Chapter Two
When Seiya again opened his eyes, he was pleased to see Usagi sitting there, with a gentle smile on her face.
"Ohayo, Odango Atama." Seiya murmured.
"Ohayo, Seiya-san. How do you feel?" Usagi asked, as Yaten shifted in his bed behind her.
"A little sore, but it's nothing I can't handle." Seiya said, with a smile.
"Right, Seiya. Who was the one moaning for more morphine last night? Hmm?" Yaten muttered, sarcastically.
"Shut up, Yaten." Seiya mumbled, moodily, as Yaten and Taiki chuckled at his expense. Usagi giggled. The Starlights were well on their way to recovery, even though it was only their first morning in the hospital.
"Yaten-san! Ohayo!" Minako shouted, cheerily, as she came into the room.
"Ohayo, Minako-san. You're in a good mood." Yaten said, as Minako sat down beside his bed.
"Yep. It's because you're here, Yaten-san!" Minako said, getting an embarrassed blush from Yaten for a response.
"Ha ha, Yaten." Taiki said, grinning at Yaten's deep red blush.
"Shut up, Taiki!" Yaten shouted, wincing when he moved too quickly and jarred his burns.
"Are you all right, Yaten?" Taiki asked, now concerned about his fellow Light.
"Hai………..I'm okay……..Just moved too fast………I hate getting burned!" Yaten complained, as he lay back, gritting his teeth as he did so.
"Starlights, what caused that fire on Kinmoku-sei?" Usagi asked, getting startled expressions from the three men in the beds and Minako.
"How…………how did you know about the fire?! You weren't there!" Yaten yelped, his jade green eyes wide with disbelief.
"I saw what was happening in a dream……I saw you fighting and I saw the fire. But I didn't see what had caused the fire." Usagi said, her voice soft and her eyes distant.
"Usagi-san………I saw what attacked us………..but you're not going to believe it." Taiki said, quietly.
"Well? What was it?" Minako asked, getting a little impatient. The three Starlights exchanged uneasy glances, then Taiki spoke again.
"Usagi-san, it was a kamen." Taiki said, his eyes deadly serious. Usagi and Minako froze.
"A what?" Usagi asked, her voice a stunned whisper.
"A kamen. There have been legends about male warriors similar to your Tuxedo Kamen, but we'd thought they were just that; legends. We had no idea how wrong we were. This kamen attacked without warning and with such ruthlessness, that it made Galaxia's attack look like child's play. He was so powerful; we weren't strong enough to protect ourselves, Kakyuu Hime or Kinmoku-sei. Usagi-san, I have the feeling that he's coming here next." Taiki said, grimly. Usagi sat back, stunned. She'd had no idea that there were more warriors like Tuxedo Kamen.
"What was the kamen's name?" Minako asked.
"Tuxedo Death." Taiki replied, with grim certainty.
"Tuxedo Death?!" Setsuna yelped, after she and the other senshi had heard Usagi's narrative.
"Those Starlights told you this, kitten?" Haruka asked, not believing the story in the slightest.
"Taiki-san had to have been telling the truth………he's the most serious of the three, so I doubt he'd be kidding about something like that." Minako said, quietly.
"I agree." Setsuna said, with real worry in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked.
"What I mean, Hotaru-chan, is that Tuxedo Death is a true menace. He's as real as we are and twice as deadly. His power is the exact opposite of Prince Endymion's." Setsuna murmured, as she remembered a distant past that was as clear to her as the day before.
"So what do we do to prevent him from coming here?" Michiru asked, looking very concerned.
"There's nothing we can do. He might already be here. By the way, has anyone seen Mamoru-sempai today?" Makoto asked. All those present shook their heads.
"Great. Not only do we have to worry about an evil kamen, but the good kamen we have has gone missing. You didn't drive him off, did you, Usagi?" Rei asked.
"No! Of course not!" Usagi shouted, angrily.
"Right……….whatever, Usagi!" Rei muttered, getting an infuriated outburst from Usagi for a response.
"Well, there goes our orderly meeting………." Ami said, with an exasperated sigh.
As the sun sets over Tokyo and its inhabitants, a man stands alone on a rooftop and watches as the shadows take over.
"At last…………I have returned to earth…………..after so long! Watch yourselves, Sailor Senshi………..I will be your death." The man sneered, his eyes glowing red as the darkness enshrouded the rest of him from view.