Okay, this is only PG-13 because of some minor cussing here and there, at least, so far. N E ways, if you don't want to read it, then don't, BYE! Disclaimer: I do not own anything Sailor Moon-ish, but the new characters and ideas used in this fanfic are MINE! (so if you use it without my permission, I will track you down! Jk ^_~ ) Enjoy!
Chapter 5
That night, when Mina got home, she told her parents that she had eaten dinner with Serena and the others before going straight up to her room. This puzzled them, for Mina never refused food.
" Are you sure? " Her mother called after her. She was answered my a muffled "yeah" followed by the sound of a closing door.
In her room, Mina opened a drawer and took out a small box. Inside were three items; a mirror framed with crescent moons, a pen decorated with crescent moons and stars, and a small pouch containing the pieces of a card; the ace of hearts. She reached into her pocket and took out the ace of hearts that Kaito Ace had given her that day. With a sigh, she began putting everything back in the box. When her transformation pen touched one of the cards, its star broke off unnoticed, landing on her bed. She put the pen in the box as the star glowed brightly, increasing in size until it was about as big as her thumb nail. She gazed at it in wonderment, watching light glance off of its multi-faceted opalescent sides.
" Mina? " Mina jumped, but when she turned around, she saw only Artemis.
" Oh! Artemis, you scared me! " She exclaimed in relief. Then she saw the look on his furry face. " Artemis? What's wrong? "
" Where-did you get that… Crystal? " Artemis choked out in amazement as he walked slowly up to her bed where it lay, glowing more brightly than ever.
" I-I-I'm not sure. It just appeared suddenly-" Mina began, then noticed the missing star on her transformation pen. "-Artemis? I think-I think that this was the star that used to be here. " She swallowed, indicating the pen. Artemis looked from the Crystal, to the pen, to Mina, then spoke.
" I don't know how this happened, but somehow you have gotten the last known piece of the Imperial Venus Crystal that is not somewhere on Venus. "
" The what?-Venus Crystal? " Mina asked. Artemis sighed.
" It's a long story. I'll leave it until tomorrow's meeting to tell when everyone is together. "
" But-Artemis! " Mina stuttered. " It wouldn't hurt to tell me a little early you know. "
" It's a long story, and you're tired. "
" No I'm not- "
" Tomorrow you have school. You need sleep, whether you want to admit it or not. " Artemis continued as Mina fought a huge yawn coming over her face. Since Mina refused to sleep, he ended up using some of his magic to send her to sleep.
" Just tell me one little thing Artemis. " She insisted sleepily. " One little thing won't hurt at all. "
" All right. " Artemis sighed. " If this helps you sleep, the last time the Imperial Venus Crystal, or any other Planetary Crystal, was seen in one piece was many millennia before the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. Now go to sleep. If the enemy attacks again tomorrow and you're fighting badly due to your lack of sleep, where will we be? And you being the leader of the senshi too…… " Artemis's fussing lulled her to sleep, unconscious when the Crystal's light flared suddenly, stirring only to turn in her sleep, dreaming.
" So has Adonis said anything to your father yet Serendipity? " Asked a blue-eyed girl with two spherical blonde odangoes. She suppressed a giggle, light catching on the six silver pearls in her hair as she shook with laughter.
" Well, " Began one of her companions, who looked quite similar to her except that she had bow-shaped odangoes with half her hair left down, and the pearls in her hair were platinum instead of silver. " he hasn't yet, but he's planning to after Father and Mother return from their mission. " A serious look came over their faces at the mention of the mission, but it didn't last for long. " I think Father knows anyway! " she giggled.
" How can he not? You two are inseparable at all the balls. " Added a raven-tressed girl with sparkling black eyes. A tall girl with brown hair sitting next to her nodded agreement, her smile apparent even in her bright green eyes. The bow-odangoed girl blushed furiously, and changed the subject.
" So how is Prince Endymion, Serenity? " She asked the other blonde girl. A dreamy look came over Serenity's face.
" He's great… " Her face fell in sadness. " For someone who has lost two homes already. Both his own Solar Kingdom and the home he had on Earth before Princess Tranquility rebelled. " At the last three words a fifth girl, who had half her wavy blue-black hair in up braided coils shaped like many-armed stars, turned her worried face to the sky, away from the sun.
" What is it Harmony? " The brunette asked, her two Siamese odangoes and the ponytails streaming from them bobbing as she turned her head sharply to look at her sky-gazing friend.
" I'm not sure… the planets are anxious… something catastrophic will soon occur… " Tranquility replied gravely, her voice trailing off as she strained her sensitivity to the goings-on of the nearby stars and planets. " Do you sense anything Security? " She asked her companion.
" The plants are preoccupied with something… electrical charges are going haywire… " The brunette answered. " I can just barely sense Jupiter's anxiety, it'd probably be a stronger signal if Mother and Father didn't have the Imperial Jupiter Crystal outside of our Solar System. "
" Fire is burning low, conserving itself for when trouble arrives. I can hardly feel Mars, but it, like I, can sense the evil."
" The Moon has already been split, Nepherenia has taken over the Dark Side, but more discord is on its way. " Serenity said, wrinkles appearing on her forehead.
" Light has retreated, the River of Love has been dammed. " Serendipity said. Suddenly, her eyes glowed with an orange-yellow light. " Venus knows what has happened. " She whispered fearfully.
" Turmoil is freed. " Harmony and Serendipity chorused. Suddenly, the large heart shaped crystals in all their hands (except Serenity's) glowed furiously just as they all heard shrieks of pain in their heads. Stabs of pain threatened to explode their skulls as the planetary symbols on their foreheads glowed impossibly bright. They felt nothing but pain, their bodies pulsing with it, even as everything began to go dark, swirling with voices unheard for millennia…
" NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! " Mina woke up in a cold sweat. After gasping for breath, she glanced at the clock, which displayed 3:07 AM. She laid back down again, thinking of the enigma of her dream. She soon drifted off to sleep again…
" Princess! Run, save yourself! " A small group of people pleaded as they fought off demonic creatures seen only in fairy tales. " Hurry to the Moon Kingdom, Harmony can't destroy another kingdom of The Trio, you'll be safe there! "
" NO! I can't leave you here-I've seen enough of my people die already! Some of you get the escape hatches open, I'll hold them off till we can all bolt! " Ordered a beautiful blue-eyed girl with half her silky blonde hair in twin bow-shaped odangoes and the rest left loose. When they hesitated, she insisted.
" Hurry, before Tranquility and Turmoil send some reinforcements! " She whirled around, light catching on the six platinum pearls on her bangs. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a blast of yellow-orange light at a three-headed snake, bowling it over. Reluctantly, four from the group left the fighting and headed for a heavily barred door on the other side of the large field.
She continued fighting off the youmas with her companions, though they soon became outnumbered. Youmas began popping out of the ground, a sign that their larvae had been implanted upon the surface of the Venus beforehand. ' If they keep this up, I might have to destroy Venus.' She thought fearfully. By the time the emergency escape hatches were ready, there were too many youmas to just give them the slip.
" Hurry, get to the escape hatches and go to the Moon Kingdom. " The princess ordered. " I'll cover our backs. "
" But you can't-Princess! " Cried a girl who strangely resembled the present-day Amy as the Princess of Venus barged into a group of youmas, shooting light-beams left and right. However, she was heavily outnumbered and the ten-to-one ratio began to show as she was overwhelmed by the youma around her (though she'd never admit that).
" Hey! " She cried indignantly as a grey-eyed blonde man grabbed her.
" I will not have you killing yourself just so I can escape. " He lectured. " We are sworn to protect you, Princess, whether or not you can control the power of the Imperial Venus Crystal. "
" How'd you know Adonis? " She hissed, an expression of utter surprise on her face as she blew apart a youma with the body of a man and the head of a bull. " The news of Sailor Universe's and the Kings' and Queens' deaths in the future was a secret! Only the princesses found out, and anyone watching at the time wouldn't have been able to tell what was going on . " She said, recalling the pain, darkness, and utter chaos in her head that terrible day.
" The Elemental Venus Crystal wouldn't allow you to send out attacks that powerful without something to launch it from. "
" It figures you'd think about something like that in the middle of a crucial fight like this. " She muttered darkly at him. " Now get everyone in a circle around the badly wounded, and we'll run to the escape hatches. I'll meet you at the Launch Chamber. " She ordered and slipped away before Adonis could do anything. He was about to follow, but saw that she had gathered some of the others and decided to do as she bade him. It seemed an eternity before their group of fighters was reunited and headed for the Launch Chamber, but when they did, it was not until they had entered the Launch Chamber that Adonis noticed his Princess was missing.
" Damn. " He muttered as he ran across the room to a viewing hologram. A few taps showed him what he was searching for, but certainly not what he wanted to see. The Princess was on the roof of the Launch Chamber, building up a dangerously high level of energy.
" Damn! " He swore again as he realized he didn't have enough time to get others to help him. He then took a risk, sacrificing precious energy to 'port himself to the roof. " Hope I won't need it. " He muttered to himself, jogging to the watch tower of the Chamber where he saw the Princess, white dress billowing behind her.
His breath caught as he also spotted the glowing orange-yellow sphere floating above her cupped hands; she was using the Imperial Venus Crystal-the effort would kill her! His jog turned into a break-neck sprint as she began revolving above the ground, arms raised above her head. He stumbled up the stairs of the watch tower, praying that he would reach her before she did whatever she was planning to do. He reached the top just in time to see her send the last of her energy to the surface of Venus.
"Serendipity! "He yelled, throwing himself at her, but it was too late. The Imperial Venus Crystal split apart into a thousand star-shaped pieces as the Princess collapsed. Adonis managed to snatch one of the pieces before they all blew away on the wind. He turned back to his fallen Princess. "Serendipity!!! Wake up Serendipity! You can't leave me Serendipity, you're all I have now… " The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and he turned around, looking for whoever had been sneaking up on him.
" Still can't manage to creep up on you, can I, brother? " A young man chuckled. He bore a striking resemblance to Adonis, though the highlights in his hair glinted red, and his eyes were more shadowy and mysterious.
" Garnetite! " Adonis gritted, infuriated.
" Danburite! " Garnetite mocked. " It's time you came with me, and served Turmoil. You escaped once already, but no longer, for I brought along a little present for you. " Garnetite chuckled, and tossed his Garnet Amulet into the air, where sunlight filtered through the murky crystal, revealing two shadowy forms. One emerged, and floated between the brothers while Garnetite caught his Amulet. He traced a symbol in the air with it, and the dark mass was stretched into a beam connected with Adonis's forehead where the brightly glowing Venus symbol was. Immediately, Adonis was being invaded by some alien force squeezing itself into his skull.
His scream of pain cut through the air, already thick with sulfur from the volcanoes which had erupted from Venus's surface when the Princess had shattered her Crystal. His scream was heard below, in the launch chamber, sending several guards rushing up the stairs to the roof. His scream awoke the Princess, who blasted away Garnetite and the main sphere of the dark mass before all of it had entered Adonis's skull. But already, the swirling darkness had come for him, and he caught a last glimpse of Venus in his beloved Princess, crying, before everything turned black…
Somewhere in Juuban, in a flat which housed three brothers
" JONATHAN, GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN HERE BEFORE WE'RE LATE!!!! " Jonathan had just been awakened from his dream, one he'd had so many times recently, he'd lost count. He got out of bed, and headed for the bathroom. After returning, he opened a drawer in his nightstand, and drew out a single card; the ace of hearts. He placed the card in the front pocket of his backpack, and opened the door to his closet. From inside, he took out a school uniform, the kind worn by senior boys at Juuban High School…
Chapter 6
" Mina! Wake up, you have to go to school today! " Artemis meowed frantically. Mina only slept peacefully on. Muttering an apology to Mina which she did not hear, Artemis unsheathed his claws and scratched her on the arm. That did it.
Downstairs in the kitchen where Mina's family ate breakfast, a piercing scream cut through the air. They didn't even raise their heads as they droned in unison:
" Artemis woke her up again. "
A minute later, Mina came charging down the stairs in a mussed Juuban High School uniform; the bow in her hair lopsided and unraveling. She grabbed her lunch out of her mom's hand, yelling a hurried " Bye! " as she hurried out of the house and down the street. As she turned the corner, she ran right into Serena, who was desperately late as well.
" SERENA! "
" MINA! " They yelled in unison, and laughed.
" C'mon, we're late already, but if we stop any longer, Miss Haruna will murder us. " Mina said, as they picked up their pace. They slipped into class unnoticed-they hoped. Miss Haruna had her back turned, dealing with an errant student who had been picking on a new addition to there class, who did not look as though he should trifled with.
He had a pair of shadowy gray eyes in a narrow face framed by short, white-blonde hair. His tall, lean frame reminded Mina of someone, though she couldn't recall who, exactly. As Miss Haruna raged on, severely lecturing him and Sean (the boy who had been less than polite to him), his eyes strayed, landing on Mina. Suddenly her forehead prickled, and instinctively, Mina brushed her bangs in front of her forehead and ducked her head. She slipped a hand mirror out of her purse and saw the she had done well by her instincts, for the symbol of Venus was only just fading from her forehead.
' What the hell is going on? Better ask Amy. ' Mina tore a scrap of paper from her notebook and scribbled a note to Amy, passing it to her friend underneath her desk. She turned back to look at the new kid, noting that he was glancing oddly at her. ' Where have I seen him before? ' Mina asked herself as Amy passed back the note. Looking around to make sure Miss Haruna was occupied and no one was looking over her shoulder, Mina carefully unfolded the crumpled paper.
Is it just me, or does Gary-the new kid-look a lot like Kaito Ace? If he is Kaito Ace, that would explain your symbol appearing, but then again, he could also be an incarnated mortal enemy of yours. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing like I did with Mercurius, but I think that we should keep an eye on Gary.
-Amy
Mina chuckled, and scribbled a tart reply.
Be careful Amy, you're starting to act like the Outer Senshi, being so suspicious of newcomers and all. Just kidding! I thought Gary reminded me of someone, I just couldn't remember who. Yikes! Miss Haruna is done yelling at Sean-lets finish talking about this later.
-Mina
Amy read the note, subtly nodded her agreement, and bent her head once more into a huge, moldy, and very boring looking volume entitled Obscure Astrological Myths. Mina sighed, and took out the math homework she hadn't finished the night before. A groan escaped her mouth as she looked at the three pages of calculus she had to complete in the last ten minutes of homeroom-math was her next class!
" Tsk, tsk, tsk! " Mina turned around and saw Miss Haruna bending over, looking at her yet incomplete math assignment. " You'd better get to work, Ms. Aino, you've only ten minutes until math. " Miss Haruna expelled a gusty sigh as she moved on. " What am I going to do with her? She and Serena… "
Mina suppressed a giggle at her teacher's weary mutterings, then turned back to her homework. She was about to take out her favorite yellow mechanical pencil when a mischievous grin spread across her face. Skirting her pencil pouch, Mina reached into the front of her backpack and pulled out her old transformation pen from when she had been Sailor V. She had put it there last night in case a youma showed up today, and was doubly glad of the precaution, for the pen was very handy when it came to finishing homework-especially the hard kind. Four minutes later, she put away the pen and her homework, and sat waiting out the last six minutes until the bell rang.
Amy sat absorbed in the index of the book, searching for the legend that Greg had told her would be very helpful. She chewed at her bottom lip, remembering how he had hung up quite suddenly after telling her that, but seeing Legend of Twelve Crystals, The in the index brought another immediate concern to hand. She quickly flipped to page 713 and began reading, slowly at first, until her eyes adjusted to the crumbling script.
Among the more ancient, obscure, and mysterious tales is that of the Twelve Crystals. It tells of a series of occurrences between eleven kingdoms, each holding a Crystal with a special purpose in the creation of the twelfth, Platinum, Crystal, which regulates the Universal Balance. If harm should befall any of the kingdoms, the others must give it support, or the Balance will be disrupted, and if any one kingdom should break away, and attack the others, the Balance will crumble, and the Platinum Crystal will cease to exist. Harmony between the Crystals is the only thing which will restore the Universal Balance and the Platinum Crystal. The eleven crystal which create the twelfth are as followed:
The Bronze Crystal, held by the kingdom Earth.
The Gold Crystal, held by the kingdom Sun.
The Silver Crystal, held by the kingdom Moon.
Amy gasped-this legend was all too coincidental.
The other eight are Imperial Crystals, held by the kingdoms Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
Coincidental now seemed an extreme understatement. Thinking quickly, she pulled her mini data computer out of her backpack and attached the scanning device she had put together a few weeks ago. She held the pen sized scanner above each page as she read it, adding to the computer's data banks. Halfway through the section on the Twelve Crystals, the bell rang, ending class. She shoved the book, computer, and scanner into the front section of her backpack and headed for math.
Hmm. That girl, Mina, I sense a strong power in her. Very strong. Gary thought, looking at Mina. He glanced at Serena, Amy and Lita as well, equally surprised to find that they, too held a powerful aura around them. That's odd. The four of them are also friends with Molly, and she doesn't seem to have any powers. He sat attempting to work out this puzzle in his head while Miss Haruna continued her tirade.
" I won't have this in my class room, now I think that the two of you owe one another apologies. " She finished. Gary and Sean favored each other with wilting glares before turning away again.
" I really don't want to have to send you to the office." Miss Haruna warned. The two turned to sneer arrogantly at one another.
" Sorry. " Sean spat.
" Sorry. " Gary muttered in an annoying sing-song voice which indicated that he was not sorry at all. Their teacher eyed them both sternly, then walked off with a sigh.
" I'll get you for that, kid. " Sean hissed.
" I'm so scared! " Gary muttered, his voice dripping sarcasm. " Think you can whoop me? Think again-oh wait, I forgot, you don't have a brain to think with! "
" Juuban Commons. Four o'clock. That should give you enough time to arrange for your room in the hospital, pretty-boy. " Sean replied angrily.
" Sure you don't want longer to get on a bus and run? " Gary responded scathingly. Sean opened his mouth to retort, but he was cut off by the bell.
" Hurry to your next classes! " Miss Haruna said, shooing them all out of the room. Gary looked down at his schedule, he had math next, then study hall. Math was his worst subject, always had been, always would be. He hurried to room 117, unhappy with the way his day had started out, and praying for math to end so that he could think in study hall. Suddenly, he was tripped, books flying through the air to land three feet away from their owner. Gary gathered his things and looked for the culprit. He was leaning languorously against the lockers, white-blonde hair crackling with static and clinging to the metal, sharp grey eyes dancing in amusement.
" Having a good first day? " Gary's older brother Jonathan asked him, offering him a hand up. " You should be more careful around here, wouldn't want to break any bones before lunchtime. " Gary sprung up, unaided, and pushed his brother's hand away.
" I can take care of myself, thanks. " He said, his tone of voice poisonous. The hand he had inside a pocket of his oversized jeans fingered a large multi-faceted gemstone. " No need for you to spend your precious time looking after 'ickle Gary. " He taunted Jonathan. His brother's grin disappeared, replaced by an harsh, bitter expression cold enough to freeze salt water in July.
" I'm not here to be your nanny, kid. I have better things to do, including…" he eyed Mina and her friends with and unmistakable expression, " looking after the females of this school… " His voice trailed off as he suddenly sensed the hidden power within them. Gary took the chance to escape to his next class, where Mina's group was also headed. Jonathan shook his head resignedly when he saw his brother leave. ' Why do I always sense power in him too? And he's always running off at strange times as well, especially before a battle. ' An eerie chill ran up his spine as he remembered how his brother was always gone during those battles against Garnetite and his predecessors.
Chapter 5
That night, when Mina got home, she told her parents that she had eaten dinner with Serena and the others before going straight up to her room. This puzzled them, for Mina never refused food.
" Are you sure? " Her mother called after her. She was answered my a muffled "yeah" followed by the sound of a closing door.
In her room, Mina opened a drawer and took out a small box. Inside were three items; a mirror framed with crescent moons, a pen decorated with crescent moons and stars, and a small pouch containing the pieces of a card; the ace of hearts. She reached into her pocket and took out the ace of hearts that Kaito Ace had given her that day. With a sigh, she began putting everything back in the box. When her transformation pen touched one of the cards, its star broke off unnoticed, landing on her bed. She put the pen in the box as the star glowed brightly, increasing in size until it was about as big as her thumb nail. She gazed at it in wonderment, watching light glance off of its multi-faceted opalescent sides.
" Mina? " Mina jumped, but when she turned around, she saw only Artemis.
" Oh! Artemis, you scared me! " She exclaimed in relief. Then she saw the look on his furry face. " Artemis? What's wrong? "
" Where-did you get that… Crystal? " Artemis choked out in amazement as he walked slowly up to her bed where it lay, glowing more brightly than ever.
" I-I-I'm not sure. It just appeared suddenly-" Mina began, then noticed the missing star on her transformation pen. "-Artemis? I think-I think that this was the star that used to be here. " She swallowed, indicating the pen. Artemis looked from the Crystal, to the pen, to Mina, then spoke.
" I don't know how this happened, but somehow you have gotten the last known piece of the Imperial Venus Crystal that is not somewhere on Venus. "
" The what?-Venus Crystal? " Mina asked. Artemis sighed.
" It's a long story. I'll leave it until tomorrow's meeting to tell when everyone is together. "
" But-Artemis! " Mina stuttered. " It wouldn't hurt to tell me a little early you know. "
" It's a long story, and you're tired. "
" No I'm not- "
" Tomorrow you have school. You need sleep, whether you want to admit it or not. " Artemis continued as Mina fought a huge yawn coming over her face. Since Mina refused to sleep, he ended up using some of his magic to send her to sleep.
" Just tell me one little thing Artemis. " She insisted sleepily. " One little thing won't hurt at all. "
" All right. " Artemis sighed. " If this helps you sleep, the last time the Imperial Venus Crystal, or any other Planetary Crystal, was seen in one piece was many millennia before the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. Now go to sleep. If the enemy attacks again tomorrow and you're fighting badly due to your lack of sleep, where will we be? And you being the leader of the senshi too…… " Artemis's fussing lulled her to sleep, unconscious when the Crystal's light flared suddenly, stirring only to turn in her sleep, dreaming.
" So has Adonis said anything to your father yet Serendipity? " Asked a blue-eyed girl with two spherical blonde odangoes. She suppressed a giggle, light catching on the six silver pearls in her hair as she shook with laughter.
" Well, " Began one of her companions, who looked quite similar to her except that she had bow-shaped odangoes with half her hair left down, and the pearls in her hair were platinum instead of silver. " he hasn't yet, but he's planning to after Father and Mother return from their mission. " A serious look came over their faces at the mention of the mission, but it didn't last for long. " I think Father knows anyway! " she giggled.
" How can he not? You two are inseparable at all the balls. " Added a raven-tressed girl with sparkling black eyes. A tall girl with brown hair sitting next to her nodded agreement, her smile apparent even in her bright green eyes. The bow-odangoed girl blushed furiously, and changed the subject.
" So how is Prince Endymion, Serenity? " She asked the other blonde girl. A dreamy look came over Serenity's face.
" He's great… " Her face fell in sadness. " For someone who has lost two homes already. Both his own Solar Kingdom and the home he had on Earth before Princess Tranquility rebelled. " At the last three words a fifth girl, who had half her wavy blue-black hair in up braided coils shaped like many-armed stars, turned her worried face to the sky, away from the sun.
" What is it Harmony? " The brunette asked, her two Siamese odangoes and the ponytails streaming from them bobbing as she turned her head sharply to look at her sky-gazing friend.
" I'm not sure… the planets are anxious… something catastrophic will soon occur… " Tranquility replied gravely, her voice trailing off as she strained her sensitivity to the goings-on of the nearby stars and planets. " Do you sense anything Security? " She asked her companion.
" The plants are preoccupied with something… electrical charges are going haywire… " The brunette answered. " I can just barely sense Jupiter's anxiety, it'd probably be a stronger signal if Mother and Father didn't have the Imperial Jupiter Crystal outside of our Solar System. "
" Fire is burning low, conserving itself for when trouble arrives. I can hardly feel Mars, but it, like I, can sense the evil."
" The Moon has already been split, Nepherenia has taken over the Dark Side, but more discord is on its way. " Serenity said, wrinkles appearing on her forehead.
" Light has retreated, the River of Love has been dammed. " Serendipity said. Suddenly, her eyes glowed with an orange-yellow light. " Venus knows what has happened. " She whispered fearfully.
" Turmoil is freed. " Harmony and Serendipity chorused. Suddenly, the large heart shaped crystals in all their hands (except Serenity's) glowed furiously just as they all heard shrieks of pain in their heads. Stabs of pain threatened to explode their skulls as the planetary symbols on their foreheads glowed impossibly bright. They felt nothing but pain, their bodies pulsing with it, even as everything began to go dark, swirling with voices unheard for millennia…
" NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! " Mina woke up in a cold sweat. After gasping for breath, she glanced at the clock, which displayed 3:07 AM. She laid back down again, thinking of the enigma of her dream. She soon drifted off to sleep again…
" Princess! Run, save yourself! " A small group of people pleaded as they fought off demonic creatures seen only in fairy tales. " Hurry to the Moon Kingdom, Harmony can't destroy another kingdom of The Trio, you'll be safe there! "
" NO! I can't leave you here-I've seen enough of my people die already! Some of you get the escape hatches open, I'll hold them off till we can all bolt! " Ordered a beautiful blue-eyed girl with half her silky blonde hair in twin bow-shaped odangoes and the rest left loose. When they hesitated, she insisted.
" Hurry, before Tranquility and Turmoil send some reinforcements! " She whirled around, light catching on the six platinum pearls on her bangs. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a blast of yellow-orange light at a three-headed snake, bowling it over. Reluctantly, four from the group left the fighting and headed for a heavily barred door on the other side of the large field.
She continued fighting off the youmas with her companions, though they soon became outnumbered. Youmas began popping out of the ground, a sign that their larvae had been implanted upon the surface of the Venus beforehand. ' If they keep this up, I might have to destroy Venus.' She thought fearfully. By the time the emergency escape hatches were ready, there were too many youmas to just give them the slip.
" Hurry, get to the escape hatches and go to the Moon Kingdom. " The princess ordered. " I'll cover our backs. "
" But you can't-Princess! " Cried a girl who strangely resembled the present-day Amy as the Princess of Venus barged into a group of youmas, shooting light-beams left and right. However, she was heavily outnumbered and the ten-to-one ratio began to show as she was overwhelmed by the youma around her (though she'd never admit that).
" Hey! " She cried indignantly as a grey-eyed blonde man grabbed her.
" I will not have you killing yourself just so I can escape. " He lectured. " We are sworn to protect you, Princess, whether or not you can control the power of the Imperial Venus Crystal. "
" How'd you know Adonis? " She hissed, an expression of utter surprise on her face as she blew apart a youma with the body of a man and the head of a bull. " The news of Sailor Universe's and the Kings' and Queens' deaths in the future was a secret! Only the princesses found out, and anyone watching at the time wouldn't have been able to tell what was going on . " She said, recalling the pain, darkness, and utter chaos in her head that terrible day.
" The Elemental Venus Crystal wouldn't allow you to send out attacks that powerful without something to launch it from. "
" It figures you'd think about something like that in the middle of a crucial fight like this. " She muttered darkly at him. " Now get everyone in a circle around the badly wounded, and we'll run to the escape hatches. I'll meet you at the Launch Chamber. " She ordered and slipped away before Adonis could do anything. He was about to follow, but saw that she had gathered some of the others and decided to do as she bade him. It seemed an eternity before their group of fighters was reunited and headed for the Launch Chamber, but when they did, it was not until they had entered the Launch Chamber that Adonis noticed his Princess was missing.
" Damn. " He muttered as he ran across the room to a viewing hologram. A few taps showed him what he was searching for, but certainly not what he wanted to see. The Princess was on the roof of the Launch Chamber, building up a dangerously high level of energy.
" Damn! " He swore again as he realized he didn't have enough time to get others to help him. He then took a risk, sacrificing precious energy to 'port himself to the roof. " Hope I won't need it. " He muttered to himself, jogging to the watch tower of the Chamber where he saw the Princess, white dress billowing behind her.
His breath caught as he also spotted the glowing orange-yellow sphere floating above her cupped hands; she was using the Imperial Venus Crystal-the effort would kill her! His jog turned into a break-neck sprint as she began revolving above the ground, arms raised above her head. He stumbled up the stairs of the watch tower, praying that he would reach her before she did whatever she was planning to do. He reached the top just in time to see her send the last of her energy to the surface of Venus.
"Serendipity! "He yelled, throwing himself at her, but it was too late. The Imperial Venus Crystal split apart into a thousand star-shaped pieces as the Princess collapsed. Adonis managed to snatch one of the pieces before they all blew away on the wind. He turned back to his fallen Princess. "Serendipity!!! Wake up Serendipity! You can't leave me Serendipity, you're all I have now… " The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and he turned around, looking for whoever had been sneaking up on him.
" Still can't manage to creep up on you, can I, brother? " A young man chuckled. He bore a striking resemblance to Adonis, though the highlights in his hair glinted red, and his eyes were more shadowy and mysterious.
" Garnetite! " Adonis gritted, infuriated.
" Danburite! " Garnetite mocked. " It's time you came with me, and served Turmoil. You escaped once already, but no longer, for I brought along a little present for you. " Garnetite chuckled, and tossed his Garnet Amulet into the air, where sunlight filtered through the murky crystal, revealing two shadowy forms. One emerged, and floated between the brothers while Garnetite caught his Amulet. He traced a symbol in the air with it, and the dark mass was stretched into a beam connected with Adonis's forehead where the brightly glowing Venus symbol was. Immediately, Adonis was being invaded by some alien force squeezing itself into his skull.
His scream of pain cut through the air, already thick with sulfur from the volcanoes which had erupted from Venus's surface when the Princess had shattered her Crystal. His scream was heard below, in the launch chamber, sending several guards rushing up the stairs to the roof. His scream awoke the Princess, who blasted away Garnetite and the main sphere of the dark mass before all of it had entered Adonis's skull. But already, the swirling darkness had come for him, and he caught a last glimpse of Venus in his beloved Princess, crying, before everything turned black…
Somewhere in Juuban, in a flat which housed three brothers
" JONATHAN, GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN HERE BEFORE WE'RE LATE!!!! " Jonathan had just been awakened from his dream, one he'd had so many times recently, he'd lost count. He got out of bed, and headed for the bathroom. After returning, he opened a drawer in his nightstand, and drew out a single card; the ace of hearts. He placed the card in the front pocket of his backpack, and opened the door to his closet. From inside, he took out a school uniform, the kind worn by senior boys at Juuban High School…
Chapter 6
" Mina! Wake up, you have to go to school today! " Artemis meowed frantically. Mina only slept peacefully on. Muttering an apology to Mina which she did not hear, Artemis unsheathed his claws and scratched her on the arm. That did it.
Downstairs in the kitchen where Mina's family ate breakfast, a piercing scream cut through the air. They didn't even raise their heads as they droned in unison:
" Artemis woke her up again. "
A minute later, Mina came charging down the stairs in a mussed Juuban High School uniform; the bow in her hair lopsided and unraveling. She grabbed her lunch out of her mom's hand, yelling a hurried " Bye! " as she hurried out of the house and down the street. As she turned the corner, she ran right into Serena, who was desperately late as well.
" SERENA! "
" MINA! " They yelled in unison, and laughed.
" C'mon, we're late already, but if we stop any longer, Miss Haruna will murder us. " Mina said, as they picked up their pace. They slipped into class unnoticed-they hoped. Miss Haruna had her back turned, dealing with an errant student who had been picking on a new addition to there class, who did not look as though he should trifled with.
He had a pair of shadowy gray eyes in a narrow face framed by short, white-blonde hair. His tall, lean frame reminded Mina of someone, though she couldn't recall who, exactly. As Miss Haruna raged on, severely lecturing him and Sean (the boy who had been less than polite to him), his eyes strayed, landing on Mina. Suddenly her forehead prickled, and instinctively, Mina brushed her bangs in front of her forehead and ducked her head. She slipped a hand mirror out of her purse and saw the she had done well by her instincts, for the symbol of Venus was only just fading from her forehead.
' What the hell is going on? Better ask Amy. ' Mina tore a scrap of paper from her notebook and scribbled a note to Amy, passing it to her friend underneath her desk. She turned back to look at the new kid, noting that he was glancing oddly at her. ' Where have I seen him before? ' Mina asked herself as Amy passed back the note. Looking around to make sure Miss Haruna was occupied and no one was looking over her shoulder, Mina carefully unfolded the crumpled paper.
Is it just me, or does Gary-the new kid-look a lot like Kaito Ace? If he is Kaito Ace, that would explain your symbol appearing, but then again, he could also be an incarnated mortal enemy of yours. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing like I did with Mercurius, but I think that we should keep an eye on Gary.
-Amy
Mina chuckled, and scribbled a tart reply.
Be careful Amy, you're starting to act like the Outer Senshi, being so suspicious of newcomers and all. Just kidding! I thought Gary reminded me of someone, I just couldn't remember who. Yikes! Miss Haruna is done yelling at Sean-lets finish talking about this later.
-Mina
Amy read the note, subtly nodded her agreement, and bent her head once more into a huge, moldy, and very boring looking volume entitled Obscure Astrological Myths. Mina sighed, and took out the math homework she hadn't finished the night before. A groan escaped her mouth as she looked at the three pages of calculus she had to complete in the last ten minutes of homeroom-math was her next class!
" Tsk, tsk, tsk! " Mina turned around and saw Miss Haruna bending over, looking at her yet incomplete math assignment. " You'd better get to work, Ms. Aino, you've only ten minutes until math. " Miss Haruna expelled a gusty sigh as she moved on. " What am I going to do with her? She and Serena… "
Mina suppressed a giggle at her teacher's weary mutterings, then turned back to her homework. She was about to take out her favorite yellow mechanical pencil when a mischievous grin spread across her face. Skirting her pencil pouch, Mina reached into the front of her backpack and pulled out her old transformation pen from when she had been Sailor V. She had put it there last night in case a youma showed up today, and was doubly glad of the precaution, for the pen was very handy when it came to finishing homework-especially the hard kind. Four minutes later, she put away the pen and her homework, and sat waiting out the last six minutes until the bell rang.
Amy sat absorbed in the index of the book, searching for the legend that Greg had told her would be very helpful. She chewed at her bottom lip, remembering how he had hung up quite suddenly after telling her that, but seeing Legend of Twelve Crystals, The in the index brought another immediate concern to hand. She quickly flipped to page 713 and began reading, slowly at first, until her eyes adjusted to the crumbling script.
Among the more ancient, obscure, and mysterious tales is that of the Twelve Crystals. It tells of a series of occurrences between eleven kingdoms, each holding a Crystal with a special purpose in the creation of the twelfth, Platinum, Crystal, which regulates the Universal Balance. If harm should befall any of the kingdoms, the others must give it support, or the Balance will be disrupted, and if any one kingdom should break away, and attack the others, the Balance will crumble, and the Platinum Crystal will cease to exist. Harmony between the Crystals is the only thing which will restore the Universal Balance and the Platinum Crystal. The eleven crystal which create the twelfth are as followed:
The Bronze Crystal, held by the kingdom Earth.
The Gold Crystal, held by the kingdom Sun.
The Silver Crystal, held by the kingdom Moon.
Amy gasped-this legend was all too coincidental.
The other eight are Imperial Crystals, held by the kingdoms Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
Coincidental now seemed an extreme understatement. Thinking quickly, she pulled her mini data computer out of her backpack and attached the scanning device she had put together a few weeks ago. She held the pen sized scanner above each page as she read it, adding to the computer's data banks. Halfway through the section on the Twelve Crystals, the bell rang, ending class. She shoved the book, computer, and scanner into the front section of her backpack and headed for math.
Hmm. That girl, Mina, I sense a strong power in her. Very strong. Gary thought, looking at Mina. He glanced at Serena, Amy and Lita as well, equally surprised to find that they, too held a powerful aura around them. That's odd. The four of them are also friends with Molly, and she doesn't seem to have any powers. He sat attempting to work out this puzzle in his head while Miss Haruna continued her tirade.
" I won't have this in my class room, now I think that the two of you owe one another apologies. " She finished. Gary and Sean favored each other with wilting glares before turning away again.
" I really don't want to have to send you to the office." Miss Haruna warned. The two turned to sneer arrogantly at one another.
" Sorry. " Sean spat.
" Sorry. " Gary muttered in an annoying sing-song voice which indicated that he was not sorry at all. Their teacher eyed them both sternly, then walked off with a sigh.
" I'll get you for that, kid. " Sean hissed.
" I'm so scared! " Gary muttered, his voice dripping sarcasm. " Think you can whoop me? Think again-oh wait, I forgot, you don't have a brain to think with! "
" Juuban Commons. Four o'clock. That should give you enough time to arrange for your room in the hospital, pretty-boy. " Sean replied angrily.
" Sure you don't want longer to get on a bus and run? " Gary responded scathingly. Sean opened his mouth to retort, but he was cut off by the bell.
" Hurry to your next classes! " Miss Haruna said, shooing them all out of the room. Gary looked down at his schedule, he had math next, then study hall. Math was his worst subject, always had been, always would be. He hurried to room 117, unhappy with the way his day had started out, and praying for math to end so that he could think in study hall. Suddenly, he was tripped, books flying through the air to land three feet away from their owner. Gary gathered his things and looked for the culprit. He was leaning languorously against the lockers, white-blonde hair crackling with static and clinging to the metal, sharp grey eyes dancing in amusement.
" Having a good first day? " Gary's older brother Jonathan asked him, offering him a hand up. " You should be more careful around here, wouldn't want to break any bones before lunchtime. " Gary sprung up, unaided, and pushed his brother's hand away.
" I can take care of myself, thanks. " He said, his tone of voice poisonous. The hand he had inside a pocket of his oversized jeans fingered a large multi-faceted gemstone. " No need for you to spend your precious time looking after 'ickle Gary. " He taunted Jonathan. His brother's grin disappeared, replaced by an harsh, bitter expression cold enough to freeze salt water in July.
" I'm not here to be your nanny, kid. I have better things to do, including…" he eyed Mina and her friends with and unmistakable expression, " looking after the females of this school… " His voice trailed off as he suddenly sensed the hidden power within them. Gary took the chance to escape to his next class, where Mina's group was also headed. Jonathan shook his head resignedly when he saw his brother leave. ' Why do I always sense power in him too? And he's always running off at strange times as well, especially before a battle. ' An eerie chill ran up his spine as he remembered how his brother was always gone during those battles against Garnetite and his predecessors.