keep it from us?" Mars asked.
"We're Lunarians. We live for millennia," Luna answered. "We didn't tell any of you originally because we wanted to break all the strangeness to you as slowly as we could and then…there was just never a good time to tell you afterwards. Hell, now isn't a good time to tell you."
Artemis's phone range.
"Yeah-llo," he said.
"So what kinds of destruction are we looking at when Entomon heals?" Moon asked.
"Oh, it won't be apparent at first. He'll find some secluded little burg and established himself as their center of authority, probably by removing those already in authority as a show of his strength. Eventually, we'll get news of the locals of some secluded region acting strangely and gathering food and other necessities for some kind of ceremony, but it will take time before we can track him down again. With him mining locales for supplies, the Dark Kingdom will have itself another source of energy and sustenance," Luna replied.
"And then, when we find him, we can reseal Entomon and save the human we was reborn as?" Moon asked hopefully.
Luna trained her with a solemn stare.
"What?" Moon asked, anxiously.
Luna looked away, up at the sky. Mars had a feeling she knew what Luna was going to say next. She remained quiet, and just let Luna talk.
"It's too late. We were too slow in getting to him for that to be possible now. Whoever Entomon had been reborn as is dead now," she explained.
It felt like someone had just punched Moon in the gut. She stared at Luna, disbelieving for a few seconds before facing forward as it sunk in. She hung her head as she pulled her legs in close to her body and wrapped her arms around them. She rested her face on her knees. Sorrow took control.
Mars nodded her head. Yeah, that was what she thought Luna was going to say. She looked over at Moon. She almost made a snide comment about the situation to her, but she again held her tongue.
"Maybe now you'll grow up," Luna scolded Moon.
Mars looked at Luna in surprise, but didn't say anything. She was still partially lost in her own thoughts.
"This has hit Usagi really hard. Just let it go for right now, Rei. I'll talk to her about to later when we're both in better moods," Mars told herself.
She was also going to have a chat with Luna about this. The way Luna had worded it, it sounded like there might be a slight chance that the next victim could be saved, but it was going to be a private. No sense in getting Usagi's hopes up if this hunch turned out to be nothing.
Artemis hung up.
"Well that was Sailor V on the line. She's found Haruka, who's getting her hands treated as we speak. I think it's time to leave. We've lingered long enough as it is," he said.
"Whoa! What was that?!" someone in the crowd cried.
Two of the persons sitting on the pile of dead wood trolls suddenly disappeared in a flash, leaving the two girls in armor. The two girls hopped down off the pile and began running out of the park. Oddly, they suddenly each had a cat riding on their shoulder.
"There they go! After them!" a reporter cried.
Several members of the press gave chase, and just reached the Warriors as they jumped over the police barricade.
"Wait! Wait!" they shouted, closing in holding up mike and camera.
"Do you have anything to say about what's happened here?!"
Moon briefly stopped and faced the news media.
"Yeah, pray," she said.
"Care to expand on that?"
"No comment," Moon muttered of her shoulder before scaling the nearest building in one jump.
"Whoa! Did you see that! A tall building in a single bound! What are they?!" a reporter said into a camera.
Another reporter stared up at where the two armored women had gone for a few seconds before turning back to his cameraman.
"It appears the mysterious masked defenders don't have any more to say at the moment, but I believe we should take her suggestion to heart given the circumstances," he said.
Naru slowly poked her head through the front of the store. By now, all signs of the loose animals and the police had gone. She gingerly stepped out onto the street. She looked up. There were still a few birds passing overhead, but they weren't acting hostilely like before. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Chad come up beside her, still armed with his rake.
"Looks like its over," Chad said.
"Yeah…" Umino said quietly, inching out of the door.
Chad turned to the teens.
"Alright, look, I have to get back to the shrine and check up and Sensei and Miss Rei. Make they're alright, you know? I'll see you two later…uh…"
Chad looked down at the rake in his hands, and held it out for Naru.
"Here, you might need this," he said.
"Eh, thanks," Naru said uncertainly, accepting the yawn upkeep tool.
Chad gave a quick wave bidding them and goodbye and took his leave. Naru turned to Umino and tossed him the rake.
"Ulp!" he cried, fumbling as he caught it.
"See you later, Umino. Be careful, and keep a sharp eye out. I have to go find Mother," she said.
Across the street, someone lurked in the shadows watching the scene play out. Now that Naru had parted ways with the boy and that unkempt man, their opportunity had come. The figure silently slipped out of its hiding spot and began to follow her, unnoticed.
Umino sighed as he put the rake back on the rack where Chad had gotten it. He glanced in Naru's direction as she rounded corner. He would have gone his own way, but just before he looked away, he saw someone dart across the street after her. Umino, with shaking hands, reached into his pockets for his pepper stray and then gave chase.
"Crap! I knew it couldn't be over just like that!" he thought with grim determination.
Naru walked hurriedly towards the nearest phone booth.
"Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright, mom…" she thought anxiously.
So distracted by her fear for her mother's safety was she that she failed to hear the heavy footsteps coming up behind her.
"Naru?" a deep, masculine voice said.
She stopped and turned to the source. Her face lit up immediately.
"Masoto!" she cried happily.
Nephrite smiled back at her, looking relieved to see her okay.
"Oh, thank God! I started looking all over for you after the animals went crazy," he said breathlessly.
"Oh, my… You weren't outside while it was going on, were you?!" Naru gasped.
"Oh course I was! I couldn't get in touch with you. I thought you might have killed in the confusion," he answered.
Naru giggled, deeply flattered at the thought of her brave knight wading through a rampage to come save her, but she quickly stopped herself. She looked him over closely.
"Are you hurt?" she asked.
Nephrite shrugged up both arms. He turned himself around in a full circle on the spot.
"A little frazzled by all the commotion, but not very worst for ware," he said.
"Good!" she said, very relieving.
She clutched her chest as her heart slowed.
"Listen, I need to try to call my mom, and then I'd like to get home as soon as I can. Is your car nearby?" she asked.
"Sure! I'll take you straight home!" Nephrite said.
"Thank you! I'll be right back," Naru smiled, and ran towards the phone booth.
Umino watched them as he peaked around the corner. His harsh stare bore holes into Nephrite's back.
"Just happened to find her, eh? No way… There's no way he could have had any idea where she was. Something's not right here…" Umino thought.
She glanced, looking at the streets and the rooftops.
"Where's that armored woman who helped me that one time at Peisinoe's House of Fortune?" he thought.
With that, Umino slipped away, off on his business. He knew that this 'Masoto' wouldn't try anything just yet. Not immediately following everything else that just happened, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be long. Umino knew he had to find help, somehow.
Meanwhile, Nephrite stood watching Naru talk on the phone from her stood. His eyes casually wandered about absently while he waited. Then his gaze happened to land on the fire escape directly across from him and there it stopped. Staring down at him about four stories up was Orion. His red armor glistened under the sun. His bow and quiver were both strapped to his back. He didn't move. Not at all. Nephrite also stood still, knowing better than to make a move with the Hawk of the Mark having the drop on him.
Then, Orion put a foot on the rail and jumped for it. He turned to his hawk form and flew away. Nephrite narrowed his eyes. The message was clear: "I've got my eye on you."
"Mom, dad, I'm home," Usagi called with a throaty voice.
She lazily pushed open the front door.
"Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino," Luna called, coming in after Usagi.
She closed the door behind them both. They received no response.
"Mom! Dad!" Usagi called again, this time more loudly.
After she didn't get an answer the second time, Usagi ran from the living room to the kitchen, and then to the stairs.
"Mom! Dad!" she cried, really starting to worry now.
"Usagi?!" Luna called after her.
The girl didn't listen, instead opting to dash upstairs and throw open every door, only to find them all empty.
"Mom! Dad! Shingo!" Usagi cried, her voice cracking.
Luna reached the top of the stairs as well after a moment. She held a note in one hand.
"Usagi, calm down. Look," she said.
Usagi came out of her parents' bedroom and looked at the piece of paper in Luna's hand. She ran over and snatched it up, and read it contents.
"Usagi, if you beat us home, we went to see an old friend from our school who came to visit. Shingo is at his friend, Jumpei's. See you soon. –Mom."
After she'd done, she looked up, meeting Luna's eyes.
"Why are they still gone?" she muttered.
"Just relax," Luna said soothingly. "I'll get on the line with the police and my fellow Keepers. I'll find them. Just stay here in case they come back."
"But…" Usagi protested tearfully.
"No arguments," Luna said firmly. "Stay home. Just do as I say and it'll be alright."
Usagi shrank back from that last statement. There was a certain harshness that didn't need to be there.
"She's still mad that I let Entomon get away," she realized.
"And stop crying," Luna ordered, giving Usagi a disdainful eye. "Maybe if you didn't get so emotional about every little thing, we'd have won that battle instead of spending the whole day dancing to the Dark Kingdom's tune."
Luna turned away from her sharply, and trumped back down the stairs, leaving the shocked girl very alone in the residence.
Rei slumped as she reached the final and top step of the temple.
"Oh, man, I can see now why some people complain about all the stairs," she groaned.
She proceeded to shuffle over to the front door. Just before she could grip the doorknob, the door flung open. Hibiki Hino stood breathlessly at the door.
"Rei!" her grandfather said, sounding relieved.
"Hi, Grandpa. Were you worried about me?" she asked.
"Of course! I'd just finished my evening disciplines when Chad came running in shouting about zoo animals. Never seen the boy in a more excitable state," Hibiki said.
"So Chad's alright," Rei breathed.
"Forgot the groceries, though," Hibiki added.
A short while later Rei emerged from the path house dressed in her white bathrobe.
"Thanks for keeping the fire going, Chad?" she called around the side of the bath house.
Chad mumbled something in response, but she couldn't make it out. She headed back inside to her room. She glanced at her miko attire hung up on a rack in the corner. She considered attempting to scry something concerning a future energy drain victim, but her eyes were heavy. She held up a hand over her mouth as she let out a long, deep yawn.
"Uuuuugh… Tomorrow," she moaned.
With that, Rei flopped onto her bed without bothering to change into her pajamas . She pulled the covered over herself and turned over to go to sleep. As she shut her eyes, her mind still stewed with thoughts of the day's events, everything from Entomon to the wood trolls in the park, and the wind satyr. She tried to push them aside and buried herself deeper into her pillow.
Makoto stood at the entrance of Nakashima Park nervously. She kicked a pebble away and took a slow step forwards. After the battle with the satyr, she'd come right back and tried to find Mamoru. She called his apartment, but no one was home. She had no idea where to find him. She glanced over the sunset. By now, the light was very dim and the sky was mostly purple. She hung her head as she wandered over to a park bench and sat down. She leaned against the back.
"Might as well go back home, but it's not like I have to worry. Who's going to scold me for staying out too late, anyway?" she thought, sadly.
She leaned to stand back up.
"Is this seat taken?"
Her head snapped up. There was Mamoru. He grinned easily, hands in his jacket pockets.
"N-no. Have a seat," she answered, smiling with delight.
Mamoru slid onto the bench next to her. His arms lazily hung at his sides as he slumped to the edge.
"You're okay?" Makoto asked.
"Oh, yeah! That Phantom Mask guy interfered and I took off just in the nick of time. I spent the rest of the day trying to find you. Where did you go?" he asked.
"I…" Makoto stammered.
She licked her lip, trying to think of something.
"..I…went looking for you. Where were you?" she asked.
"After hightailing it out of the quarry, I went in the same you'd gone in, but I found no one. I thought I saw something green glint in the sunlight zip past some distance away, but other than more rabid animals, that's it," he said.
Makoto realized that she must have missed him when she ran back to the quarry to help Mask. The sensation of someone taking her hand in theirs' brought her out of her thoughts.
"Come on. You better be getting home. Your parents will be worried about you. I'll go with you and help explain everything. It's only right, after all," he said.
Makoto broke eye contact with him.
"Actually… it's fine. You don't have to do that. There won't be a problem," Makoto spoke in a low voice.
Mamoru tilted his head, finding this reaction puzzling.
"Now that's the second time you've acted odd when I mentioned your parents," he said.
Makoto looked back at him evenly. Mamoru opened his mouth, but it took a moment for him to find the right words.
"Look… I don't know if you're comfortable talking about this with me yet, but…is everything alright in the Kino household?" Mamoru asked.
Makoto sighed. Well, no point in dodging the topic anymore.
"They're gone, Mamo," she said sadly.
Mamoru's face turned from one of concern to sympathy. He nodded his face slowly, understanding the statement right away and completely.
"I see," he replied, in a low, soft tone. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Anyway… So you see…there's no one waiting for me at home. Just an empty apartment," she said.
"An empty apartment?" Mamoru asked. "As in the same apartment your parents used to live in?! Hasn't anyone taking over caring for you in their place?! They had to have some kind of arrangement, surely."
Makoto lowered her eyes to the ground.
"Well, they did… The landlord of the apartment complex where I live is an old friend of mom and dad's, and my godmother. I didn't want to move out of the apartment, so we made a deal. She's going to let me keep living where I was, provided I do work for her helping to take care of the building and the other apartments when I'm not busy with school, work part time for her during school breaks, and that I get a job by the time I'm in high school," she said.
After she finished explaining, neither one said anything for a few moments.
"…I see. I didn't know, sorry," Mamoru said genuinely.
"I said it's alright, silly. You couldn't have known," Makoto shook her head.
"Actually, I should have been able to guess," Mamoru replied.
Makoto gave him an odd look, because she wasn't quite sure he meant. Mamoru chewed his button lip, lulling over what to say next. He sat up straight and turned partially in his seat to face her.
"You're not the only one to lose their parents to tragedy," Mamoru said.
"Oh, right… Your father, but at least you still have your mother. Misa. Misa Chiba. That has a ring to it," Makoto said, starting to grin.
"Actually, it's Kusaka. Misa Kusaka," Mamoru corrected.
Makoto looked at him curiously.
"Kusaka? How come you and your mom don't share the same name?" she asked.
"Well, she's not my birth mother. She just…" Mamoru paused, and then continued. "She took me in after the…accident."
"Accident?" Makoto asked, not liking the sound of that.
Mamoru looked down, his face turning grim.
"Yeah. You see, Mako, both my real parents are dead, too. It happened when I was six," Mamoru explained, his voice never reaching higher than a whisper.
"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" Makoto gasped.
She looked at him sadly. One part of her wanted to ask what happened, but she knew from experience that having to tell someone about personal was a very difficult thing to do. She at least was already a teenager when it happened, but he was just a kid! So she said nothing. For a while, Mamoru remained silent, staring off into space.
"I only remember what happened after," he said when he finally spoke again.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Makoto asked.
"Well..." Mamoru said, but stopped again.
He paused again and turned his gaze up to the darkening sky. He didn't seem to actually see it. It was like he was staring past the sky, lost in his troubled thoughts.
"You don't have to say anything you're not comfortable talking about with me yet," Makoto said comfortingly.
She put a hand on his shoulder.
"I guess we had more in common than I thought," she said.
"You remember them, right?" Mamoru asked in a strained voice.
Makoto's brow raised.
"I'm sorry?" she said, confused.
Mamoru took a couple of brisk breaths before continuing.
"Do you still have memories of them to keep close to your heart?" he asked.
"Yes," Makoto replied.
"How did you survive the plane going down?" Mamoru asked.
"I didn't. I…I wasn't with them. They had gone on vacation for their second honeymoon and I was left with a caretaker," she answered, trying to understand what he was getting at.
Mamoru just nodded his head while he listened.
"You're lucky," he said.
"Lucky?"
"Because you still have them in your mind's eye. I have no memories of the first six years of my life, and no memory of my mom and dad. I only remember waking up in the hospital."
He turned away again.
"I was with them in the car when it spun out of control and went off the road. According to the doctors who treated me, it was a miracle anyone in that vehicle survived. They said they found us all thrown from it even though we were all wearing our seatbelts, which were found sheared in half. My name is Mamoru Chiba and my parents died on my sixth birthday. That's all I know about my past," he said, each word felt like a lead weight.
"I was taken to the Kisaragi Children's Center for treatment of my amnesia. There I met a wonderful woman named Misa Kusaka, one of the facility's counselors. Since there was no next-of-kin to take me in, she did. She's been Mom ever since," Mamoru said, softly.
He smiled warmly, thinking of Misa. He turned to Makoto, taking her hand again.
"It's getting late, and I think this park's going to be left alone as is for a while now," Mamoru said.
He got up and helped her to her feet. Then without warning, Makoto threw her arms around Mamoru in a tight hug intended to give him some kind of comfort. He stood there, stunned for a moment. He reached up, putting his hands on her shoulders. She pushed her out of the embrace. She looked up him, doe-eyed. He understood what she had intended and was thankful. He momentarily considered of returning the motion, but decided not to.
"Keep it together, man. This is a fourteen year old girl you've dated twice. Wait… Why does getting too close to this girl feel wrong, but making out with Dumpling Head feel so right? What the hell is wrong with me?!" his thoughts scolded him furiously.
Makoto smiled, understanding that he wasn't going to give her any romantic gestures on the second date. Just having him come back to find her would do for now. Mamoru on the other hand, stood there very confused and displeased with himself.
"See you tomorrow, Mamo. The night was lovely while it lasted," Makoto said.
Mamoru watched her go, standing perfectly still. Somehow. Some of part of him was trying to tell him something. That much he was sure of. He just didn't know what the message was, or for what purpose it was being sent.
"How are your hands now?" Luna asked.
She received a grumpy grunt in response. Haruka looked over at her from the passenger side and held up her bandaged up hands.
"Well, that could have been worse. At least with our healing arts, those bandages will come off tomorrow," Luna said.
Luna pulled up Haruka's dormitory.
"See you tomorrow, ma'am," Haruka said, climbing out of the car.
Haruka grabbed the door to close, but then stopped. She stooped down looking in at her superior.
"Ma'am, what will you do about Usagi and her rash tendencies?" she asked.
"I don't know yet, but we cannot afford for her to hesitate like that again. The Tsukinos should be returning home about now. I'll also return and think about how to approach this problem. It's bad enough that the Dark Kingdom has had one of its elite returned to them. They cannot be allowed to get so much a second, so matter the cost," she replied.
Haruka nodded and closed the door. Luna drove off. Her mind was full of several deliberations concerning this new, dire develop. If Entomon had returned, then it meant that the others could, too, and that the Dark Kingdom would be looking to do just that. After all, they'd tracked down the first of them. They had their methods, and thankfully, so did the Keepers. The possibility that the Seven Great Youma might have been reborn as well had not escaped them and measures had been taken on the off chance that it did happen. However, nothing could have prepared them for the moment it actually did.
"Tomorrow, the battle begins anew," Luna thought.
"MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY FOR THE GREAT, THE ONE AND ONLY, ENTOMON!" Aqua shouted.
She paraded the crustacean beast through the great hall of Beryl's throne room. He followed along behind her. Crowded tightly around on either side of the path the two walked was the court of the Dark Kingdom. They looked on the return of one of their greatest warriors with a mix of awe and excitement.
Entomon grinned at the sight laid before them. At the end of the walk was Beryl on her throne. On her right side, Kunzite and Zoicite stood. On her left, Jadeite and Nephrite.
"Just as I remembered," Entomon said wistfully.
When they reached the stone steps leading to the stone throne, Aqua and Entomon both got down on one knee.
"My Queen, I present you with Entomon, fourth born of Our Great Leader's seven Children," Aqua said.
"You have done well, Aqua," Beryl congratulated her. "You may both rise."
Aqua and Entomon complied. Aqua gave another bow and stepped aside, allowing Entomon to take center stage. He stepped forward. Aqua took her place at Jadeite's side.
"Good job," he told her quietly.
"Thank you, Master Jadeite," Aqua blushed.
"Ah, Mother's chosen disciple," Entomon said to Beryl. "It is good to see you again."
"The pleasure is all mine. It has been a long time, Entomon," Beryl replied.
Entomon nodded in return. Then his eyes glanced from right to left at the four Shitennou.
"I see you still have your four hounds," he said. "I never would have counted on their loyalty to last the millennium, all things considered."
Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoicite suppressed the desire to speak out against this creature, while Kunzite alone was allowed an angry glare of rebuttal.
"They made their choice a long time ago," Beryl replied. "But that is not the subject of the hour!"
She stood up.
"Tonight, we celebrate! A major blow was been struck against the Keepers and their Warriors this day! Prepare the feast immediately!" Beryl shouted.
Cheers burst out from the crowd. Entomon turned to face his adoring fans, smiling and laughing. With his back turned, he failed to notice the dark expressions on the four Shittenou's faces. If he had seen, it wouldn't have mattered. He was Entomon, fourth born of The Entity. He'd think, just what do these four men of a human kingdom long since fallen expect to do about me?
Usagi rolled herself together into a tighter ball, sitting on her bed. She clutched her pillow close to her. Nearby, her radio played on a low volume setting some Easy Listening. In the dark, empty home, there was nothing to distract her from her woes. She buried her face in her pillow and began rocking back and forth. She quietly sobbed to herself.
"Is everyone going to hate me in the morning?" Usagi asked herself. "And will I deserve it?"
She heard the front door of the house open. She glanced over at the radio, listening for any sign of telltale static to indicate an unfriendly presence. Nothing, but more of that musak.
"Usagi! We're home! Usagi!" she heard Ikuko yell from downstairs.
"I'm coming!" Usagi called.
She climbed out of her bed and went out into the upstairs hall until she came to the top of the stairwell. Kenji and Ikuko stood at the base looking up at her. Kenji let a relieved sigh. Usagi slowly descended the steps, looking around for Shingo, but didn't see him.
"Where's Shingo?" she asked.
"Still at Jumpei's. We called him and told him to stay put when the alarm went out. The fifth floor in an apartment is high up and safer than in a house like this," Ikuko replied.
"Where have you two been?" Usagi then asked.
"Stuck in tragic for hours," Kenji explained. "Before that, we were trapped in the hotel our friend was staying in, because the building locked down during the rampage."
"Oh, Usagi, we're sorry. If we thought this was going to happen, we wouldn't have gone at all. …Have you been crying?" Ikuko asked.
Usagi wiped the dampness away from her eyes and charged down the rest of the flight before colliding into her parents' arms.
"I was SO scared! I didn't know where you were!" Usagi wailed.
"Hey, now, what brought this on?" Kenji asked his sobbing daughter.
The Tsukinos looked at her and then each other. They had expected her to be worried, but this reaction was extreme, even for Usagi. It definitely implied something else was wrong, too. Ikuko looked down and put a finger her Usagi's chin, tilting the girl's head up. The girls' face was pale and her eyes looked so, so forlorn.
"Usagi…?" she asked, taken back by she saw.
The front door to the apartment slowly opened. Mamoru stepped through, trying to remain as silent as he could. He closed the door behind him as gently as he could, all the while listening for life in the abode.
"Ow!" he heard Motoki yelp from his bedroom.
"Hold still, you big baby! You took a nasty spill. You're lucky that lobster monster didn't kill you," he heard Reika reply.
Mamoru silently breathed out a sigh. That was one worry taken off his mild. Both Motoki and Reika were okay. By the time he'd gotten to the Game Crown, the EMTs had cleared out any surviving wounded. He'd managed to find his best friend's coworker, Yuki, being interviewed by the police about what he saw nearby. He thought back on Yuki's words and on the state he'd found Yuki in. When Mamoru tried to talk to him, he found that Yuki's ability to speak had dwindled into insane ramblings.
"Damn it! I'm trying… I'm trying to tell you! Why won't you listen to me, officers?! Damn you! DAMN IT! Mamoru! They won't listen to me! That strange creature… the world's in danger every minute it's alive… The deaths… GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! Mamoru, help me! They're mocking me! No, NO, don't lock me up! I'm not going anywhere with any of you! I'm not some hallucinating lunatic, let me go!"
Then he'd broken free of their grip and grabbed hold of Mamoru by the front his jacket.
"These idiots are throwing away their hopes of salvation by locking me up and making me lost to our cause! THE DARKNESS COMES, AND WHEN IT DOES, IT COMES FOR US ALL! I saw it change, Mamoru! It was a man one minute, and then a monster! It was like the beast grew inside him and burst out! No one is safe, and no one can be counted on to be innocent! Trust no one!"
"Alright, young man, that's enough. Just calm down. We just want …" an officer said.
Yuki's reaction was anything but sane. He spun around and bit the man on the neck, shocking everyone there. Then Yuki broke away from them running down the street with the policeman's associates hot on his heels.
"Help! HELP! They're after me!" Yuki shouted as he ran into the crowded streets of Tokyo. "Help, wait!"
He ran up to the nearest moving cars and tried to shout at the people inside, begging them to listen to him.
"No, wait, stop, listen! They're coming, and they're not human, please! Listen to me! They can look like anyone! We're all in danger! DANGER! PLLLLEEEASE!"
He witnessed the police tear him off the side of a semi truck that he tried climbing onto.
"YOU IDIOTS! You're all in danger! Can't you see! They're trying to silence me! Help! They're after me, and tomorrow, they'll come for you! THEY'RE HERE ALREADY!"
Then after that, he just kept repeating "You're next!" as he hauled into the back of a squad car and probably long after, too.
It had hurt to watch the normally laidback, even lazy, nineteen year old succumb to paranoid madness. It was because of that that Mamoru knew Yuki's words were true despite his behavior. Yuki had gotten a front row seat to Entomon's awakening and it had destroyed his mind. Of that, Mamoru was certain. Also, based on the carnage left in the beast's wake, Yuki was lucky to be alive.
Mamoru knocked on Motoki's bedroom door.
"Come in," he heard Motoki say.
He pushed the door open. Inside, Motoki was shirtless at the foot of his bed with his head bowed. Reiko was on the mattress behind him with a medicine kit.
"Hold still! You're such a baby! It's just bumps and bruises." she scolded him as she applied something to the back of his head. "You're lucky you didn't suffer any broken bones or a concussion."
"I know, but it hurts," Motoki grumbled.
He hissed in pain as she applied the medicine to the back of his head. Mamoru chuckled, watching the lovers. He closed the door behind him as Motoki's gave fixed on him.
"So I gather you weren't hurt badly by whoever was responsible for what happened this afternoon?" Mamoru asked.
"That's right. I don't know why, though," Motoki answered, sounding very grave. "I caught a glimpse of the damage when they hauled me out on a stretcher."
"I've learned not to question when life throws you a bone. Just be thankful," Mamoru replied.
Then he smiled.
"I'm glad you're alright, buddy," he told Motoki.
"Likewise. We were worried when we couldn't get a hold of you," Motoki answered.
Mamoru nodded his head and turned to leave.
"Well, I think I'll leave you lovebirds to your business. See you tomorrow."
"Mamoru," Motoki said seriously.
Mamoru stopped and turned to his friend one more time.
"Yeah?"
"Don't think I've forgot what I saw today. I know it's technically none of my business, but I think you should seriously think about what you do with a girl that much younger than you. I wouldn't even recommend dating as early as fourteen, let alone with someone in college."
Mamoru didn't reply. He just stepped through the doorway, but before he pulled it closed, he spoke a single sentence.
"Another time."
"Where were you?" Seiko Mizuno crossly asked her daughter.
"I…I…" Ami stammered.
"No excuses! I called the cram school when all hell broke loose. You weren't there, so where were you?"
"Making sure that a murdering little goat man didn't kill half the city," Ami wanted to say.
But instead, she made due with…
"I was at Nakashima Park, getting some reading done," she said quietly.
Seiko just narrowed her eyes at her daughter, before sighing.
"Well, I suppose as long as you weren't off wasting your time with those new 'friends' of yours'…" Seiko grumbled.
She pointed over to Ami's bedroom.
"Go to your room. Get your homework done before you go to bed. I will be bye to check your progress in a little while."
"Oh, sure, now you take an interest in what I'm doing," Ami thought sourly as she quietly complied with her mother's orders.
She went into her room, making sure to close the door. That had been fairly painless. Ami looked at her desk, and then at the bed. She plopped the school bag onto the floor and fell face first into her pillow. Mother be damned, she'd spent all day running from Point-A to Point-B throughout half the city! She was tired!
"This is the news footage we've managed to get of Entomon so far," the receptionist said.
She aimed the remote at the big screen of the TV and flicked it on. Pious, Myddin, and Jocelyn leaned forward in their seats as they watched the recordings of the news chopper unfold.
"That's him, alright. No doubt about it," Pious said darkly.
"Goodness. I had already forgotten how violent they were," Jocelyn mumured.
Pious turned to Myddin.
"What now?" he asked.
What now?" Mydden repeated thoughtfully.
He took in a deep breath and then let it back out.
"For now, we shall keep a sharp eye and begin looking for the other reborn Great Youma, ourselves. We will have to proceed to extreme caution. The enemy," Myddin said. "The enemy now has a big advantage against us. The situation was changed. Mrs. Tiller. Send word to all the Keepers branches world wide. Tell them that to be on their guard, and that we will begin employing Order-44 immediately."
A/N: Yes, I am aware that tornados do not work that way.
Celestial Warrior Moon is now also on Fic Wad: /story/217619
Well, after months of trying, I have not found any Beta Readers to help me, so I'm counting on you guys point out any mistakes I miss when I'm proofreading.