Part 2: Evil Reborn
Duo woke up to find Ryoko leaning over him. She was holding Hotaru in her arms. "You okay?" she asked, shifting the small girl's weight from one arm to the other.
"Yeah, just great. Where are we?" Duo rubbed his head.
"I dunno, but I can't figure out how this happened, either." She held up her wrist, revealing the jewel embedded there. However, instead of its normal red color, it was now dark violet. "Anything different on you?"
"I don't think so. My tattoo's still...HEY!"
Ryoko peered at his palm. "Duo, you are now officially whipped. I mean, getting her sigil tattooed on your hand? Really."
"But it was a scythe before! A black scythe little blood lines flying from it!"
"Sure. I believe you."
Duo frowned and stared at the sigil. "Well, the last time I checked, it was still a scythe, and that was right before I got to the hospital."
"Well, my jewel was still red back at Tenchi's."
"So maybe it happened when we touched her forehead?" he suggested.
She shrugged. "The kid's been out since I woke up."
Duo turned to take a look at the land. It was a very rocky surface, riddled with craters and dried riverbeds. "This is just a guess, but I think we're on another planet."
Ryoko snorted. "If that was true, you'd be choking right now. Only I can breathe in space."
"I did say it was a guess." Duo turned back to her. "Well, the way I see it, we could either call for help-"
"Or I could teleport us back," Ryoko finished.
"I was going to say that we probably ended up here for a reason, so we might as well find out why."
"No offense, Duo, but just because your girlfriend brought us here doesn't mean we should stay. If you recall, she's had a history of...evilness."
"This from a space pirate who also happens to be a demon summoner?"
"Shut up."
Duo grinned. "Anyway, let's check it out. It's been a long time since we've explored space."
Ryoko sighed and fell in step beside him. "Fine. But you have to carry her for a while, too."
* * * * *
Sakura was almost asleep when her private phone line rang. She sighed and rolled over, nearly crushing Kero as she grabbed it. "Hello?" she asked quietly.
"Hi, Sakura? This is Reenie."
"Reenie? Who's that?"
"Uh...a friend of Li's. Sorta. Listen, I really need your help."
Sakura groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Unless this is an emergency, I can't-"
"It is. Do you remember the Sailor Scouts?"
"Vaguely. Why?"
"One of them needs your help. She's...well...I was hoping you'd be able to find her."
Sakura sighed heavily. "Do you have ANY idea where she might be?"
"Um...outer space?"
Sakura blinked. "Right. Um...I'm gonna have to get some special help with this one. Is she in any immediate danger?"
"Well, I'm not sure. She MIGHT be."
"Great. Could you be any less detailed? It's only two in the morning."
"Sorry. All I know is that Duo Maxwell and Ryoko are with her."
"So why do you need my help? They were practically born to travel in space."
"Sakura, that might not be enough! They need help!"
"Look, I'll make some calls and see what I can do, but you'd better find someone who actually has a spaceship first." Sakura hung up, then dialed another number. "Hello, Guy? Yeah, it's me. I need you to get me a spaceship. Used? Yeah, I guess that'll work."
* * * * *
Duo and Ryoko stared at the stone coffin.
"So...what do you think's in it?" Ryoko asked.
"I'd say a body, but who could be buried out here?"
"Maybe it's the reason we're here." Ryoko ran her hand over the top. "It's not like we have anything else to do."
"I guess not."
Ryoko handed Hotaru to Duo. "Good. Then you hold her while I open it."
"Are you sure about this?"
"No, but I'm not gonna stand here all day." Ryoko examined the coffin. "Hmm...primitive design, and ten steel seals. Shouldn't be too hard to bust open."
While Ryoko went to work on the seals, Duo brushed a strand of hair from Hotaru's face. "C'mon, babe. You gotta wake up sometime. You're really starting to worry me here."
Instantly, Hotaru opened her eyes. "D-Duo?" she whispered. "What happened?"
"Doesn't matter," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "You okay?"
"I think so." Her eyes widened in alarm. "What is Ryoko doing?"
"Oh, she's just opening this coffin we found out here."
Hotaru gasped. "Ryoko, stop! DON'T OPEN THAT!"
Ryoko looked up just as her fist crashed through the final seal. "What? I couldn't hear you over the noise!"
There was a low scraping sound as the stone lid moved away from the coffin. A violet mist spewed over the edge of the coffin, moving quickly across the rocky terrain.
"I'm guessing that's not a good thing," Duo muttered. "Any idea what Ryoko just did, babe?"
"It's the evil," Hotaru said. "It was trapped here, and now it's escaping!"
"Not escaping," a voice said. "At least, not yet. I plan to have my revenge first."
Duo turned to see a woman glaring at them. A woman that looked pretty familiar, now that he thought about it. "She one of yours, Ryoko?"
"Nope. For once, she's not after me. At least, I don't think so."
The woman smiled evilly. "It's not you two I want to destroy. It's the girl."
"Back off, lady!" Duo shouted. "Hotaru's with us!"
"Then you all die." The woman raised her hands to the sky. "Guardian Saturn, grant me your dark powers!"
"She can't do that, can she, kid?" Ryoko whispered.
"I-I don't know," Hotaru replied, looking worried.
Duo was the first to notice the huge shadow. "INCOMING!" He shoved Hotaru away as the meteor crashed to the ground.
Hotaru hit the ground hard. When she looked up, the giant meteor was still smoking from impact. Ryoko and Duo were nowhere to be seen.
The woman grabbed Hotaru by the neck and hauled her up. "This time, I won't be limited to your weak little body. This time, I am free, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me." Her eyes flashed. "And before I forget, Pharaoh 90 says hello. I promised I'd deliver his...warmest regards."
Hotaru could feel the scalding heat all over her body, and just before she passed out, there was only one thought going through her head: Mistress Nine was back.
* * * * *
"Sakura, normally I wouldn't be doing this, you know. I could get fired...again."
Sakura didn't look too concerned as they walked through the parking lot. "What's more important, Guy? Your job or three of your stars?"
"Well, I think-"
"Let me rephrase that. If your stars die, you don't HAVE a job."
Guy considered that. "Okay, but I have to warn you, the spaceship is used."
"How used?"
Guy grinned weakly. "So used that it came with an owner?"
"...what?"
"Sorry, Sakura. When I told her about your crisis, she insisted on going, too. Besides, it IS her ship."
Sakura stopped walking. "This person isn't crazy, right?"
"Nope. A bit cheery at times, but normal...as far as anime super heroines go. Oh, this is it."
Sakura looked up. "THIS is a spaceship? It looks like it's made out of wood!"
"Well, it's strong wood...I guess." Guy shrugged. "Anyway, it's almost totally self-piloting."
"You still haven't told me who the owner is."
"No need to," Guy replied. "Here she comes now."
Sakura turned to see a pair of floating logs behind her. "Uh..."
"Hi there!"
Sakura looked up to see a girl her size sitting on one of the logs. "Oh. Hi."
The girl hopped to the ground and shook Sakura's hand. "I'm Sasami. What's your name?"
"Uh...Sakura. These are your...logs?"
"Oh, they're not logs. They're my guardians."
"They're your PARENTS?"
"No, no! They protect me. Well, my sister, anyway. They just gave me a ride here, but I have my own inside the ship."
Guy cleared his throat. "Will you ladies be needing anything else?"
"Nope. We're fine. Thanks, Guy!" Sasami pulled Sakura toward the ship.
"Come back alive, please!" Guy reminded them. "It's bad enough we've already got three stars missing!"
"There is no need to worry, Guy," the guardian closest to him said. "Princess Sasami is very resourceful."
"I just hope she's really lucky," Guy muttered.
Continued in Part 3: Power of Saturn
Duo woke up to find Ryoko leaning over him. She was holding Hotaru in her arms. "You okay?" she asked, shifting the small girl's weight from one arm to the other.
"Yeah, just great. Where are we?" Duo rubbed his head.
"I dunno, but I can't figure out how this happened, either." She held up her wrist, revealing the jewel embedded there. However, instead of its normal red color, it was now dark violet. "Anything different on you?"
"I don't think so. My tattoo's still...HEY!"
Ryoko peered at his palm. "Duo, you are now officially whipped. I mean, getting her sigil tattooed on your hand? Really."
"But it was a scythe before! A black scythe little blood lines flying from it!"
"Sure. I believe you."
Duo frowned and stared at the sigil. "Well, the last time I checked, it was still a scythe, and that was right before I got to the hospital."
"Well, my jewel was still red back at Tenchi's."
"So maybe it happened when we touched her forehead?" he suggested.
She shrugged. "The kid's been out since I woke up."
Duo turned to take a look at the land. It was a very rocky surface, riddled with craters and dried riverbeds. "This is just a guess, but I think we're on another planet."
Ryoko snorted. "If that was true, you'd be choking right now. Only I can breathe in space."
"I did say it was a guess." Duo turned back to her. "Well, the way I see it, we could either call for help-"
"Or I could teleport us back," Ryoko finished.
"I was going to say that we probably ended up here for a reason, so we might as well find out why."
"No offense, Duo, but just because your girlfriend brought us here doesn't mean we should stay. If you recall, she's had a history of...evilness."
"This from a space pirate who also happens to be a demon summoner?"
"Shut up."
Duo grinned. "Anyway, let's check it out. It's been a long time since we've explored space."
Ryoko sighed and fell in step beside him. "Fine. But you have to carry her for a while, too."
* * * * *
Sakura was almost asleep when her private phone line rang. She sighed and rolled over, nearly crushing Kero as she grabbed it. "Hello?" she asked quietly.
"Hi, Sakura? This is Reenie."
"Reenie? Who's that?"
"Uh...a friend of Li's. Sorta. Listen, I really need your help."
Sakura groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Unless this is an emergency, I can't-"
"It is. Do you remember the Sailor Scouts?"
"Vaguely. Why?"
"One of them needs your help. She's...well...I was hoping you'd be able to find her."
Sakura sighed heavily. "Do you have ANY idea where she might be?"
"Um...outer space?"
Sakura blinked. "Right. Um...I'm gonna have to get some special help with this one. Is she in any immediate danger?"
"Well, I'm not sure. She MIGHT be."
"Great. Could you be any less detailed? It's only two in the morning."
"Sorry. All I know is that Duo Maxwell and Ryoko are with her."
"So why do you need my help? They were practically born to travel in space."
"Sakura, that might not be enough! They need help!"
"Look, I'll make some calls and see what I can do, but you'd better find someone who actually has a spaceship first." Sakura hung up, then dialed another number. "Hello, Guy? Yeah, it's me. I need you to get me a spaceship. Used? Yeah, I guess that'll work."
* * * * *
Duo and Ryoko stared at the stone coffin.
"So...what do you think's in it?" Ryoko asked.
"I'd say a body, but who could be buried out here?"
"Maybe it's the reason we're here." Ryoko ran her hand over the top. "It's not like we have anything else to do."
"I guess not."
Ryoko handed Hotaru to Duo. "Good. Then you hold her while I open it."
"Are you sure about this?"
"No, but I'm not gonna stand here all day." Ryoko examined the coffin. "Hmm...primitive design, and ten steel seals. Shouldn't be too hard to bust open."
While Ryoko went to work on the seals, Duo brushed a strand of hair from Hotaru's face. "C'mon, babe. You gotta wake up sometime. You're really starting to worry me here."
Instantly, Hotaru opened her eyes. "D-Duo?" she whispered. "What happened?"
"Doesn't matter," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "You okay?"
"I think so." Her eyes widened in alarm. "What is Ryoko doing?"
"Oh, she's just opening this coffin we found out here."
Hotaru gasped. "Ryoko, stop! DON'T OPEN THAT!"
Ryoko looked up just as her fist crashed through the final seal. "What? I couldn't hear you over the noise!"
There was a low scraping sound as the stone lid moved away from the coffin. A violet mist spewed over the edge of the coffin, moving quickly across the rocky terrain.
"I'm guessing that's not a good thing," Duo muttered. "Any idea what Ryoko just did, babe?"
"It's the evil," Hotaru said. "It was trapped here, and now it's escaping!"
"Not escaping," a voice said. "At least, not yet. I plan to have my revenge first."
Duo turned to see a woman glaring at them. A woman that looked pretty familiar, now that he thought about it. "She one of yours, Ryoko?"
"Nope. For once, she's not after me. At least, I don't think so."
The woman smiled evilly. "It's not you two I want to destroy. It's the girl."
"Back off, lady!" Duo shouted. "Hotaru's with us!"
"Then you all die." The woman raised her hands to the sky. "Guardian Saturn, grant me your dark powers!"
"She can't do that, can she, kid?" Ryoko whispered.
"I-I don't know," Hotaru replied, looking worried.
Duo was the first to notice the huge shadow. "INCOMING!" He shoved Hotaru away as the meteor crashed to the ground.
Hotaru hit the ground hard. When she looked up, the giant meteor was still smoking from impact. Ryoko and Duo were nowhere to be seen.
The woman grabbed Hotaru by the neck and hauled her up. "This time, I won't be limited to your weak little body. This time, I am free, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me." Her eyes flashed. "And before I forget, Pharaoh 90 says hello. I promised I'd deliver his...warmest regards."
Hotaru could feel the scalding heat all over her body, and just before she passed out, there was only one thought going through her head: Mistress Nine was back.
* * * * *
"Sakura, normally I wouldn't be doing this, you know. I could get fired...again."
Sakura didn't look too concerned as they walked through the parking lot. "What's more important, Guy? Your job or three of your stars?"
"Well, I think-"
"Let me rephrase that. If your stars die, you don't HAVE a job."
Guy considered that. "Okay, but I have to warn you, the spaceship is used."
"How used?"
Guy grinned weakly. "So used that it came with an owner?"
"...what?"
"Sorry, Sakura. When I told her about your crisis, she insisted on going, too. Besides, it IS her ship."
Sakura stopped walking. "This person isn't crazy, right?"
"Nope. A bit cheery at times, but normal...as far as anime super heroines go. Oh, this is it."
Sakura looked up. "THIS is a spaceship? It looks like it's made out of wood!"
"Well, it's strong wood...I guess." Guy shrugged. "Anyway, it's almost totally self-piloting."
"You still haven't told me who the owner is."
"No need to," Guy replied. "Here she comes now."
Sakura turned to see a pair of floating logs behind her. "Uh..."
"Hi there!"
Sakura looked up to see a girl her size sitting on one of the logs. "Oh. Hi."
The girl hopped to the ground and shook Sakura's hand. "I'm Sasami. What's your name?"
"Uh...Sakura. These are your...logs?"
"Oh, they're not logs. They're my guardians."
"They're your PARENTS?"
"No, no! They protect me. Well, my sister, anyway. They just gave me a ride here, but I have my own inside the ship."
Guy cleared his throat. "Will you ladies be needing anything else?"
"Nope. We're fine. Thanks, Guy!" Sasami pulled Sakura toward the ship.
"Come back alive, please!" Guy reminded them. "It's bad enough we've already got three stars missing!"
"There is no need to worry, Guy," the guardian closest to him said. "Princess Sasami is very resourceful."
"I just hope she's really lucky," Guy muttered.
Continued in Part 3: Power of Saturn