Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
Chapter 28: Power
-Artemis-
Luna and Artemis paced restlessly on opposite ends of the table in the reception chamber. The Queen was resting on her elbows, staring out the window. She sighed softly and Artemis stopped to leap to the window ledge. He followed her gaze down to the training area. Serenity and her guards were down by the sparring ring.
He smiled to himself as he watched them. Rei had just charged Makoto and had been thrown unceremoniously over her head to sprawl in a heap in the grass. They were too far away to tell, but he could imagine the scowl on the Martian's face. Minako, Ami and Serenity were cheering from the sidelines as Makoto threw her arms up in victory. Moments later, Ami rushed forward and tackled the taller girl. Minako and Rei joined in and piled on top of the Jovian. Serenity laughed and, to his amusement, leapt on top of them all.
"They seem to be having fun," Luna commented from beside him. He nodded as they watched them struggle to their feet and begin a lively chase of the Princess.
"Yes, they do," the Queen agreed. She sounded sad.
"Your Majesty?" Artemis questioned softly. "Is everything alright?"
A single tear slid slowly down her cheek. "I received word from Setsuna this morning." They watched her with bated breath. "Princess Saturn has awoken."
Luna gasped and Artemis sat down heavily. "Is she certain?" Luna demanded, her voice taking on a desperate quality. "Maybe there's been a mistake…"
The Queen smiled sadly and looked down at them. "She is sure. It won't be long now."
"My Queen…" Artemis began in a choked voice. She ran a hand along his back.
"They need more power," she said resignedly. "They have to be able to protect her."
"How will you do that, your Majesty?" Luna pressed closer to them. She had tears in her eyes as well, because they both knew the answer to the question.
"I am going to awaken the powers of their planets. Haruka and Michiru as well." She stepped back from the window and held her hands out in front of her. A moment later the room was filled with a blinding white light. Artemis squinted to watch as the silver crystal materialized between her hands. He drew in a shaky breath as colors began to swirl around it. As they grew brighter he was able to distinguish six crystals forming around the central one: blue, red, yellow, green, aqua and amber. They all glowed brightly for a moment before winking out of existence. The white light faded as the Silver Crystal returned to her and the Queen sat down heavily in the nearest chair.
The cats were instantly by her side. "Are you alright, your Majesty?" Luna asked hesitantly.
She smiled tiredly and nodded. "It is done," she said softly. "When they awake in the morning, their crystals will wake with them." She looked between them, her clear blue eyes shining. "Please explain things to them and help them understand. I need to rest now." They bowed low and watched as she stood with effort and slowly left the room.
They stood silently for a moment, then Luna rubbed her face lightly against Artemis's neck. "Let's go down and speak to them."
He sighed and nodded. "Alright." He started to follow her, then stopped to glance back at the window. "Let's wait until tonight," he added. "Let them enjoy themselves a little longer."
-Rei-
Rei woke slowly and noted dimly that she was sweating profusely. Her room was sweltering and she scowled as she pulled her soaked sheets away from her body. Trying not to breathe the hot air deeply, she ran a hand through her hair. Her palms felt hot. She glanced around the room and her gaze fell on the fire burning low in the hearth. It instantly flared to life, causing her to jump back and fall off the bed.
"What the…" she muttered. Then she cast back to the conversation they'd had with the cats the night before. They had explained that the Queen intended to awaken the powers of their planets. They'd said that in the morning, those powers would manifest themselves. She gasped softly. "The fires of Mars," she whispered.
She turned back to the fire, a small smile forming. Concentrating, she stared at the blaze. It immediately flared into a raging inferno, then into nothingness as she forced it down. She laughed somewhat maniacally as she turned to the candles above the mantle. Raising her hand, she willed them to ignite. The flames immediately flickered into existence. She grinned as they brightened and the candles melted into puddles of wax that dripped onto the rug below.
The fabric began to smoke slightly and she rushed over to stomp out the embers. She smiled sheepishly to herself. "I'd better watch that," she muttered. "Wouldn't want to burn the room down with me in it…"
A crackle and a deafening boom sounded outside her door and she leapt forward, throwing her door open. The door opposite swung out and a ball of lightning soared toward her. She dropped to the ground and it crashed into the wall behind her. A moment later, Makoto emerged wide eyed. Her hair was standing on end and she was shaking her hands vigorously.
"Rei?" She frowned when she looked down at the prone Martian. "What are you doing down there?"
Rei scowled as she got to her feet, watching the taller girl warily. "Why did you do that?"
Makoto grinned. "I didn't mean to…" Rei gave her a dubious look. "My planet's power is lightning. Watch!" She raised her hands and Rei prepared to duck again. Instead an arc of electricity jumped between her palms. "Neat, huh?"
Rei smiled mischievously. "Very. Watch this." She held her palms up flat and concentrated. A moment later a fireball erupted from her fingers and shot toward the ceiling. They both jumped back as chunks of white marble rained down between them. "Oops," she whispered as she stared up at the smoldering crater above them.
There was a blast of frigid air as another door opened. Ami emerged, wrapped in several layers of clothes. She was shivering and looking at them both suspiciously. "What are you two doing?"
"Are you alright?" Makoto asked, rushing forward. She wrapped her arms around the shorter girl and immediately jumped back. "Ack! You're freezing!"
Ami rolled her eyes. "I know. My entire room is frozen solid and I can't get the fire in the hearth started."
"Do you need a hand?" Rei asked eagerly. She could feel the fiery power coursing through her body and was aching to use it again.
Ami glanced up at the ceiling and chuckled softly. "No thanks, I would rather have a cold room than no room at all."
Rei opened her mouth to comment, when a loud clang sounded behind Minako's closed door. She instantly ran forward and threw the door open. The sight before her stopped her in her tracks, however. Minako was lying on her bed, completely naked and giggling drunkenly. Rei had to duck to avoid the long chain that was spinning in lazy circles above her.
She turned her head slightly and grinned at her. "Look what I can do, Reiko," she said in a singsong voice. She moved her hands and the chain suddenly swung violently, crashing against the wall before resuming its lazy circles above her head. "Metal," she giggled.
Rei shook herself from her initial shock and stepped into the room. "Minako, where are your clothes?"
The blonde let the chain drop to the floor beside her and turned on her side, propping her head up on an arm. Rei swallowed heavily, struggling to keep her eyes on her face.
"Oh, good she's fine," came a strangled voice behind her. Rei turned to find Ami blushing profusely with her hands over her eyes and Makoto staring firmly up at the ceiling.
"The element of Venus is metal, and the spirit of her planet is love," Ami explained from between her fingers. "It seems that they're both, um, manifesting at the moment…"
Rei growled softly and moved further into the room, picking Minako's yellow pajamas off the floor as she went. She knelt on the edge of the bed, intending to dress the blonde, then stopped as a sudden flare of desire shot through her. She froze, staring at the goddess before her. Her hands tightened around the soft material and her breathing quickened.
"Um, Rei?" Makoto's voice shot through her and she backed up, dropping the clothes beside the blonde.
Minako blinked as though she'd just woken up and glanced over. Her eyes widened as she noticed the others. "Makoto!" she squeaked, sitting up quickly. She blushed and quickly slipped into the shorts and tank top. Then her gaze traveled to Rei, who was standing stiffly by the wall. "Rei, are you alright?"
Rei felt her face flush as all three looked at her. What's wrong with me? I was ready to jump her right there! I'm still kind of ready to… She shook her head and pushed past Ami and Makoto out the door. Once she was past them, her head cleared and the blush deepened.
"Ami, what are the spirits or whatever of our planets?" she asked cautiously.
"Mine is wisdom," Ami said immediately. "Makoto's is courage and yours is passion. Why?"
Passion. That explains that, she thought wryly. A shrill cry jolted them from the conversation. Serenity was standing in her open doorway, staring at them as if they'd gone mad. "What happened?" she asked fearfully.
"Apparently, our powers have manifested," Ami supplied. "Last night when they explained it, I wasn't exactly expecting something like this."
Serenity nodded wide eyed and followed them to the common room. Makoto reached to open the door and a spark flew from the metal handle to her hand. She yelped and jumped back.
Rei chuckled and received a dark look from the Jovian. "Static electricity," Ami muttered just as Rei reached for the door. A spark jumped at her finger and she scowled at the offending handle.
"Let me," Minako giggled. She stared at the door and the handle turned of its own accord.
They stepped inside and Serenity rushed past them to the table. "That was amazing, Minako!" she squealed excitedly. "What else can you guys do?"
Rei grinned and glanced at the candles around the room. Immediately, they flared to life and began to rapidly melt in their holders. "Rei," Ami scolded. A blast of icy air rushed past her and extinguished them all.
Minako held her fork in front of her and smiled as the tines began bending into tight furls. Makoto chuckled and the fork sparked, causing the blonde to drop the utensil. She glared at the taller girl and the entire pile of silverware lifted from the table and swirled menacingly around her.
"Hey now," Rei began, but Makoto pushed past her. She was grinning maniacally and passing an arc of electricity between her palms.
"Ahem!" The silverware clattered to the floor as everyone in the room jumped and turned guiltily. Luna stood in the doorway watching them. "I see you've all discovered your powers." They exchanged glances and tried not to smile. "After breakfast, I'll need all of you down at the training grounds." They nodded and she turned away.
Artemis eyed them all for a moment. "Also," he added with a barely contained laugh. "I don't know what exactly happened to the ceiling in the hall, but try to be a little more careful in the future." He left them to their meal and as soon as the door closed, they all burst into laughter.
-Minako-
Minako chuckled softly as she watched Artemis resignedly duck a fireball. His tail twitched as he turned to glare at a very sheepish Rei. "Sorry," she called from across the range. He shook his head and started toward her. Minako moved to follow him when a shrill yelp sounded behind her.
She turned to find Ami rubbing her hip and glaring at Makoto. "You shocked me!"
"I didn't mean to," Makoto insisted with a laugh as she jogged closer to Minako. "Not there, anyway," she added with a devilish grin. Minako smiled back, then caught sight of the enraged Mercurian advancing on them. She and Makoto threw themselves sideways, barely avoiding the wall of water that crashed toward them.
"Girls, what- ACK!" They turned just in time to see Luna take the brunt of the hit. The now soaked cat sputtered and shook herself. Minako caught Makoto's eye and she knew they were thinking the same thing: serves her right!
"Luna, I'm sorry," Ami cried as she ran forward. Minako caught the triumphant smile that the smaller girl hastily suppressed, and burst out laughing. She felt a sharp elbow to the ribs and covered her mouth to stifle the sound. She struggled to her feet and averted her gaze from the incensed feline. Unfortunately, her eyes met playful green and both girls dissolved into fits of laughter again.
"What happened?" Rei asked as she and Artemis cautiously advanced. Minako looked up, but couldn't form words since she was still laughing too hard. Rei raised an eyebrow at them, then looked down at Luna. "Oh, you got wet…" Her eyes suddenly held an evil glint as she raised her hands. "I can fix that for you, Luna."
"No," Luna squeaked as she backed away hastily, "Thank you, Mars but I'm perfectly fine. It was, um… refreshing." She retreated to the observation stands.
Artemis let out a soft chuckle and the four guards immediately spun to face him. He cleared his throat uneasily. "So, anyway, it seems you've all gained a measure of control over your elements," his voice wavered slightly at that and Minako knew he was trying not to laugh. "What I'd like to work on are things that would be useful in combat. Things like offensive and defensive attacks and charging your weapons."
Everyone perked up at that. Minako uncoiled her chain with a grin. "I think I can already do that," she said as she wrapped one end around her fist. She concentrated on the other end that lay limply on the ground. It instantly lifted and began undulating through the air like a golden snake. Without warning she shot it toward Rei. The Martian let out a curse and tried to duck but the chain wrapped around her waist and pinned her arms to her sides. Minako pulled her close and grinned.
"Pretty good," Artemis admitted, "but see if you can charge it now. You should be able to call on a light similar to the Queen."
"Really?" Minako asked in amazement, looking away from her prisoner to the cat. She turned back to the chain and found it glowing an unsettling red. "Hey, it's working!"
"Minako, I don't think-" Ami began, but didn't get a chance to finish as the blonde yelped and dropped her end of the chain.
"Serves you right," Rei growled as she shrugged off the coils. Minako gave her a wounded look and her expression softened. "Are you alright?" she asked, stepping closer.
Minako pouted and held up her slightly red hand for the Martian to inspect. "Aren't you going to kiss it and make it better?" she purred. A slight cough by her feet made them both jump back guiltily. I keep forgetting we're not supposed to do that anymore, Minako thought sadly as she chanced a glance at Artemis.
"Well," he said uneasily, "let's head over to the ranged weapon area."
Minako nodded and followed the others. Ahead of her, Rei shot her a small smile over her shoulder and she grinned back
"I think that Mars and Jupiter will have the best results with using their powers for ranged attacks," Artemis said when they arrived. He sat down and watched them expectantly.
Rei picked up her bow uncertainly and knocked an arrow, then turned back to him. "Now concentrate," Artemis urged. "Imagine the arrow bursting into flames."
Rei turned to the target, then dropped her arm and turned back to them. "Won't that burn my bow, too?"
"It's not normal fire," He assured her. "Focus on what you want it to do, and that's what will happen."
Minako watched as the Martian's face became a mask of concentration again. She pulled back her elbow and stayed completely still for a moment. Suddenly the arrow burst into flames. She yelped and twisted, letting go at the same moment.
"It worked!" Makoto said in amazement as they watched the fiery projectile arc high to their left. It was barely visible against the bright sky, but Minako could see where it was headed and she cringed. "No way…" Makoto breathed.
An indignant yowl sounded across the training pitch as Luna leapt from the stands moments before the arrow imbedded itself in the wood several rows behind where she'd been sitting. "Uh oh…" Minako muttered as the black cat came charging toward them.
"That was unbelievably unlikely," Ami whispered.
They looked sideways at Rei who held up her hands defensively. "You know I wouldn't do something like that on purpose!" she insisted.
"What the hell is going on over here!" Luna screeched as soon as she was within shouting distance. Her eyes were narrowed to slits as she eyed them each in turn. "Mars!" she snapped.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Rei said immediately. "It surprised me."
"Surprised YOU!"
"Now Luna," Artemis said in a soothing voice, "it really was an accident." She scowled at him before moving to sit beside him in disgruntled silence. "Well, so, um… Makoto, why don't you try," Artemis said, sounding a bit flustered. She stepped forward and pulled out a javelin.
Minako moved to stand by Rei, who still held her bow limply in one hand. "You did a really good job," she whispered. "Even with that little Luna incident." Rei smirked at her, then turned back to watch Makoto.
She held the weapon in front of her, staring hard at it. It began to glow green and abruptly buzzed loudly as arcs of electricity moved across it. "Good, now throw it!" Artemis cheered. She quickly cocked her arm back and flung it across the pitch. The target exploded as soon as the javelin touched it, sparks flying everywhere along with bits of straw and cloth.
"Whoa," Makoto breathed as she turned to give her fellow guards a wide eyed look.
"Alright then," Luna said shakily, "I think that's enough practice for now. I want all of you to work on your concentration and focus. You need to not only use these powers but contain and control them." She gave them a meaningful stare then turned back toward the castle.
Once she was gone, Artemis turned and smiled at them. "You all did a good job today. I'll see you later." He started to leave, then stopped. Without turning around, he added, "Also, no matter how great the temptation, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior inside the castle."
-Makoto-
Makoto smiled to herself as she stepped out of her room, passing tiny arcs of electricity between her fingers. They'd stayed down at the training grounds for several hours after the cats had left and she was beginning to feel more confident with her new powers. She started toward the common room when suddenly her feet lost their grip on the floor. She slid alarmingly fast down the hall and crashed into someone.
"Makoto, what the hell?!" came Minako's slightly muffled, but no less outraged shout.
"Sorry," she replied shakily, pushing herself carefully off the ruffled blonde. "I slipped on…" she twisted to see what exactly had happened and scowled at the floor. The hallway behind her was coated in a thick layer of ice. "Ami!"
Rei's door flew open and the guard burst out, looking alarmed. "What's going-" Her feet flew out from under her and she yelped in surprise. Makoto and Minako ducked as a small wave of fire flew over their heads, scorching lines on the walls. She sat up and looked over at them wide eyed. "Whoops, I'd better watch that…"
Makoto stood carefully, bracing her hands on the wall for support. "Ami!" she shouted again.
The bluenette poked her head out of her bedroom, looking mildly annoyed. "What are you all shouting about?" Then she looked down at Rei, who was on her hands and knees beside her. "Oh yeah, I meant to clean that up," she said in a small voice.
Makoto chuckled as she caught Minako in the small of her back and slid her toward the end of the ice patch. Then she turned and skated toward the other two, grinning. She caught Rei's hands and pulled her to her feet, then spun her around gracefully. Rei's expression was somewhere between alarmed and murderous. With one more quick twist, she slid the other girl down the hall toward a grinning Minako.
The blonde caught her easily and led her back onto the ice. "This is kind of fun," she giggled, ignoring the twitch that had started in Rei's left eye.
"Ami?" Makoto questioned, offering her hand to the smaller girl. Ami laughed softly and took her hand, allowing her to lead in a sliding waltz.
"Is lunch ready?" They all looked up to see Serenity jogging out of her room toward them. Uh oh…
"Wait, Serenity-"
"Don't-"
Rei and Ami's warnings were a moment too late. The princess hit the ice patch full speed and squealed in surprise as she came careening toward them. With an almighty crash, all five girls landed in a pile.
Rei growled and crawled out from under them. "This is probably why Artemis told us not to use our powers inside the palace," she muttered as she crawled toward her door.
"Look who's talking," Minako giggled as she followed her. "How are we going to explain what happened to the walls?" Makoto chuckled as she eyed the long black scorches.
"What did happen to the walls?" Ami wondered. She got to her feet and pulled Serenity into Makoto's open doorway.
Makoto followed them, stepping onto the safety of her lush green carpet. "You happened, actually." Ami raised an eyebrow at her. "Rei slipped on your ice and it surprised some fire out of her." She glanced at the Martian and burst out laughing at her look of indignation.
"That's not what-"
"Oh, Rei," Serenity interrupted in alarm, "Try not to sneeze or anything!" Beside her, Ami clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter in.
"That's not what happened!" Rei snapped, glaring at them. "And I am not going to sneeze fire!" she added. She shifted her glare to the ice that had started the whole fiasco. She held out her hand and, before they could stop her, sent a spray of fire at it. Everyone jumped back and when they looked again, the long white hall carpet had been reduced to smoking cinders. Everyone's eyes jumped to Rei, who stood frozen in shock.
"Well, at least the ice is gone," Minako pointed out as she wrapped her arms around the Martian. The others nodded.
"So anyway," Makoto said after a moment, "didn't someone say it was time for lunch?" The five of them started toward the common room, casting guilty looks at the hall as they went.
"I really thought you'd be the one destroying things," Serenity said as they sat, looking innocently at Makoto.
"Me?" She frowned at that. "I haven't destroyed anything." She'd actually been feeling rather good about that. "My power's not really that destructive, anyway." She glanced around the room, checking for anything that might conduct electricity so she could demonstrate. She settled on the metal trim of the window frame. "Watch."
She held up a hand and sent an arc of lightning toward it. With a loud crack, the glass in the window shattered. She winced as it jumped from pane to pane, shattering each one, then arced toward Rei. "Hey!" she cried, jumping up as the knife in her belt sparked.
"You were saying?" Minako giggled.
She turned guiltily back to the table. Ami was giving her a beady stare. "I didn't think it would do that," she muttered uneasily.
Ami sighed and gave her an exasperated smile. "Just try to be careful. Remember we're all usually wearing metal weapons and armor."
Serenity giggled and they all turned to look at her. She put down her fork and grinned. "Luna's going to be really unhappy with you three."
Makoto grimaced and looked at the others for help. "Maybe we can fix it before anyone notices," Minako suggested uneasily.
"That is highly unlikely," came a voice from the doorway. As one, they turned apprehensively toward Luna, who was stalking toward them with Artemis close on her heels. Makoto opened her mouth to explain but Luna spoke over her. "I don't even want to know," she said flatly. Makoto closed her mouth with a snap and waited for the impending lecture.
Artemis leapt onto the arm of the couch and gazed out the shattered windows for a moment before turning to them. "We came to inform you that the Queen wishes to have a ball tonight, in honor of your, er, new power." He shuddered, probably thinking of the sort of chaos that might ensue.
They looked at each other, then back to him. "She seems to think you all have enough control over these powers for such an event," Luna said, twitching her tail. Her tone indicated that she did not agree.
They were silent for a moment as they contemplated this. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" Ami asked finally.
"No," Luna snapped. "But it's not up to me." With a flick of her tail, she was gone.
Artemis chuckled nervously. "Why don't you all come back to the training grounds after you're done eating. A little extra practice couldn't hurt."
After he was gone, they turned back to each other. This is a terrible idea, Makoto thought as she studied the other guards. They finished eating in uneasy silence.
Finally they rose and started for the training grounds. Serenity grinned as she walked between all of them and Makoto shot her a sideways look. "What are you smiling about?" she inquired, cocking her head slightly.
The princess just shrugged merrily. "I just think that tonight's going to be a lot of fun." A snort from Rei seemed to sum up everyone's feelings on that. Fun was not the word Makoto would have chosen.
