Prologue
"Damn…" Rubeus groaned as he was knocked to the floor by the blast of something inside his ship exploding. The UFO couldn't take much more of this. Any second now it would explode and take both of them to kingdom come. "I'll get you for this moon bitch!" he snarled as he got slowly up off the floor and brushed small pieces of debris off his green pants and brown leather top. Just a few minutes ago, he had had all the senshi captured in this very UFO. Sailors Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter, he had had crucified on jakozuishou crosses, Sailor moon and the rabbit had been lured here to set them free. He had had the moon bitch defeated… and then that rabbit, the little shit, had set the ship on self-destruct. They all escaped and now he, Rubeus, was left alone, to go down with his ship.
There's nothing I can do to save her… too bad. Oh well, I'll just go back to Nemesis, get another one, come back and blast the senshi to hell he thought and smirked. The smirk then turned into a thoughtful look. But if I go back to Prince Demando empty handed, it'd be an embarrassment. At least they know I HAD all the senshi trapped here, I showed them on the monitor. No one else could have achieved that. Especially not that green haired bitch Esmeraude! She doesn't have a clue about anything! …If I make it look like I got them as bad as they got my poor ship he sighed as he looked around him at the now burning interior. It had once been the finest ship in the Nemesian army, and his to do with, as he wanted. When it had been given to him instead of Esmeraude, (who wouldn't know the difference between the head and backend of a sheep) she had been furious. Ha! That was the understatement of the year! She was so up herself it wasn't funny. Basically, everyone in the Black moon family were up themselves (with the exception of Saffir who cared for nothing except his brother). Esmeraude made them all look like selfless saints.
The ship… it was almost painful to look at it. I can have a hero's return and be looked up to as Demando's greatest warrior.
This made him smile. Now I just have to make it look like I'm prepared to go down with my ship, like the hero I am. Reaching up to his right ear, he took off one his beloved earrings. Holding it in his palm, he looked carefully at it. It was a shard of the infamous jakozuishou that gave the members of the Dark moon family so much power, a gift to their Prince, from the Wiseman. Fuck the Wiseman he thought.
The black crystal shard glittered evilly in the firelight, too bad he had to throw away another tool. Tool… yes, he had had many tools to use and abuse. But unlike the sisters, this was useful. At least he could get another one when he got back to Nemesis.
Without another thought he dropped it on the floor and crushed it under his boot heel. The crystal made a few loud cracking noises before it splintered into tiny fragments. Rubeus stood back and looked at his handy work. Good… now all I have to do is wait for Demando to send someone to come get me.
He didn't have to wait long. About 8 seconds later, he felt the familiar aura resonance's of someone warping into the control room. Without turning, he knew who it was, though he didn't understand why Demando had sent HER.
"Why Esmeraude, I didn't know you cared" he drawled as he turned slowly to look at her, the movement catching the firelight and making his gorgeous red hair look like it was dancing with the fire. His remaining earring and cerise eyes glittered cruelly in the light, both mocking the green haired woman standing before them.
She glared at him once before turning to survey the interior of the ship. "Tsk, tsk Rubeus… what a mess! Demando is not going to be pleased that you managed to totally demolish his best ship. Even though it was given to you…" she glared at him again, one hand on her hip, the other clasping that stupid frilly pink fan she took everywhere with her. It should have been given to me! She thought as she languidly waved it in front of her beautiful face, hiding everything except her slitted, deep brown eyes.
Rubeus had to roll his eyes. This was so like his cousin, major drama queen that she was.
"The ship is going to go any time now. When are you planning on taking us out? The last second?" he snapped, putting a hand on his hip and glaring back at her.
She feigned surprise. "Us? What do you mean 'us'?" she asked in a sugary sweet voice. She laughed down at him, her voice a high pitched cackle.
Rubeus was taken aback. His eyes widened to shock for a second before he settled himself.
"Demando obviously sent you here to take me back to the 30th century."
"Why Rubeus, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" she said trying to sound innocent and make him sound dumb.
She's playing one of her stupid games he thought as he ran a hand through his beautiful crimson hair, the light from the fires reflecting off the glossy strands and shining with it's brilliance. "Oh, then what are you here for, a fan that actually goes with what you're wearing?" his eyes glittered maliciously. It was no big secret that he hated her. Her feelings towards him weren't much different.
Esmeraude's eyes widened in shock and she looked aghast. Did he just insult me…? Realizing this her face went red with anger. "How dare you!" she shrieked. "My fan goes perfectly well with my dress and…" but Rubeus cut her off.
"And the sisters were better dressers then you. That really says a lot doesn't it," he said coolly. "Now are you going to stand there with your mouth open all day or are you going to take us back." That was an order, not a question, and she knew it.
"You know Rubeus, I'm not going to miss you at all. I only came here as a messenger for Demando" she stopped and smiled cruelly. Rubeus didn't look like he cared. Damn.
"Frankly, you're pathetic. Even Saffir is more useful then you. I came here to tell you that you're not coming back. Ever. We don't need someone like you. You failed miserably. It's all up to me to clean up your mess now. Too bad cousin. I'm sure no one will miss you when you're gone. Ha ha ha!" she laughed "Whereas if I ever die, they'll miss me, and remember me and my beauty for all eternity!"
Rubeus had to laugh at this. "Esmeraude, if that pole was any higher up your arse you wouldn't be able to walk, let alone stand without screaming. Oh, but I forgot, you like long, hard things shoved up there don't you. And what you want now is Demando's…"
"SHUT-UP!" she shrieked, cutting him off. "You have no right to speak to me that way! What about you and those sisters! I mean, come on, really…." She stammered, not really sure what to say back to him. How did he know about Demando…Her face was red with anger. If she'd have been any angrier she'd be foaming at the mouth. Rubeus didn't look at all perturbed by that. In fact, he just looked amused. He wasn't even shocked that she knew about his little 'flings'. After all, they never meant anything to him. Sex was just sex. What else were women for?
"Yes… Esmeraude. Though unlike you I don't have to go down on hands and knees and beg for what I want. I don't even have to ask, I just take it. That really gets to you doesn't it. Because you can't do the same with dear Prince Demando!" with this he threw back his head and laughed deeply. The laugh was hard and cruel. Esmeraude paled visibly and put a hand to her mouth, unsure of what to do. Then, thinking of something, she again glared daggers at him
"Look, I just came to say goodbye and that you're pathetic. I haven't nearly said enough about your past mistakes. At least you won't be making anymore to embarrass yourself further!" she laughed.
Rubeus was stunned. Demando wouldn't do this to me, would he? She just came here to laugh at me? I'm going to…die? No, she's kidding. Just rattling me. "Esmeraude, take us out of here NOW" he said angrily.
She just looked at him and raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "I already told you I'm not taking you out. You're going to die here Rubeus." She was going to say something else but the ship jerked suddenly and sent them both sprawling. Unfortunately for her fan, she accidentally threw it halfway across the room when she fell. The frilly, pink material was hungrily being eaten by the flames. Cursing, she got up slowly on her high stiletto heels and ran as fast as she could to her poor fan. She carefully pulled it out of the fire and stamped on a few times to smother the small flames that had taken hold of it. She then bent down and lovingly scooped it up. Her poor darling was singed and blackened in many places. Some of it had been burnt right off. Behind her, Rubeus was trying to smother a laugh. Oh, this is amusing he thought, forgetting for the time being the situation he was in. When Esmeraude actually turned and faced him, he caught sight of her fan and he actually, genuinely laughed. He hadn't done so in a long time.
Esmeraude was so close to crying that without thinking, she waved her now dead fan in front of her face as she usually did. Rubeus practically fell over at the spectacle. He was laughing so hard. Not a good thing to have done in his position.
She stopped waving her fan, stared at it and then folded it shut and held it in her hand, which was tightly clenched as she took in the sight of her cousin, her nemesis, who was doubled over, laughing so hard it must have hurt his stomach.
"Stop it!" she snapped.
"You have no idea how ridiculous you look" he laughed. She looked down at herself and noticed that it hadn't just been her darling he'd been laughing it. Her short, dark green dress had managed to slide up a bit too much and was showing off just a touch more then she had wanted to show to anyone…. Other then Demando that is.
She grabbed as much as she could of the tight garment and pulled it down as far as it would go. How dare he laugh at my legs, they're beautiful!
"Getting shy are we cousin? Tsk tsk" he imitated her from earlier on "how very unlike you." He scolded mockingly. She would have slapped him then, had she been sure that she could get away with it. Instead, she held herself in check and said through gritted teeth "I'm going to go now."
Ok, now he started to look a bit on edge. "What..?" he asked, trying not to get hysterical.
"I'm going," she said, eyeing him mockingly.
"Esmeraude, you can't leave me here!" he said sternly, still not believing that she would.
"Good bye Rubeus" Esmeraude said sweetly, and blew him a kiss before warping out with her blackened fan.
"Esmeraude…" Rubeus couldn't believe what had just happened. It wasn't possible!
The ship groaned and shook, nearly throwing him off his feet again. He lurched forward, panicking, and reached for the place Esmeraude had been standing not too long ago.
"ESMERAUDE!" he screamed.
The ship shuddered and a roaring noise beneath him blocked out any other sound he might have heard. He was weak. He didn't have enough power left to warp. Maybe if he tried hard, used up all his strength he might make it to the world below, to Earth, to Tokyo. He still had one earring.
The roaring grew louder, and the inside of the ship, hotter. Maybe because he did have enough power, or maybe because he had a huge adrenaline rush, or maybe even through his strength and sheer will to survive, he managed to warp from the floor of the ship just before it exploded.
He must have warped just above ground level because he landed, hard, on something stiff and almost unyielding. It was cold, and sounded like metal. It seemed to have dented inwards when he fell on it, whatever it was. He didn't care. He blacked out almost instantly from exhaustion.