I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic. It's all done in fun, so enjoy!
This Time Around
Chapter 14
"Are you sure you girls are okay," Sailor Moon asked the other Scouts, studying each one. "There aren't any side effects from my attack, are there?"
Sailor Mars looked at Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't feel any different," she replied. The others echoed their agreement.
"Don't worry so much, Sailor Moon," Jupiter said. "You did what you needed to do. I'm sure that any one of us would have done the same."
"Besides, being attacked by you is much better than not being able to control your own powers," Mercury added. "I don't know about you three, but I didn't have any control over my powers or my actions."
"Same here, Mercury," Venus said. "It was too weird for words. I had complete control over my thoughts, but not my actions. I thought that I was going to hurt someone accidentally." She walked over to Sailor Moon and put a hand on her shoulder. "I agree with Sailor Jupiter and Mercury. You did the best thing possible."
"Thanks you guys," Sailor Moon exclaimed. She turned towards the Dynasty gate. "Let's get this rescue mission underway, then!"
"This is the door leading to the Dynasty castle," Venus asked incredulously, staring up at the tall double doors.
"Yeah, this is it," Rowen replied in a grim voice. "I was hoping we'd never have to see these doors again."
"We need to bury the Dynasty once and for all," Kento exclaimed.
"How are we supposed to open the doors," Mercury asked, perplexed. "They look like they've got to weigh at least a ton."
"Each," Jupiter added, pushing the doors slightly to test their weight.
"It won't be too hard," Ryo stated. "Hopefully, the doors will still react to our armor."
"Besides, I'm sure they're expecting us," Sai added. "We'll get through one way or the other."
"You guys ... Rini and Lotus. They were here, standing in this spot," Sailor Moon stated suddenly.
"How do you know that, Sailor Moon," Kento asked, stepping next to her. She pointed down towards the ground, where there were two sets of footprints. One set was bigger than the other one.
"So they were," Sage said, examining the impressions. "That means the door is active, after all." He put his hands on the door, and the others followed suit. Together, the warriors pushed open the door, and a strong force began to pull them inside.
"Hang onto each other, everyone," Ryo shouted, as they were lifted into the air. "We shouldn't get separated!" As the force that was pulling them grew stronger, each of the warriors quickly grabbed the hand of the person nearest to them.
"Sailor Jupiter," Sailor Moon exclaimed frantically. "I'm losing my hold on you! You're slipping!" She looked to the right to see that she was holding Kento's hand. He had a hold of Sailor Mars' hand, and she held Ryo's hand.
"Try to hold on, Sailor Moon," Jupiter exclaimed. She and the other warriors held onto each other tighter, however she could feel her grip on Sailor Moon loosening.
"Kento, please don't let me go," Sailor Moon pleaded. He nodded, and she felt his grip tighten in a deadlock. She cringed slightly, however turned back to Sailor Jupiter. "Jupiter, I can't hold on," she exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"
Sailor Jupiter looked at Sailor Moon in the eyes. "We'll find you, Princess," she said with a solemn look. "Just make sure you all stick together. We'll find you, I promise." Sailor Moon nodded her head, and as Jupiter gave her hand one last reassuring squeeze, the two groups were pulled into different directions.
The doors began to close again, and with a resonating thud, all became silent.
* * * * * * *
"Ugh, my head," Rini groaned, slowly coming to her senses. She sat up, and instantly remembered where she was. She quickly stood up, and walked over to the bars of the cage. She reached out towards them, however stopped. 'If I touch them, I'll get zapped,' she thought to herself. She looked around, and as luck would have it, she saw a rock on the ground. She picked it up, and tossed it against the bars. When nothing happened, she slowly, carefully, put her hands on the bars. She sighed in relief, and then began to shake them. She finally gave up when she realized it was useless.
"Rini," she heard a voice call out, eerily soft.
"Who's there," she demanded, looking in all directions.
"Rini," the voice repeated.
"Lotus, where are you," she screamed. "Somebody, let me out of here right now!"
"How do you like your cage, Rini," the voice said to her, stepping out of the shadows of the room. Rini gasped as she realized it was Kite. The woman was still wearing her ceremonial kimono. Her black hair was pulled up into two twin ponytails. It wrapped around in a hoop on either side, and the rest fell straight down like a dark waterfall.
"Kite," she said through gritted teeth. "What did you do to Lotus? Where is he? You let me out of here right now!"
Kite cocked her head to the side, and sneered at the little girl. "You may have made Lotus feel insignificant, but it won't work me," she stated. "I think this cage suits you fine. Before long, you, too, will be serving my Master ... That is, if you survive."
Rini studied Kite, and as she did so, a realization came to her. "Kitiana," she exclaimed. "I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. You! You're Kitiana!"
"Don't call me that," Kite snapped angrily. "I'm no longer that person."
"Yes, you are, Kitiana," Rini said stubbornly. "You and my brother are best friends. Don't you remember? How could you betray him? How!" A look of regret seemed to pass over Kite's features, however she shook her head violently.
"No," she exclaimed. "You shut your mouth, brat!"
"Kitiana," Rini began. She cried out in pain as Kite reached through the bars, pulling her towards her roughly.
"Now you listen to me, Small Lady," she began venomously.
'Kite,' a voice boomed in her head. She quickly let go of Rini, and stepped away from the cage.
"Yes, Master," she answered the voice. Rini looked at her strangely.
"Who are you talking to," Rini demanded. However, Kite ignored her as she continued listening to the Emperor.
'I need that child alive. Leave her be,' her Master stated. 'Did you take care of Lotus?'
"Yes, Master," she replied. "He has been immobilized." Rini's eyes widened as Kite continued to talk.
'Excellent, Kite,' the Emperor said. 'I knew you would not fail me. The Ronins and those bothersome Scouts are in this realm, however they have been separated. The Queen is in a smaller group, and she's headed towards this castle. Take care of them.'
"I will do as you command, Master," Kite replied. "Leave it all up to me." Kite turned towards Rini and smirked. "It seems your mother is on her way, Small Lady. She's a fool."
"Kitiana, what did you do to my brother," Rini asked, on the verge of crying. "Did you kill him? Where is he?"
"I took care of him," she replied, saying each word slowly. The tears that threatened to fall finally spilled down her cheeks, and Rini slid down to her knees.
"No," she whispered. "No, it can't be." She looked up at Kite with a cold expression as her tears continued to fall. "I hate you, Kite."
"Good," she replied. "The more hate you have within you, the easier it will be to turn you!" She seemed to grip something in her hand, and light spread over her body. The dress she usually wore suddenly appeared on her body, and the light settled at her side, forming her sword. "The fun is about to start, Rini. Just sit back and watch."
* * * * * * *
Sailor Mars slowly opened her eyes, and noticed Sailor Moon, Ryo, and Kento laying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. She crawled over to her leader, and slowly shook her. "Sailor Moon," she exclaimed. "Come on, Meatball Head! Wake up!" Sailor Moon groaned, and then opened her eyes.
"I thought I told you not to call me that," she said, shaking her head. She looked at Sailor Mars, and the two smiled at each other. They both looked towards the other two as they began to stir.
"I never remembered that happening before," Kento grumbled, taking in their surroundings. "But this place hasn't changed any."
"No, it hasn't," Ryo agreed. "And I don't like it. It's too quiet."
"Where do we start looking," Sailor Moon asked, looking around the dark room. "Everything looks the same." The four warriors stood up, and Ryo walked over to Mars and grabbed her hand.
"This place is tricky," he said. "We'd better not let our guard down. We should stay close to each other." Kento grabbed Sailor Moon's hand, and then the four began to slowly walk down a corridor. They passed a slightly opened door, and as they went past, Sailor Moon gasped.
"Look you guys," she exclaimed, causing everyone to stop. "There's someone in that room." She walked over to the door, and quietly pushed it open. In the middle of the room, a figure was laying on the ground, not moving at all. "Oh no," she gasped. "It's Lotus!" She pulled her hand out of Kento's grasp, and burst into the room.
"Wait, Sailor Moon," Mars exclaimed. "It could be a trap." She sighed in frustration when Sailor Moon didn't stop, and ran after her.
"Lotus," Sailor Moon cried. As she reached the figure, she slowed down, and dropped to her knees. She reached a hand towards the figure shakily, and gently turned the person towards her. "Oh, no ... Lotus," she whispered. His eyes were closed, and he was badly beaten. Her vision began to blur as she heard the others run up behind her.
"Sailor Moon," Mars began. Sailor Moon's shoulders began to shake, and she lowered her head down to Lotus' chest.
"I was too late," she sobbed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I couldn't save him. How could this happen? If they did something to Lotus, they must have done something to Rini, too!" She continued to cry and she felt a hand move against her hair.
"M-mother, don't cry," Lotus said quietly. She sat up quickly, and stared down at him.
"Lotus," she whispered. "You're alright!" She grabbed his hand, and smiled as he weakly squeezed it.
He nodded his head once, and then grimaced in pain. "You look like a angel from here, Mother," he continued. "I'm sorry, for everything."
"Lotus, who did this to you," she asked, running a hand gently over his bruised cheek.
"Kite did it," he said. "But it wasn't her fault. Kitiana is under his control, I know she is."
'Kitiana,' Mars thought to herself, as her forehead burrowed into a frown. She shook her head, and turned her attention back towards the scene in front of her.
Lotus opened his other hand, and two orbs were there. The kanji of piety and obedience flashed on either one momentarily, and then disappeared. "I no longer have need for these," he stated as the two orbs disappeared from his hand.
"What happened to them," Ryo asked.
"I denounced owning them, so they returned to their rightful owners," Lotus answered. "I made a grave mistake taking them in the first place. Both me and Kite did, and all for him." He coughed violently, and his face contorted in pain.
"Lotus," Kento said, kneeling down next to Sailor Moon. "We need to know who's after Rini. You've gotta tell us, or else we can't help her." A light seemed to shine in Lotus' eyes, however he frowned.
"He tricked me from the beginning," he said angrily. "He promised me he would help me get the one thing I wanted most, however all he has done is caused my family great pain." He gasped in pain and then clenched his eyes shut as the black upside-down crescent moon disappeared from his forehead.
"Lotus," Sailor Moon exclaimed. She gently picked up his head, and placed it in her lap. She slowly began to rock him back and forth, until his episode ended. "Lotus, don't protect him," she said. "Tell us who he is, please." A tear slowly slid down her face, and landed on his forehead. As this happened, a silvery-white glow surrounded him, and he seemed to shrink. As the glowing disappeared, a little boy with a golden crescent moon on his forehead was there.
"He ... He changed back," Sailor Mars exclaimed as her own vision blurred. The boy's eyes fluttered opened, and he slowly sat up. He looked down at himself, and then over at Sailor Moon.
"Mommy," he cried, latching himself onto Sailor Moon. He pulled away from her, and then threw his arms around Kento's neck. "Daddy!" Lotus' crying subsided, and Kento's eyes grew big as he looked over at Sailor Moon.
"D-Daddy," he asked. However, her expression conveyed the same confusion he was feeling. He slowly hugged the boy back, and a lop-sided smile appeared on his face.
"This is too much," Ryo said, perplexed. He looked behind him as the door slammed shut and disappeared. Sailor Mars' head snapped up in attention as well.
"Isn't this a touching sight," Kite's voice rang throughout the room. "The happy little family is finally almost reunited."
"Kite, show yourself," Sailor Moon demanded, standing to her feet. "Where is Rini? Tell me now!"
"Lotus," Kento shouted. Sailor Moon looked over towards him as dark energy surrounded Lotus and he disappeared. "Damn you, Kite," Kento said, standing angrily. "Bring him back, now!"
Kite appeared slightly in front of the warriors and laughed mockingly. "But I thought that you would be happy for brother and sister to be reunited," she taunted. A lever appeared next to her, and a cage dropped down from the ceiling. Rini and Lotus were in it, clinging onto each other. Kite's mocking smile turned into an evil frown. "I reunite them with each other, and this is the thanks you give me?"
Lotus stood away from Rini, and grasped the bars. "Kitiana, why are you doing this? You've got to snap out of this right now," he pleaded. "Fight the spell, Kitiana."
"Why do you keep calling me that name," she demanded, grasping her head in her hands. "I'm no longer that person. I am Kite, and I will rule by my Master's side! I will be his Queen!" She raised a glowing hand towards Lotus and Kite, and Sailor Mars stepped forward.
"Evil spirits," she chanted, holding an ofuda in between her middle and index fingers. She threw the paper towards Kite, and as it stuck to her back, Mars held her hands in the shape of a triangle. "...Disperse," she shouted, thrusting her hands forward. The letters on the ofuda began to glow, and a smoky figure seemed to float away from Kite.
"Master," she screamed. The symbol of obedience appeared on her forehead, and then seemed to burn away. A bright flash exploded from her, and as it faded, a tiny girl stood in her place. She fell down to the ground, and Sailor Mars ran to her side.
"She's going to be alright," Mars said as she removed the seal. She looked over towards Ryo as he walked up beside her.
"This must be the person Sailor Pluto was talking about," he stated, looking down at the unconscious girl. "She must be Lotus' best friend, from the future. How bizarre."
Mars nodded her head in agreement, and then turned towards Sailor Moon. "Let's get these three out of here, Sailor Moon," she said.
"Hey, did you forget about us up here," Rini demanded, looking down from the cage. "Get us down from here!"
"Rini, don't be so rude," Lotus scolded, causing Rini to stick her tongue out at him.
"I'll get you down," Sailor Moon called up to them with a small laugh. She ran towards the lever that had appeared next to Kite, and Sailor Mars gasped.
"There's a presence in the room," she exclaimed. "Watch out!" She screamed as Sailor Moon and Kento were thrown back against the wall by an invisible force.
"Kento, Sailor Moon," Ryo shouted. As he ran towards where they had been thrown, he was pushed back as if something was blocking his path. "What in the world?"
"It's a barrier incantation," Mars said as a faintly glowing circle surrounded Ryo, Kite, and herself. "What's going on?" They heard a laugh, and a man appeared in the room.
"I don't believe my eyes," Ryo said, horrified. "This isn't possible!"
To Be Continued . . .
This part didn't have as much action as I had hoped. The next part will make up for it, where it lacked in this part. Don't forget to leave those reviews!