*Running Against the Wind*
-Chapter 3 | Trailing A Tornado-
Mount M remained still and forebodingly beautiful, its peaks sharp, high, and jagged, warning and yet tempting at the same time.
Beneath the floor of a large building built with the traditional style, but with modern conveniences, a frightening act of power and evil began commencing darkly.
Eudial, the red hair on her right side pulled into two tails, the left side free to hang, bowed low before a pool of crystal clear water.
Through the water mirror at her feet, the cold, uncaring face of Kaori Night appeared, staring expectantly at her.
"Kaori Night…let me, Eudial of the Witches 5, make the first move!" A rippling wave of black light traveled over her body and the skimpy black outfit she had been wearing turned into a Mugen girl's uniform.
"As Yuko Arimura, the Leader of Good Etiquette in Philosophy Class at Mugen Gakuen…" She paused, smiling evilly. "…I'll make sure they understand the school regulations." Each word dripped with sinister poison, the innocent words twisted darkly by the meaning behind them. "And I swear to gather Vessels and Hoste for our Master."
Kaori smiled grimly. "I leave it to you, Eudial."
*
Hino Rei stood under the low waterfall, hands clasped together in a praying position, her eyes closed as the cool water washed over her body, the ritual process of spiritual and body cleansing proceeding smoothly, like the water trickling down her bare arms as she reached out with her mind, pricking the water mirrors spread throughout Tokyo underground.
Kaori gasped and grasped the edge of her water mirror, staring at the ripples indicating thoughtwaves.
'A ripple in the water mirror…there is some other thoughtwave…coming from the area where Eudial is…'
Narrowing her eyes coldly, she heard the mental voice, ((AWAKEN! The time has come! Begin the destruction! GATHER! The three Talismans!'))
Rei's eyes snapped open, her breathing coming ragged and thick. Kaori's water mirror exploded, the water erupting upwards, then slowly arcing back down to splash noisily into the rippling pool.
'The three Talismans?!' both thought mentally.
Thoughts raced about in Rei's head, but a cheerful, husky female voice broke the trance.
"REI!!!!"
Turning around to find her friends, one toting a cake, another picnic basket, and the other two lugging along heavy backpacks, Rei was sufficiently startled. Minutes of hasty greetings and explanations filled the still air.
*
"Cheers! Happy Fifteenth Birthday, Rei-chan!"
Five cups of fruit punch tapped together with gentle 'ding's.
Happy, relaxed chatter swallowed the five teenagers until Makoto hesitatingly spoke up.
"By the way, Rei…did you know? Isn't there a camp for new Mugen Gakuen students here on Mount M?"
Rei nodded curtly, dark violet eyes guarded. "Yes. That's one of the reasons I came here."
"Why didn't you say anything about it? To come here alone…!" Makoto cried softly, not permitting Usagi the privilege of hearing their conversation. It was bound to eventually turn to her safety as the Moon Princess.
"Well, I had a bad premonition about it," she finally responded, gazing at the large, traditional building with a fierce intensity crackling about her. "We have to do all we can to protect Usagi. I thought if we could prevent an incident in advance…without endangering Usagi…then…"
"Right," Makoto affirmed.
*
Loud noises came from the Mugen's camp, the sounds of thuds and yelps coming forth.
"Wh-what?!" Usagi gaped, worried about the safety of the students.
"The Mugen Gakuen students are practicing judo at the lodge over there," Rei explained as Usagi bit her lip anxiously.
The five girls shared one look and came to a common decision.
Peeking around the corner, the quintet was caught off guard.
"What are *you* doing here?!" Haruka cried, his words meant for all five girls, but his gaze settled on Usagi, who felt her heartbeat begin pounding quickly under his curious scrutiny. 'Huh?!' she thought intelligently.
"Geez, I see you a lot," he laughed and motioned for Usagi to come out. "Quit hiding and come out."
Shyly, she hunched her shoulders as various students stopped practicing to stare at her and her companions, following behind her.
"What are you doing up here in the mountains? Are you at camp too? That's a coincidence." He smiled cockily at her, eyebrows tilted downwards slightly.
"Too bad!" Makoto snarled, about to charge him, apparently disliking him very much.
"M-makoto, we've come here to train!" Rei gasped, trying to snatch at her friend's collar.
"Training, huh? Since you're here, will one of you spar with me? I'll give you a work-out. Do you know judo?" He flashed a 'v-for-victory' sign at them along with a wink.
"I'll take you on!"
"Makoto?!"
*
Outfitted in a training gi, Makoto licked her lips. 'This guy's a creampuff.' He was built for speed, she noted, tall and slender with a lightness about him that suggested he was moving all his weight to his heels.
Haruka made quick notes himself. 'Somewhat smaller than me…she doesn't have a good grip on the mat.'
Of course, never underestimate your opponents.
But then again…
Before Makoto could blink, he had flipped her over his shoulder, having moved like a blur from his side of the mat to hers, firmly grasping her waist and using his momentum to raise her up and flip her over. Stunned, she hit the mat with a dull thud, landing on her back.
"Makoto!" Ami shrieked.
Minako rushed to the fallen girl's side, glaring at Haruka. "That's awful! How can you throw a girl like that?"
"Gender makes no difference," he said calmly, arms crossed, his eyes emotionless. "Do you think because you're a girl, you'll always lose to a guy? If you think that…" He looked straight at Usagi. "…you can't protect the ones you love."
'Love…?' she echoed in a mental whisper.
"What are you doing over there?!"
Eudial glared ferociously at the group and the girls, with one mass shriek, sped out of the lodge like their very lives depended on it.
Haruka quickly moved to the sliding rice paper door, closing it effortlessly with a charming grin. "It's nothing. I was just talking to some girls from another school."
Eudial scowled. "I see."
*
The rented cabin was quiet and tranquil, each one of the five Senshi snoring away.
All except for Rei. Pulling the covers off of her slim body, still dressed in her priestess' uniform, she stood up slowly, not noticing Makoto stir until she sat up sharply.
Placing one finger at her own lips, Rei made a 'shhhh' sound and Makoto thought, slightly startled, 'Rei?!'
Both girls moved to the door frame, staring out at a glinting fire nearby, the Mugen students circling it almost ritualistically.
"They're having some sort of ceremony," Makoto muttered, eyes narrowed.
The waterfall Rei had bathed herself under was spraying down upon another group of students, causing her to remark, "Look. They're purifying themselves in the waterfall."
The tall red-haired woman they had seen earlier stood before the roaring flames, a curious black book held in one of her hands. Her voice was carried by the wind towards their cabin, permitting the two Senshi the luck of hearing her speech.
"Now, let's begin the orientation for the new students," she began calmly, eyes sparkling sinisterly. "To build a better scholastic life, let's learn the Mugen Gakuen rules of conduct together."
The fire crackled and spurted upward, fiery plumes frighteningly real.
"You must love the college and do your best for it."
In the woods, an armor-covered man lay in wait, his silver armor brightly reflective and form fitting.
"You must not disobey the leaders of the college. And…"
Moonlight gleamed off the gold circlet around his forehead, the sapphire decoration deeply colored and coldly blue. He waited patiently in the tree branches.
A demonic light lit Eudial's eyes and Rei reached for her henshin stick at the same time Makoto did.
"…you must give your heart and soul to the founder of the college, our Master, Pharaoh 90!"
Flames exploded in all directions, engulfing the witch's body, an immense black star glowing eerily from the center of the heat.
A gold staff with its top tip wrapped around a star made of obsidian, dripping darkness, tore out from the blaze and she caught it effortlessly without turning her head at all.
Each of the students began radiating a strange glow, eyes becoming like Eudial's and black stars streaming from their foreheads.
"For our Master…for our survival…you will train from now on to become skilled Vessels! And one by one…you will sacrifice to us your soul and spirit, your Hoste!"
Bright objects formed of mist seeped out of the numb students' bodies, collecting into one large mass as their bodies fell limply to the ground, stars still burning on their heads..
Tree branches rattled suddenly and Eudial whirled around. "Who's there?!"
"You can end your crazy party right there!"
Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter flipped out of the bushes, stonily regarding her before crying out-
"With the blessings of Mar, the planet of fire, the Senshi of War, Sailor Mars…"
"And with the blessings of Jupiter, the planet of lightning, the Senshi of Protection, Sailor Jupiter…"
"Are here!"
The uniform Eudial wore evaporated, revealing a skimpy outfit and she gathered dark magic in her outstretched hands.
"So you're here, Sailor Senshi!" she cackled madly, "I am Eudial of the Witches 5, Level 78 Death Busters! I'll defeat you and raise my level!"
Mars, aggravated and impatient, snarled, "Mars Snake Fire!"
The burning flames leapt from her tiara and fingertips, scorching Eudial.
Her skin melted away like wax, becoming a hideous creature stuck halfway between death and life, halfway between Earth and hell.
*
Ami shook frantically at Usagi, trying to rouse her from her deep slumber. "Usagi! Wake up! Rei and Makoto are gone!"
She opened her eyes slowly and threw the covers aside, slipping off the mattress.
Minako looked worriedly at them, pointing at the enormous blaze. "Usagi! Ami! There's a fire outside!"
*
Mars and Jupiter were pressed against a tree trunk, the monster creature that once had been Eudial charging towards them.
"Moon Spiral HEART ATTACK!!"
Eudial had not time to register a response; the attack struck her and enveloped her monstrosity of a body, burning it to ashes in a cruelly ironic twist of fate.
'It's gone?!' Sailor Moon gasped mentally, hugging her scepter to her chest with wide eyes.
"Uh…" Students were gradually moaning and stirring; the fire fell into embers mere seconds after Eudial's death.
*
"She's gone…"
"She wasn't worthy of the Witches 5."
"The warrior of fire, Eudial, was worthless."
"The Sailor Senshi are strong!"
*
"Death Busters…that's what she said."
The Inner Senshi shared grim looks, silently accepting their new mission.
'Death Busters! Is that the new enemy?'
A crackling sound broke the quiet behind them and Venus gasped, she and Sailor Moon turning to look up in the tree at their back.
Pushing off the branch with a thickly soled silver boot, the slender young man cast an emotionless look over his shoulder, gold mask covering his features, light hair wafting as he flew through the air, vanishing in the brush.
'That's…!' Sailor Moon thought with a deep inhale of air.
Then, before her fellow Senshi could stop her, she, too, vanished into the brush, chasing after the enigmatic figure.
"Wait!!" she cried, recklessly pushing branches and leaves out of her way, struggling to keep up with the astonishingly swift figure.
"Usagi!" Venus hollered, sighing resignedly. Headstrong as always…
'He's so fast! Just like the wind! I can't catch up!' the teenager wailed desperately in her mind before bursting from the bushes to find herself standing on a picnic ledge overlooking a village far below.
'I've lost him?! But that's…'
A tenor voice called out casually, "I didn't expect you to be able to keep up with me."
She whirled on her heel, staring up at the glimmering silver of the boy from where he sat lazily up in a tree, smirking, a trace of glinting gold in his fingers, apparently his mask.
"Who are you…," she whispered, heart pounding rapidly.
"Little muffin?" he responded, leaping from the tree branches to land a few inches away from her, looking up.
"Don't get in our way," he smiled and her heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening as she recognized him. His fingers firmly curved under her chin and he pressed his lips against hers, a myriad of emotions ranging from shock to guilty pleasure invading her body. As their lips separated, he murmured, "Battle games are dangerous." And then, like the wind, he was gone, leaving her to fall to her knees, gloved fingers lightly touching her parted lips, rosy red from the pressure.
"Sailor Moon!" Venus and Mars knelt beside her, their voices fading into a distant hum that annoyed her somewhat.
'Could that person possibly be…'
Her eyes remained wide, absently clasping her left hand over her mouth, still feeling the heat and pressure from only a moment before.
'A Sailor Senshi?!'
*
"You had contact with a Sailor Senshi?!" Luna demanded, voice shrill and angry, both Artemis and Diana, their future kitten, wincing at the loud outburst. "What did she say her name was?"
Usagi kept her gaze focused on the table, replying harshly, "*He* didn't give a name."
Luna purposefully ignored the gender switch, assuming her charge was in a state of complete surprise as she said 'he'. "Was there anything else?"
"He said not to get in his way."
"And?" Makoto pressed.
Deep desire in his lips, humming electricity, pounding heart, searing her soul, lingering touch...
"That's all," she whispered softly.
"Did you see his face?" Ami asked busily, deciding Usagi knew what she was saying when she said 'he'.
Crystal blue eyes, white blonde hair, gently sloping cheeks, caressing lips, beautifully chiseled face…
"It was too dark to see," she lied, ashamed of her own deception.
"I can't believe it," Rei proclaimed suddenly. "Another Sailor Senshi, and a male one at that!"
"If he is," began Ami slowly, "then why is he working separate from us? Why?"
"It's too early to tell if he's a real Sailor Senshi," Minako interjected practically, her hidden wisdom shining through patiently. "Not until we catch him…and reveal his true identity."
*
Usagi snuck up the stairs of her family's house, stepping into her room and carefully shutting the door, trying to create as little noise as possible.
Shuffling across the thick blue carpet, she paused, staring at a magazine opened on her desk, an article on a 'brilliant racer'…Ten'ou Haruka.
His face was the same; lips curved in a broad, relaxed smile, wearing his racing uniform.
She sighed and turned away, quickly pulling her school fuku off and slipping into an airy silken nightgown with pink and blue lacing, grasping the magazine and laying it on her pillow, lying on her stomach, chin resting on her hands.
'Ten'ou Haruka…'
Her lips tingled and she felt her heart flutter a bit.
'Haruka-san…'
'They look the same…'
[["Little muffin…"]]
[["Muffin-head."]]
Sighing, she gave into her drowsy feeling, falling asleep on the smooth magazine pages.
*
^^^ She was standing in a black void in her nightgown and bare feet. There was someone else there, dressed in the Mugen boy's fuku. It was Haruka. He smiled at her in a schoolboy-ishly eager way. _Hey, Muffin-head…_
'Huh?'
He was beside her, then, fingers under her chin and his lips against hers. When he pulled away, he looked different, dressed in a uniform chillingly similar to the one Kunzite had worn and with decorative earrings of sapphire studding his ears, eyes a cloudy, milky blue color.
'Who?'
He was running away now…why was he running? She wanted him to come back, to stay…with her…
The armor! He was wearing that Senshi's silver armor and circlet, the same gauntlets and boots…
'He's that Sailor Senshi?!'
"Wait! Why do you always run away? Tell me why!" She felt like crying, like running to him and wrapping her arms around him despite the bruising armor, like holding him forever…
"There's no time. We have our duty," he replied calmly and he gave her one last penetrating look before fading into the inky blackness.
'Huh?'
_Talismans…_ ^^^
In their own individual bedrooms, each of the Inner Senshi wrinkled her eyebrows in slumber, visions filtering into their minds, an evil entity sending commands telepathically.
^^^ 'We must collect…the three Talismans…for the God of Destruction…' Pain ripped through their bodies, screams mingling with blood… ^^^
Mamoru shot up in his bed at the same moment Minako, Makoto, Ami, Rei, and Usagi did.
'That dream!' he thought wildly, holding his head with one hand.
'Talismans?!' the girls cried out mentally.
Rei felt her chest rise and fall raggedly with her uneven breathing. 'That dream! This is a bad omen!'
A determined look gleamed in her violet eyes. 'The Talismans must not be united!'
PallaPlease ~ February 8-9, 2001.
-Chapter 3 | Trailing A Tornado-
Mount M remained still and forebodingly beautiful, its peaks sharp, high, and jagged, warning and yet tempting at the same time.
Beneath the floor of a large building built with the traditional style, but with modern conveniences, a frightening act of power and evil began commencing darkly.
Eudial, the red hair on her right side pulled into two tails, the left side free to hang, bowed low before a pool of crystal clear water.
Through the water mirror at her feet, the cold, uncaring face of Kaori Night appeared, staring expectantly at her.
"Kaori Night…let me, Eudial of the Witches 5, make the first move!" A rippling wave of black light traveled over her body and the skimpy black outfit she had been wearing turned into a Mugen girl's uniform.
"As Yuko Arimura, the Leader of Good Etiquette in Philosophy Class at Mugen Gakuen…" She paused, smiling evilly. "…I'll make sure they understand the school regulations." Each word dripped with sinister poison, the innocent words twisted darkly by the meaning behind them. "And I swear to gather Vessels and Hoste for our Master."
Kaori smiled grimly. "I leave it to you, Eudial."
*
Hino Rei stood under the low waterfall, hands clasped together in a praying position, her eyes closed as the cool water washed over her body, the ritual process of spiritual and body cleansing proceeding smoothly, like the water trickling down her bare arms as she reached out with her mind, pricking the water mirrors spread throughout Tokyo underground.
Kaori gasped and grasped the edge of her water mirror, staring at the ripples indicating thoughtwaves.
'A ripple in the water mirror…there is some other thoughtwave…coming from the area where Eudial is…'
Narrowing her eyes coldly, she heard the mental voice, ((AWAKEN! The time has come! Begin the destruction! GATHER! The three Talismans!'))
Rei's eyes snapped open, her breathing coming ragged and thick. Kaori's water mirror exploded, the water erupting upwards, then slowly arcing back down to splash noisily into the rippling pool.
'The three Talismans?!' both thought mentally.
Thoughts raced about in Rei's head, but a cheerful, husky female voice broke the trance.
"REI!!!!"
Turning around to find her friends, one toting a cake, another picnic basket, and the other two lugging along heavy backpacks, Rei was sufficiently startled. Minutes of hasty greetings and explanations filled the still air.
*
"Cheers! Happy Fifteenth Birthday, Rei-chan!"
Five cups of fruit punch tapped together with gentle 'ding's.
Happy, relaxed chatter swallowed the five teenagers until Makoto hesitatingly spoke up.
"By the way, Rei…did you know? Isn't there a camp for new Mugen Gakuen students here on Mount M?"
Rei nodded curtly, dark violet eyes guarded. "Yes. That's one of the reasons I came here."
"Why didn't you say anything about it? To come here alone…!" Makoto cried softly, not permitting Usagi the privilege of hearing their conversation. It was bound to eventually turn to her safety as the Moon Princess.
"Well, I had a bad premonition about it," she finally responded, gazing at the large, traditional building with a fierce intensity crackling about her. "We have to do all we can to protect Usagi. I thought if we could prevent an incident in advance…without endangering Usagi…then…"
"Right," Makoto affirmed.
*
Loud noises came from the Mugen's camp, the sounds of thuds and yelps coming forth.
"Wh-what?!" Usagi gaped, worried about the safety of the students.
"The Mugen Gakuen students are practicing judo at the lodge over there," Rei explained as Usagi bit her lip anxiously.
The five girls shared one look and came to a common decision.
Peeking around the corner, the quintet was caught off guard.
"What are *you* doing here?!" Haruka cried, his words meant for all five girls, but his gaze settled on Usagi, who felt her heartbeat begin pounding quickly under his curious scrutiny. 'Huh?!' she thought intelligently.
"Geez, I see you a lot," he laughed and motioned for Usagi to come out. "Quit hiding and come out."
Shyly, she hunched her shoulders as various students stopped practicing to stare at her and her companions, following behind her.
"What are you doing up here in the mountains? Are you at camp too? That's a coincidence." He smiled cockily at her, eyebrows tilted downwards slightly.
"Too bad!" Makoto snarled, about to charge him, apparently disliking him very much.
"M-makoto, we've come here to train!" Rei gasped, trying to snatch at her friend's collar.
"Training, huh? Since you're here, will one of you spar with me? I'll give you a work-out. Do you know judo?" He flashed a 'v-for-victory' sign at them along with a wink.
"I'll take you on!"
"Makoto?!"
*
Outfitted in a training gi, Makoto licked her lips. 'This guy's a creampuff.' He was built for speed, she noted, tall and slender with a lightness about him that suggested he was moving all his weight to his heels.
Haruka made quick notes himself. 'Somewhat smaller than me…she doesn't have a good grip on the mat.'
Of course, never underestimate your opponents.
But then again…
Before Makoto could blink, he had flipped her over his shoulder, having moved like a blur from his side of the mat to hers, firmly grasping her waist and using his momentum to raise her up and flip her over. Stunned, she hit the mat with a dull thud, landing on her back.
"Makoto!" Ami shrieked.
Minako rushed to the fallen girl's side, glaring at Haruka. "That's awful! How can you throw a girl like that?"
"Gender makes no difference," he said calmly, arms crossed, his eyes emotionless. "Do you think because you're a girl, you'll always lose to a guy? If you think that…" He looked straight at Usagi. "…you can't protect the ones you love."
'Love…?' she echoed in a mental whisper.
"What are you doing over there?!"
Eudial glared ferociously at the group and the girls, with one mass shriek, sped out of the lodge like their very lives depended on it.
Haruka quickly moved to the sliding rice paper door, closing it effortlessly with a charming grin. "It's nothing. I was just talking to some girls from another school."
Eudial scowled. "I see."
*
The rented cabin was quiet and tranquil, each one of the five Senshi snoring away.
All except for Rei. Pulling the covers off of her slim body, still dressed in her priestess' uniform, she stood up slowly, not noticing Makoto stir until she sat up sharply.
Placing one finger at her own lips, Rei made a 'shhhh' sound and Makoto thought, slightly startled, 'Rei?!'
Both girls moved to the door frame, staring out at a glinting fire nearby, the Mugen students circling it almost ritualistically.
"They're having some sort of ceremony," Makoto muttered, eyes narrowed.
The waterfall Rei had bathed herself under was spraying down upon another group of students, causing her to remark, "Look. They're purifying themselves in the waterfall."
The tall red-haired woman they had seen earlier stood before the roaring flames, a curious black book held in one of her hands. Her voice was carried by the wind towards their cabin, permitting the two Senshi the luck of hearing her speech.
"Now, let's begin the orientation for the new students," she began calmly, eyes sparkling sinisterly. "To build a better scholastic life, let's learn the Mugen Gakuen rules of conduct together."
The fire crackled and spurted upward, fiery plumes frighteningly real.
"You must love the college and do your best for it."
In the woods, an armor-covered man lay in wait, his silver armor brightly reflective and form fitting.
"You must not disobey the leaders of the college. And…"
Moonlight gleamed off the gold circlet around his forehead, the sapphire decoration deeply colored and coldly blue. He waited patiently in the tree branches.
A demonic light lit Eudial's eyes and Rei reached for her henshin stick at the same time Makoto did.
"…you must give your heart and soul to the founder of the college, our Master, Pharaoh 90!"
Flames exploded in all directions, engulfing the witch's body, an immense black star glowing eerily from the center of the heat.
A gold staff with its top tip wrapped around a star made of obsidian, dripping darkness, tore out from the blaze and she caught it effortlessly without turning her head at all.
Each of the students began radiating a strange glow, eyes becoming like Eudial's and black stars streaming from their foreheads.
"For our Master…for our survival…you will train from now on to become skilled Vessels! And one by one…you will sacrifice to us your soul and spirit, your Hoste!"
Bright objects formed of mist seeped out of the numb students' bodies, collecting into one large mass as their bodies fell limply to the ground, stars still burning on their heads..
Tree branches rattled suddenly and Eudial whirled around. "Who's there?!"
"You can end your crazy party right there!"
Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter flipped out of the bushes, stonily regarding her before crying out-
"With the blessings of Mar, the planet of fire, the Senshi of War, Sailor Mars…"
"And with the blessings of Jupiter, the planet of lightning, the Senshi of Protection, Sailor Jupiter…"
"Are here!"
The uniform Eudial wore evaporated, revealing a skimpy outfit and she gathered dark magic in her outstretched hands.
"So you're here, Sailor Senshi!" she cackled madly, "I am Eudial of the Witches 5, Level 78 Death Busters! I'll defeat you and raise my level!"
Mars, aggravated and impatient, snarled, "Mars Snake Fire!"
The burning flames leapt from her tiara and fingertips, scorching Eudial.
Her skin melted away like wax, becoming a hideous creature stuck halfway between death and life, halfway between Earth and hell.
*
Ami shook frantically at Usagi, trying to rouse her from her deep slumber. "Usagi! Wake up! Rei and Makoto are gone!"
She opened her eyes slowly and threw the covers aside, slipping off the mattress.
Minako looked worriedly at them, pointing at the enormous blaze. "Usagi! Ami! There's a fire outside!"
*
Mars and Jupiter were pressed against a tree trunk, the monster creature that once had been Eudial charging towards them.
"Moon Spiral HEART ATTACK!!"
Eudial had not time to register a response; the attack struck her and enveloped her monstrosity of a body, burning it to ashes in a cruelly ironic twist of fate.
'It's gone?!' Sailor Moon gasped mentally, hugging her scepter to her chest with wide eyes.
"Uh…" Students were gradually moaning and stirring; the fire fell into embers mere seconds after Eudial's death.
*
"She's gone…"
"She wasn't worthy of the Witches 5."
"The warrior of fire, Eudial, was worthless."
"The Sailor Senshi are strong!"
*
"Death Busters…that's what she said."
The Inner Senshi shared grim looks, silently accepting their new mission.
'Death Busters! Is that the new enemy?'
A crackling sound broke the quiet behind them and Venus gasped, she and Sailor Moon turning to look up in the tree at their back.
Pushing off the branch with a thickly soled silver boot, the slender young man cast an emotionless look over his shoulder, gold mask covering his features, light hair wafting as he flew through the air, vanishing in the brush.
'That's…!' Sailor Moon thought with a deep inhale of air.
Then, before her fellow Senshi could stop her, she, too, vanished into the brush, chasing after the enigmatic figure.
"Wait!!" she cried, recklessly pushing branches and leaves out of her way, struggling to keep up with the astonishingly swift figure.
"Usagi!" Venus hollered, sighing resignedly. Headstrong as always…
'He's so fast! Just like the wind! I can't catch up!' the teenager wailed desperately in her mind before bursting from the bushes to find herself standing on a picnic ledge overlooking a village far below.
'I've lost him?! But that's…'
A tenor voice called out casually, "I didn't expect you to be able to keep up with me."
She whirled on her heel, staring up at the glimmering silver of the boy from where he sat lazily up in a tree, smirking, a trace of glinting gold in his fingers, apparently his mask.
"Who are you…," she whispered, heart pounding rapidly.
"Little muffin?" he responded, leaping from the tree branches to land a few inches away from her, looking up.
"Don't get in our way," he smiled and her heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening as she recognized him. His fingers firmly curved under her chin and he pressed his lips against hers, a myriad of emotions ranging from shock to guilty pleasure invading her body. As their lips separated, he murmured, "Battle games are dangerous." And then, like the wind, he was gone, leaving her to fall to her knees, gloved fingers lightly touching her parted lips, rosy red from the pressure.
"Sailor Moon!" Venus and Mars knelt beside her, their voices fading into a distant hum that annoyed her somewhat.
'Could that person possibly be…'
Her eyes remained wide, absently clasping her left hand over her mouth, still feeling the heat and pressure from only a moment before.
'A Sailor Senshi?!'
*
"You had contact with a Sailor Senshi?!" Luna demanded, voice shrill and angry, both Artemis and Diana, their future kitten, wincing at the loud outburst. "What did she say her name was?"
Usagi kept her gaze focused on the table, replying harshly, "*He* didn't give a name."
Luna purposefully ignored the gender switch, assuming her charge was in a state of complete surprise as she said 'he'. "Was there anything else?"
"He said not to get in his way."
"And?" Makoto pressed.
Deep desire in his lips, humming electricity, pounding heart, searing her soul, lingering touch...
"That's all," she whispered softly.
"Did you see his face?" Ami asked busily, deciding Usagi knew what she was saying when she said 'he'.
Crystal blue eyes, white blonde hair, gently sloping cheeks, caressing lips, beautifully chiseled face…
"It was too dark to see," she lied, ashamed of her own deception.
"I can't believe it," Rei proclaimed suddenly. "Another Sailor Senshi, and a male one at that!"
"If he is," began Ami slowly, "then why is he working separate from us? Why?"
"It's too early to tell if he's a real Sailor Senshi," Minako interjected practically, her hidden wisdom shining through patiently. "Not until we catch him…and reveal his true identity."
*
Usagi snuck up the stairs of her family's house, stepping into her room and carefully shutting the door, trying to create as little noise as possible.
Shuffling across the thick blue carpet, she paused, staring at a magazine opened on her desk, an article on a 'brilliant racer'…Ten'ou Haruka.
His face was the same; lips curved in a broad, relaxed smile, wearing his racing uniform.
She sighed and turned away, quickly pulling her school fuku off and slipping into an airy silken nightgown with pink and blue lacing, grasping the magazine and laying it on her pillow, lying on her stomach, chin resting on her hands.
'Ten'ou Haruka…'
Her lips tingled and she felt her heart flutter a bit.
'Haruka-san…'
'They look the same…'
[["Little muffin…"]]
[["Muffin-head."]]
Sighing, she gave into her drowsy feeling, falling asleep on the smooth magazine pages.
*
^^^ She was standing in a black void in her nightgown and bare feet. There was someone else there, dressed in the Mugen boy's fuku. It was Haruka. He smiled at her in a schoolboy-ishly eager way. _Hey, Muffin-head…_
'Huh?'
He was beside her, then, fingers under her chin and his lips against hers. When he pulled away, he looked different, dressed in a uniform chillingly similar to the one Kunzite had worn and with decorative earrings of sapphire studding his ears, eyes a cloudy, milky blue color.
'Who?'
He was running away now…why was he running? She wanted him to come back, to stay…with her…
The armor! He was wearing that Senshi's silver armor and circlet, the same gauntlets and boots…
'He's that Sailor Senshi?!'
"Wait! Why do you always run away? Tell me why!" She felt like crying, like running to him and wrapping her arms around him despite the bruising armor, like holding him forever…
"There's no time. We have our duty," he replied calmly and he gave her one last penetrating look before fading into the inky blackness.
'Huh?'
_Talismans…_ ^^^
In their own individual bedrooms, each of the Inner Senshi wrinkled her eyebrows in slumber, visions filtering into their minds, an evil entity sending commands telepathically.
^^^ 'We must collect…the three Talismans…for the God of Destruction…' Pain ripped through their bodies, screams mingling with blood… ^^^
Mamoru shot up in his bed at the same moment Minako, Makoto, Ami, Rei, and Usagi did.
'That dream!' he thought wildly, holding his head with one hand.
'Talismans?!' the girls cried out mentally.
Rei felt her chest rise and fall raggedly with her uneven breathing. 'That dream! This is a bad omen!'
A determined look gleamed in her violet eyes. 'The Talismans must not be united!'
PallaPlease ~ February 8-9, 2001.