Beryl was displeased. Metaria had called her to tell her something of importance. Jadeite had been recovered by a pair of aquatic Youma. The sight of him was enough to make her repulsed.
"My Queen.", Jadeite blurted out. He sounded as terrible as he looked; his hair was unkempt, his clothes were ruined and he had started to grow stubble. "You don't know how glad I am to see you."
"So am I." Beryl was smiling. "It means I can deal with you personally for your defiance."
"What are you talking about, my Queen? I've been nothing but loyal to you for these last few millennia."/p
"I know what you did to Zoisite.", Beryl declared. "I won't tolerate my warriors fighting among themselves." She clicked her fingers to reveal a large, oval-shaped cocoon.
"What is that thing?" Jadeite was now terrified.
"I Am Your Master!", the cocoon said, in a husky, but feminine voice. "Your Energy Is Obviously Wasted On You. I Shall Take It For A More Practical Use."
Jadeite was dragged, kicking and screaming towards the cocoon. "No, please. Beryl, have pity on me!", he yelled.
But all the Queen of the Dark Kingdom had to say was "I have pity for you." She did nothing as tentacles formed from the cocoon and dragged him in. The man's flesh dissolved off him, leaving only a skeleton. The bubbles oozing off the body coalesced into a silhouette, resembling a woman. "Master Metaria, is this your true form?", Beryl asked.
"No, My Servant. This Is Merely A Transitional Form. I Need A Suitable Host For A True Body. In This Form, I Have Barely Enough Power To Create One Youma."
This gave Beryl an idea. "How about I donate my power to creating the Youma? Then we can use it to destroy those meddling Scouts once and for all."
Elsewhere, Haruka had just finished unloading the boxes from her car. Michiru was helping her carry them into the new house they had bought. She was just getting to the end of her story about the events at the factory. Michiru was surprised.
"You mean that someone is alive inside the Crystal that saved you?", she asked.
"Apparently.", the other girl replied. "They also upgraded my power pen so that I can now harness the power of Uranus itself. Whatever that means."
Hearing this, Michiru got slightly jealous. "So when do I get a power-up from the mysterious deus-ex-Crystal?", she said sarcastically.
Before Haruka could reply, there was a thud from outside. The two girls quickly put the box they were carrying down and went to investigate. The source was a teenage girl, about 15, with long green hair. Even more green than Michiru's hair, which looked blue by comparison. They noticed that she was carrying an ornate pen, similar to one Haruka had seen too recently for comfort. She was one of Motro's goons.
At a local park some time later, Usagi and Ami were having a discussion. Since the battle with Ryo - or rather, his monster form - the other day, Usagi had been filled in on as much as the 4 of them knew. They had also taken to meeting to discuss any strange events that might have been a Youma attack. But today, Minako was having an operation to treat her relapsed Leukaemia, while Makoto and Rei were at self-defence classes. So it was just the two of them.
"So Ami, anything out of the ordinary to report?", the blonde said.
The bluenette shook her head. "A few things, but nothing concrete. One person supposedly saw a metal man posting letters, but he was drunk and short-sighted, so I'd rule that out. There's also that new idol singer."
"New idol singer?", Usagi said, genuinely confused.
"Yes.", Ami nodded. "Her name's Mio Kuroki. She just showed up out of nowhere overnight. Suddenly everyone's clamouring for her autograph and singing her praises." Then she realised the accidental wordplay in that sentence. "If you'll excuse the unintentional pun."
Both girls sighed. This new idol thing was nothing out of the ordinary. They thought it was just going to be another average day. That was until they came face to face with someone familiar. Reika Nishimura, or rather, the Youma that she really was."
"Hello, Usagi," "Reika" said with a sneer "or should I say, Princess Serenity?"
Yes, I've decided to use the Mio Kuroki plot. I just thought it would be interesting to write.
I'd like to recommend that you share this story with as many people as you can. It can make all the difference to me. I think I need a larger readership then I already have, in order for the poll and the contest from earlier chapters to work.
The unintentional pun was actually unintentional during the writing of this chapter. I just added the quip from Mercury to acknowledge that fact.
I'd also like to remind everyone the contest is still open for another few chapters. As is the poll from last chapter. Enter soon, especially new readers.