I do not own the rights to any of the characters in the fanfic, nor do I claim them. The idea is mine, however. Enjoy!
This Time Around
Chapter 13
Trees. All around her were trees as far as the eye could see, and from her viewpoint, their end was limitless. It wasn't the trees themselves, however, that frightened Rini - usually, she loved nature. The forest she was in now was nothing like the vast, beautiful wood she and Yuli often played in behind Mia's house. The trees surrounding her were dead. Their branches hung down lifelessly, and their trunks were angled in odd positions. Another thing she noticed was that there were no birds chirping in the trees, or any other sign of life, for that matter. She shivered as a still wind blew through the lifeless forest.
"Lotus," she began. "Where are we? Where are we going?"
Lotus looked down at Rini. She looked up at him expectantly, however he kept his features emotionless. "We're in the Forest of the Spirits," he replied. "I'm taking you to my Master, and this is the only way we can get there undetected."
"Brother, why are you so much older than me now," she asked. "What happened to you, and why did you leave home?"
"That's none of your concern," he replied coldly. "My Master will soon make things the way they should have always been soon enough. And you're the key to it all."
"But why do you need me," she asked. "Why am I so important?" When he made no attempt to reply, she stopped walking. "I'm not going anywhere until you answer me!"
Lotus turned around angrily. "Now you listen to me, you little brat," he growled. "I do not have to answer any of your questions!" He smiled triumphantly as tears began to well up in Rini's eyes.
"You're not my brother," she whispered in a hurt tone. "My brother would never say such mean things to me."
"I am your brother, and you know it," he replied. "How else would I have known about your necklace?" He looked at her and snorted. "You probably don't even remember when I gave it to you."
"Yes, I do, Lotus," she exclaimed. "You gave this to me on my fourth birthday, before you disappeared, and you told me to always remember you by it."
"You do remember," he said quietly.
"I believe you now, Lotus, but why are you being so mean to me," she asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
Lotus balled his fists at his side, trying to calm himself down. "You never realized what pain you caused me, did you Small Lady," he asked. His voice wavered as he spoke. "Mother, Father, and I were happy together, and then you were born. I was overjoyed at first. I was happy that I had a little sister, but then, when our Mother announced that you would be heir to the throne, everything changed. Suddenly, you were the most important child, and we were no longer equals. Everyone shunned me, and showered all their attention on you."
"Lotus, I didn't know," Rini cried. "If you want, you can be the heir to the throne."
"It doesn't work like that," he replied. "But if you really want to help me, give me Mother's crystal. I know you possess it now, even as we speak. Do this for me, Lotus Blossom, and we can be a happy family again. Isn't that what you want?"
"I do, Lotus, more than anything," she exclaimed as he knelt down beside her. "But I ..." She allowed her voice to trail off. She looked into his eyes and for the first time, she saw her brother looking back at her. "I'll try to give the crystal to you, Lotus. I'll try my best," she said.
Lotus gave her a hug, and Rini happily reciprocated it back. "You must really think I'm being selfish right now," he stated. "I don't really want the crystal for myself. My Master needs it. He was the one that listened to me when no one else would. He said that if I brought him the crystal, he would be able to give me back the one thing I wanted the most."
"What's that," Rini asked.
Lotus smiled at her for the first time. "My family," he replied. His body suddenly tensed as if he sensed something. He looked back in the direction he had come from, and narrowed his eyes. "We must keep moving, Rini." He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, soldiers seemed to materialize from the ground. They bowed down at his feet, and he grasped Rini's hand. "Keep the intruders from the gate," he told the soldiers, his voice once again cold. The soldiers stood, and wordlessly disappeared.
"Lotus," Rini said uncertainly.
"We must keep going," he said, pulling her along behind him. "The Gate is not too far from here."
* * * * * *
Dais, Sekhmet, and Kale stood in front of the Shrine of the Ancient Clan, waiting patiently for Lady Kayura to return. Each man had become a guardian to the shrine, much as Lady Kayura had done.
"How do you suppose things are going down there," Dais asked no one in particular.
"I don't know, Dais," Kale replied. He looked down at the Earth and sighed. "I can't believe that not too long ago, we were the ones trying to destroy life. How is it that we turned so evil?"
"The same way as Lotus and Kite, I suppose," Sekhmet offered. "Only we weren't corrupted as children. I hope the Ronins and Scouts are able to help them out."
"Let us not dwell on the past," Dais said. The trio looked forward as a column of light appeared.
"Speaking of the devil," Kale stated with a smirk. One by one, the Ronins and Scouts appeared in front of them, followed by Lady Kayura. "So, you're finally going to go and get our armor back for us. It took you long enough to convince them, Lady Kayura."
She smiled good-naturedly. "Anubis sends his regards," she told the trio.
"Anubis is alive," Dais asked incredulously. Kayura shook her head.
"I knew the little runt would find a way to survive," Sekhmet boasted. "So, when will he be here to join us?"
"Most likely, Anubis won't be joining us, Sekhmet. That conversation will have to wait, however," she replied. "Right now, the warriors must find Rini. Lotus has kidnapped her."
"That means the crystal will soon be in their hands," Dais said. "This is not good at all. How will they get to the Dynasty headquarters?"
"There's still one gate open, hidden away in the Forest of the Spirits," Kayura answered. "Dais, guide them to the forest. The rest will be up to them."
"I understand, Lady Kayura," Dais said. He turned to the Ronins and Scouts. "I will lead you as far as the opening. Then, you must proceed without my guidance." He turned to leave, and the ten warriors quickly followed him.
"Warriors," Lady Kayura called out, causing them to stop. "Yuli asked me to tell you to be careful, so for his sake, do not underestimate any situation." Each warrior nodded their head, and then followed Dais. Several minutes passed, and the group finally came to the opening of the forest.
"Is this it," Sailor Moon asked, shivering a bit at how dead the forest looked.
"Yes it is, Princess," Dais replied. "Through here, you will find the path to the fallen Dynasty kingdom. Keep your eyes and ears opened, warriors. This forest can be tricky." He smiled, and then disappeared as he backed away from them.
"Perhaps I should lead the way, Sailor Moon," Sailor Mercury said as her scanner appeared over her eyes. "That way, I'll be able to pinpoint the location of the gate." Sailor Moon nodded her head, and smiled gratefully. Then Mercury, followed by Sai, took the lead and headed into the forest. The others began to follow, and Mars stopped.
"Keep your guard up, everyone," she said. "This place feels saturated with evil." Sailor Mars and Ryo followed the others, with Sailor Moon and Kento bringing up the end. The two walked in silence for a long time, until Kento finally said something.
"Serena," he began. She glanced over at him as they continued walking.
"Yes, Kento," she asked.
"I think it was really great of you to use your wish the way you did," he said. "You could have used it for anything, but you chose to bring Anubis back. Why didn't you just use the wish to make this whole situation go away?"
"I know that it wouldn't have worked, Kento," she replied. "And even if I thought it would have, I would never have made that wish." The two stopped walking, and she turned towards Kento. "Destiny and fate work in strange ways, Kento. I've finally learned that. A force more powerful than we can control wanted all of these events to take place. I have no right to try and change that with a wish, and ..."
"Serena, I love you," Kento blurted out, interrupting her in the process. As she remained silent, he took a deep breath. "I've loved you for a long time. I fell in love with you the moment you risked your life for us, to send us back to our home. When you told Ryo you wouldn't be hurt using the powers of the Moon Princess, I knew you were lying."
"Oh, Kento," she said softly.
"I had this feeling that maybe you felt something for me, too," he continued. "But I know that even if you did have feelings for me, you had already chosen in between me and Darien."
"You're right, Kento. I have already made my choice," she said. Kento closed his eyes, and turned his head to the side. She put her hands on either side of his face, and forced him to look at her. "Kento, I chose you a long time ago," she said, looking deep into his eyes. "It just took me until now to realize that."
Kento searched her eyes, and then a smile broke out onto his face. He picked her up, and swung her around in a circle. He stopped spinning, and the two stood face to face, both with moisture in their eyes. "No words can express how I feel right now," he said in a hoarse voice. He closed the distance between them, and kissed her with all the passion he had been feeling. As their kiss ended, they hugged each other tightly.
"Kento, I love you, too," Serena whispered into his ear. They broke apart suddenly as a flash of light brightened the sky, and shouts were heard from the direction the others had gone in. Wordlessly, the two warriors ran in that direction. They came to a clearing, and saw the other Ronins and Sailor Jupiter fighting several soldiers.
"Where are the other Scouts," Kento asked.
"Sailor Moon, Kento," Sailor Jupiter exclaimed as she noticed them standing there. "You're safe! Watch out for the ... Ah!" She screamed as she was hit from behind. She fell down hard, and then gasped as she was pulled into the ground. "Help me!" Before anyone could get to her, she disappeared into the ground. Soon afterwards, the other soldiers disappeared.
"Lita," Sage yelled. He ran over to where she had been. He tried to dig in that spot, however the ground was too hard. "Lita, answer me," he shouted, pounding on the ground. Finally, he stood up in frustration.
"What in the world was that," Sailor Moon exclaimed. "What happened?"
"All the girls disappeared like that," Sai explained, breathing hard. "And those soldiers we were fighting only seemed to go after them."
"We'll find them, don't worry," Sailor Moon replied. "But we have to keep moving. We still need to find that gate." As Sage was about to say something, Ryo interrupted him.
"She's right," he said. "We need to keep moving, and we need to stick together. If those soldiers were after the other Scouts, they'll be after Sailor Moon, too." The others nodded in silent agreement, and then continued on towards the gate. As they were walking, Rowen stopped.
"Something doesn't feel right," he stated. As Sailor Pluto's words ran through his mind, the sign of Venus glowed on his gauntlets. He notched an arrow on his bow, and pointed it straight up into the air. "Arrow ..."
"Rowen, what are you doing," Ryo asked.
"... Rain Shower," Rowen finished, releasing the arrow into the air. As he did so, dozens of soldiers appeared as a swift moving mist engulfed the area. Thousands of arrows rained down from the sky, striking the soldiers, and destroying a few.
"Oh, I get it," Ryo exclaimed. "Our new powers!" He unsheathed his swords as a few soldiers surrounded him. The sign of Mars glowed red on his gauntlets, and he stabbed one of his swords into the ground. As he did so, a red circle surrounded him and the soldiers around him. He grasped his other sword with both hands. "Firewall ... Flare," he exclaimed. As he said the last part of the phrase, he raised his sword into the air, and a wall of fire shot up from the circle, destroying the soldiers.
"Wow, I didn't think we would have such powerful attacks," Kento exclaimed as he looked down at his gauntlets. "Let's see what I can do." He turned towards the remaining soldiers, and held his weapon in his hands. "Earthquake Submersion," he yelled out. He swung his weapon around, and then hit the ground with it. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and the area underneath the soldiers caved in, taking them with it. Rocks crashed down onto the soldiers, and smoke rose up from the hole in the ground. Kento turned around with a smile on his face, only to find his teammates on the ground. "What happened to you," he asked as he helped Sailor Moon stand, and the others picked themselves up.
"Next time, Kento, just take it a little easier, ok," Sage replied. He gestured towards the area around them, and Kento laughed nervously. His attack had caused cracks in the ground, and some trees had been overturned.
"Sorry," he apologized. The group continued walking, and finally made it to the gate. As they walked towards the gate, four soldiers exploded from the ground, causing the Ronins and Sailor Moon to fly back. The Ronins stood, while Sailor Moon sat up to a kneeling position. "Just how many of these things are they going to send," Kento demanded, annoyed. As he swung his weapon in a circle, Sailor Moon quickly stood and held onto his arm.
"Kento, wait," she exclaimed. "There's something familiar about them. Don't you feel it?" As the warriors looked at the four soldiers, one of them stepped forward, and a mist emitted from it.
"That ... That's Sailor Mercury's powers," Sai exclaimed. He ducked as Mercury's imposter swung its' sword at him. The three remaining soldiers followed suit, and used the powers of the missing Scouts.
"We probably shouldn't attack them," Rowen stated as Venus' imposter thrust a spear at him. "We don't know if it's just a soldier using their powers, or if the girls are in the suit of armors somehow." He continued to block the spear thrusts with his weapon as the soldier's attacks grew more accurate.
"We've got to do something," Sage exclaimed as he dropped down to one knee. He grasped his shoulder in pain, but quickly drew up his sword as Jupiter's imposter jabbed at him with its' sword.
'I've got to do something,' Sailor Moon thought as she took out her scepter and raised it up into the air. "Moon Healing Activation," she called out. The four soldiers looked in her direction, however they were too slow to react in time. Her attack washed over them, and the armor began to melt away. Soon, each one of the Scouts stood where the soldiers had been standing. They fell to the ground, and Sailor Moon relaxed her shoulders. "Well, that worked," she mumbled as she and the others went to check on the Scouts.
* * * * * * *
"Lotus, why did you leave those soldiers behind," Rini asked as she was pulled along behind her brother.
"Rini, I had to leave them, because the Ronins followed us," he replied. "I felt when Lady Kayura entered this realm. It will only be a matter of time before they find us."
"But, why don't you just tell them what's going on," she asked, confused. "Mommy would understand."
"Mother isn't in this world," he replied, annoyed. "What would make you say such a thing?"
"You don't recognize our Mommy," she exclaimed. "She has the same hairstyle, only she goes by Serena now, instead of Serenity." She bumped into Lotus as he stopped suddenly.
"That was Mother," he asked as a far away look appeared in his eyes.
"Yes, it is," Rini stated. "I'm sure she'd be glad to meet you, Lotus, but she doesn't know about us yet, I don't think."
"It really was her," he reflected. He looked down at his little sister. "And is father ..." Rini nodded her head and he allowed his voice to trail. He swallowed as he felt his throat constrict. "Well, it's all the more reason for us to give the Crystal to my Master," he stated. "And we can be a family once again." He pulled on her arm, signaling that he wanted to continue.
"Will it ... hurt," Rini asked as a worried look crossed her face.
"No, it won't, Rini," Lotus replied. "My Master assured me that no harm would come to you if I agreed to help him get the Crystal." The two continued to walk until they finally reached their destination. As they stepped into the ruined castle, Rini took a step closer to Lotus, and grabbed onto his cape.
"Lotus, this place is creepy. I'm scared," Rini whispered. She gasped as she heard the click of heels against the concrete floor, and her grasp tightened unconsciously as Kite appeared from the shadows.
"You have returned with the girl," Kite stated. "Our Master will be pleased." She looked at Lotus and Rini with no emotion on her face. Her eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze fell upon Rini. "Come to me, child." Rini looked up at Lotus with questioning eyes, and he nodded his head.
"You can trust her, Lotus Blossom," he coaxed. He pushed her gently towards Kite. "Now go ahead and go." Rini slowly began to inch away from her brother, and as she made her way towards Kite, a cage dropped down, imprisoning her.
"Lotus," she cried out. She grasped the bars, and as she touched them, dark energy began to strike her. She fell to the ground, and the last thing she saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the angry look on Lotus' face.
"Kite," Lotus growled. He rushed towards the cage, however it lifted up into the air, and out of sight. "What's going on here," he demanded. Kite only smirked at him, and he balled his fists angrily. "What has he done to you? Why are you acting this way!"
"Our Master hasn't done a thing, Lotus," she replied. She drew her sword from its' sheath. "But he has other plans for that brat. You've outlived your usefulness, I'm afraid." The kanji of loyalty glowed on her forehead, and she smirked evilly. "I've learned to better control the Warlords' armor. How about I test it out on you?"
"Kite," Lotus thought, staring at the woman. He stared at her, his gaze locking with hers, and gasped as he saw tears forming in her eyes. Her face contorted into an evil mask, and as she charged towards Lotus, he was frozen in place. He could only watch, as she drew her sword into the air. "Kite, I won't fight you…"
To Be Continued . . .