Chapter 7 – Another World
"So beautiful," Dean's eyes filled with hearts.
His fingertips are slowly brushing…
"This is all so sudden," Serena whispers, her cornflower eyes glazed over.
"I have to," Dean voiced his desire, "tell you how I feel."
"But…"
"No, it has to be said," Dean cut Serena off. "I love you."
Dean took a big bite into his hamburger, moaning loudly, "That's a good burger."
Serena nods in agreement as she takes another bite of her burger, "best burger in all of Tokyo."
Rei, Lita, Serena and Dean are in the Crown Arcade waiting for Ami's call. The place is empty, and they took a booth in the back.
Both Serena and Dean chow down three more hamburgers and pies, with two shakes.
"I never thought I would meet someone who eats as much as Serena," Lita choked out, amazed.
"I know," Rei agreed. "Who do you think would win in an eating contest?"
Lita shrugged, sipping her chocolate shake, "Any word on the bug that Sere came back with?"
Rei held up her watch, "Still waiting for Ami to contact us."
Both girls sighed heavily as another earthquake shook the arcade. It's the fifth one today, and if they don't stop the quakes soon, who knows what will happen.
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Sam shot up in bed, sweat dripping down his back and forehead. He wiped his face with his hand, remembering Eve, and her whip. How he longed for death with each lick of her whip, but she would never grant it. Sam choked back a cry as the lights flashed on in his room. He squinted his eyes until she came into focus.
"Are you okay?" Sere stepped towards Sam.
Sam nodded but made no move to embrace her. Timid, Sere stepped towards the bed and sat on her knees, her hands on the edge of the bed. Close to Sam, but not enough to touch him.
"Sam…" Sere chewed on her words, "I'm sorry."
Sam shook his head; his eyes widen as he stared down at the blonde girl. Eve's words, swirling around in his mind.
"What do you mean?" Sam choked out; he's unsure of what to do. He runs both hands through his hair and blows air out of his lungs, harshly. "You didn't do anything."
His words felt like a punch in the gut, knowing that he blamed her for his capture, and it's true. It was Sere's fault
"If only I could have gotten to you sooner," Sere sighed, "I wish I could have taken your place."
Sam squirmed uncomfortably on the bed; he needed space. Jumping up, he crossed the room in three strides creating a wide gap between the two of them.
"Listen, I think we need to go get Dean," Sam muttered, scratching the back of his head.
"What's going on, Sam?" Sere got back onto her feet, fear flowing through her veins, entering her heart. "Are you afraid of me?"
"No…No," Sam stammered out, but they both knew it was a lie.
"What did Eve say to you?" Sere needed answers.
Beep, beep of Serena's watch goes off, distracting them for a moment.
"What's up, Ami?" Sere pushed a button on her watch, and Ami's face appeared. It was kind of Luna to gift her a scout watch, and it warmed Sere's heart.
"Get down here, Sere, we got trouble," Ami's shaky voice came over the watch.
"Be right there," Sere announced.
Sam sighed in relief, his face relaxed for the first time upon waking, "Let's go." He rushed out the door.
Sere bowed her head in confusion, wondering why Sam is acting so weird around her. It pained her that he wouldn't look at her or touch her; what was more disturbing is that he couldn't stay in the same room as her for long.
"How can I make you forgive me, Sam?"
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The group all came together at Ami's call, meeting up in HQ at nine at night, except for Rini, since she had a curfew, forcing her to stay home.
Sam, Dean and Sere stood to the right of the monitor, watching the screen while the scouts crowded the controls.
"This is a species unlike anything I've ever seen before," Ami said, "I think it came from purgatory."
The room gasped.
"How do you know?" Dean pushed off the wall.
"From this," Ami held up a clump of dirt. "Sere was coated head to toe with dirt, a compound filled with minerals from purgatory. I analyzed the soil and the creature; I found some of the same minerals in its digestive tract, as well as tons of blood." Ami spewed out.
"Okay, but what does the bug do?" Lita shrugged.
"Eats blood, like a leech," Ami explained. "That's all I know, but I can't kill it. Every time I slice it open, it regenerates."
"So, something else killed the mother and daughter," Sere muttered, "but what?"
"That I am still trying to figure out," Ami sighed, having no more information.
"I believe in you, Ami, you will figure it out," Serena slapped her hand on Ami's right shoulder for support.
The worm inched around its little glass home, its black slime coating the bottom of the glass cup.
"Well, that leaves us nowhere," Dean coughed out, "We are leaving tomorrow night, if we don't solve it by then, we can't help you."
"Don't worry about us, Dean," Rei stated confidently, "We can handle it."
"Dean…" Sam muttered, giving a head shake indicating that he wants a word with Dean alone.
The older brother held up his hands and shrugged. Sam shot Dean daggers with his eyes before Dean relented and took Sammy outside.
"What is the matter with you," Dean huffed, as they passed through the arcade doors.
The moon glowed on their beautiful faces, and the streets were bare as small tremors shook the ground. Trees had fallen over in the distance and cracks marred the concrete.
"It's just…" Sam couldn't find the right words; he plowed his hand through his hair, letting his breathing out slowly, trying to collect his thoughts. "I…" again, nothing.
"Sammy, what's wrong with you? You've been quiet since you got here, and you haven't been you lately," Dean challenged.
His green eyes gazed in the pain-filled ones of his brother. "Does it have anything to do with Serena?"
Sam flinched when Dean spoke her name, confirming Dean's suspicions.
"It's Serena, isn't it?" Dean breathed out slowly, "what happened between the two of you in purgatory?"
Sam's jaw clenched as thoughts of purgatory raced through his mind, he didn't want to re-live the days in Eve's keep, being her slave. Her touch burned his skin; Sam couldn't help the shiver that raced up his spine as her whispery voice ushered secrets into his ears. Secrets he wished he never knew.
"Serena has to die, we have to kill her," Sam grounded out, he couldn't hold it in his mind any longer. Serena was the problem to all this, and for that, she must die.
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"Ami, where is the worm?" Mina tapped on the glass, but the black ooze blocked her view of the worm.
"It's still in there," Ami stated, punching in numbers on the panel, "don't open…"
But it was too late; Mina had unscrewed the top to get a peek at the worm.
The worm shot out of the glass, landing on the floor by Mina's feet.
"Oops," Mina choked out, "It's out!" Mina tried to pick it up, but the worm inched away from her fingertips.
"Mina!" the girls screamed.
Mina giggled, shrugging her shoulders as the girls got down on all fours to look for the worm.
It wasn't that hard, following the black slime. The small worm had wiggled its way half across the room.
"Hey, guys!" Rini skips down the stairs. "I saw Sam and Dean take off, is everything okay?"
"Rini, what are you doing here, mom's going to kill you, it's passed your curfew!" Serena shouted.
But Rini didn't have time to answer as the worm wiggled up onto her toe, jumping up to her leg, skirt, shoulder until it wiggled itself into her ear.
"Rini!" the girls screamed. They rushed towards her, but Rini's black eyes stopped them.
"Mercury Power MakeUp!" Ami transformed, she clicked her ear and her visor covered her eyes, she quickly scanned Rini, "Oh my god!"
"What?" the girls yelled.
"The worm has control over Rini's brain!" Ami fumbled out her words, never has she seen anything like this.
Ami's visor showed the worm, making a tunnel from Rini's ear to her brain, coating it with black slime.
"Give me Serena, and you may live," a low male voice spoke out of Rini's mouth, "Eve is waiting for her."
"Get out of Rini!" both Serena's screamed.
All the girls made eye contact and called on their powers, transforming into the Sailor Scouts.
"You think your powers will harm me," the worm laughed.
"We'll save you, Rini!" Sere vowed. She winked at Serena, and both drew forth their sceptres.
An earthquake unlike anything they felt before struck the arcade.
The girls lost their balance as bits of floor split apart. Mina and Rei are flung towards the panel, while Lita and Ami hit the wall with a loud bang.
Serena and Sere both jumped for Rini, but the little rabbit was too quick for them as she darted up the stairs.
"Get her!" Both Serena's cried.
On shaky legs, the girls chased Rini up the stairs and out of the arcade. They looked down both ends of the street, but Rini was gone.
"Where did she go?" Serena cried; she needed to find her daughter.
"I don't know," Rei grasped Serena's shoulder, "but we will find her and get her back. I promise."
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The moon sat high over the city, its light shining down on the park trees, but over the pond and into a small patch of forest, there's a cave. Rini slowly enters the cave's wide mouth; her eyes adjusted to the darkness within seconds.
"What have you brought me, my child?" a voice hissed from the darkness.
"Another offering, mother," The worm replied.
"Good," Eve stepped forward, her abyss eyes gazing down at the pink hair girl.
"She has power," Eve's fingers touch the child's brooch, "the same power as Serena. Interesting."
"She will not be a sacrifice, put her with the others that have power," Eve commanded the worm.
Rini bowed her head at the worm's command. The worm continued to control Rini's feet as they made their way further into the belly of the cave until they came to what look like cages.
Children hunched, crying in some of the cages, as well as teens. Both boys and girls, but Rini walked right passed them until she stopped outside a cage. She turned, opened the cage and shuffled herself into it. The worm slowly crawled out of her ear, slithering down her back, before wiggling out the cage bars.
Rini came back to her senses with a shake of her head, she grabbed for the cage bars, but a shock shook her body as she screamed with all her might.
"You can't get out," a voice spoke from the shadows.
Rini tore her fingers from the bars, her eyes turning towards the voice.
"Who are you?" Rini whispered.
A girl draped in purple crawled out of the shadows. Her midnight hair, stained with dirt, but her violet eyes held strength.
"I'm Hotaru," Hotaru said, "Eve is going to kill us all. It's just a matter of time."
"What does she want with us?" Rini gulped, wishing she wasn't afraid.
"She wants our blood. She's using all the pure peoples' blood to open a gate," Hotaru explained.
"Open a gate to where?" Rini didn't want to hear the girl's response.
Before Hotaru could speak, two big burly men came close to their cage but bypassed to another set of enclosures, before dragging out three teen girls and one guy.
"They're next!" one of the men shouted, "Mother will be pleased."
They dragged the teens back into the shadows, but it wasn't long before their death cries rang throughout the cave. Another tremor broke beneath their feet. On the far corner of the cave, a light was starting to shine through.
"What's that?" Rini pointed to the light.
"Another world."
